thinking of getting into ipod?
Howdy all,
My 3rd MD unit recently packed it in, and i'm fed up with laser based audio players so i'm now thinking of the ipod as a solution to my music needs. So i'm new and have a few questions, sorry to rehash old questions, if there's another post that has the answers fell free to point me in the right direction.
Does the ipod have any editing capabilities?, ie: if i have a 2-3hr mp3 and want track marks is there any way of doing it with the ipod?. If not are there any typical programs that ppl use? (PC based).
What is the typical lifespan of a Ipod averaging 3-5 hours a day of use.
What is the average upload time for a 160 mb mp3 to the ipod via firewire card (PC).
Are there any known problems with using the Ipod with a PC?, compatability issues with platforms, software or specific firewire cards?
Are there any known problems with the ipod? (glaring ones)
thanks, i tried to make it brief :) , any helps greatly appreciated.
orfeo
[1063 byte] By [
Orfeo] at [2007-11-9 12:36:23]
# 1 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
Welcome to the 'lounge Orfeo.
Wow, brand new questions. First I do recommend that you browse around a bit. There's a ton of information here. Be warned though that people come here to solve problems, so if you see a ton of problems you might be scared off of the iPod. Not true, it's just that folks don't tend to post "All's fine here" too often.
OK, to the questions:
I've used my first iPod for about 8 hours a day and it's over a year old. Haven't experienced and battery issues or anything. I think the consensus is that at around 5 years you should start to see a 25% drop in battery capacity. At that time you'll either have a new iPod or they'll have a battery replacement plan.
Typically the iPod uploads at about 1 second per song for me (at 192 vbr encoding). With my firewire card I get about 5MB/second uploading speed.
There are some issues w/the PC, but most can be worked out simply and many people at the lounge will help you out. For me, it was simple, plugged the sucker in and it worked. Depending on your configuration you may run into trouble, but it's usually quickly fixed. It will only run on Windows ME and higher, XP is recommened. You can get it to work on 98SE, but you need to do some tweakiing. Minor stuff that again, folks have outlined here.
Only major word of caution: don't use and Audigy firewire card, I'd say only about 50% of people that have them have luck w/them, maybe less.
Most folks in the 'lounge don't use the included software (MMJB) to upload. Instead they use one of the 3rd-party programs such as MC9, Xplay or ephpod. You check out the Software Compendium (http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2286) for a breakdown of each.
That's about it.
Adam
# 2 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
Originally posted by Orfeo
[B]Howdy all,
Are there any known problems with using the Ipod with a PC?, compatability issues with platforms, software or specific firewire cards?
I've been using an iPod on Windows for sixteen months, and believe me things are so much easier than they once were. You should have no problems as long as you make sure you get the right FW card, or go with USB 2. Then it's just a matter of personal preference on what you use for software. You can go with MC9, if you don't mind spending some more money on software, or you can go the free route with ephPOD and EAC/LAME.
Personally, the iPod is the best $500 that I have ever spent, and I plan of having one for a long time to come.
Bill McNair
# 3 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
ashawley: i use the firewire port on my audigy drive and it works great :) only problem though is that its a real ##### to get the plug to come out for some reason
ive got little grooves in the plastic plug where i used a pen to force it out when i was unplugging it for a lan
scarf at 2007-11-15 14:18:28 >
# 4 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
I've had my 3rd generation iPod for less than a month but I'll answer your questions anyway :P
Q: Does the ipod have any editing capabilities?, ie: if i have a 2-3hr mp3 and want track marks is there any way of doing it with the ipod?. If not are there any typical programs that ppl use? (PC based).
A: iPod doesn't use 'track marks' per se, but if you want individual tracks, your best bet is to look for a program that can edit mp3s and split them up into chunks.
Q: What is the typical lifespan of a Ipod averaging 3-5 hours a day of use.
A: No idea. A long time I suppose, give or take depending on how clumsy you are.
Q: What is the average upload time for a 160 mb mp3 to the ipod via firewire card (PC).
A: My iPod transfers at around 5-7 MB/second (I use Ethpod)
Q: Are there any known problems with using the Ipod with a PC?, compatability issues with platforms, software or specific firewire cards?
A: No, but lots of people have said MusicMatch (the program which it comes with for PC) is really unweildy to use. If you feel that way use Ethpod, I found it easy and great. You also need a certian type of FireWire card but I don't know its exact specifications. I just plugged it into the one slot i had for it and it worked.
Q: Are there any known problems with the ipod? (glaring ones)
A: None that I can think off the top of my head. Low battery life? Though you said you're only going to be using it 3-5 hours a day which is plenty considering it charges to 8 hours. Also since you are new to mp3 players I'm guessing all your mp3 tags are stuffed up in which case getting ID3-Tag It and changing everything is going to be a little bit of a chore.
scarf at 2007-11-15 14:19:33 >
# 5 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
Indeed, Orfeo, you can find all the answers to your questions by looking around the board a bit (and using the search function).
# 6 Re: thinking of getting into ipod?
cool thanks for they info guys, i'll search through the forums.
orfeo
Orfeo at 2007-11-15 14:21:40 >
