Tell me about IPODS...

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

I have a month-long hike coming up, much of it is road-walking (dirt roads, not busy ones) and am thinking about possibly bringing an Ipod. I'm familiar with MP3's, use Winamp and have a huge collection of classical music I could listen to on the ipod.

I'm on a budget, and will most likely be buying it used on ebay. How do I choose the right one? How much do they weigh? What is an ipod shuffle? What batteries do they use and how often do the batteries need charged?

Would appreciate any help, obviously I'm not a technogeek.

[wilderness bob]

I am hiking this year with a IPOD Nano. I have loaded 130 songs on it so far and still have over half the memory left. The songs seem to average about four minutes each. Right now I am trying to figure out the battery recharging issue out now. There are adapters and cables available (AC, DC or even to a computer's USB port). I tried solar but did not have a positive result (perhaps the right idea but the wrong product?). I have heard of a battery pack that could charge the IPOD a number of times before needing to be recharged itself but, no luck in finding one yet. I will keep my eyes on your post to see if anyone has any suggestions. Good luck and thanks for posting. WB

[RedneckRye]

Last year on the PCT I carried an RCA Lyra. There are several models. Mine has 1gig of internal memory, takes SD cards for additional memory, has an FM receiver, and runs on 1 AAA battery.
Not nearly as much memory as an IPOD, but the radio and the fact that it runs on regular batteries more than made up for that. Never had to go looking for a computer to plug it into to recharge or carry any adaptor cords. I also carried 2 1gig SD cards, so had about 60 albums worth of music with me. It is about the length of my thumb, and slightly bigger in diameter.
One of my favorite pieces of gear.

[Ronin]

How do I choose the right one? How much do they weigh? What is an ipod shuffle? What batteries do they use and how often do the batteries need charged?

Would appreciate any help, obviously I'm not a technogeek.

Choosing the "right" ipod is a matter of personal preference. How much memory do you want? Do you want video & photo capabilities? I have a 30 gig ipod video. It has about 12,000 songs in it and there's still memory left. It weighs 4.6 oz. An ipod Nano is about half the size and weighs 1.6 oz. It also has less memory. An ipod Shuffle is about the size of a book of matches and weighs next to nothing. The Shuffle automatically plays the songs loaded into it in random order so you can not play what you want when you want.

All ipods have internal batteries and therefore need to be periodically recharged from a power source.

If you buy on ebay, just make sure the seller has a good reputation. I would definitely suggest getting a protective sleeve as well as the ipods scratch and dent pretty easily. Good luck!

[hammock engineer]

All I have to say is internal rechargable battery. Not many places to recharge it after the first 8 or so hours of use. I would look for one that takes AA or AAA batteries.

I also think that IPOS are not the best engineered or priced mp3 players out there, they are just the best marketed ones. There are other ones out there that are cheaper and better.

Funny side note. I have talked to more than one person that thinks that they need a IPOS to play mp3's.

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

Thanks everyone. Hmm, how much memory...I think I'd like enough to have maybe two or three audiobooks, plus prob, hmm, capacity for 500 songs.

I just googled the most recent audiobook I listened to (Ken Follett's "Whiteout"). I got in on Cd's from the library, looks like as a file it is about 700 mgs in size. So, just three audiobooks would take up prob 2000 megs. How many megs are in a gig, again?

Ronin, thanks for the info on the shuffle, I def don't want one of those!

Don't need video or photo capabities either. Well, hmm, when you say video, what kind could I watch, at night in my tent in the dark? Could I watch episodes of Star Trek TNG on it? :) Or do you mean little video clips or something?

[Webs]

I have a 30gb video iPod, but I'm definetely not taking it on the trail. It's actually kind of heavy, maybe 1/2 a pound or so. I'd strongly recommend against a shuffle, for reasons stated above. IPods also have a less-than-stellar reputation for their battery life. So you'd probably want to research other options, IMO.

[hammock engineer]

1 giga byte is 1000 mega bytes. That is the rating that the companies use.

BTW if you are wondering why everything that you get that says it is 40 GB is actually 37-ish GB. They use 1 byte as 1000 bits, when actually 1 byte is 1024 bits. I think.

[max patch]

I use a nano which I wouldn't even consider using on the trail becasue of the battery issue. Get one that uses AA or AAA battteries.

[Ronin]

Don't need video or photo capabities either. Well, hmm, when you say video, what kind could I watch, at night in my tent in the dark? Could I watch episodes of Star Trek TNG on it? :) Or do you mean little video clips or something?

You can watch music videos and things like that, but depending on how much memory you have and want to use, yes, you can watch tv shows.


BTW if you are wondering why everything that you get that says it is 40 GB is actually 37-ish GB. They use 1 byte as 1000 bits, when actually 1 byte is 1024 bits. I think.

Also, some of the memory space, no matter how much it is in total, is used up by the operating system of the device.

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

1 giga byte is 1000 mega bytes. That is the rating that the companies use.

BTW if you are wondering why everything that you get that says it is 40 GB is actually 37-ish GB. They use 1 byte as 1000 bits, when actually 1 byte is 1024 bits. I think.

Okay, so if I got one that only held 1 gig, then I'd prob only be able to fit one 700 meg audiobook on it, plus maybe a dozen or so albums, is that about right?

Thanks on the weight info, 1/2 pound is way too heavy for a luxury item for me.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

I use an iriver 1 gig http://www.iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/t10/
Long battery life on AA ,very durable and I like the FM tuner. If you shop around you can find them on sale for under $100.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

p.s. iriver weighs 2.54oz with battery

[Ronin]

You can get an ipod Nano in 2, 4 or 8 GB. They are 3.5 inches long and 1.6 inches wide and weight 1.6 oz.

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

You can get an ipod Nano in 2, 4 or 8 GB. They are 3.5 inches long and 1.6 inches wide and weight 1.6 oz.

Okay, size and weight are acceptable. Tell me again, what kind of batteries/re-charging options are there for the Nano?

What would a used 4 gig nano be worth, if i didn't care what color it was or if it were scratched up or something?

[Frosty]

Okay, so if I got one that only held 1 gig, then I'd prob only be able to fit one 700 meg audiobook on it, plus maybe a dozen or so albums, is that about right?Nope, not right. Logical, but not right :) You are much better off than that.

A CD uses an audio format, where it takes about 600 to 700 MEG for one hour of play. IPods and MP3 players put the sound in a digital format, and it takes about 10 MEG for one hour of play. Figure on the average 10 Meg per CD you want to put onto your iPod or MP3 player. A one Gig player should store 70 music CDs or audio book CDs. My Bill Bryson WALK IN THE WOODS 5-CD set takes a bit over 50 MEGs of space.

The iPod is arguably the best MP3 player on the market, but it is far from the cheapest. If you are going to use it for audiobooks and listen to music via earphones, then any MP3 player will do.

One word about the iPod Shuffle. You load songs or audio books or whatever on them, and it shuffles them. It plays randomly. You cannot select what song/audio book you want to listen to.

I don't listen to music on the trail, but do carry a FM/weatherband radio for night use. Sometimes the scurrying of chipmunks around my tent at night send adrenaline jolts through me and keep me from sleeping. Nothing like NPR to mask the sound and put me to sleep.

[hammock engineer]

Nope, not right. Logical, but not right :) You are much better off than that.

A CD uses an audio format, where it takes about 600 to 700 MEG for one hour of play. IPods and MP3 players put the sound in a digital format, and it takes about 10 MEG for one hour of play. Figure on the average 10 Meg per CD you want to put onto your iPod or MP3 player. A one Gig player should store 70 music CDs or audio book CDs. My Bill Bryson WALK IN THE WOODS 5-CD set takes a bit over 50 MEGs of space.

The iPod is arguably the best MP3 player on the market, but it is far from the cheapest. If you are going to use it for audiobooks and listen to music via earphones, then any MP3 player will do.

One word about the iPod Shuffle. You load songs or audio books or whatever on them, and it shuffles them. It plays randomly. You cannot select what song/audio book you want to listen to.

I don't listen to music on the trail, but do carry a FM/weatherband radio for night use. Sometimes the scurrying of chipmunks around my tent at night send adrenaline jolts through me and keep me from sleeping. Nothing like NPR to mask the sound and put me to sleep.


Correct me if I am wrong on this one, it has been a while since I ripped any cd's and messed with mp3's. But isn't the average mp3 around 3 MB. Hence where the name came from. I think that cd's are around 212 bits of sound quality (I can't remember the correct term). You can go more or less. Adding more doesn't make them better, just increases the file size.

[Lilred]

I've got the 4 gig Nano and I have 956 songs on it. I bought an AC adapter so I recharge it whenever I'm in a town. I don't listen to it all the time while I'm hiking, only when I'm really exhausted or need some kind of extra motivation. It also takes my mind off of my foot pain when it's bad. I haven't had any issues with the power running out before I get to a town. YMMV.

[c.coyle]

Correct me if I am wrong on this one, it has been a while since I ripped any cd's and messed with mp3's. But isn't the average mp3 around 3 MB. Hence where the name came from. I think that cd's are around 212 bits of sound quality (I can't remember the correct term). You can go more or less. Adding more doesn't make them better, just increases the file size.

Not exactly. There is no "average" sized .mp3. The size of an .mp3 depends mostly on the length of the song and the bit rate at which it's encoded. ".mp3" is a compressed file format, so you can cram more stuff onto your player. More compression yields a smaller file, but more audio degradation.

The higher the bit rate (less compression), the better the audio quality (a little bit of an oversimplification), but you get a bigger file.

A 3 minute song ripped at 128 kbps (more compression) will have a smaller file size than the same song ripped at 192 kbps (less compression). In other words, you can fit more low bit rate songs on a player. And since most of us can't hear a difference, I often opt to rip at 128 or 160 kbps.

EDIT: By the way, Creative makes some very small and light players, such as the Zen Nano and MuVo. They use AAA batteries, and the lithiums last a long time. The drawback is that they use "flash memory", which can't store as much as hard drive based players, and they are a little clunky to use until you get the hang of them. On the other hand, hard drive based players, such as the big Ipods, are more susceptible to damage from being dropped and jostled.

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

Ok, thanks, Frosty,

So, for example, if I were to get this one:

http://www.audiobooksupercenter.com/Title.aspx?titleId=10662&srch=follet

How would I know how much space it will use?

[namehere]

An ipod Shuffle is about the size of a book of matches and weighs next to nothing. The Shuffle automatically plays the songs loaded into it in random order so you can not play what you want when you want.



the shuffle plays songs in the order you put them in when you load them onto the player. it does have a *shuffle* mode that randomizes the play order. there are NEXT and PREV buttons so one can skip over songs or go back to previous songs. fyi

alas, the shuffle is only 1 gb (1000 mb) so it won't suite your purposes. i love the 1st generation shuffle. it's the size of a stick of gum and virtually indestructable. has better sound quality compared to any of the nanos, past or present. some speculate the current generation of the shuffle is made with even poorer quality components, thus degrading the sound quality. generally, apple uses the cheapest quality components to make their ipods, but has shiny and slick packaging and great advertising to make up for their inferior products. [/end editorial]

generally, you can compress a given mp3 file down to a smaller size. a typical audiobook-type recording of an hour long will be 50-200 mb. just figure out roughly how much total storage you might need, and get a player with that much or more. there are some players that have a memory slot, so you can just buy a new card and plug it in when you need (just like a digital camera). for hiking, i would advise against getting a hard-drive based player. generally, flash-based players tend to survive rougher handling much better. fyi

[Ronin]

Okay, size and weight are acceptable. Tell me again, what kind of batteries/re-charging options are there for the Nano?

What would a used 4 gig nano be worth, if i didn't care what color it was or if it were scratched up or something?

I've seen 4GB used Nano's for $150-$200 (for "refurbished" ones). I've also seen one advertised "Like New" for $165 on Amazon.

All ipods have internal batteries and thus need to be recharged from a power source (ex. wall socket, computer, etc.)

Thanx for the clarification on the Shuffle namehere!

[gumby]

Not exactly. There is no "average" sized .mp3. The size of an .mp3 depends mostly on the length of the song and the bit rate at which it's encoded. ".mp3" is a compressed file format, so you can cram more stuff onto your player. More compression yields a smaller file, but more audio degradation.

The higher the bit rate (less compression), the better the audio quality (a little bit of an oversimplification), but you get a bigger file.

A 3 minute song ripped at 128 kbps (more compression) will have a smaller file size than the same song ripped at 192 kbps (less compression). In other words, you can fit more low bit rate songs on a player. And since most of us can't hear a difference, I often opt to rip at 128 or 160 kbps.

I have a palm pilot that I use daily. It has a MP3 player in it, I have significant hearing loss and can't hear certain frequencies. I take my MP3s and resample them down to 16 kbps. I can put 10 songs where most can have 1. For the most part I can't hear the difference, others can though, but I am the one listening to them and it works for me.

[c.coyle]

I have a palm pilot that I use daily. It has a MP3 player in it, I have significant hearing loss and can't hear certain frequencies. I take my MP3s and resample them down to 16 kbps. I can put 10 songs where most can have 1. For the most part I can't hear the difference, others can though, but I am the one listening to them and it works for me.

I use 16 kbps for punk. The Ramones actually sound better. ;)

[gumby]

Ok, thanks, Frosty,

So, for example, if I were to get this one:

http://www.audiobooksupercenter.com/Title.aspx?titleId=10662&srch=follet

How would I know how much space it will use?

Technically it would take up about 980 Megabytes. The official technical specs on MP3s are that 1 Mb equals 1 minute. Since the book is 16 hours and 20 minutes it comes out to 980 megs.

[greentick]

EDIT: By the way, Creative makes some very small and light players, such as the Zen Nano and MuVo. They use AAA batteries, and the lithiums last a long time. The drawback is that they use "flash memory", which can't store as much as hard drive based players, and they are a little clunky to use until you get the hang of them. On the other hand, hard drive based players, such as the big Ipods, are more susceptible to damage from being dropped and jostled.

I have a creative zen nano 1GB I use for long car trips when everyone else is sleeping. Per the website it weighs 0.8oz without battery (1ea AAA).

http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=12720

IMO, the sound quality thru those tiny earphones is as such that I compress files as small as WMP will allow and have a book on tape and about 20 music CDs on there and it is only half full. It also has FM radio and a microphone. I think I got it for less than $60 at circuit city.

I can't quite bring myself to use it in the woods. Can't stand the decrease in situational awareness...

[Ronin]

I use 16 kbps for punk. The Ramones actually sound better. ;)

Gabba Gabba Hey! Hey Ho Let's Go! :D

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

Technically it would take up about 980 Megabytes. The official technical specs on MP3s are that 1 Mb equals 1 minute. Since the book is 16 hours and 20 minutes it comes out to 980 megs.

So, for instance, this book would take up about 98% of a 1 gig ipod's memory...yes?

If so, obviously I'd want at least a 4 gig...

[namehere]

since we are on the topic of mp3 players...

anyone use a dap (digital audio processor) device to store shelter and trail info/maps/p.o. addresses and such? i've just ordered a player that has text/jpeg display and plan on assimilating as much info onto it so i don't have to carry separate pages. i don't think it can display pdf so i hope Jack can provide text/word formatted files for his very useful resupply articles. :)

[greentick]

So, for instance, this book would take up about 98% of a 1 gig ipod's memory...yes?

If so, obviously I'd want at least a 4 gig...

I have a book that is 16 or 18 one hour CDs and 20 music CDs on the creative nano zen I mentioned above.

[namehere]

So, for instance, this book would take up about 98% of a 1 gig ipod's memory...yes?

If so, obviously I'd want at least a 4 gig...

yes. keep in mind that there is some overhead in a 1gb player- so you can only effectively use perhaps 97% of the available memory anyway. if you know you will need 2.5 gb of space, you need closer to a 3gb player to store it. the current 4gb nanos are probably the best value for you if you want to stick with an apple branded mp3 player. it is possible to shrink any mp3 file into a smaller size by converting it. this will degrade the quality of the sound to some degree. but for audiobooks, it will probably not be a big deal. i think most people convert music quality files into 128kps, but audiobooks can be converted to 32 or 64kps without much noticeable degradation in sound.

[Calmwater]

I have a sony network walkman NW-107 and am happy with it. It has 1 gig of memory but with the software they give you it is possible to put about 50 cd's worth of music on it. It operates on a single AAA, they claim up to 70 hours of battery life. Although I think thats a bit optimistic the batteries do last for a really long time. (maybe 70 hours with a lithium). It it very small and weighs about 3 ounces with batteries. Not sure if Sony still makes this model but it is very hiker friendly. The only downside is that it doesn't have a built in radio and you need the software to add music.

[Frosty]

Technically it would take up about 980 Megabytes. The official technical specs on MP3s are that 1 Mb equals 1 minute. Since the book is 16 hours and 20 minutes it comes out to 980 megs.No way. Sorry, but this is out of whack with reality as I experience it.

Elsewhere on WB, someone posted a link to 25 one-hour long podcasts. I downloaded every one and the entire 25 hours of audio took up 310 MEG.



generally, apple uses the cheapest quality components to make their ipodsThey must have brilliant engineers to do that and still make MP3 players with superior sound compared to the others.

No one ever accused iPods of being inexpensive. There are many cheaper players around, none have better sound. Not a problem if you listen to audio books and interviews. You'll never tell the difference.

[namehere]

No way. Sorry, but this is out of whack with reality as I experience it.

Elsewhere on WB, someone posted a link to 25 one-hour long podcasts. I downloaded every one and the entire 25 hours of audio took up 310 MEG.

They must have brilliant engineers to do that and still make MP3 players with superior sound compared to the others.

No one ever accused iPods of being inexpensive. There are many cheaper players around, none have better sound. Not a problem if you listen to audio books and interviews. You'll never tell the difference.

i cannot say i can personally vouch for the sound quality of all mp3 players, but according to sound quality testing done by others on the web, most apple branded mp3 players cannot produce a perfect sine wave at higher db levels. when listening to audiobooks or other recorded media at lower bit-rates, i agree with you that it wouldn't make much of a difference. but with good earphones, there are many players that offer cleaner sound with more features than most apple mp3 players. clearly, there are worse players out there. conversely, there are many that are better. the current versions of the shuffle/nano uses the cheapest memory cards (leading to even longer transfer rates than the preceding models). i think apple has the best interface. but as far as the featureset/pricing/longevity, there are many other players of better value. other than an extended battery time and slightly better case, what improvements have been made between the 3g and 4g nanos? meanwhile, there are other players that have touchscreens, oleds, video/universal file playback support, fm tuners, etc...

[Fiddleback]

I have a 4GB Nano. Currently it's loaded with 1108 songs (that's 50-60 hours) and a book of science fiction short stories. The book itself is 89 megs (almost 6½ hours). There is over 210MB space left. To get a better idea of how much space audible books take up, go to audible.com and browse their selection. iPods use audible.com's format 4...one hour of 'reading' takes ~14MB. As an example, they list Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" at six hours, i.e., 84MB. FYI it's $17.50, $12.50 member price.

I definitely recommend a protective case for the iPod. Many like Pelican cases but the one I use is from Otterbox. It's dust, shock and water proof (submersible). You can listen to music and operate the click wheel all while the iPod is protected inside the case. Considering the protection it offers the weight penalty is miniscule. Total weight with iPod and earbuds is under 6oz.

I am not an 'Apple' guy and on occasion will argue on the side of Microsoft. None the less, I'm convinced that the iPod offers super sound and the supporting software, iTunes, is just flat out great. There are no issues running it on a Windows PC. You can download iTunes for free and check it out yourself. http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ iTunes, more than anything else, is what keeps me loyal to iPod.

There may be a typo on the post above...there are no 3GB Nanos to my knowledge. There are users that are very dedicated to music and the systems that play it back but the overwhelming majority of listeners will not be able to hear any sound quality drop on a Nano, IMO.

FB

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

I tried solar but did not have a positive result (perhaps the right idea but the wrong product?).

I'm interested in this solar thing.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions everyone!

Great news, it turns out that I can borrow a 2 gig ipod nano, so I don't have to buy one after all. But it reportedly has a battery life of only 5 hours before it has to be recharged via USB. In my case, I will be meeting up with my SO once a week, and will have access to laptop/USB then, but need some way to recharge between USB plugins.

What are the options for powering/re-charging Nanos in the absence of AC power/USB ports? I'd like to hear more about this solar option. If that isn't viable, how about AAA's or, if not AA's?

[judypudy]

You might look into the .aa format - at audible.com or itunes. It is much less dense than mp3 - which is fine for a single human voice. I have a 1 GB SD card for my Sansa e130 player - it has 18 audiobooks or 230 hours of audiobooks.

Many mp3 players are compatible including all the ipod ones.

[quicktoez]

I'm a mountain loving geek and have the Ipod video (original 60gig) I'm a political pod cast junky and love books on tape. I have a solar charger (4.3 oz) that with the help of the sun would never keep up with my level of use I do. What I have found though is that the new Energizer cell phone charger, see example at (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100594&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod2614589 (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100594&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod2614589)) will also recharge almost all cell phones and this charger with 2 AA lithium batteries which are the lightest strongest batteries I have ever used.
Now I plan to do 1012 miles in the next few months and have a personal need for noise. I can also upload (backup) my photos to my Ipod with a cable and converter that is less than 2 oz.
I have several reference books for birds, trees, tracks, berries and constellations on the pod as photos for field reference. I also have all my Outlook contacts including all the AMC’s data for hostels, shuttles, mail drops and much personal data including 1000 photos 30 movies, TV programs, 100 books, 1000’s of pod casts, personal doc’s and 1500 songs.
I need none of this but really now, less than a pound including a speaker and charger and I am entertained for months. And yes I have Pack-man and many other games too.
So what do you think is that a pound worth carrying? I think yes.

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

I'm a mountain loving geek and have the Ipod video (original 60gig) I'm a political pod cast junky and love books on tape. I have a solar charger (4.3 oz) that with the help of the sun would never keep up with my level of use I do. What I have found though is that the new Energizer cell phone charger, see example at (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100594&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod2614589 (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100594&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod2614589)) will also recharge almost all cell phones and this charger with 2 AA lithium batteries which are the lightest strongest batteries I have ever used.
Now I plan to do 1012 miles in the next few months and have a personal need for noise. I can also upload (backup) my photos to my Ipod with a cable and converter that is less than 2 oz.
I have several reference books for birds, trees, tracks, berries and constellations on the pod as photos for field reference. I also have all my Outlook contacts including all the AMC’s data for hostels, shuttles, mail drops and much personal data including 1000 photos 30 movies, TV programs, 100 books, 1000’s of pod casts, personal doc’s and 1500 songs.
I need none of this but really now, less than a pound including a speaker and charger and I am entertained for months. And yes I have Pack-man and many other games too.
So what do you think is that a pound worth carrying? I think yes.

Nice price. The ad didn't say if it could recharge an ipod tho. does it?

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

I use an iriver 1 gig http://www.iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/t10/
Long battery life on AA ,very durable and I like the FM tuner. If you shop around you can find them on sale for under $100.

I've checked this one out, looks great! I can borrow the 2g nano if I want, but I am impressed with the iriver, will check ebay...

[RockStar]

So Im gonna get one of these irivers now! Awesome! Thanks Aaron! I have been looking for the "right" mp3 player for over a year. I just found some interesting info about mp3s... you can download programs to convert mp3 files to ogg files and some guy on a forum said he can get twice the songs on his iriver and the sound quality does not waiver! here is A site about some software and what it does. You can also convert other audio files. There are lots of different downloads so with a little research you can find the one right for you!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a7/devilbunny13/EyeBalls.bmp

[RockStar]

haha just a little joke...pffft not as quick with the old copy and paste as usual... heres the link
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html?ref=overture

[Lumberjack]

I have a samsung 2 gig. stores about 200 songs in 320 format...

mp3 is an offshoot of the work by the Joint Picture Exchange Group.

bit rate and compression are not the same...
bit rate is how many times per second the music was sampled when digitised.
128 is standard and 320 is very high quality on par with CDs.

compression takes place afterwards and tends to degrade the file by dropping information. Exactly how much compression is acheived and how badly degraded the file becomes depends on the comprssion method used and how aggressive it was set for. A bad compressor can turn a good file into very compact trash.

There are a few programs that can decompress a file and re-compress it in other formats and down grade the bit rate as well. If you intend to do this much Loss-less codecs like flac are better suited then mp3.

unless your really an audiophile 128 is more then good enough for most uses.

[hopefulhiker]

I used a Rio with a AAA battery , listened to some audio books through the Green Tunnel.... It also used a 1 gig SD card...100 dollars for the player .

[RockStar]

I have a samsung 2 gig. stores about 200 songs in 320 format...

mp3 is an offshoot of the work by the Joint Picture Exchange Group.

bit rate and compression are not the same...
bit rate is how many times per second the music was sampled when digitised.
128 is standard and 320 is very high quality on par with CDs.

compression takes place afterwards and tends to degrade the file by dropping information. Exactly how much compression is acheived and how badly degraded the file becomes depends on the comprssion method used and how aggressive it was set for. A bad compressor can turn a good file into very compact trash.

There are a few programs that can decompress a file and re-compress it in other formats and down grade the bit rate as well. If you intend to do this much Loss-less codecs like flac are better suited then mp3.

unless your really an audiophile 128 is more then good enough for most uses.



Whaa?? So the ogg is bad? :-?

[mweinstone]

i want to shoot i pod. with gun. in head. till dead. die device die.

[Sly]

i want to shoot i pod. with gun. in head. till dead. die device die.

Have something against music?

[namehere]

jetaudio also makes a mp3 player using AA batteries, 50 hour playback. their players have great sound quality if that is important to you. if 2gb is ok, here is one:

http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-iAudio-Player-Voice-Recorders/dp/B00080QYRK

[Rufous Sided Towhee]

jetaudio also makes a mp3 player using AA batteries, 50 hour playback. their players have great sound quality if that is important to you. if 2gb is ok, here is one:

http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-iAudio-Player-Voice-Recorders/dp/B00080QYRK

Yeah but it weighs 1.1 pounds! :eek:

[namehere]

Yeah but it weighs 1.1 pounds! :eek:

if you've ever ordered anything from amazon, you'd know that the weights listed on the page have a margin of error of about +/- 500% :). on cowon's site, the weight listed for the g3 player is 1.27 oz without batteries. it's a great unit. only limiting factor is the 2gb. but you've already been given good advice in prior posts about compressing audio files, so it may work for you.

[RockStar]

I just bought an iriver t10 512mb with acc. and case/arm band for $43.00. I can't wait and if I like it Im gonna get a 2g before my next Thru attempt. :D Not to brag, ok yes to brag. tehehehe

[Disney]

This may be completely against the theme of the thread. I have a 4 gig mp3 player, but hike with a mp3 cd player. You just burn a data disc of mp3's.

If you want cheap/light/capacity/AA compatible, there is only one way to go. Buy an Mp3 CD player. I got an excellent one from Wal Mart for about 80 bucks.

You can't beat the cost per gig, 10 CDs is 7 gigs for about 15 bucks.
It's very light, no worries there.

The biggest concern for me was batteries. The one I have is so efficient that I could go from town to town on a single AA lithium ion battery, and sometimes it was heavy heavy use. I don't remember exactly what the packaging boasted, but it was something like 72 hours of listening on a nickel hydride, and the lithiums are lighter and last longer. You'll never worry about charging a specific battery. It gets AM/FM/TV/Weather channels. I never used the TV (audio only) but the Weather was kind of neat, a cycling forecast broadcast locally from who knows where.

My player has a display function where you can scroll through the lists of songs. It can fast forward and rewind through the mp3 as well.

CD's are going to get scratched so spend an extra 10 dollars on the plastic sleeves that cover the CD completely. You just leave them on and store them in the regular way, the player will read the CD through the plastic. Then if it gets marred after a month or so, replace the sleeve. It may have some trouble with high moisture so you just take off the sleeve and wipe it down.

It's almost as shock proof as an ipod. I can jog with mine and there's no problem. I normally kept it in the pocket of my shorts and it would skip maybe once a week or so, and then only when I really should have been paying closer attention to where I was going.

[sandwitch]

The Sharper Image sells a AA battery operated ipod charger called the iturbo for $34.95 that weighs about an ounce.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__VR402

[whizbang]

http://www.mobibluamerica.com/b153.html

I just got mine and love it. Check out the specs and reviews at cnet. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to.

[fonsie]

well I am taking a 80 gig on my thru hike, so I can kick back at hostals and watch movies. I am also taking a sansa 100 2gig wich it uses a AAA batterie. The ipods are great for about 16 hours of vidio play then you have to recharge it. Best buy has some 1gig mp3 players with a fm radio in it and they use 1 AAA battery for 49.99. I would go with that instead of buying a used ipod on e-bay. You will be happier that you can listen to the weather channel. :)

[johnnyblisters]

its around 16 hours, which is half of the capacity of my sansa 2 gig sandisk mp3 player. I highly recomend this player!!! I used the fm tuner for weather reports (not always accurate but hey it gives some hope...) and carried around 30 hours of music to walk to. Be careful of your steps though.

[johnnyblisters]

woops, didnt realize we were already on page 3...

[ASUGrad]

Free books on MP3

http://librivox.org/

[Footslogger]

On average, how large of a file is a typical book ? Just wondering how many would fit on a 1GB MP3 player.

'Slogger

[Fiddleback]

On average, how large of a file is a typical book ? Just wondering how many would fit on a 1GB MP3 player.

'Slogger

Audible.com lists their books in time, e.g. 6 hours for Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. The format used by the iPods (Audible's format 4) is listed at 14MB per hour of 'reading' making that book 84MB. That'd be better than 10 6-hour books on a 1GB player.

ASUGrad -- ...those free books about MP3...are they available for iPod download?:D

FB

[Just Jack]

I am a newbie and a 66 years young technology challenged planning to leave on a thru about April I. Still trying to get the journal stuff straightened out. Can someone expand this discussion to tell me if it is possible to orally dictate to the IPod and then download it to my eMail and have it transcribed and put up on trailjournal. If so, can you mention what would be the preferred equipment to use. Also, do you know of a transcription service to use if I cannot find anyone locally to do the job. Would appreciate any other thought in this area.

[Footslogger]

[quote=Ronin;332574]Choosing the "right" ipod is a matter of personal preference. How much memory do you want? Do you want video & photo capabilities? I have a 30 gig ipod video. It has about 12,000 songs in it and there's still memory left.
===================================

I enjoy my music ...but honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with 12,000 songs.

Agree with those who said that the devices which use standard AA or AAA batteries are more flexible.

After quite a bit of searching I bought the Zen Nano from Creative. 1 GB of memory (enough for about 500 songs), voice recording and it runs on a single AAA battery. Very small with a clip that allows attachment to a sternum strap. Good quality earbuds.

'Slogger

[Just Jack]

Books, songs, pictures are not my main interest. Just looking for the easy/
simple way to get my journal home and then posted. Plus, I think that I can
talk faster than I can write. Thanks for any help.

[ASUGrad]

"are they available for iPod download?"

I don't know enough about an IPod. I just download the MP3's. They do work well with MP3 players. We use these for trips in the car using an FM transmitter.

[ASUGrad]

"possible to orally dictate to the IPod and then download it to my eMail and have it transcribed and put up on trailjournal."

If you can find someone to do the transcribing, yes. I don't think an IPod can record though. Many MP3 players can record. If you are technically challenged, I would stick to pen and paper. You are asking for a lot of heartache.

[max patch]

If you don't have a friend or relative who can help you, I bet if you go to the forums at trailjournals and ask for someone to volunteer to transcribe and post to your journal you'll get a response.

[judypudy]

In reponse to Footslogger's question about how many books fit on 1 GB player-

I use Audible format 2 even for my iPod - for a 6 hour book that's 22 MB. So for 1 GB that's about 360 hours!!

But if you're using mp3 format - isn't that something like 16 hours for 1 GB?

Sorry if my math is messed up - take home message is that amount you get on your mp3 player depends on format. Also - not all mp3 players take audible format.

[Footslogger]

In reponse to Footslogger's question about how many books fit on 1 GB player-

I use Audible format 2 even for my iPod - for a 6 hour book that's 22 MB. So for 1 GB that's about 360 hours!!

But if you're using mp3 format - isn't that something like 16 hours for 1 GB?

Sorry if my math is messed up - take home message is that amount you get on your mp3 player depends on format. Also - not all mp3 players take audible format.

====================================

Thanks for that. Pretty sure my Zen Nano only does MP3.

'Slogger

[gypsy]

The Sharper Image sells a AA battery operated ipod charger called the iturbo for $34.95 that weighs about an ounce.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__VR402

Wow. I've been looking for something like this. Thanks for the link. This is cool. Now you wouldn't have to carry a cord. :sun

[Lone Wolf]

Gypsy, clear out your PMs.

[gold bond]

I have a Creative V Plus 4 GB. "suppose" to get 15 hrs off of a charge....so far so good. I even left it out in my work truck for about a week when the temps were to be in the twenty degree mark and it still hed a charge true to it's claiming. I however do not put video or pictures on it as this will drain a battery faster. I listen to it daily in my truck with a FM modulator and have not charged it in 2 weeks. I have 14 CD's loaded and still have 3.2 GB left. Costs around $160.00. Small, light and great sound quality.

[Disney]

I am a newbie and a 66 years young technology challenged planning to leave on a thru about April I. Still trying to get the journal stuff straightened out. Can someone expand this discussion to tell me if it is possible to orally dictate to the IPod and then download it to my eMail and have it transcribed and put up on trailjournal. If so, can you mention what would be the preferred equipment to use. Also, do you know of a transcription service to use if I cannot find anyone locally to do the job. Would appreciate any other thought in this area.

I pods don't have that kind of capability yet. They don't connect to the internet at all, they just connect to computers. That kind of sophisticated voice recognition software is still several years away. Bottom line is some individual person will have to transcribe it. So the way I see it, you have two options. One, take a cell phone and call someone with the transcription, either a friend or a pay service. Or Two, bring a voice recorder, of some sort. ten to one you can find a digital one that records to a .wav file or mp3. Then you can upload and email when you reach a terminal. I'd say the second one is your best bet. Although your entries will be highly stream of consciousness and will need cleaning up before posting.

[Disney]

BE CAREFUL ABOUT USING AUDIBLE

Many people, including myself have had problems. Before my hike I attempted to download several books. At that time, they did not come in mp3 format. It was completely wasted money as I was not going to buy another player.

You want free audio books of good quality? Go to your public library, borrow the CD's and rip them. Very easy to do. You decide the quality and thus the size of the file.

[Fiddleback]

On the other hand, I've not had any problems with Audible.com and find the process very easy to use. See this, http://www.audible.com/adbl/store/deviceCenter/devices.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes This page let's you specify your manufacturer and then the specific model to determine which format to use. It's not limited to MP3 players but also covers PDAs, phones, etc.

This from their Help page:
QUOTE
Audible uses different compression rates when recording our titles. Each of these compression rates, or formats, requires a different amount of resources on portable devices. Each manufacturer must choose where to expend resources when developing the device, so frequently not all formats will be supported.
Although Audible is committed to making sure that all formats are supported for desktop listening, there may be significant technical development required to support a particular audio format on a listening device. A manufacturer may choose not to create updates to support all formats in the future. Please visit our Device Center (http://audible.com/devices) to locate your device and learn the format that can be used with it.
END QUOTE

Their Device Center is at the url I listed above.

FB