Looking for a Good DRM Free MP3/Video Player.

[Kunaak]

for a couple months now, I been kinda annoyed with my current MP3 player, as its a pain the *** to use. I have to install software to use it, cause it converts anything I put into it, to a DRM form of music.
then if I put music on it from any other PC (which I have many in my place) then it wants to delete all the other music from any other PC and start clean so basically it has to be permanantly tetherd to one OS.

which in my case is a major hassle.

I get a new motherboard every few weeks.
I get new CPU's every few weeks.
new videocard every few months.
tweak my OS for benchmarking so much that it becomes unusable sometimes.
occassionally have to do a complete format to fix various problems I get from too much overclocking... like yesterday, I was running 1350 mhz on my ram, cas 5-5-5-15 at 2.55 volts, trying to get it once to boot into windows... and it kept coming really close, but too many BSOD's now I got some part of my OS corrupted, and my videocard drivers constantly say "driver has recoverd from a error" about every minute.
took the card out and put it on another PC... its fine.
but I cant do anything with the OS now, and I just dont care enough to spend hours trying to track down the problem.
I just wanna wipe it out, and start clean, no patch work.
I do things like this often.

having a Music player thats permanantly tetherd to one OS, is severly annoying to me.
the DRM is the worst...
about once a month, I get a serious itch to put some new music on there.
but within that time, I will have formatted a few times... changed out motherboards a few times, changed cooling (Dry Ice, Phasechange, water... or air sometimes) I get new CPU's to try every once in awhile...
my PC rarely stays the same for that long...
so DRM is a seriously major annoyance to me.

I've had some really really junky MP3 players in the past, that were great in one sense.

you plug it in, drag something onto it, and it just works.

thats what I want again.
but in this super DRM infested age, I was beginning to wonder... do they even make anything that freely simple to use anymore??

I am severly curious about the Ipod Video MP3 Player, cause it looks great, and the video playback would be kinda fun at work.
instead of watching the boring fishing channel stuff the old guys wanna watch, I can watch my own thing.
so I am kinda curious about video playback too.

but mainly, I want Music Playback, thats easy to use.

now, I know the Ipod uses Itunes to put music on the Ipod I think...
I also know, my friend is seriously obsessed with his Ipod, but always has troubles with it, like it wont let him put music on there sometimes, sometimes music just disappears from Itunes... tons of things like that.
I dont think I want to deal with anything like that....

I can get great deals on Ipod Videos... I just dont know... if even for a severe good price, if it would be worth it for me.

so I was looking around, and heard some kid on another forum mention this...

the Creative Zen Vision: M.

http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=14331


he was saying he likes it, cause it "just plays" and doesnt need software to put stuff on to it.

that really got me hyped on it, cause thats what I really wanted.
something that isnt so limiting, like my current MP3 player is.
I am not sure about the Ipod video...

but I am hearing good things about the Creative one, and its looking like it will do what I want from a Music/video player...
drag stuff onto it... it just works.
no need for software to interfere in the process.

but I am kinda hoping, someone here, can give me some feedback, on pretty much any MP3 player you might have tried and think might suit me too.

I'd like to check out the options out there.
cause I still like how the Ipod looks.
but I want the functions of the Creative one.

but I'd also like to find out about other options.

 

[kraven]

I use a creative labs zen touch. i can plug it into any computer and drag and drop files using WMP. i'm not sure if they're drm restricted now or not but mine is no hassle at all.

 

[jivetrky]

At least some (I'm guessing all) of the Sandisk models are just drag and drop from windows explorer. I Like the fact that many of their players have SD or micro SD slots so you can expand them further. Some of them also have FM tuners, and video, as well as other stuff that I'd probably never use.

http://www.sandisk.com/Music/index.asp

I dislike the iPods and Zunes simply because you have to use their DRMware to put your music on the things. They seem great otherwise, but that's a deal breaker to me.

 

[dippy_skoodlez]

I'd like to check out the options out there.
cause I still like how the Ipod looks.
but I want the functions of the Creative one.

but I'd also like to find out about other options.

The ipod is excellent if you want it to "just work".

Songs disappearing...

I've never had any major problems with my numerous iPods, and love em to death.. Join the dark side! You might like it!


Its also not restricted to itunes.. theres ephpod that can add/remove songs, and even pull mp3's off (hint hint), Amarok in Linux can act like itunes, and ofcourse, itunes on OS X. There are, I'm sure MANY programs you can use to add/remove music from an ipod on EVERY platform. assuming its restricted to itunes is just plain wrong. You're only bound to Itunes when you use DRM-infested AAC (which actually isn't THAT bad )

Format it fat 32(WINDOW MODE) and it functions on every OS read/write/hdd ability. The only restriction you'll run into format wise is mac formatted, because windows doesn't play nice with HFS.

But if you're hellbent on anti-ipod-ness, Iriver is pretty nice.

Although an iPod is probably as OS generic as you'll ever be able to get.

NOTE: Also give a look into Ipod Linux. Its some hot stuff.

I'm pretty sure using Ipod linux you can just drag and drop media files into the appropriate folder, and it will play. You get an extended format range such as OGG, etc with Linux, but you will lose a little battery life, as these formats are pretty hardware intensive to play. (Similar to the WMA thing mp3 players run into)

 

[Kunaak]

I dont currently have any versions of linux around to use.
I had a really good one last summer... like windows, just kinda different.
but it had 8 discs... and I am sure I lost a few by now.

I looked into Ephpod, and that definatly got my attention.

the main thing I want, is simply the ability to put stuff onto it, and have it just work, without worrying "will I have to redo all my music, if I corrupt my PC's OS again from overclocking".
thats my biggest concern.
not being tetherd to one OS, or one PC.

 

[Spawn-Inc]

go with creative i've got this one...

don't waste your time with crap *** pooppods....

 

[dippy_skoodlez]

the main thing I want, is simply the ability to put stuff onto it, and have it just work, without worrying "will I have to redo all my music, if I corrupt my PC's OS again from overclocking".
thats my biggest concern.
not being tetherd to one OS, or one PC.

Corrupted os files should have no impact on your ipods usability or music retrieval, as long as you don't send corrupt transfer signals to and from obviously

I use my ipod for work related file transfers to and from my macbook pro to our dell and compaq computers pretty often, as the extra space is VERY handy.

I haven't used Ipod linux for a while, but I would imagine its been improved quite a bit over the time since I used it..

Plus you get doom.

I actually use my ipod as a primary "backup" of my mp3 collection.

With a set of itunes backup dvd's aswell.

(Itunes backup ability is excellent. It tags everything you backed up before, you select backup now again, and it only backs up modified files since your previous backup. restoring music is a SINCH!)

 

[dicecca112]

YGPM Kunaak