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Portable MP3 Player w/ Unix Support?

Posted by Cliff on from the music-on-the-run dept.

oobeleck asks: "With my birthday just around the corner and my 8 mile runs needing music, I am thinking of asking for a portable mp3 player. What is the Slashdot community's experience with MP3 portables. What has the most support, what should I stay away from. I have been eye-balling the Diamond Rio 600/800 model. Any opinions on the Rio? I want something that works good with Linux/OpenBSD. Thanks for your help." Ask Slashdot last ran such an article back in April of 2000, I'm sure bigger and better MP3 players have been made since then. Which of today's players would you all recommend?

2 of 450 comments (clear)

  1. Re:iPod kicks ass by dhovis · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It is worth noting that the iPod for Windows uses a FAT32 formatted drive. I'm sure as soon as these hit the market (within the next 2 weeks), there will be Linux software within days. People have already reverse engineered the playlist format, and the MP3 files are just stored in hidden directories.

    So if you like the iPod (and it is in your budget), you probably can't go wrong.

    --

    --
    The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.

  2. FORMAT WARS. (and just how pointless they are) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    OK....this has bugged for years....

    "Minidiscs never caught on because they use a lossy compression algorhythm"

    I wonder how MP3 caught on then...
    I mean if all that people cared about was sound quality,
    I think I would have a 1/2 inch reel-to-reel in my car by now.
    (analog tapes are lossy, yet they are everywhere...why is that??)

    There are different uses for different technologies.

    CONVENIENCE VS. QUALITY.

    Scenario 1.
    Quality.
    I really like the sound quality of DAT.
    It's sampling rate is higher than that of cd (48Khz).
    I also have -all the time in the world- to fast forward and rewind what are essentially cassette tapes 2.0.
    I can overlook such things as bulky players, delicate internal mechinisms,
    and fragile tapes.... for some of the best quality possible.

    Scenario 2.
    Convenience.
    "I'm usually on the go when i listen to music.
    I really like being able to throw my MD in my pocket with a couple of discs and go.
    I can overlook things like "lossless" recording, higher frequencies i can't hear,
    and the ability to trade DAT GD/Phish/DMB shows
    for the versitiliy and convenience of minidisc."

    Now this is a little silly...people don't talk like this...but they do SHOP like this.

    HOW and WHERE do you do your listening?

    In the car?
    In a private listening room with headphones?
    In a subway train?

    Is space limited?
    Is there a lot of background noise?

    All of these things must be factored before a decision can be made on the appropriate format for the occasion.

    FYI, I personally use...
    MD when biking, walking around,
    DAT when mastering/archiving studio tracks,
    CD when in the shower,
    Vinyl in a quiet room and headphones,
    Car-MP3CD when driving,
    HD-MP3 for my main jukebox,
    MD-Data for recording OUT of the studio,
    ADAT for recording IN the studio,
    and old analog tapes for mixes for my not-so-high tech friends.

    Everything has it's place.