Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

My Shuffle is cute and all, but I want a new one. I'm thinking a Nano, but the Video is also intriguing. I'm wondering if anyone has either of these and can help me make my decision. I don't have a ton of cash, so that's why I haven't completely gone for the Video. I want to know if it's really worth it first! I can't see myself watching that much on there, but it'd be fun. What I want to know is this: what kind of stuff can you watch on there? Like, can I rip a DVD? Or does it just have to be downloaded stuff from the iTunes store?
Let me know what you guys think, especially if you have either of these devices.

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I got The Girl a Nano for her birfy. I got some lyrics ("Here's a song for you, lovely") from one of our favorite bands, Eisley, enscribed on it and last month she got it signed when we saw them in concert. Observe:



She loves the Nano (she named it Eisley), especially for its size, but I think she wishes she had more capacity. I could only afford the smallest one. It depends a lot, I think, on how much you use it and how quickly you're likely to get sick of the same 500/1,000/2,000/10,000 songs.

Concerning videos, on the video-capable iPods you can watch any video that's in a supported format. I think it supports MPEG4 and H.264 (both standards) and there's a whole crop of free tools specifically for the purpose of converting videos to an iPod-friendly format.

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Psh, iPods. Get a good MP3 player, they can hold just as many songs and cost half as much.

I'm thinking of the 2GB model. The 4GB isn't that much more expensive, I know, but I only want to spend about $300 and I want to get a case so it doesn't get scratched up.

BTW, that's super cool that she got it signed! And such a sweet inscription, too.

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"A good MP3 player"? How very specific of you.

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My wife and I own a shuffle, 4G nano, and we're using a friend's 30G Video to see whether we want one.

Truthfully? In my opinion, the Video is worth the extra bones. The fact that I don't feel as I can ever fill it up is worth it to me...I think the wifey's getting me the 60G Video for my birthday. Yay!

I read that Nano can't handle mp3s packed with LAME (probably the best mp3 encoder available) very well, so I wouldn't recommend it. According to the same test article, Video supports 320x240 m4vs packed into H.264 or mpeg4 format. The only supported audio codec is aac, which is bit of a downside.
Other than that, I can't say much. All I have is some crappy, cheap mp3-player that sucks up the battery life too quickly and can't handle cold weather.

Come to think of it, now I want an iPod.

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My music
My LJ

I would definitely reccomend the iPod video. In my opinion Nanos are too small, can't hold enough songs and the screens are easily broken. You can rip DVDsto it if you get a simple program such as Handbrake.

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Thanks for your input, juys! Keep it coming! I need some more feedback before I shell out.

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Handbrake is okay, especially because it's free.

However, the Windows version is Incredibly limited compared to the Mac version, so I use the Cucusoft DVD to iPod software. Does the job perfectly every time.

I have Kung Pow: Enter the Fist on my iPod! Yay!

Look at the avatar people, look at the avatar.
You can easily afford a good Archos or Dell DJ, even though they may be a bit larger and not have color screens you get longer battery life and 4 times as much storage for the cost. Creative Zens are a good alternative as well.

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TIRES TIRES TIRES

While I appreciate your opinion, DUA, this topic is "So I want to buy a new iPod", not "So I want to buy a new mp3 player". I already know I want an iPod. Just trying to decide between models.

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Well, you better decide fast. Creative is sueing Apple and asking the courts to order that they stop selling them there iPody things.. Seems Creative has a patent that Apple is aledgedly violating.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,a ... 06X,00.asp

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If you insist on wasting yer cash on an ipod mp3 player, get the video one. Otherwise, get a Cowon mp3 player. Much nicer.

The only reason I got a video iPod is because the nano wouldn't hold all of my songs, and I still think it's a better buy than the nano. It's not too big, not too small, and it holds a lot of space so you can keep a lot of stuff on it.

Plus, watching Strong Bad Emails on-the-go is really fun.

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Can anyone verify (or provide a counter example) of this? Almost all of my mp3s are encoded using LAME, and I don't want to have to mess with them if I get an iPod later....

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I have a black 4G nano and love it. Of course, I'm not as tech-addicted as some people, so I didn't bother with getting the video one. I think the 4G handles what I want just nicely. And as for listening to the "same" songs - you CAN put different songs on there. Here's a tip. Order online and tell them you're a student. You get a bit of a discount that way. *ahem* I, uh, haven't been a student for...three...years...

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Image ... gpage.html

EDIT: I just realized I linked you to the US Apple store...let me see if I can find the Canadian one and if they do the same thing.

EDIT 2: Yep, they do! Here ya go!
http://canadaapp.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebO ... Stores.woa

The shipping is also free, and I think they still offer free engraving that way too. (EDIT 3: At least, it is in the US...I didn't check for Canada, sorry. :/) Oh, and I recommend you get a case for it. I have mine stored in a case that my friend knit for me and that inside a child-size eyeglass case. Nothing fancy, but it does the trick. I also bought an armband for exercising with it. And I recommend you buy a wall charger. Good luck, Sister!

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I guess the main question is though, what are you going to do with your old one? I'll gladly take it off your hands for you...

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i would suggest a nano if you don't have a huge library.

as far as iPods and encoding goes...(someone up there mentioned it...) if you're really into high quality sound use apple losless encoder, it is quite astonishing what you didn't know you weren't hearing.

my personal suggestion: video. lots of room for library and maybe some vids (from the store and your own) plus a bigger screen. also Apple had some problems with the clear protective coating on nano being too thin so it scratches easier than some of their models so a case is quite necessary.

If you don't have enough money to get the video iPod, just get the Nano.

I have a 2GB, but I desperately want a video, so it's really up to you.

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that's what i thought. then, podstars came out. then i decided, i'll get a PSP. it does more stuff, costs less, and iPod batteries will eventually get to a point that they can't be recharged.

The PSP is a nice machine, but it only ships with 32MB of storage. It only accepts Sony's crappy proprietary Memory Stick, which only go up to 2GB (an unacceptably tiny amount of storage for some people) and will cost you not quite $100. So if you don't care about anything other than music and video playback, it's a horrible choice--you end up paying almost $300 for a bulky box with only 2GB of storage, whereas the same amount would get you an iPod with 30GB of storage with equally good video and audio playback.

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My 4 gig Nano is more than adequate for my musical needs. I rip my music at a relatively low quality (128 kbps), but unless you've got some good headphones (I recommend, at least KOSS TD/60, those little ear buds just plain suck), you're not gonna notice. Heck, even with those KOSS phones, you won't notice much. The lower quality gives me the ability to store a buttload of music (I think I can actually store more music than could be played on a single charge).

The Nano doesn't offer video playback, but, yeah, I didn't really want that. Just make sure you get a case. I've scratched the back of mine a little bit by putting it in my pocket with keys, coins, etc.

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.

I recommend anything from Creative if you're a clumsy person like me who likes her music.

I've dropped my Creative Zen Touch (It holds 20GB) thousands of times and it hasn't scratched or dinted or anything. The battery power is *amazing*. I charge mine up for 10 minutes and it lasts for weeks, even though I listen to it a lot. They're also a bit more of a bargain than an iPod and more long lasting.

It depends on your taste really. Sure, you can watch videos and crap on your iPod but you can *always* do that on the internet. That's my suggestion.

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All rights reserved. While stocks last.

No plus no equals no. All no's lead to no, no, NO!

After doing some thinking, I'd say either save some money and get a video iPod or get some other mp3-player. I wouldn't want to take my changes with the Nano if it really does suck with LAME-encoded mp3s.

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My music
My LJ

Well, except, y'know, when you're not near a computer. It would be logically equivalent to say "Sure, you can listen to music and crap on your iPod but you can *always* do that on your computer."

I'm no iPod fanboy--in fact I have a touch of white earbud rage--but I would like to see some of these fantastically better MP3 players that people are talking about. Everybody seems to be saying "Well you can get a way better player with lots more storage for way cheaper," but nobody but Spangles has yet actually named such a player or provided a link.

There is one undeniable advantage to the iPod over any other brand that stems directly from its ubiquity: accessories. Probably 95% of the digital music player accessory market is tailored specifically to iPods. You buy some other brand and you're lucky if you can find three different cases to choose from. You buy an iPod and you've got dozens, maybe hundreds. And the same goes for more high-tech accessories. That doesn't mean the iPod is a better product, but sometimes there are advantages to having the same thing everyone else does.

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Good point. I'm prone to over exaggeration. Still, is watching videos really needed? Wait, don't answer that. It's a rehetorical question, I say!

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All rights reserved. While stocks last.

No plus no equals no. All no's lead to no, no, NO!

Nobody but Spangles and me and prime time...

Ok, here is the creative Zen Vision:M at Future Shop (in Canadian Dollars)

And the same item at Fry's Outpost (in US Dollars)

And again at Comet.co.uk

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I'm not trying to be pedantic, but that 30GB Creative player costs the same as a 30GB iPod, has the same size display, and a shorter battery life. I guess some people would really find the voice recorder and FM radio essential, and I'm sure it's a great product, but I'm still not seeing the " just as many songs and cost half as much" or "4 times as much storage for the cost" that people were boasting a few posts ago.

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