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Where are the non-SDMI MP3 Players?

Posted by Cliff on from the you-may-have-to-look-off-the-shelf dept.

alen asks: "I'm in the market for an MP3 player. I've been looking at various models and they all seem to be SDMI ready or compliant. Looking at customer reviews on Amazon confirms this as you'll find at least one person saying you can't transfer the music from the MP3 player to your PC. At least on the newer players you do." I've been resisting the urge to get an MP3 player for precisely this reason, opting to use my laptop and a cassette adaptor for those long driving trips, but this is hardly affordable or efficient. Handhelds might work, but memory is a problem here. Are there any players out there that haven't forgotten the "fair" part in "fair-use"?

"So far I have narrowed my search to 3 choices. I want it to sound very good and be able to play music encoded at 128kb or higher.

The Rio Volt 250 is a CD based player so the SDMI thing doesn't really apply. The Creative Labs Nomad II" proudly displays this as a feature. The Samsung Yepp doesn't use SDMI, but something called SecuMax as stated in the Nomad II technical specs on Amazon. And this little tid bit on the Samsung Yepp homepage confirms that SecuMax is just like SDMI.

Now I'm not looking to download any illegal music from the Internet. I simply want to listen to my CD collection on the train to work or while working out. And there is freely downloadable music out there. If I were to download a song at work or a friend's house, put it in my MP3 player I then wouldn't be able to transfer it back to my PC at home to add to my collection. Where is 'fair use' when the artist is giving away their music for free? And I don't have the link, but what of the recent surges in so called 'secure' CD's that one can't rip into MP3's? Where is the 'fair use' there? Or are we supposed to purchase multiple copies of the same music in different formats?"

10 of 550 comments (clear)

  1. Fair use -- my take by aclute · · Score: 3, Troll

    Let us not forget: Fair-use means that it is not illegal to make a back-up copy, or to timeshift, etc, if you can do it.

    Fair-use is not a doctrine that states the owners must make it *easy* to copy, or even possible.

    Now the DMCA makes it a little bit sticky inregards to being able to copy stuff for fair-use, but even pre-DMCA, there was no contract between seller and buyer that the seller would make it easy to copy.

  2. Re:Ipod! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yes, but then you have to buy a Mac. Clearly the readers of slashdot are past the hand-holding and don't need to pay a premium for colored plastic.

  3. Homosexual: Dead at Age 25 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll


    I just heard a report that a homosexual was found today dead in his home somewhere. Nobody really cared that he was found dead. Apparently, he has been there for weeks and no body noticed. One of his neighbors was quoted as saying:

    "I thought there was a strange smell coming from his house, but I just figured it was one of those candles those homos like so much. I don't really care that he died, maybe that will keep his little dog quiet. Well, I am off to celebrate, now that there is one less faggot in the world."

    I am sure that no one (except JonKatz) at slashdot will miss him. As he has contributed nothing but the further spread of AIDS in society.

  4. My Favorite Recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Order grits!

    ^^^ HOT GRITS ^^^
    Grits

    3 cups water
    1 1/2 cups grits -- white (not instant)
    1 tablespoon salt

    Heat the water to boiling in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the grits very gradually, stirring the whole time to prevent lumps. Add the salt, reduce the heat to low (one or two bubbles should rise to the top at a time), and cook, stirring constantly, until tender, about 10 minutes. Grits should be as thick as oatmeal, not runny or stiff. If the grits get too thick toward the end of the cooking time, stir in a little hot water. Pour hot, down your pants!

    Serving Ideas : Pour with a pat of butter or some brown gravy. It gives it twang!

  5. Re:iPod? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    Those are pretty big improvements over the Archos, I have to admit that the biggest one is the transfer speed.

    Gay? Like in happy or your alternative lifestyle?

    Hey, I'm not the one who "blows [guys] out of the water"

  6. Re:iPod? Other good uses by alfredo · · Score: 0, Troll

    Sneak into your brother's room and quickly download to his Mac, a gig of gay porn. Ain't FireWire great?

    Then tell mom that your brother has some nasty stuff on his computer.

    --
    photosMy Photostream
  7. Look at me! I'm King Africa the FAG and I GAY$!@* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    ooh i'm king africa. i gay!@$#*!

    i also fuck goats.

  8. mod parent up . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    mod the parent to this comment up as funny, the word needs to be spread!

  9. on day SDMI will be required by law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    or something of the same nature. corrupt, underhanded, profiteering corporations will buy some new laws from corrupt, underhanded, profiteering policitians and you won't be able to buy a non-SDMI player. it's happened before. it will happen again.

    fuck corrupt american capitalism! and double-fuck corrupt american politicians and businesses.

  10. Re:iPod? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    As a gay person, I think this comment is more offensive then the original comment, which made a little bit of sense as a joke. The first anon poster didn't reference it as an insult, the way I see it.

    Jokings aside, I think Mac people are simply being Mac people as they always will be: too rich, too proud, too naive and too dumb to argue with.