question about MP3 players

[nancy679]

Ok I know very little about all this computer stuff, what is the difference between a MP 3 player and Ipod?

I know you have to download music but how do you do that without getting in trouble? I thought it was illegal.

ANd can you download your regular CD's on it?

Thanks for any info

 

[Taylor]

I am not real familiar with the Ipod, but do know that it is an Apple product. I think it plays MP3 music.

I have an MP3 player and absolutely love it, and the whole digital music scene. I hardly even listen to the radio anymore, I burn MP3 files onto a CD and listen to exactly what I want to listen to.

You are somewhat correct regarding the legalities of downloading music. It is still illegal to share files without paying, but there are many sites to download legally with a small fee per song. I currently use Napster (yes it's legal now) and pay $.99 per download. I also belong to the Comcast music service called Rhapsody, and get a certain number of downloads per month for free. Once I exceed my free downloads, they charge $.79.

You can also convert your music CD's to MP3 files. I have taken my entire 200 CD library and converted the songs I like to MP3's. You do need software to do this. I use Roxio, which was included with my new Dell computer and is the software that is used to burn CD's.

Feel free to e-mail me any specific questions you have and good luck.

 

[ListenToCKY]

An Ipod is an MP3 player. However, they are the biggest rip offs ever. You are pretty much buying the name. There are other MP3 players out there that give you more space for less money. Look into Nomad Jukebox and Dell DJs. I have a 15 gigabyte Dell DJ, I have 35 albums on there and still have 13.5+ gigs left. I'm thinking about selling my CD collection and getting a 60 gigabyte Nomad Jukebox.

The RIAA can no longer access people's computers. Back in December, a court ruled that it was an invasion of privacy and Internet Service Providers can't give out people's information anymore. I personally love Soulseek and DC++ for downloading music.

Yes, you can store your CDs on MP3 players. You have to rip them to your harddrive on your computer first, though. To do that, you need a program like CDex.

If you have anymore questions, PM me.

 

[battricia]

an Ipod is an mp3 player like someone else said. The thing that is distinguishable about the ipod, and that makes so many people interested in it, is its compactness. They are extremely small and light weight, which makes it easy to keep it in your pocket or a small purse or anywhere you want to keep it. It's true that there are many other mp3 players out there, and if size is not your concern, then you should probably check those out, because they are most likely cheaper.

If you download itunes (free @ apple.com, and yes they make it for windows), you can do many things. You can rip your own cds to mp3 to put them on an mp3 player. You can purchase music for 99cts per song, you can also buy audio books from anywhere from 4 dollars to 20 dollars, and put these things onto your ipod or mp3 player. If you have a cd burner, you can burn any of the mp3s or audio books onto a cd, and listen to them in any cd player you have. The user interface is friendly, and it's nice to be able to do all these things with one application.

I hope this info has answered your questions, if you have any more questions please pm me.

tricia.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by battricia
an Ipod is an mp3 player like someone else said. The thing that is distinguishable about the ipod, and that makes so many people interested in it, is its compactness. They are extremely small and light weight, which makes it easy to keep it in your pocket or a small purse or anywhere you want to keep it. It's true that there are many other mp3 players out there, and if size is not your concern, then you should probably check those out, because they are most likely cheaper.

Actually, there are smaller hardrive based mp3 players out there for cheaper than the Ipod is currently going for.

 

[battricia]

You can buy a 20 gig. philips mp3 player for $300, where a 20 gig ipod is $400.

tricia.

 

[lucky_bunni]

Despite others lashing out about the IPOD, I acutally own one and am completely happy with it. Like other MP3 players, you download basically MP3 files onto it from your pc or mac. It's really easy and updates with the new songs in seconds. You can fit anywhere between 2,500 to 7,500 songs on an IPOD depending on which one you choose. I love it, especially because it works with the iTunes program. ITunes makes it very easy to catalog the songs that you download through file sharing, off your CDs, or buy through the iTunes music store which is integrated into the iTunes program.

I'll debate that I'd pay a little extra for the iPod over competing MP3 players because it is easy to use, well built, and has a great interface and design. I'll sure I'll get hit on here with questions of "but what about those batteries going bad?". What about it? It was a minority problem, everyone just likes to jump on Apple for the smallest problem because of their past record of toting a great product. It is a great product; I wouldn't even consider anything else. Are there some problems with it's reliability; Sure, as with any electronic, but it is minimal.

 

[Duchie]

Good info here, but I've got a follow-up question. Does the iPod have any way to hook it up to a receiver so the music can be played on speakers? Are there any other MP3 players out there that can do this? I was looking at both the iPod and the Dell DJ but couldn't find if they did this or not. I recently burned over 3000 songs to MP3 format and we'd love to be able to play them through our stereo system.

 

[battricia]

They have a converter:

ipod stereo converter

this makes it so you can plug the ipod directly into your stereo receiver.

tricia.

 

[battricia]

Sorry, that link sends you to a number of ipod accessories. if you scroll down there's a thing called xtreme mac get connected kit, that will hook you up via receiver, tape deck, or car stereo.

tricia.

 

[lucky_bunni]

Originally posted by Duchie
Good info here, but I've got a follow-up question. Does the iPod have any way to hook it up to a receiver so the music can be played on speakers? Are there any other MP3 players out there that can do this? I was looking at both the iPod and the Dell DJ but couldn't find if they did this or not. I recently burned over 3000 songs to MP3 format and we'd love to be able to play them through our stereo system.

There is a cheap ($4 or less) mini-jack to rca adapter that you can pick up anywhere (Walmart, Best Buy, RadioShack, etc.) that gets the job done perfectly. It just plugs into the headphone jack and on the other end there are white and red rca plugs that you into your stereo receiver. Apple, Best Buy, and other speciality stores also sell a Monster Cable for iPod ($30+) that is exactly the same thing... but b/c it's Monster it cost you way more. I've used the first cable with my receiver and the sound is great!