To iPod or not to iPod?

cuteseal · **29th November 2006, 10:12 AM**

Hi all,

I recently attempted to change my wife's iPod mini battery and managed to break the clickwheel cable in the process, so I have turned it into a brick.

She's forgiven me

but I would like to make it up to her and get her another mp3 player for Christmas.

I'm currently thinking of a 30g iPod Video so she can watch recorded TV on it too

Before I take the plunge though, just wanted to solicit some feedback from users on using an iPod with MCE.

1. I assume that MCE won't support syncing to the iPod - I will need to use iTunes instead?

2. Can I put recorded TV from MCE into the iPod? Is it just as simple as adding the dvr-ms files into iTunes library and then syncing? I'm guessing it iTunes will probably do some conversion first.

I certainly am hoping that I won't have to do conversion in some third party software before importing to iTunes - might be too much of a hassle.

3. iPod users out there - what has been your general experience with getting it to work with MCE?

4. If #2 above can't be done, any recommendations on a good mp3 and video player that works seamlessly with MCE? I'm looking around 20g in size, and ideally I want to be able to sync my mp3 and recorded TV library without having to mess around with third party converters or third party apps.

I really hope someone can help me rescue Christmas this year...

Thanks very much in advance!

Jules

drewhiggins · **29th November 2006, 10:29 AM**

Quote:

I recently attempted to change my wife's iPod mini battery and managed to break the clickwheel cable in the process, so I have turned it into a brick.

She's forgiven me

but I would like to make it up to her and get her another mp3 player for Christmas.

That's lucky she forgave you.

Quote:

1. I assume that MCE won't support syncing to the iPod - I will need to use iTunes instead?

Spot on.

Quote:

2. Can I put recorded TV from MCE into the iPod? Is it just as simple as adding the dvr-ms files into iTunes library and then syncing? I'm guessing it iTunes will probably do some conversion first.

iTunes can't read DVR-MS files. You would need to get DVRMS Toolbox, convert it to MPEG2 (give your wife a quick tutorial of how to use it, very easy and free on this forum under Downloads) and try that.

Quote:

3. iPod users out there - what has been your general experience with getting it to work with MCE?

No success there as yet. I am experimenting though.

Quote:

4. If #2 above can't be done, any recommendations on a good mp3 and video player that works seamlessly with MCE? I'm looking around 20g in size, and ideally I want to be able to sync my mp3 and recorded TV library without having to mess around with third party converters or third party apps.

An iRiver 20GB, but I don't think it plays video. Try www.mstation.com.au where I got my iPod SE from. They're pretty good but they may be a little expensive for what you're looking for. I got my iPod in about 3-4 weeks, and ask for a discount maybe. I did and got $50 off.

As a quick guide at MStation.com.au and other sites, here are some I found for $200-499. That's not too bad.

http://www.mstation.com.au/ms/products/?id=529

http://www.mstation.com.au/ms/products/?ID=398

http://www.apple.com/au/ipod/ipod.html

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/...video+mp3+20gb

You didn't say where you were from so I couldn't find any MP3/video players for you specifically. But hopefully those four sites can help you. Sorry if this was no help to you.

cuteseal · **29th November 2006, 01:13 PM**

Thanks for the response... I'm from Melbourne.

With the iRiver or say creative players, will MCE sync video directly to them, or will I need to convert the video files into a supported format first?

TIA
Jules

drewhiggins · **29th November 2006, 01:19 PM**

Okay then.

I think Creative has MCE-players made specifically for DVR-MS, but last time I knew them they were only capable of playing WMA. It may pay to visit the website of Creative and see.

iRiver, I think just goes straight through Explorer, not MCE.

pantonious · **29th November 2006, 01:41 PM**

my iRiver H340 only plays a specific format. so you will need to convert the recorded tv, possibly twice (dvr-ms -> avi/mpg -> iRiver) as i don't think the software (iRiverter) will support the dvr-ms files...

i've never plugged mine into my MCE PC, so not sure wat happens in terms of syncing and such...

i personally would never buy an iPod.

djhampson · **29th November 2006, 02:03 PM**

I have an iPod 30gig Video and use it to watch Recorded TV. I can't exactly remember what programs I use (I'm not at home) but I'm pretty sure I use DVRMS converter and then use Xilisoft Ipod Video Converter to get from mpg to mp4.

Then sync as normal with iTunes.

The iPod is excellent because it works, tick a song in Itunes and its on your iPod. I find it much easier to load songs onto than my older player which used Windows Explorer. The menu system is great for browsing for a particular artist, song etc..

cuteseal · **29th November 2006, 05:06 PM**

Hey thanks everyone for the responses so far. Out of curiosity, I went to the Microsoft MCE 2005 site to see what devices they recommend.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/m...s/onthego.mspx

Interestingly, they say:

Quote:

Portable Media Players. These devices, such as Apple's iPod with video, Creative's Zen Vision, and the Archos line of devices are capable of synchronizing with your Media Center PC and playing all of your media types, including recorded TV, videos, music, and pictures. All of these devices have their own menu systems, which are different from the Media Center menu system. These devices will convert your recorded TV files to a format that is compatible with the device for playback. These portable devices are perfect for entertaining kids on the go, making your commute fly by, or livening up a rainy day on your vacation.

Now, the million dollar question is whether the conversion happens manually or automatically from MCE. The text above makes it seem that the latter is the case...

At the bottom of that page they say

Quote:

It’s easy to choose a portable player that is compatible with your Media Center; just look for the PlaysForSure logo at most electronics stores.

Does this mean that I just need to find a player with tha PlaysForSure logo? AFAIK iPods don't have this?

TIA,
Jules

drewhiggins · **29th November 2006, 05:11 PM**

It would happen automatically via a playlist I should think.

No, iPods don't support this and Zune probably won't either.

If you want an iPod that works with Windows, check out WinPod.

JNRidgway15 · **29th November 2006, 05:46 PM**

Audio Formats:

MP3 Playback

WMA Playback

AAC Playback

Video Formats:

WMV Playback

MPEG-4 Playback

QuickTime MOV Playback - H.264

Playback Duration:

500 Hour(s) 7500 Song(s) MP3

1000 Hour(s) 15000 Song(s) WMA

Product Specifications:

Size and Weight:
4.4 in. x 2.4 in. x 0.6 in. (h x w x d)

Weight: 5.6 ounces

Battery:
Music, up to 14 hours (wireless off), up to 13 hours (wireless on); pictures, up to 4 hours; video, up to 4 hours

Charge Time: 3 hours; 2 hours to 90%

Display:
Size: 3.0 inches

Orientation: Vertical and Horizontal

Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels

Audio:
Windows Media® Audio Standard (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate

MP3 (.mp3): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate

AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov): Up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate

Pictures:

JPEG (.jpg): All resolutions (desktop software will automatically convert to 640x480 at sync time)

Video:

Windows Media Video (.wmv): Main Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 1.5 Mbps peak video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio; Simple Profile, CBR, up to 736 Kbps video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio.

Wireless:
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g

Range: Up to 30 feet

drewhiggins · **29th November 2006, 05:52 PM**

I still think WinPod is cool.

I've been blogging about it for months now - since I first heard about a Microsoft MP3 player. I've looked everywhere and asked countless store assistant idiots and their response?

Store assistant - "What is Zune? I've never heard of it"

Me - "Like an iPod but a Microsoft one"

Store assistant - "There's another MP3 player besides the iPod? You diss iPod? Get out!!!!"

Check out www.winsupersite.com for more Zune-ness