[DigDub]

i'm not so sure why ipod fans like to play down the obvious advantages of the ihp. granted, ipod looks cool, has a easier to use interface(subjective) and has a nice scroll wheel. but the ihp beats the ipod in every other aspects like battery life, no need for 3rd party software to transfer songs. but most ipod fans take these advantages as 'no big deal' and ironically, goes on to praise how itunes is easier to use in transferring songs to the ipod, when no software is required for ihp *at all*. as for battery life, it is obviously good to have more than less. you never know when you will need that extra juice when you are on the go. and the ihp has radio and optical line in and out. this may not be a deal breaker for most people, but it is certainly nice to have and may has their use in future.

 

[MadDog5145]

I would love to get an iHP (and current prices are awfully attractive). Things I always wanted on my iPod the iHP has, which includes LCD remote, FM tuner, Recording, and longer battery life. And most importantly (for me at least) a QUEUE feature. I hardly ever used the OTG playlist on my iPod but I always wished I could just simply choose the NEXT song to play (there is a way around this on the iPod by just adding one song at a time on the OTG, but that can be a pain in the ass if you mess).

But the one thing that is holding me back in getting the iHP that the iPod has, is the love connection between the iPod and iTunes. After using iTunes, I could never dream not using it again (it has supplanted Winamp and Ephpod). iTunes makes it as easy as the iRiver, if using the DB feature (which I would most definitely use).

Here are the steps for transferring music for me:

iPod:
1. Organize music in My Music folder and fix ID3 tags.
2. Open up iTunes and drag and drop new folders into iTunes.
3. Connect iPod and autosync takes over.
4. Disconnect iPod

Iriver:
1. Organize music in My Music folder and fix ID3 tags.
2. Connect iRiver.
3. Open up Windows Explorer and drag and drop new folders into the Iriver drive. Build up DB.
4. Disconnect iHP

Wheres the difference? It may take different ways to get there (neither way is faster or easier [acutally I find building DB is a pain in the ass compared to iTunes autosync]), but displacement is all that matters, baby. Plus you cannot dispute the fact that smart playlists rock, something that iRiver will never implement without adding additional software.

Each player has it pros and cons. No player is clearly better than another.

This is all IMHO.

 

[MadDog5145]

Double post.

 

[austonia]

MadDog, Excellent point. Whether you use Windows File Explorer, or iTunes, you still have to use SOME PROGRAM to get the damn songs on a player. OK so, WFE comes stock on Windows and you have spend 2 minutes to download iTunes. woh, life is tough. drag and drop music to the player, either way. the iPod is kind of nice, in that you don't have to worry about organizing them in directories. You don't have to remember where the you put one song when you have 5,000 tracks loaded. Just go to the list of songs on the player. no worry about a 52-character limit either, which totally kills it for me. Literally all my tracks have longer filenames than that. the database part of iHP is useless for me.

 

[austonia]

i just timed how long it takes me to scroll through 100 tracks on the iHP, by holding down the joystick. 10-12 seconds. it doesn't even speed up the longer you hold it. comparing this with the ipod is like a pinto to a ferrari.

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally posted by austonia MadDog, Excellent point. Whether you use Windows File Explorer, or iTunes, you still have to use SOME PROGRAM to get the damn songs on a player. OK so, WFE comes stock on Windows and you have spend 2 minutes to download iTunes. woh, life is tough.

that is exactly what i'm trying to say. ipod people are so protective of their players, even to the point that the inconvenience of having to install itunes just to transfer music is overlooked. and to the point of saying that itunes is as convenient to use as umm...something that is already built into windows. i mean, ipod people can turn obvious disadvantages of the ipod into 'advantages' and turn the advantages of the ihp into 'no big deal features'. this is ridiculous.

 

[austonia]

Quote:

Originally posted by DigDub that is exactly what i'm trying to say. ipod people are so protective of their players, even to the point that the inconvenience of having to install itunes just to transfer music is overlooked. and to the point of saying that itunes is as convenient to use as umm...something that is already built into windows. i mean, ipod people can turn obvious disadvantages of the ipod into 'advantages' and turn the advantages of the ihp into 'no big deal features'. this is ridiculous.

in the time it took you write that statement you could have downloaded and installed Ephpod. so, you have the time, you're just set against the idea because it's somehow not as good as Windows File Explorer.

I'll just say, if I had to pick ONE program to interface with any of my DAP, it wouldn't be windows file explorer. with the other programs like Ephpod or iTunes, or whatever.. you can adjust ID3 tags and manage other aspects of the player, in addition to drag-n-drop loading. Sure, it would be nice if they came with every windows machine, but there's a lot of good software that doesn't. Do you use Windows Media Player for most of your PC listening? Probably not, why? Even Winamp is better, but oh man.. you have to download it. What a drag. There's another 2 minutes of your life.. gone forever.

 

[MadDog5145]

How is a iTunes a disadvantage? The only possible explanation as austionia already pointed out is the 5 minute inconvinience of downloading and installing iTunes, which I found was alot easier than shifting through the iRiver manual trying to figure out how the damn DB function works. I spent well over half an hour right-clicking all over the place.

With that one disadvantage (which is not really a strong disadvantage) comes features that windows explorer and drag'n'drop could never have.

And you should really not jump to conclusions and start name calling. I am far from one of the people that are overprotective of their iPods. I often have recommended other players to friends (yes iHP included) instead of the iPod.

 

[MadDog5145]

Quote:

Originally posted by austonia i just timed how long it takes me to scroll through 100 tracks on the iHP, by holding down the joystick. 10-12 seconds. it doesn't even speed up the longer you hold it. comparing this with the ipod is like a pinto to a ferrari.

You couldn't scroll up on the iHP? Thats one of major pet peeves with iPod.

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally posted by austonia in the time it took you write that statement you could have downloaded and installed Ephpod. so, you have the time, you're just set against the idea because it's somehow not as good as Windows File Explorer. I'll just say, if I had to pick ONE program to interface with any of my DAP, it wouldn't be windows file explorer. with the other programs like Ephpod or iTunes, or whatever.. you can adjust ID3 tags and manage other aspects of the player, in addition to drag-n-drop loading. Sure, it would be nice if they came with every windows machine, but there's a lot of good software that doesn't. Do you use Windows Media Player for most of your PC listening? Probably not, why? Even Winamp is better, but oh man.. you have to download it. What a drag. There's another 2 minutes of your life.. gone forever.

ok. lets say you want to download an mp3 from your friend's computer that does not have itunes or whatever software you need. between he ipod and ihp, which one would you choose in that situation? the need to use add-on software to transfer music was precisely the reason why i ditched the creative nomad zen. and we are talking about transferring of music alone, not managing id tags. as you said, there are better programs for managing, some even better than ephpod or itunes. you are talking about 2 different tasks here. one for transferring of music (which the ihp obviously wins here) and managing the id tags. ipod people gets blinded by little advantages to the point that even inconvenienes can become 'advantages'.

 

[MadDog5145]

Quote:

Originally posted by DigDub ok. lets say you want to download an mp3 from your friend's computer that does not have itunes or whatever software you need. between he ipod and ihp, which one would you choose in that situation? the need to use add-on software to transfer music was precisely the reason why i ditched the creative nomad zen. and we are talking about transferring of music alone, not managing id tags. as you said, there are better programs for managing, some even better than ephpod or itunes. you are talking about 2 different tasks here. one for transferring of music (which the ihp obviously wins here) and managing the id tags. ipod people gets blinded by little advantages to the point that even inconvenienes can become 'advantages'.

In my situation, I still have to go back to my computer and fix the ID3 tags and place it in my external harddrive then retransfer to the iRiver. This could be exactly done by the iPod except that you won't be able to listen to it right away, no big deal.

Have you actually ever used iTunes? With iTunes, technically it is drag and drop. You drag the new music into iTunes, sync, and your done. You keep saying that iPod users ignore the disadvantages of using iTunes (you are going to clarify your point to convince me that opening up iTunes is a disadvantage), but YOU have been ingoring the disadvatanges of the iRiver system. Simply the total lack of ID3 tag management, smart playlisting, organization, and control over the file itself. One feature that I really like about iTunes is that I can adjust the start time and stop time of songs to edit out all the intro and outro crap commonly found in hip hop songs. You can also adjust the EQ feature and normalize the song yourself through the iTunes. How many third party software are you going to need to get that kind of capability with the iRiver?

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

why are people even fighting over HDD players?
can i say Portable Player raciestism

DigDub, if you use iHP Tool, you can just save the program on iHP itself. when you upload your friend's mp3s from his computer, run iHP Tool directly on your iHP to update DB..

o wait...i should stay out of this thread..fighting over which is better is a waste of time IMO, whatever floats your boat

 

[austonia]

DigDub, are you aware that iPod mounts as an external drive, just like the iHP? It does. You only need a special software program to load music on the player. You could very easily store Ephpod or iTunes on the iPod's drive, then at your friend's house, copy it to his hard drive and install it. You can get a Firewire or usb2.0 dongle for the newer iPods. Ephpod doesn't mess with any of his settings or anything, it's a clean little program.

 

[DigDub]

ah. oh well. maybe i prefer the file tree system used by the ihp and prefers not to install and use extra software on my computer just to get songs onto my player. after all that creative and netmd hassle, i do have a phobia towards using proprietary apps to transfer music to a music player.

 

[DigDub]

oh, and i'm not talking about the songs transfer features only. there's also the radio, the line/optical-in/out features, remote, built-in mic and battery life of the ihp which ipod supporters often look upon as 'no big deal features'. then when someone mentions that the ihp has all those, they will start going on about how ipod owners can buy extra accessories like remote controls and battery packs and it will have the same functions as ...tada!...ihp. but they also forget to mention that these extras cost money and makes the ipod bigger. i'm not trying to put ipod down or something. what i'm pissed about is that some ipod supporters try to put ihp down by creating the impression that ipod can be made equal to ihp in terms of features by buying add-ons, when iriver has already have them built-in. i also think the ipod has great features like the scroll wheel and firewire. but please, ipod supporters, do not try to make an ipod into what it is not.