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Which iPod classics are Rockboxable?

post #1 of 13
12/27/09 at 6:54am
Thread Starter 
I'd want a classic as it's the only affordable-ish player to be able to hold all my music on it and act as an external HDD.

But I'd prefer using it without iTunes and get slighly more EQ options so it seems that Rockbox is the way. So I'm going for a second hand Classic.

Are there any I should avoid? I'm looking at 6th Gen 120GB ones, but would the latest 160GB generation work as well?

Also, I'm coming from a Cowon D2, Sansa Clip and Sony A729 (with Klipsch S4). What should I expect sound quality wise? My guess is that with medium range earphones like the S4s I'd probably not notice such a huge difference but I'm not sure.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 13
12/27/09 at 7:06am
A quick trip to Rockbox - Open Source Jukebox Firmware shows the list of iPods that can be altered:
Quote:
Apple: iPod 1g through 5.5g, iPod Mini and iPod Nano 1g
So none of the iPod Classics can be altered; the last "full-size" generation to be able to do so are the iPod Videos.
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post #3 of 13
12/27/09 at 7:12am
Thread Starter 
Aye just saw that... Doh.

Is it still worth it rockboxing a video over getting a non rockbox 6th or 7th? I think you can get Media Monkey to synch with these so I wouldn't need iTunes...

I have 62GB of music so any 60GB player is useless for this project.
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post #4 of 13
12/27/09 at 8:01am
Lots of different media player / media managers can sync an iPod Classic without the need for iTunes. WinAmp, MediaMonkey, J River Media Center, Songbird, and others. The Touch and iPhone though are a different story. They still require iTunes (though some players like MediaMonkey can sync to the Touch if iTunes is installed).

The third party tools generally do better with syncing MP3 files. ALAC can be done though generally with limitations. LAME encoded MP3 files can play gapless on the iPod Classic.

I use an 80 GB iPod Classic with J River Media Center. I sync it with LAME MP3 files that are transcoded on the fly (as needed) from FLAC. I don't bother with lossless on the iPod. It all works and no iTunes needed. And gapless playback works.
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post #5 of 13
12/27/09 at 8:44am
Thread Starter 
I don't mind galpess/not gapless and I don't use lossless files.

I do mind however having a high capacity player I can't use as an external HDD as well... But it seems there are only iPods out there which I'm really not happy about
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post #6 of 13
12/27/09 at 10:17am
The iPod Classic can be used as an external drive to store files just like a thumb drive. It shows up in Explorer as a removable storage drive and gets its own drive letter. I can see folders and files.

I have never used that feature to store general files. You'll have to experiment. Using the iPod Classic as an external disk is mentioned as a feature in the Apple features guide for the iPod Classic. You can download the features guide and other guides in PDF format from Apple.

Using the iPod with third party tools to sync generally requires that the iPod be configured to show up as a removable external drive with its own driver letter.
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post #7 of 13
12/27/09 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pott View Post
Is it still worth it rockboxing a video over getting a non rockbox 6th or 7th? I think you can get Media Monkey to synch with these so I wouldn't need iTunes...

I have 62GB of music so any 60GB player is useless for this project.
There's 80GB iPod Videos. There's also people who put bigger hard drives in them. As for whether or not Rockbox will be worth it depends on your needs. Rockbox's EQ is much more tweakable, it supports more formats, you can manage your music like it's a mass USB storage device (drag/drop), gapless playback works perfectly 100% of the time, it supports crossfading, you can alter the balance, it can play Doom, and all kinds of other cool stuff. If any of this is seriously important to you, look into a 80GB 5.5 gen iPod Video (Buy.com might have some refurbs). If none of this stuff is important to you, just get a brand new 160GB 6.5/7th gen (or whatever they call it).
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post #8 of 13
12/27/09 at 8:06pm
How is battery life with a Rockboxed iPod Video or Photo? Rockbox tends to do more of the decoding and processing in software on the CPU and that would tend to lower battery life.
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post #9 of 13
12/27/09 at 11:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich View Post
How is battery life with a Rockboxed iPod Video or Photo? Rockbox tends to do more of the decoding and processing in software on the CPU and that would tend to lower battery life.
I don't think I've used the Apple firmware to listen to music with my Photo, so I'm not sure how much more efficient it is. The Apple firmware charges faster than Rockbox (not really sure how much faster), but I don't think the Apple firmware gives much more battery life. Right now, I've got a replacement 900 mah battery coming, but I still get around 5 or 6 hours with the old stock battery. When I play one album on repeat and leave it alone, it gets around 9 or 10 hours. Not sure how much better the new battery will be, but I can't wait to find out. Most of the time, I have it on shuffle, and I skip around alot. So far, amping and going through the headphone out have about the same battery life.

So far, I don't have any experience with an iPod Video. Hopefully I'll find a 60GB or 80GB off ebay for cheap one day. 4th gens are pretty cheap, their parts are pretty cheap (except for logic boards), and they sound pretty good (even out of the headphone out).
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post #10 of 13
12/28/09 at 5:34am
with cameron sino 950mah battery using rockbox on a DIYMOD with 240gb HD, I get about 10-12 hrs using lossless. you most certainly arent stuck with 30 or 80gb. I have another 120gb and looking at 64gb SDHC
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post #11 of 13
12/28/09 at 8:03am
Thread Starter 
hehe let's say I have a very limited budget... Say €150 at the most. A brand new iPod classic costs 220 euros here.
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post #12 of 13
12/28/09 at 9:12am
then get an ipod video. a cameron sino battery is like $14 and you could get a used 80gb drive for like 70-80
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post #13 of 13
12/29/09 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
Is there a quick way to find out just from basic pictures if it's a 5.5 video or a 6th gen 80GB one?
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