OESF Portables Forum
General Forums => Off Topic forum => Topic started by: Cyberdoc1971 on October 09, 2006, 02:49:57 pm
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In trying to find some extra memory for my Dad's Mp3 player, a Rio 500, I seriously realized he needed a mjor upgrade. The thing only has 64mb of flash memory, and can only take Smartmedia cards which are now obslete. So, I'm thinking a new Mp3 player that is Linux-compatibe around 1GB that can play music, maybe a FM tuner, and can display some photos. Here is the problem, most of the players out there are not Linux-friendly. Anyone out there have any ideas for me?
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iRiver H10. You can use easyh10: http://easyh10.sourceforge.net/ (http://easyh10.sourceforge.net/)
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Not bad, just a bit more and a bit pricey for what I'm looking for. Is there a list of players out there that are linux-friendly? Since he entered the medical field as a respatory therapist, he gave up his windows-based pc for a linux box, just trying to find something for him that he's appreciate. Also the Samsung YP-Z5ZB 1 GB Digital Audio Player has caught my eye, but I don't know if it is compatible.
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iRiver H120, completely compatable, 20gb, around 200.00 usd on ebay
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I'm hoping to stay under $100 if I can.
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. Here is the problem, most of the players out there are not Linux-friendly.
Really? I thought any player acting as a mass storage usb device would work under linux.
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Really? I thought any player acting as a mass storage usb device would work under linux.
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Not quite, for instance an iPod acts as a mass storage USB device, and you can copy mp3s to it under Linux. The prob is that the iPod will not play them then, since you must update the iPod song database so that it knows the songs are there. Don't know if there's software to do this under Linux.
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hmm seems support for ipod exists:
http://www.gtkpod.org/about.html (http://www.gtkpod.org/about.html)
My low-end usb-stick like mp3 player works under linux
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sod the pod!
I only use Linux and I've got a fantastic 2GB Samsung YP something memory-stick sized player that plays uncompressed wavs, MP3s, OGGs and WMA. Works perfectly with Linux and has great sound quality. I use it every day for about 1.5hrs and only need to charge it every 10 days or so.
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sod the pod!
I only use Linux and I've got a fantastic 2GB Samsung YP something memory-stick sized player that plays uncompressed wavs, MP3s, OGGs and WMA. Works perfectly with Linux and has great sound quality. I use it every day for about 1.5hrs and only need to charge it every 10 days or so.
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I'd be interested in the model that you have. Send me any info that you have, and any issues that you have had with it.
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Also consider the iAudio X5L. Great audio, supports ogg & flac in addition to the usual mp3 etc., has phenomenal battery life (drove from Iowa to W. Pennsylvania and back [@14 hrs. ea. way] and still had 1/4 battery left), an FM radio, and works great with a linux system. I haven't tried the video, as I use my Z with its better screen. Having had an iPod, the sound reproduction is noticeably better on the iAudio.
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Also consider the iAudio X5L. Great audio, supports ogg & flac in addition to the usual mp3 etc., has phenomenal battery life (drove from Iowa to W. Pennsylvania and back [@14 hrs. ea. way] and still had 1/4 battery left), an FM radio, and works great with a linux system. I haven't tried the video, as I use my Z with its better screen. Having had an iPod, the sound reproduction is noticeably better on the iAudio.
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Thanks for the info, I did check their site and most of the players they have are linux-compatible. Still looking for others before I purchase, I would like a flash memory player in the 1-2gb range with photo viewing capibility for my Dad as a Xmas present.
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Really? I thought any player acting as a mass storage usb device would work under linux.
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Not quite, for instance an iPod acts as a mass storage USB device, and you can copy mp3s to it under Linux. The prob is that the iPod will not play them then, since you must update the iPod song database so that it knows the songs are there. Don't know if there's software to do this under Linux.
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AmaroK music software interfaces really well with most models of iPod, if they're formatted for Windows rather than for the Mac. And it installs in most up-to-date Linux systems. I'm running it myself on my XandrOS box.
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Really? I thought any player acting as a mass storage usb device would work under linux.
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Not quite, for instance an iPod acts as a mass storage USB device, and you can copy mp3s to it under Linux. The prob is that the iPod will not play them then, since you must update the iPod song database so that it knows the songs are there. Don't know if there's software to do this under Linux.
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Not a bad idea, I have considered the iPod - still a bit pricey for my pocetbook.
AmaroK music software interfaces really well with most models of iPod, if they're formatted for Windows rather than for the Mac. And it installs in most up-to-date Linux systems. I'm running it myself on my XandrOS box.
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FYI all the Philips ones (the HDDXXX series) use the database storage method as well so you can use it as a USB stick but can't play the files you copy withuot the flaky SW that they supply for Windose.
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Has anyone had any experience with any of the flash memory based players made by Supertalent? From what I have seen they offer a lot of features for a low price.
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I have also seen another possibility, a 1GB Nano Size Digital Audio Player made by BrandoNano Size Digital Audio Player (http://mobile.brando.com.hk/DigitalAudioPlayer.php). However, not sure about it's compatibility, but for $55 it looks like a good deal. I wonder if anyone out ther has had any experience with it, even the-gadgeteer.com has a decent review on it.
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I have been using my Mini iPOD on my Suse 10.0 linux box quite smoothly.
I use Banshee Music Player (which comes bundled with Suse at least), and it can transfer and synch my music library with the iPOD without any hitches.
Of course MP3's transferred this way play on the iPod.
Also Amarok is another plaer (with ver good music library management and player) that also synch the iPOD. Just hook your ipod (Windows iPOD to be precise, dont know about the MAC version) to the box using USB cable and it auto-mounts and Banshee (or Amarok) finds it effortlessly.
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I just got an iRiver h120 off ebay reconditioned for about $100 actually--looks like a pretty good player; I'll throw rockbox on it and I'm pretty sure it'll work fine with Linux.
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I just got an iRiver h120 off ebay reconditioned for about $100 actually--looks like a pretty good player; I'll throw rockbox on it and I'm pretty sure it'll work fine with Linux.
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Let me know how it works, that is one of the players that I have been lookig at. I'm finding it hard where it states if a player is compatibe to Linux or not.
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I think i'm going with the Supertalent 1gb Mega player(similar in size to the iPod Nano), from all the research I did it seems to have the most bang for the buck. I appreciate everyone's help, and if you know some of the better places to buy, I'd appreciate the advice, thanks.
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Slightly off-topic:
Has anyone seen a digital audio player that has little/no on-board memory but accepts a usb drive for memory purposes? Usb flash drives are dropping in price. Usb hard drives are even cheaper per gig. I would be tempted to pair up such an audio player with a nice little 80 gig or so usb hard drive. I have been looking for such a device but have had no luck. I dream of finding such a device that runs linux and supports FLAC and ogg vorbis.
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I've found a fair bit of car audio stuff. Head units (aka car stereos) can be found at most car stereo places (or Wal Mart) that have USB host inputs for MP3s and WMAs (OGG and other formats I haven't found). Almost all will have the ability to play MP3s and WMAs off CDs as well, and some come with other slots (like SD) as well.
Also, "VR3" has a line of FM modulators that plug into a cigarrette lighter that can play MP3s and WMAs off USB sticks and sometimes SD cards.
I've also seen boomboxes and homestereos that take USB.
Lexar had a portable player that took USD thumbdrives, but only Lexar branded ones. http://www.provantage.com/lexar-media-mpc0...31~7LXMI06F.htm (http://www.provantage.com/lexar-media-mpc064-231~7LXMI06F.htm) It might be firmware hackable to support other drives.
With all of the above, you are normally limited in your formatting of HD (FAT32 is the best you hope for), and I'm not sure of capacity limits.
I dream of finding such a device that runs linux and supports FLAC and ogg vorbis.
Right now, the closest pre-made devices I know of are the Archos PMA430 and the various Zarii with USB host support.
Also, I've been playing around with the idea of designing a device that can play audio and maybe video off USB, as well as act as a more advanced USB bridge, that could be crammed in an Altiods tin. It would run Linux of course. Right now, I'm looking at what can be sourced and used (i.e. not BGA) by a hobbyist.
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Let me know how it works, that is one of the players that I have been lookig at. I'm finding it hard where it states if a player is compatibe to Linux or not.
In a word: AWESOME.
The key is to immediately ditch the stock firmware and install the H120 version of rockbox (http://www.rockbox.org). This is easy--you go through a brief flash to install modified bootloader firmware and then just drop the rockbox program on the disk, which appears under Linux as a mountable disk drive. Boot up the player, wham, Rockbox. (if you turn on the player while it's connected via USB, you get "usb mode" in which it just acts like a USB mass storage device).
From there, just drop your songs onto the disk however you want. Here's why RockBox is better: you can browse either in filesystem mode OR you can initialize the tag cache, which will have RockBox scan your files and build up a database so that you can browse by genre, artist, album, track, date, most-listened, etc. Since RockBox is doing all the work on the player side, it's OS-independent.
It's also, typical of many open-source projects, ludicrously over-featured (there are plugins for semi-useful things like on-screen sound level meters, audio metronome, etc... but also things like a gameboy emulator and Doom. Yes, you can make your MP3 player play Doom on its little LCD screen. Why would you do this? Doesn't matter--you CAN, and that's the important part...).
Seriously, I'm very impressed with RockBox; I'd recommend it on any player it supports. I like the H120 because it supports .ogg and some other formats (if you install RockBox on some players that only have hardwired MP3 decoders, that's all you get).
Anyway, that's my endorsement. Good stuff!
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Let me know how it works, that is one of the players that I have been lookig at. I'm finding it hard where it states if a player is compatibe to Linux or not.
In a word: AWESOME.
The key is to immediately ditch the stock firmware and install the H120 version of rockbox (http://www.rockbox.org). This is easy--you go through a brief flash to install modified bootloader firmware and then just drop the rockbox program on the disk, which appears under Linux as a mountable disk drive. Boot up the player, wham, Rockbox. (if you turn on the player while it's connected via USB, you get "usb mode" in which it just acts like a USB mass storage device).
From there, just drop your songs onto the disk however you want. Here's why RockBox is better: you can browse either in filesystem mode OR you can initialize the tag cache, which will have RockBox scan your files and build up a database so that you can browse by genre, artist, album, track, date, most-listened, etc. Since RockBox is doing all the work on the player side, it's OS-independent.
It's also, typical of many open-source projects, ludicrously over-featured (there are plugins for semi-useful things like on-screen sound level meters, audio metronome, etc... but also things like a gameboy emulator and Doom. Yes, you can make your MP3 player play Doom on its little LCD screen. Why would you do this? Doesn't matter--you CAN, and that's the important part...).
Seriously, I'm very impressed with RockBox; I'd recommend it on any player it supports. I like the H120 because it supports .ogg and some other formats (if you install RockBox on some players that only have hardwired MP3 decoders, that's all you get).
Anyway, that's my endorsement. Good stuff!
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Do you have any links to RockBox? I'd like to see more details on it to see what other players are compatible, and from what you say - it adds a lot more simplicity to the player.
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The good news is I finally ordered the player for my Dad's xmas gift, should get here next Wednesday. I did opt for the 2GB black version to the Supertalent Mega with some overtime at work. Still, I am still in need of some decent linux compatible ripping/burning software. Please any help would be appreciated.
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http://www.rockbox.org/ (http://www.rockbox.org/) for Rock Box
I use K3B for burning. I don't rip that much, so I don't have a suggestion for that.
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Just got the Super Talent palyer in today! Took nearly 10 days from Newegg (CA), next time I'll opt for the speedier delivery.
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Been a while for me, but I am back. Conclusion on this thread...My Dad loved his player for Xmas, thought it was the best gift I could have given him. Now thinking about it, I'm considering one similiar for me, not a Supertalent one, but there is an MP4 Watch made by Thanko that has most of the features of the one I gave my Dad, but in a watch format. Well, I hope everybody has a wonderfull happy hollidays.