Posted: 11/15/2006 6:12:40 AM EDT
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With an iPod, can you put any MP3 file on it, or does it have some sort of digital copyright protection? Would I be able to use random MP3 files that I have aquired? Do I have to convert them to a Apple only format, or is it as simple as drag and drop to transfer the files to it? |
Yes and its easy. There is an Import feature. |
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Yes, you can put any MP3 file on your iPod. CDs are easy to rip and manage with the free iTunes software you can download from Apple. Tracks you BUY off of iTunes are not mp3s and they are encrypted with some some sort of DRM (digital rights management) scheme. Everybody in the family has an iPod (my wife has a Mini, I have an original Nano, and my son has a 30gb one) -- we all use them a lot and love them. Excellent product. - CD |
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Just say no to i tunes, and I pod. look at a Sandisk Sansa E260, they have all of the features as an i pod nano video, cost $147 on wal*mart.com, and allow you to import your cd music, or use walmart, rhapsody, napster or others to get your music in the future, Not just I tunes. It does video, mp3, fm stereo, photos, etc. can get the e280 which is 8 GBs if storage is an issue, as well as adding on a micro SD card to any of them for an additional memory upgrade. the only thing i dislike was the ear phones, but i grabbed a nice phillips set of earbuds for $9.99 later. Ive been a Napster subscriber for a year ($9.95 a month) and upgraded to Napster to GO when I got the sansa. Its $15 a month and i have unlimited music i can put on 3 MP players and to 3 PCs. if you want to buy a track its $.99 If you want to own your music instead then wal*mart has $.88 tracks of a lot of popular suff, and it is compatible with their service too. -------------------------------------------------  Sansa™ e260 MP3 Player 4GB SDMX4-4096 Price: $ » Buy Direct » Find a Retailer » Compare Online Retailers » Customers outside the U.S. and Canada, please click here Features Sleek, thin design with large 1.8” TFT color screen for easy viewing Strong alloy metal casing provides excellent durability and scratch resistance Simple to use, backlit controls for fast device interface navigation User replaceable and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery for up to 20 hours of battery life (Based on continuous playback at 128 kbps MP3; rechargeable batteries may eventually need to be replaced as they have limited charge cycles (which vary with use and settings) Features microSD™ expansion slot for additional memory capacity Supports SanDisk TrustedFlash and Gruvi content cards Digital FM tuner*, on-the-fly FM recording*, and voice recording Supports Subscription Music Stores One year warranty |
You can put ANY MP3 file you want on it, no problems whatsoever. You don't have to use Apple format at all if you don't want to. You generally have to use iTunes or similar software to 'sync' up the music. It is quick and easy. In my opinion, it is just as easy as drag and drop, and a whole lot more organized. |
I have used walmart, and napster to get music for my iPod. It isn't hard to do. The music comes to you encoded in WMA files and all you have to do is burn them onto a CD. Then you can rip them with iTunes into MP3 or AAC or whatever format you use. It is easy and there is no loss of quality. Converting from 128kbps WMA file translates to about 256kbps MP3 files, and copying to and from a CD doesn't degrade the sound at all. |
Its how they default sync up, if there are files on your ipod that are not on your pc, they get deleted. Its an easy fix but a pain if you are not aware it does that. My biggest peeve is the way the file structures are stripped on the ipod. It just lumps all your songs together. I have all my music organized in files and like to keep it that way. |
You are listening to lossy encoded music. SNR usually isn't a big problem in those situations. Try using the apple lossless encoding and you will see some improvement. Also, the earbuds that come with the ipod (and most any other similar unit) are middle of the road. Upgrade to some etymotic phones and you won't have to crank it up as much and the SNR will be better as well. |
iTunes only does this if you have the "Manage My Music" checkbox enabled. I have all my music organized the way I like it on my HDD and iTunes doesn't touch it at all. If I make any changes to the files, such as updating spelling on a track, or adding album artwork, iTunes automatically updates the iPod with those changes when you sync it up. I believe that the first issue you mention is a copyright issue. Like you say, it is easily worked around though. I don't really expect that I can sync to everyone's iTunes and get free copies of all their music though, so it really isn't much of an issue for me. If I NEEDED to get to iPod tunes for whatever reason, I could. This is just my opinion, but I honestly think that people who don't like iPod or iTunes don't really know how it works, or what it can do. I hear complaints all the time about sound quality, but then I listen to an example, and it is obviously a bad rip and/or low bitrate encoding. |