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I still can't have filenames longer than 64 characters. :)

Sure you can, just use Romeo format for long filenames instead of Joliet. Adaptec EZ-CD 95 supported this format, but doesn't run on anything newer than Windows 95. NTI CD-Maker supports the Romeo format, and if it doesn't support your CD-R drive, you can always make an ISO with NTI CD-Maker and burn it with your preferred utility (I used to do this with my old CD-R drive). The Romeo format supports filenames of up to 255 characters, and is readable on Win95 & up and Linux, but supposedly isn't readable on DOS. Romeo format discs work with my MP3 CD player, and I've had no problems with them at all. I even made some Romeo format DVD-Rs, and these worked great, even though they probably violate all sorts of specs.

Likewise, I would have recommended an AVC Soul II (DMP-201) player. However, this thing skips a bit more than I'd like it to, in exactly the circumstances where I'd like it not to skip.

I have tried doing some tests of the anti-skip system, among those turning it on and playing it while jumping on a trampoline, and beating on it while it was playing. It did not skip during either of those tests, and this pleased me. However, when I walk with it, I sometimes notice it skipping after ~15 min of fast walking, so I wouldn't recommend it for jogging, as it would probably skip more, and faster. It's really great for short sprints though.

Sorry in advance... another product plug :P.

Something interesting for those who like the RioVolt player (or the AVC Soul) is a little-known company called iRiver, who actually designed the latter two, and only recently started to distribute their products in N.A..

Their ChromeX (iMP 150) is *identical* to the other 2 players mentioned above, and comes with that neat external lcd controller, whereas SonicBlue will ask another $20 for it. Their SlimX (iMP 350), OTOH, simply is awesome! I own one and I must say it is the best MP3/CD player I have tried (I also use the SMC-based MPio DMG when I'm at the gym though, due its smaller (2" x 2") size.

Time for a plug: The AVC Soul players are both great. Their Riovolt-alike (I think it actually came first, though) is a bit cheaper than Rio's player, and the Soul II is made of pure amazingness in a metal and plastic frame. It's quite literally impossible to make the thing skip.. At least through beating on it and jumping on a trampoline (both tested by me)

Oh, and the Soul II can be bought for $99 USD and will read MP3 and WMA (possibly upgradeable for more) off of any CD format you throw at it.

No, I only wish I was paid for this endorsement.

The soulplayer is a mp3 cd player, and its tiny. it's user upgradable (burn a cd w/ DMP-01.HEX, and it flashes itself). For $145, it's a steal of a buy. I've been very happy with it. The Rio Volt is the same product, with a different skin.

> The Rio Volt by Sonicblue is the greatest of the CD/MP3 players and has upgradable firmware.

Ah yes, the Rio Volt, also known as the Soul Digital Media Player before Sonicblue started marketing it under their brand. You can find the Soul DMP at http://www.soulplayer.com/dmp.html. Apparently the latest firmware update adds ASF support to the MP3, WMA and standard CD audio that was there when I bought mine. Hopefully they'll be adding OGG support too.

For those of you who can't get the Rio Volt outside North America, you may want to look at the Soul DMP instead -- same beast, different colour. The "buy" link on the Soul site sends you to http://www.easybuy2000.com/ where they've got the Soul tagged at US$129. They also imply that they will ship overseas. (From the bottom of the page, "Overseas shipments will NOT receive the AC Adapater, and will therefor get a $5US discount on their purchase price.".)

(No, this isn't an ad, just a pointer. I've never dealt with EasyBuy2000 nor directly with Soul. I picked up my DMP from Computer Geeks when they stocked it a number of months back.)

Its not a full release yet, so why even place them on a player.

RC2 of version 1.0 Vorbis audio was released just a few short days ago. See the Voribs www site for details.

The Soul Player CD player (which plays full size CDs) supports MP3 and WMA. This player's firmware is flash upgradable. I've written to the manufacturer requesting Ogg Vorbis support. Their quick response was basically that they would consider it.

I have an AVC Soul and its firmware is upgradable. You download the the upgrade, burn it onto a CD, then "play" the CD, which upgrades the flash. The AVC Soul supposedly has the same guts as the Rio Volt, so I imagine the firmware is upgradable on that joint, too.
I'm not sure how these devices are architected, but if the mp3 codecs are in ASICs, rather than the firmware, it would be difficult to add support for .ogg. Does anyone know if its done in hardware or software?
I have to agree that mp3 quality doesn't begin to match CD sound, and sadly the AVC Soul is not a great CD player. When you play a CD, the sound is a lot flatter than what I get on my discman. I use it primarily on the subway, so its a non-issue for me, but I was a little disappointed.
mp3/CD players are a cool toy, but they're not ready for primetime. It takes about 20 seconds for it to boot up, whether you are playing a CD or mp3s. It's clearly designed as a computer gadget, rather than something for music enthusiasts.

I have an AVC Soul and its firmware is upgradable. You download the the upgrade, burn it onto a CD, then "play" the CD, which upgrades the flash. The AVC Soul supposedly has the same guts as the Rio Volt, so I imagine the firmware is upgradable on that joint, too.
I'm not sure how these devices are architected, but if the mp3 codecs are in ASICs, rather than the firmware, it would be difficult to add support for .ogg. Does anyone know if its done in hardware or software?
I have to agree that mp3 quality doesn't begin to match CD sound, and sadly the AVC Soul is not a great CD player. When you play a CD, the sound is a lot flatter than what I get on my discman. I use it primarily on the subway, so its a non-issue for me, but I was a little disappointed.
mp3/CD players are a cool toy, but they're not ready for primetime. It takes about 20 seconds for it to boot up, whether you are playing a CD or mp3s. It's clearly designed as a computer gadget, rather than something for music enthusiasts.

Having recently purchased an AVC SoulPlayer, I'm quite impressed with its MP3 playback ability, and it's software updatability. Right now, it supports MP3, WMA, ASF, and normal CD audio. So, in short, I wouldn't even consider Ogg a contender until I can carry CDs of it around with me to listen to. (And yes, I have books on CD that have ~25 hours of audio and am quite happy with those).