iPod/MP3-Player Notes

Just thought I'd open a thread for all things related to iPods and MP3 players in general.I've just run into a problem on my iPod with long podcasts. Short podcasts play fine, but I've recently started listening to a 3-hour weekly podcast, and 3 hours is pretty long. If you play it for a while, maybe 15 minutes or so, and then hit pause, when you resume it picks up about 5 minutes earlier than where you paused, and you have to fast-forward to where you were, which is both annoying, hard to do because of the clipped playback in fast-forward, and in the end only approximate. These podcasts usually end when the iPod still says they have about 5 or 10 minutes left.Anyone else run into this problem? I'm wondering if the problem is inherent in long podcasts, or whether it's a function of which software was used to create the podcast. I'm also wondering if the problem is fixable, perhaps through an iPod software patch, or by remixing the original podcast, or whatever approach people can tell me.--Percy

I just ran into a similar problem with a 90 minute long file which just stopped about 10 minutes before the end. I ended up using Audacity to split it into 2 seperate MP3s. The data was there it just wouldn't play beyond a certain point for some reason.TTFN,WK*ABE* What a waste of my 2000th post.Edited by Wounded King, : No reason given.

I'll have to experiment with Audacity a bit when I get a chance.The only mp3 player I've ever used is my iPod 40GB, a couple years old now, but I imagine that all mp3 players are set up similarly. Songs are organized hierarchically, so to play the 1st movement of Beethoven's 9th I click on "Music", then "Genre", then "Classical", then "All" (for all composers), then scroll down to Beethoven and click on him, then scroll down to "Sympony No. 9, Movement I". When my iPod reaches the end of the movement if you've set it to single play then it stops at the end of the movement, but you're still left at the same level in the menu, which is Beethovon mp3s.Podcasts on the iPod are handled slightly differently than songs. You click on "Podcasts", then select a category, then select a podcast from that category. When you reach the end of a podcast, it does not go to the next podcast. This is a good thing. But it does return to the top level of the menu hierarchy again, so you're forced to click down to the podcast category. This is not an easy thing to do in a car if you're the driver, and you've probably noticed me on the highway while I'm selecting the next podcast.Is there a way to fix this?I guess a better question is, is there a way to report bugs to Apple? I confess I haven't looked, but I have in the past engaged in lengthy searches for ways to report bugs to other large corporations (like Microsoft) and come up dry, so I've given up making these searches. But maybe others have had more success?--Percy

I set my iPod to repeat, and at that setting, it goes back to the beginning of the podcast and starts to play it again. So at least you don't get kicked back to the main menu. Boy, I wish. The cheap ones dump every song into one menu.

That'll work. Thanks!I just found the answer to a question I was about to pose, so in case others have had the same problem I post the answer here.Positioning in long tracks or podcasts is a problem. If you're in the middle of a long 3 hour podcast and forget to hit Pause when you stop listening, the problem is how to quickly position to the middle again when you resume. Holding down the fast-forward button only advances in 20-second increments, which takes forever.The answer is to click on the center button, and now the wheel that normally controls volume instead controls positioning.--Percy

My iPod died on the way home from work last night. I'm going to go out and buy another this morning. Since I currently only have around 4GB free on a 40GB model, I was going to buy a 60GB model this time. Suggestions welcome about specific models. Video capability isn't a feature I need or want to pay for - I use the iPod exclusively in the car while driving, and sometimes while trying to go to sleep, so I wouldn't use the video.For anyone out there whose iPod begins having problems, here's my story, but I'm going to skip most details. The iPod suddenly stopped working during playback, and though I could make things happen on the display, there was frequently a long delay and nothing would actually play. An audible click would occasionally come from the disk drive. This told me the disk drive was dead, or that perhaps electronics controlling the drive were dead. Connecting it to the computer and iTunes, it claimed the iPod needed to be updated, then it claimed it had to be initialized, then it claimed there was a disk drive error. So my iPod needed repair.According to the Apple website, they don't handle repair at their stores. They instead direct you to follow an on-line process that results in them sending you a pre-labeled box for you to mail your iPod in. I don't know what would have really happened had I got that far because after entering the serial number it said I had an HP iPod and had to seek help from HP. My wife bought the iPod for me with her HP discount when she still worked for HP. The discount was 10%.So I went to the HP support site and discovered my only option was to call technical support. Here, briefly, was my experience:

• Call technical support, wait on hold for 5 minutes.
• Describe problem, am asked if I can wait, I end up waiting 10 minutes before being forwarded to another department.
• Wait another 5 minutes on hold at the other department.
• After providing information, I'm told that if I want technical assistance in getting my iPod to work it will cost $45 dollars.
• I tell her my iPod is dead and that technical assistance isn't going to bring it back. It needs repair.
• She tells me it will cost $269 to repair the iPod, and that what they actually do is just replace it. I decline. I assume they credit the $45 toward the repair cost if the technical assistance fails to get it working.

It took me 45 minutes to go through this process. I wish they could have just explained it all at their website - in the 45 minutes I could have gone to Best Buy and back.I'm sure other computer and audio manufacturers are no angels, but with the exception of printers our experience with HP products is consistently bad. The products are unreliable and fail early. It's a very small sample set consisting of 1 desktop computer, 1 laptop computer and 1 iPod, but the experience has been the same in all three cases: early death. In the case of HP's version of Apple's iPod, I wonder if HP didn't manufacture it themselves with their own electronics and disk drives instead of just relabeling iPod's manufactured by Apple.--Percy

percy, i own a cowon iaudio x5. there is a 60gb model in that line, and they're quite fantastic players. there are a few drawbacks, of course, like no id3-tag database (everything is folder based). it's not for everyone, but if your music collection is obsesive-compulsively organized like mine, it works quite well.i also hear that the creative zen vision m is good, though i'm not sure if it comes in 60gb.

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I understand this is Apple's basic policy as well--they don't do repairs on iPods. The philosophy is that the pod is a "consumable" electronic device, and if you get two years from one, that's pretty good. The NY Times ran an article to this "dirty little secret" effect by an outraged reporter on the electronic beat a few months ago, and his experience with Apple support pretty much paralleled yours with HP.But I agree with you about HP products other than printers. They make fantastic laser printers, but everything else seems shoddy, and their tech support is wretched. Your spouse was probably their last, best chance, and now that she's gone...

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because you'll probably buy a newer, cooler model in two years anyways. it's called "designed obsolecence." and it's a major problem with electronics and other products in general. years ago, when you bought something, it lasted you a long, long time. and you never bought abother one, because you never needed to.but if your ipod breaks, you just go out and buy another one. so apple makes MORE money for making a product that's NOT AS GOOD. i saw we throw our consumer weight around and just buy products that don't break so quickly.

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Just got back from Best Buy with a 60 GB iPod. Thanks for the mentions of other products, but I already have iPod docking station, power supply, iTrip, and all my music/podcasts are loaded into iTunes.Turns out if you want a plain old audio-only iPod, I don't think they don't make one anymore, or at least Best Buy didn't have any. The 30GB and 60GB models both come with color screens, and you can load pictures and video onto them.I turned down the $60 3-year warranty, the default warranty is for 1-year through Apple, but from experience I know Best Buy will send me a letter soon telling me I can still add the warranty. The girl explained that had my old iPod been purchased at Best Buy with the warranty, that since it cost $399 when I bought it I'd get the equivalent priced model when it failed, which would be the one I just bought. Any experience out there with cashing in on one of these warranties? Does it really work that way? If these things are as unreliable as people say, maybe it would be a good idea.--Percy

Just noticed my iTrip doesn't fit the new iPod. Going to the Griffin site I see there's a new iTrip that instead of plugging into the headphone jack plugs into the connector on the bottom. But this is where the power supply also plugs in. So if you're using an iTrip you can't be connected to a power supply (in my car I have a cigarette lighter adaptor)? If so, doesn't the combination of iTrip plus iPod draining the single iPod battery give a relatively short playing time?--Percy

I love my video iPod, I've just started converting all my 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Firefly' DVDs to a format I can play on my iPod. It makes the hours I spend windowing eggs and collecting embryos just fly by.TTFN,WKP.S. Yes, I am very sad.

I found the answer to my question about powering an iPod/iTrip combo. Though there's no description, but I found a picture at the Griffin site that shows a cord, I presume it's a power cord, going into an iTrip that's plugged into an iPod: So I guess I'd need to buy another cigarette adaptor thingee if I got one of the new iTrips. Probably cost around $15, just a guess, though, and the new iTrip itself is $49.99.Anyway, I don't use my iTrip when I'm not in my own car because I find I don't get a consistent quality signal. For some weird reason, the signal gets weaker and stronger, and the background hiss gets louder and softer, even though the iPod/iTrip is just sitting stationary in the caddy between the front seats and I'm just driving down the highway. So I use a cassette adaptor in my car. But if the new iTrip gives off a better signal, then it would be nice to dispense with the cord that runs from the iPod to the cassette player in my dashboard. Plus, my car is 10 years old and I'll have to get a new one soon, and I don't think they're shipping cassette players in new cars anymore.So, anyone have any experience with the new iTrip?--Percy

I did have a warrenty on a Sony Clio (my very last sony product of any kind ever!!!).I got a replacement for it when it went after about 1.5 years. The replacement was "better" than the original in a number of ways. It also had features I didn't actually want.When that went (after the warrenty was gone). I bought a proper (ie "real" Palm.)I went online to Best Buy and bought a used/refurbished one with the extended warrenty. Total cost less than the same thing new without warrenty. I figure that if it is a return on warrenty there is one thing already fixed and if it is going to go again I have it covered with the extended warrenty.

One of my friends recently brought a car with an 'aux' jack so he could just plug his iPod in directly with a stereo to stereo lead, that was the first time I'd seen what seems like such an obvious thing to have.TTFN,WK