Help with selecting a good MP3/movie player for best value - iPod, Zune, etc.

karkyco

karkyco

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Okay, so I'm a way late adopter in terms of getting an iPod or Zune or other MP3 player, sue me.

I just want to get the best value/bang for my buck. I have loads of CDs that I can convert or whatever I have to do to put them onto the iPod or whatnot, but as you can see I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this technology.

What I'm looking for is something that can preferably do most of the stuff that the iPhone can except for make calls - I want it to at least play songs and videos, but a touch screen and wifi/web browsing would be cool as well. Cost is no object but again I really want to get the best price for the most memory/functionality.

I would prefer to have one that I could increase the memory on or have interchangeable memory cards...I don't think many of them do but don't know about the zune ones or other non iPod brands.

is there some good MP3 brand that does a lot of this that has a good player, comes with the software I need for converting wav files to mp3 or whatever I need to do?

Also, what about sites - what sites have the cheapest songs/shows with the largest library?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
 
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I was in your shoes but recently I bought a 1st Generation Brown Zune at Amazon.com for $89.99. It will ship on Nov 19. i thought that was a pretty good deal.

Don't forget that you may have to buy an extra hard drive to store all your songs. I found out that you can't rip your cds straight into the Mp3 player...you have to store them somewhere. I bought an external hard drive for that purpose.
 
I've spent a decent time looking at different players and I can give a couple recommendations.

I'm a pretty big fan of the cheepo 1st generation Zunes. The pros are 30gb a nice screen and I personally enjoy the navigation/organization of the albums and video on the device. The downsides are (as with all video players) a shortish battery life (I need to charge it every other day if I'm listening to music at work and watch a couple of videos) and I don't really like the Zune software on your PC. But for 80ish bucks its a pretty sweet deal.

I really like the creative line of players as well. I've never had a video player from them, but the Zen series of mp3 players (we have a zen xtra) sound fantastic and have amazing battery life (easily 20 hours). They are also very durable and survived well backpacking through Europe for a year.

I've had bad experiences (through friends and family) with Ipods. They seem to die after about a year and the battery life is very short. Plus they tend to be on the upper end of the price range. On the plus side Itunes is one of the best ways to manage and get music.
 
I have both an ipod and a zune, and I'll take my zune of the ipod any day. I have a nano. It's only amusing thing is it's size. Other then that, the battery sucks, it's storage size sucks, and itunes is just a bad program (IMO, any program that messes with my porn is bad! I HATE quicktime). And itunes has a nasty habbit of converting your music on the computer to it's own tag rendering media player useless unless you have soemthing to convert it back.

The zune is a little bulky, but it's program is better then itunes, 14+ hours of battery, great screen, easy to use controles, the wifi sharing is nice, and it's cheaper then an ipod right now.Also, the zune prog works well with media player, so no converting back and forth. It's only bad drawback IMO is converting DVDs onto it, so i use a different program Cucusoft to rip/convert for me.
 
[quote name='karkyco']What I'm looking for is something that can preferably do most of the stuff that the iPhone can except for make calls - I want it to at least play songs and videos, but a touch screen and wifi/web browsing would be cool as well. Cost is no object but again I really want to get the best price for the most memory/functionality.
[/QUOTE]

By focusing on that little snippet. I would have to recommend an iPod Touch. It has the majority of the iPhone's functionality (minus phone and some other IMO trivial things).

Storage isn't that incredible. But if you buy the 16GB version you MIGHT be satisfied.

But...the touch does not have any expandable memory.

If the expandable memory is a big issue for you...perhaps you would be interested in the Creative Zen. You can get up to 16gb memory ($250) and use expandable memory and the reported battery life is pretty good.

Of course... since this is CHEAPASSgamer. You may be quite pleased buying the cheapo zune the above posters recommended. Its very cheap, but obviously not as feature rich as the iPod touch (which costs like 4-5x as much).

If none of those interest you. And you end up wanting something smaller and more streamlined. I would recommend the new 8gb zune, I haven't used it. But its feature list impresses me (despite not being expandable, nor having any wifi functionality.)
 
i own a 5th gen ipod video [ 60 GB ] and a factory reburb Black Zune [ 30GB ].

Zune > Ipod

---

Zune - 1st Gen 30GB version

+ Bigger screen
+ Headphones have better sound quality and the ear buds have magnets. And the input has a rubberized grip.
+ Built in radio tuner
+ Made from rubberized plastic. Has a scratch resistant screen. Good feel.
+ D-Pad > Touch Wheel
+ Customizable background, big album art. Can zoom in on pictures.
+ Ability to send other users tracks/pictures wirelessly
+ Hold button clicks in place
+ Has the same features as the newly released Zune 2.0 including wireless sync.

= New zune software is pretty easy to use, but you can't detail your tracks. [ no track #s, dates, starting time, etc ]

- No AM under the radio functionality
- No clock [ wtf ]
- D-Pad could be bigger
- New rating system is either a heart or broken heart
- No quick playlists [ example, highest rated playlist ]
- Can't use as an external drive [ unless you do a simple registry hack ]

---

iPod - 5th gen video

+ iTunes is better than the zune software cause you have full control of your mp3s.
+ Games
+ Extra functions like a timer, contact list, calendar.
+ Easy to add songs to a quick playlist or favorites.
+ Use as a storage device

= Analog control for volume [ move you finger just a tad while you lift your finger off can increase/decrease the volume ]

- Lack of support [ no new firmware updates for months! | current firmware has freezing problems ]
- Made from VERY poor materials | an excuse to license out their stuff so that companies can make cases/screens/etc.

My iPod is scratched to hell just from normal use. It gets scratched just from placing it on a table/desk/etc. You can scratch the surface with a tissue... ridiculous.
 
Wow, thanks guys. I think I will have to really get a hands on with these players.

I like the sound of the Zen products (been around a while, expandable memory, cheap cheap), but the Zune sounds like a very good bet too.

I love the look of the Apple products and their functionality, but that pricing is just a tough pill to swallow.

Maybe I should wait for newer versions of the Zune, hopefully they will have web browsing and whatnot.

What did you mean by this though Ronnie?

"+ iTunes is better than the zune software cause you have full control of your mp3s."

Does the zune limit you from ripping your CDs or won't play mp3s unless you download them from an MS site or something?

Again, sorry, fairly clueless on the specifics of this technology and the various products!
 
[quote name='akravator']By focusing on that little snippet. I would have to recommend an iPod Touch. It has the majority of the iPhone's functionality (minus phone and some other IMO trivial things).

If none of those interest you. And you end up wanting something smaller and more streamlined. I would recommend the new 8gb zune, I haven't used it. But its feature list impresses me (despite not being expandable, nor having any wifi functionality.)[/quote]

Inaccurate, as the Zune 8GB can sync music over a wifi connection.
 
Hmmm, maybe I should have qualified my topic intro a bit more.

Here is my situation more specifically.

So I have a ton of CDs. Never really got into the downloading 'free' music craze, but I can have access to other libraries of music on friends' hard drives if I want (not advocating anything illegal or whatnot or saying that I would do this, just saying that it's there and has been offered to me i.e. "hey if you want song X and get an mp3 player I can share it with you").

So I really want a device that allows me to easily get certain songs I want off my CDs (say for example I just want one song of CD X, I want to be able to easily just pop it in my CD/DVD drive and convert the song in question to the proper/universal format and get it onto the media player) or by downloading them but I would like it to be in a universal format, i.e. mp3 which I'm guessing they all use.

Same with movies/videos.

I don't really want to have to go hunting for the right software to be able to get the music off my CDs and onto the player. Does this make sense?

Again, thanks for all the advice.
 
The Zune software comes with a ripping function, just pop in the CD and it uploads the music to your library and the new Wireless sync just makes things easier.

Ive never had an Ipod, so im biased. The sound quality of the device is one feature that everyone seems to enjoy alot better than the ipod and the interface. As far as battery life goes, its worked with me with no problems. its on all morning and evening and never died on me once, sure it looks like the battary guage is on its last bit of juice but it never kicked out on me after 9 1/2 hours of repetative use.

The new 80GB zune has a much more capacity obviously as well as a nice little Touch pad scroll function (or...Squircle) and I'm definitely getting one as soon as the local gamestop gets them in, gonna use my $149 of store credit to pay.
 
[quote name='karkyco']What did you mean by this though Ronnie?

"+ iTunes is better than the zune software cause you have full control of your mp3s."

Does the zune limit you from ripping your CDs or won't play mp3s unless you download them from an MS site or something?[/QUOTE]

i meant more like there's options for:

- remember playback position
- skip during shuffle play
- start and end times [ which than you can save that edited track as it's own mp3 ]
- change all types of info like artist, track number, composer, date, etc

i know for iTunes if you download songs from the marketplace, you can only share those songs on 5 other computers and than it becomes locked out.

i haven't downloaded anything from the zune marketplace yet so i don't know how their licenses are like.
 
[quote name='karkyco']Hmmm, maybe I should have qualified my topic intro a bit more.

Here is my situation more specifically.

So I have a ton of CDs. Never really got into the downloading 'free' music craze, but I can have access to other libraries of music on friends' hard drives if I want (not advocating anything illegal or whatnot or saying that I would do this, just saying that it's there and has been offered to me i.e. "hey if you want song X and get an mp3 player I can share it with you").

So I really want a device that allows me to easily get certain songs I want off my CDs (say for example I just want one song of CD X, I want to be able to easily just pop it in my CD/DVD drive and convert the song in question to the proper/universal format and get it onto the media player) or by downloading them but I would like it to be in a universal format, i.e. mp3 which I'm guessing they all use.

Same with movies/videos.

I don't really want to have to go hunting for the right software to be able to get the music off my CDs and onto the player. Does this make sense?

Again, thanks for all the advice.[/quote]


YOU WANT A SANDISK!!!!
 
Both Microsoft's and Apple's syncing software support selective ripping. What you're describing is a very basic feature. Apple's iTunes and Microsoft's new Zune software both support this, and the software is free to use so you can use it with any device, including a Sandisk. All devices play MP3s, and most will also play AAC, a format which is supposed to be the successor to MP3.

The bonus with getting a Zune or an Apple is the syncing function which makes getting stuff on your device a breeze since it will organize everything on your MP3 player for you, but you can also do it manually if you like. Both devices have "smart" features that do things automatically that you might not even have thought of but are of great convenience to use once you get the hang of it.
 
Here is my two cents.

I have an old 3rd gen Ipod. My only complaint with it is battery life. I have had it for about 4 years, and I have replaced the battery twice because it wouldn't hold a charge. Other than that, I loved having it.

My new mp3 player is a Creative Zen Vision W and I LOVE it. It has a huge screen for playing videos and it comes with a built in speaker for listening to anything you want. I got it super cheap on a crazy deal through newegg.com I got a 30gb one for about 150 after rebates. It has a memory card slot for expandable cards and it comes with an easily detatchable battery as well. It comes in a bigger 60 gb size too.

Good luck with choices.
 
ok, guys , i have a another question, i already have an older ipod video, but im looking @ the MS Zune for 100bucks, looks like a great deal. but my question is, will i be able to play my songs that i have on my pc on itunes, on the new Zune?

p.s. there's only a few itunes bought song 80percent where ripped from my cds.
thanks in adv. for your help!
'
 
[quote name='dank']YOU WANT A SANDISK!!!![/quote]

Was it necessary to double post for that?

Anyway, I have gone through plenty of MP3 players. I have never tried the Zune. So far, my favorite was my Zen Vision M. I had it for about 2 years, and then I got it wet and it crapped out. IT was simple. You had a choice if you wanted to use the decent software, or just drag-and-drop.

I currently have a 4gb Ipod Nano with Video. I wouldn't have bought this one, but I got it for free from a promotion at my mom's job. I like it, but I would have prefered a new, cheaper Zen, or possibly one of those 100 dollar Zunes. I'm coming close to the capacity limit on the Nano.

Now, you said you had A lot of CDs, so I would recommend the 100 dollar Zune. I've heard the software isn't that good, but you will have a 30gb MP3 player for 100 dollars, which is an amazing deal.
 
I'm not an expert but just a friendly reminder, TRU will have the Brown Zune 30 gig for $79.99 BF ( I bought one for $199 while picking up Mario and plan on a quick trip back on Friday to pm and use my Mario GC for partial payment.)

and I may just try to pm Friday at (BB plus 10%) $79.99 - $12?

Good luck on your choice, I've learned quite a bit from your thread...
 
[quote name='RonnieWrecked']i meant more like there's options for:

- remember playback position
- skip during shuffle play
- start and end times [ which than you can save that edited track as it's own mp3 ]
- change all types of info like artist, track number, composer, date, etc

i know for iTunes if you download songs from the marketplace, you can only share those songs on 5 other computers and than it becomes locked out.

i haven't downloaded anything from the zune marketplace yet so i don't know how their licenses are like.[/quote]

You can "guest sync" with up to 3 computers. Yes you can reset the computers (just like iTunes). However, Zune Marketplace has the Zune Pass, where you can download everything and anything for $14.99 a month.
 
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