[Jackboot]

I'm looking for a DAP that :

1) Doesn't need drivers in Windows XP (automatically shows up as its own drive letter)
2) Will play my MP3 files in whatever folder structure I transfer them to the player. I want the player to mirror the folder structure that I have on my computer (Music>Artist>Album)
3) More space is better! Size of the player isn't a big issue...

From what I can find by searching, the Iriver IHP-140 does all this...any other similar options? There are just so many different players!

What about newer Irivers? H320? Will they do the same things I need like the IHP-140?

 

[Morphling]

The Archos Gmini xs200 does all that + it's about the size of an ipod mini and really cheap ~$200. It also can also have an ID3 tag library with arclibrary.

 

[Jackboot]

The Archos Gmini xs200 mentioned above is EXACTLY the type of interface that I am looking for with a price tag to boot!

The ONLY thing that makes it less suitable for me is I would rather have more than 20GB if possible! 30 would be great, 40 would be perfect.

Any other contributions??? Thanks guys!!!

 

[Necros]

H140 & H340. Although for "audio only" some people think 140 is a better player, since you get LCD remote, optical in & out, available iskins, upcoming rockbox, screen with lower power consumption etc..

 

[Jackboot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morphling The Archos Gmini xs200 does all that + it's about the size of an ipod mini and really cheap ~$200. It also can also have an ID3 tag library with arclibrary.

Does the Archos Gmini xs200's battery charge through the USB port or only through the DC in port?

 

[Mr Iriver]

I second for Iriver H3X0, and H1X0. If you download the same structure as in your PC these will allow you through scroll through songs in the same folder structure. When you connect them they'll need no drives UNLESS you use WIN98. They'll be recognized as a mounted hard drive.

 

[wolfen68]

Definitely agree on the iriver and archos models....doesn't the cowen iaudio equipment do drag and drop interface as well?

Get an older Archos Jukebox Recorder (around $125-150 used) and drop a new 80-100 gig hard drive into it (pretty easy since it uses standard 2.5" laptop drives).

You get the interface you want with a capacity exceeding any portable out there.

 

[redshifter]

iaudio m3 also shows up as a fat32 drive and preserves file structure. 20 or 40 gig flavors.

 

[Edwood]

Yeah, Archos has always supported mounting as an external HDD.

-Ed

 

[jerb]

an ipod does Music>artist>album it also can charge through a usb, has large capacities (up to 60 gb) and is driverless (but you need a file to add listenable music

 

[BigFil]

He wants file structure, drag and drop support. Ipod is not for him.

 

[Super King]

Yeah, for file tree support, you pretty much have your choice between iRiver, iAudio, and Archos.

 

[Jackboot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 Definitely agree on the iriver and archos models....doesn't the cowen iaudio equipment do drag and drop interface as well? Get an older Archos Jukebox Recorder (around $125-150 used) and drop a new 80-100 gig hard drive into it (pretty easy since it uses standard 2.5" laptop drives). You get the interface you want with a capacity exceeding any portable out there.

Not a bad idea at all for my purpose...although the older Jukeboxes are really really ugly and old looking

I think for my application the XS200 is looking like the best bet, even though I am limited to 20GB.

Any recommendations on where to buy the XS200 online (other than Ebay) for the best price? I've checked here in Canada and there is only 1 source that I can find ($260 shipped).

 

[zhenya]

I'm interested in why you want to stick with a file tree structure. I mean, if you've given a database system a serious try, but still want file tree, that's great.

I know that I thought I wanted file tree organization when I got my first player, because it was what I was used to. But after using a database organizational system for a couple of weeks, I realized that there was NO WAY I would ever go back to a file tree structure. It is quite literally the equivalent of using the card catalog to find a book in a library instead of a computer.

 

[Jackboot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zhenya I'm interested in why you want to stick with a file tree structure. I mean, if you've given a database system a serious try, but still want file tree, that's great. I know that I thought I wanted file tree organization when I got my first player, because it was what I was used to. But after using a database organizational system for a couple of weeks, I realized that there was NO WAY I would ever go back to a file tree structure. It is quite literally the equivalent of using the card catalog to find a book in a library instead of a computer.

A good question. I'm not using the player in a "typical" way. I want to listen to music on the go (and have been using a Dell DJ to do so), but I'm connecting the DAP to a custom "carputer" system that I've incorporated into my car. The front end that I am using for playing music, movies, navigation etc needs to see a HDD to access files from, thus the requirement of a DAP that is assigned a drive letter. Further, I can keep Divx, XVid, and MPEG movies on the DAP for play in the car's displays. Navigating on a touchscreen through an "album art" interface is possible with a file tree structure, with a jpg of each album's artwork contained in the appropriate folder, thus the requirement of a DAP that keeps my music folder's directory structure of artist>album.

Why not just use a laptop or regular HDD connected to my carputer? I live in Canada and regular HDDs are only good to about 0 degrees celcius and don't handle shock well. Seeing as how it routinely gets -40c and roads are bumpy, this doesn't work. So a removable hard drive is the only option. I can use a USB hard drive to take media files in and out of the car with me, but I already carry a DAP anyway, so why not combine the 2?

For anyone interested, my OS is contained on a 1GB Extreme III compact flash card which is good to very low temperatures and able to withstand the vibrating environment of a vehicle. Obviously multiple writes are bad for CF media, so I've used Windows XP embedded components to disable writes to the drive. This setup is mad fast. Throw in mobile Internet and handsfree telephone with caller ID on the main screen (both via bluetooth) and I've got a nice mobile office and entertainment system. I've also integrated my steering wheel controls (volume, track, dial phone number, answer phone, etc) into the computer also.

I'm working on a new component at present that will allow me to SMS (text message) my vehicle to turn it on, arm/disarm the alarm, and unlock/lock the doors (if I were to lock my keys inside).

Sorry, long answer.