Is it MP3 ? for portable music/lectures !

[tapedeck]

I want to be able to listen to music when I am out of the house doing my thing or travelling.

I have seen people especially young people having a 2x1 inch device (are they known as MP3?) where they listen music through earphones. A cassette recorder is too clumsy and has limited content. A device that is not conspicuous and does not occupy space or heavy in the pocket.

(A) I want to be able to record my favourite songs from :

(1) CD
(2) cassette
(3) video-CD (karaoke songs)
(4) video-DVD (karaoke songs AND documentary)
(5) DVD-9

How can I do so for (1) and (2)

Is it possible for (3) to (5) where there are images !


(B) I need the portable music device to be able to label a song like E for English followed by another alphabet/s for song title and M for Mandarin etc. and with a numbering system. These are to enable me to do quick-search for songs I like to listen to.

(C) I need no more than a capacity for 200 songs or 150 songs with battery power of at least 4 hours.(rechargeable and better still a removable back-up battery)

(D) As for documentary, some lectures/narration last for an hour and with images (which I do not need) as they are either from DVD/VideoCD or DVD-9.

I need to know if above needs are accomodatable by an MP3 or is there any device that can do it.

I am a retiree and like to be able to listen to oldies either English, Mandarin or Japanese and also Chinese poems and lectures when I am on the go anywhere or travelling.

I hope that those in the know will sincerely advice on questions like :

---content capacity
---easy/efficient search function
---battery length
---format suitability
---recording/dowloading/transferring processes
---preferrably Made in Japan

Thank you and have a great weekend ! *reelstop*headache*

[R.Daneel]

Wow man, you have some pretty hefty demands! But hello all the same!

Let's see here. Any mp3 player or rather an mp4 player (a search on ebay will probably result in a million matches from everywhere around the glovbe) will let you play music files in any length and even the smallect capacity of say, 2 GB, will give you a space for more than 500 songs assuming standard bitrate or 150 songs of better quality. I'd recommend at least 4GB though. As far as the batteries go, any will give you more than 10 hours of non-stop playback of music files as most use lithium-polyimed compound batteries. As far as text display goes, that might be a problem but maybe some players support certain types of files that might be considered karaoke but I am not up to date on this one i gotta admit. However, in this respect a cheap-brand Chinese ones will most certainly be better suited than the ones from brand manufacturers.

As far as recording goes, it might be a problem. A serious one! Most mp3 players include some kind of microphone so you can use them as dicaphones but the quality is seldom good. Only a few models have line in but given the low quality of A-D converters inside i doubt you'd get a decent recording.

If you want my advice, get a minidisc recorder - for music and all kinds of recording from many sources, it is the best sounding option. For video and pics, get a nice mp4 player with good capacity and the question of brand or model is irrelevant as all are pretty much si,ilar to one another and they rarely sound good - and yes, that includes iPods so don't break the bank!

Do a search on ebay and maybe you find a player that covers all the basics and if you do, be sure to post the link here!

Regards!
RD

[Pentium100]

However, if you are willing to do the ripping/recording/encoding on your PC and then copy the encoded files to the player, then almost any MP3 player will do. A flash memory based mp3 player does not have moving parts and is less sensitive to shock (for example falling out of your pocket).

If you do not need the images then just use your PC to demux the audio track and then encode it to whatever format the player plays (mp3, aac, ...)

[tapedeck]

Thank you very much for the very useful advice summarised for my zeroing in for a informed decision as follows :

---almost any MP3 will do Preferrably a Flash memory based to prevent shock. Any brand or model for instance ??

---I DO NOT REQUIRE images so I need to DEMUX the audio track

---recommended 4 GB

---any MP3 will provide at least 10 hours of non-stop playback of music files as most use lithium-polyimed compound batteries

---text display ? what I only need is for easy search function by being able to number the track as well as naming the track such as alphabet E for English, J for Japan and followed by the track number and song title

---if possible I prefer a branded one even though made in China but not a Chinese brand made for reliability in view of the amount of work required to load all the content and would therefore be wasted effort if device break down.



Questions to date :

---How to use PC demux the audio track

---minidisc recorder. SOmething new to me. How does it look and do I need to have many discs to store my collection of songs/lectures/narration like Cds for instance.?

I was referred to a Phillips MP3 model SA1MXX04K/97 as I briefly told the salesperson my needs. (From my observation it is very handy, unobtrusive, light, last about 17hours and cost US$91.00 (Very affordable but importantly its compact size : 71 x 28 x 14 mm and light weight)

I looked up http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-player/28820/cat/gb/#filterState=MP3_PLAYERS_SU_GB_CONSUMER%3Dtrue;com pareState=id1%3DSA1MXX08K%252F02%2CcompareView%3Dt rue%2Cid0%3DSA1MXX04K%252F02 for description and specification.
I do not know whether SA1MXX04K/97 is similar to SA1MXX04/K02 !
The latter has FM ; I did not check if former has FM tuner but not important though good to have.

The former has 4 GB equivalent to 900 tracks so I wonder if it can store lectures which last for an hour each. (If I take 900 tracks and multiply by 4 minute per track I have 3600 mins. which is about 60 hours. Am I correct on this estimation??

What does Audio File format WAV mean ?

I am using a Windows Vista Home Premium. What accessories do I need to record into PC and back to MP3 ?

By the way what is this MP3 SA2980/02 at http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-spark-8-gb-sa2980_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications is it similar and does it meet my needs better ?


My problem next is the "how to" :

(1) recording CD to PC
(2) recording DVD/VideoCD/DVD-9 MINUS the IMAGES only audio to PC.
(3) transferring from the PC into the MP3.
(4) Numbering and entitling the songs/poems/lectures on the MP3 for searching. (Without search function a lot of time will be wasted llooking for a particular song or lecture.
(5) I need a MP3 device that is easy for me to download into.

Would really appreciate a patient and helping hand in the pursuit of this enjoyment in my life. *reelstop

[Pentium100]

Thank you very much for the very useful advice summarised for my zeroing in for a informed decision as follows :

---almost any MP3 will do Preferrably a Flash memory based to prevent shock. Any brand or model for instance ??

Apple iPod is very expensive for such a device, but there are others. I cannot name any of them because the only MP3 player I had was the one that used CDs (it could play audio CDs or CDs with MP3 files). I have a cassette player when I want to listen to music when I'm without my laptop, I used my cellphone (Nokia N93) for playing MP3 files too.

Flash based devices can be very small, I have seen ones that are no bigger than a USB flash stick.

---any MP3 will provide at least 10 hours of non-stop playback of music files as most use lithium-polyimed compound batteries

Especially the flash based ones because, again, they do not have any moving parts.

---text display ? what I only need is for easy search function by being able to number the track as well as naming the track such as alphabet E for English, J for Japan and followed by the track number and song title

You will have to name the tracks yourself (on the PC before copying them to the player) as there probably is no device in existence that could tell the language of a song file. When you name the files you will be able to do so as you wish.

Look for a player that can display file name or ID3 tags. Again ,I cannot recommend any brand or model because I do not know any.

However, the small devices usually do not have a keyboard, so no search function (if you meant search as in google), so you will probably be limited to folders and files.

---if possible I prefer a branded one even though made in China but not a Chinese brand made for reliability in view of the amount of work required to load all the content and would therefore be wasted effort if device break down.

For most of them, loading the files is easy. Just connect it to your PC and copy the files as you would to a USB flash stick (or a big floppy disk). And keep a backup of your files on your PC in case you lose or break the player.

Questions to date :

---How to use PC demux the audio track

There are various programs, usually which program you use depends on source format.

DVD-Video, for example, can be demuxed using this DVD Decryptor (http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/), here's how (PDF file) (www.wxfs.org/guides/UsingDVDDecryptortoDemuxaDVD.pdf)

There are others, for other formats, there are also other software for DVDs and so on.

I looked up http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-player/28820/cat/gb/#filterState=MP3_PLAYERS_SU_GB_CONSUMER%3Dtrue;com pareState=id1%3DSA1MXX08K%252F02%2CcompareView%3Dt rue%2Cid0%3DSA1MXX04K%252F02 for description and specification.
I do not know whether SA1MXX04K/97 is similar to SA1MXX04/K02 !
The latter has FM ; I did not check if former has FM tuner but not important though good to have.

The one in your link looks nice.

The former has 4 GB equivalent to 900 tracks so I wonder if it can store lectures which last for an hour each. (If I take 900 tracks and multiply by 4 minute per track I have 3600 mins. which is about 60 hours. Am I correct on this estimation??

What does Audio File format WAV mean ?

Track numbers depend on length and quality. While there could be an upper limit of how many you can store (999, 1024, whatever) but you may also fill the entire memory with a few big files.

WAV is an uncompressed PCM audio format, similar to CD Audio, except it can have higher or lower quality. CD quality (44kHz, 16bit, stereo) WAV file takes about 10MB/minute or ~1410kbps (kilobits per second) and you would fit ~6 hours to 4GB). A telephone quality WAV files (8kHz, 8bit, mono) takes only 64kbps (140hours to 4GB).

MP3 is a lossy compression format, meaning that while it saves space, the compressed file sounds worse, however, at higher bitrates, it's pretty much sounds the same as the source for most people.

MP3 file can have a bitrate from 8kbps (1111h) to 320kbps (27h) with 192 or 256 being OK and <64 being OK for speech only.

60 hours would be for bitrate of ~140kbps, which, for me, sounds OK.

The hour numbers are theoretical, in practice, a lot of small files take a bit more space than one big file, but the numbers should be within a few percent.

I am using a Windows Vista Home Premium. What accessories do I need to record into PC and back to MP3 ?
You can use Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) for recording from analog sources and saving to MP3. Then you can copy theMP3 file to the device like you would to a USB stick.

By the way what is this MP3 SA2980/02 at http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-spark-8-gb-sa2980_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications is it similar and does it meet my needs better ?

This also looks OK. It can show pictures and has a bigger screen than the other one so it should be easier to navigate the menus.

My problem next is the "how to" :

(1) recording CD to PC

Use Exact Audio Copy (http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/). You can also set it up to automatically encode the files to MP3 format, write the ID3 tags and it can also download the track names from a database (provided the database "knows" about your CD). It has a few modes of operation, it can be fast or it can rip the CD twice at the slowest speed and then compare to see if the CD drive is accurate and there are no read errors.

(2) recording DVD/VideoCD/DVD-9 MINUS the IMAGES only audio to PC.

I haven't done much of that, but BeSweet (http://www.videohelp.com/tools/BeSweet) looks nice, it can convert .VOB (DVD-Video) files to MP3 or wav, but you will need VOBInput plugin from here (http://besweet.notrace.dk/plug-ins.htm) for that. I don't know about Video-CD, but this program supports mpg files so in theory it should work (I don't have any VCD near me right now).

After you transcode the file, you will probably want to either join it (DVD-VIdeo is usually split across a few .VOB files, each no bigger than 1GB) or split it up so that each sone is in its own file. You can do it using Audacity.

(3) transferring from the PC into the MP3.

With most MP3 players you can just connect it to your PC and copy the files.

(4) Numbering and entitling the songs/poems/lectures on the MP3 for searching. (Without search function a lot of time will be wasted llooking for a particular song or lecture.

If the player allows selecting the track by file name then you can just name the files yourself. The same would be if the player only looked at ID3 tags, but there are software for updating ID3 tags using file name or file name using ID3 tags.

(5) I need a MP3 device that is easy for me to download into.

Would really appreciate a patient and helping hand in the pursuit of this enjoyment in my life. *reelstop
If something is still not clear, ask.

Hmm, now this is probably my longest post on TapeHeads... There probably are some typos that still make a valid word, so the spell checker does not catch them.

[shadowlord]

There are many different DAPs (Digital Audio Players) out there that would do most of the things you want.

I would recommend a Cowon D2 . LINK (http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-D2-MP3-Player-Black/dp/B001UHOBRU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1273914236&sr=8-2)

It would not only play music files but videos to. So you can convert your DVDs to watch it on the player as well. It comes with 8 or 16Gb and can be extended with SD cards (which is a great feature IMO)

Its possible to extract the audio from a DVD with a simple pc programm.
unfortunately the real good ones aren't free. Simply type "DVD Audio ripper" into google and you find a lot of programms for the job.

Don't get me wrong, but i think it would be best if you can find a computer savvy person near you, to help you with the basics of ripping songs to your pc and sending it to the portable player.
You can save yourself a lot of trouble this way.

I would solve the thing with the different language tracks a bit different than you. While your approach with the naming scheme "e for english, m...." would basically work, its way to complicated for a lot of songs.
You should use different folders and and take advantage of the ID tags of the files. For example all your english tracks should be a folder called english for example. You could then use the player to navigate to that folder and search for the song you want.

MP3 files can contain a lot of information called ID tags. For example you can write the Titel, Artist Name, Genre, Year, Album, Track number, .... into it and use the player to find a song based on that information. For example you write into the Genre field of all your karaoke songs "KARAOKE" and when you then sort by Genre you have all your karaoke songs neatly listed.

i hope this helps you somewhat with your decission.
since the capabilities of a PC and digital audio player based setup are nearly unlimited i could go on for pages, so if you have any specific question please feel free to ask.

EDIT: what i forgot is this: If i were you i'd start with ripping all the music that i want on the portable device to my pc. You can rip from CD and DVD directly to MP3 files. Then organise the files on the PC ( Edit the names, fill in the ID information, put the files into folders) Then send it all to the portable at once. That way you have everything neatly structured. You can easily add tracks later to the suitable folder.

[tapedeck]

"Don't get me wrong, but i think it would be best if you can find a computer savvy person near you, to help you with the basics of ripping songs to your pc and sending it to the portable player.
You can save yourself a lot of trouble this way."

This is a practically good idea which I have to resort to when all else fail (that is the work is too complicated for a retiree.) I do not mind incurring the cost but I need to add more songs etc going forward and I will continue to rely on his services on ad hoc basis.

If it is not too complicated and tedious I like to learn though it doesn't look easy from what advice and info has been provided!

"use different folders and and take advantage of the ID tags of the files. For example all your english tracks should be a folder called english for example. You could then use the player to navigate to that folder and search "

Thank you for this but within the folder do I require to scroll and search or can I just key alphabets like "As ti" and it will show all songs beginning with :As ti and I can scroll to see the song "As time goes bye" ?

"MP3 files can contain a lot of information called ID tags. For example you can write the Titel, Artist Name, Genre, Year, Album, Track number, .."

This is what I would prefer if available.
Question is when we are loading the whole CDs with about 12 to 16 songs into the PC do we first write the Title, Artist name and Track No. or do we do it when the songs are in the PC ?


"EDIT: what i forgot is this: If i were you i'd start with ripping all the music that i want on the portable device to my pc.
You can rip from CD and DVD directly to MP3 files.
Then organise the files on the PC ( Edit the names, fill in the ID information, put the files into folders)
Then send it all to the portable at once. That way you have everything neatly structured. You can easily add tracks later to the suitable folder. "

I like this great idea especially this part " organise the files on the PC ( Edit the names, fill in the ID information, put the files into folders) "

It is this process that is that I need. A 1000 thanks.
I need to know more about this method of organising and of course the attendant procedures. If it is done on PC I need to know what MP3 device will be able to show those information. As I mentioned earlier I prefer a handy n unobtrusive device like a thumb drive like this http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-mix-8-gb-sa1mxx08k_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications unless it is not suitable for my purpose but whatever it is it should be light and very small for instance 2nd choice : MP3 SA2980/02 http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-spark-8-gb-sa2980_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications

A spefication comparison of the 2 : http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-player/28820/cat/gb/#filterState=MP3_PLAYERS_SU_GB_CONSUMER%3Dtrue;com pareState=id1%3DSA2980%252F02%2CcompareView%3Dtrue %2Cid0%3DSA1MXX08K%252F02

Your 1st sentence pre-supposes that my portable device is loaded with songs. It is going to be a new device so it is empty.

Ripping CD and DVD directly to MP3 ? I thought it has to go through the PC first using some software before it can be transferred to MP3. No ?

After loading into the MP3 can I delete a song which I do not need? and if I add more songs from the PC whill the songs be able to arrange themselves into their respective folders and tracks in alphabetical order ?

And all those songs in the PC after loading them into a MP3 device will they still be in the PC in case my MP3 is lost and I need to reload into a new MP3?


Thanks a million to Daneel and Pentum 100 for their info and advice . I need to digest and go thru step by step before I can ask further questions.*fit*

[shadowlord]

I saw that you confused some things in my post. So i explain a few things

MP3 - A file format for music. The file can be on your pc or your portable device.( You need to convert your CDs to a MP3 file with your PC, then you can send the files to the portable player)

Digital Audio Player - Portable player for music files often refered as MP3-player. In fact most of them can play other files than just MP3s as well (MP3 is the most widespread one)

ripping - or "rip" - thats the process of getting your CDs into the MP3 format and onto your PC. (There are special programms for this, a lot of them are available for free)

Thank you for this but within the folder do I require to scroll and search or can I just key alphabets like "As ti" and it will show all songs beginning with :As ti and I can scroll to see the song "As time goes bye" ?

That depends on which player you buy. You need to enter the letters for this so the player needs to support that you can enter letters to it. Sorry i don't know if the Philips players you posted are capable of this.

This is what I would prefer if available.
Question is when we are loading the whole CDs with about 12 to 16 songs into the PC do we first write the Title, Artist name and Track No. or do we do it when the songs are in the PC ?

You're lucky here. There are programms out there which collect the information (Titel, artist...) from the internet and add it before you "rip" the songs to your PC. I use ExactAudioCopy.

Ripping CD and DVD directly to MP3 ? I thought it has to go through the PC first using some software before it can be transferred to MP3. No ?
Please see my explanation above. I meant you rip them directly to the MP3 format, not directly to the player.
It goes like this: Insert your CD into the PC. Start the ripping programm. Let the programm get the CD information. Edit the Information if needed. Select the propper folder for the target files (i.e: english songs). Start the ripping process.Now you have the MP3 files on your PC.Transfer the files you just ripped to your portable player. You can keep the files on you PC for future use (new portable player.....)

After loading into the MP3 can I delete a song which I do not need? a You can delete songs you dont like. With some portable players you will have to do it while it's connected to the PC though.

nd if I add more songs from the PC whill the songs be able to arrange themselves into their respective folders and tracks in alphabetical order ? You need to make sure that you send them to the right folder.Therefore i suggest you to think about the folder structure before.
You surely can add, move and delete folders as you want. But if you're a beginner in the PC audio world, everything you plan before you don't need to fix later.
You can sort files after the file names alphabetically (But for that, the naming sceme should be equal to all tracks, i.e: Abba-01-Waterloo)

[Pentium100]

Thank you for this but within the folder do I require to scroll and search or can I just key alphabets like "As ti" and it will show all songs beginning with :As ti and I can scroll to see the song "As time goes bye" ?

Most MP3 players do not have keyboards, so you would not be able to do that, but some should allow this (my cellphone does).


If it is done on PC I need to know what MP3 device will be able to show those information. As I mentioned earlier I prefer a handy n unobtrusive device like a thumb drive like this http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-mix-8-gb-sa1mxx08k_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications unless it is not suitable for my purpose but whatever it is it should be light and very small for instance 2nd choice : MP3 SA2980/02 http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-and-mp4-players/gogear-spark-8-gb-sa2980_02/prd/gb/?t=specifications

A spefication comparison of the 2 : http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/mp3-player/28820/cat/gb/#filterState=MP3_PLAYERS_SU_GB_CONSUMER%3Dtrue;com pareState=id1%3DSA2980%252F02%2CcompareView%3Dtrue %2Cid0%3DSA1MXX08K%252F02

They both display song title, artist and album from the ID3 tags. The specifications do not say if those devices also display file names.
OK, I downloaded user manuals for both of them and it seems that the main mode of operation is ID3 tags ( sort by artist/album/track name) and the devices support playlists. SA2980/02 also seems to support navigating by folders.
None of them have the search function, because they do not have keyboards, so you can't type the song name.

After loading into the MP3 can I delete a song which I do not need? and if I add more songs from the PC whill the songs be able to arrange themselves into their respective folders and tracks in alphabetical order ?

And all those songs in the PC after loading them into a MP3 device will they still be in the PC in case my MP3 is lost and I need to reload into a new MP3?

Well, if you do not delete the MP3 files from your PC then you can copy them to as many MP3 players as you like.
But you will be able to delete the files from the MP3 player. Just think of it as a thumb drive.

[tapedeck]

submitted twice so deleted.

[tapedeck]

Thank you very much again "Shadowlord" and "Pentium 100"

I understand very much better with the meanings and explanations clearly presented. I know now what is MP3!

----( "None of them have the search function, because they do not have keyboards, so you can't type the song name" )

This rules out my search for a device with search function using key alphabet as in searching in google.

Now I have crystallised my wants :

(1) a small unobtrusive device that can slip into my shirt or corner of my trouser pocket. (I have seen IPOD which is very very slim, very very light but both ends seems to be able to tear my clothing; and it is too long to be unobtrusive so it is out) and LIGHT.

(2) with built-in speaker as I want to share with friends long forgotten songs which which were popular in days gone by

(3) FM radio feature for news as I do some bit of travel

(4) Folder to segregate songs into English, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Indonesian, Poems and Lectures.

(5) If without folder then Super-scroll to save time looking for a song

What I do not need are images for Videos or Photos.

As I am a Hi-Fi enthusiast, less metallic or digital sound is prefered although to look for one with analogue bias is not easy unless someone has used one before.



I was looking at Creative Technology MP3 :

at this model Zenn Mosaic link : http://sg.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=17897&nav=1

It is small and light.


The dimensions given are not what it physically is. It is much smaller where the length is about 60mm and width is about 30mm.

Te salesperson was tyring though the laptop to look for the folder which showed on the laptop screen and it did not display on the MP3 device screen and so his conclusion was that it has no folder feature but just playlist.

Strange thing about Creative Technology is that the have no contact Number where one can call to understand it product better. Their products on display are at 3rd party outlets where the salepeople do not know much about the product capabilities .


My only worry is that it can last me for 3years as the constant recharging of the built-in battery woill consume its lifetime and I have to look for another MP3 and reload everything again. A very tedious process.

Would if avalaible refer a rechargeable and replaceable battery. Any comments on this statement ?


What is it trying to say about the feature in the Creative-Zen " Listen to your music in multiple supported formats. With support for MP3, WMA as well as non-protected AAC (.m4a) from iTunes® Plus, sync your player to enjoy all your favorite hits today." I tohught I-tunes only used for IPOD device ?

What does "built-in USB connector" mean when further info says "No. Connect via bundled USB cable" in the device and how is it different from another model which says " USB port " followed by "USB2.0" from this link :
http://sg.creative.com/products/productadvisor.asp?category=213&utm_source=sg.creative.com&utm_medium=Banner&utm_content=FeaturePg_MP3%20Players_ViewMore&utm_campaign=ViewMore_MP3%20Players#

As to the songs to be sourced from different format I think it can be solved
after acquiring the suitable MP3 device. Is this the correct approach.?

Any advice or opinion wellcomed and very much appreciated.
Thank you.

[Pentium100]

What is it trying to say about the feature in the Creative-Zen " Listen to your music in multiple supported formats. With support for MP3, WMA as well as non-protected AAC (.m4a) from iTunes® Plus, sync your player to enjoy all your favorite hits today." I tohught I-tunes only used for IPOD device ?


You can buy music on itunes. The files are in AAC format which this device plays (only files without DRM though).


What does "built-in USB connector" mean when further info says "No. Connect via bundled USB cable" in the device and how is it different from another model which says " USB port " followed by "USB2.0"


This sounds like marketing department describing a standard feature as something exclusive, like some manufacturers of LTO blank media claim that their product is superior because it has servo tracks "for optimal head position" or whatever when all LTO tapes do, because that is in the standard.


As to the songs to be sourced from different format I think it can be solved
after acquiring the suitable MP3 device. Is this the correct approach.?


Yea, you can buy the device and then convert your songs to a supported format. There are usually batch converters available.


As for the device you mentioned, I could not find a manual for it, so I can't comment on anything except the specifications which look normal. The built in speaker is probably low quality because it is so small. Also, I cannot recommend any specific device because I did not try any of them.

[shadowlord]

I can recommend you the Cowon D2 player. It's touchscreen interface is very simple to understand and you can use SD cards with it. It's the best portable player i owned so far.Yet i don't know if it's the best option for a beginner.

Normaly i wouldn't recommend an apple product, but from what i have seen their user interface is very easy to understand and maybe the best option for a beginner even if it is a bit more expensive than other products.

Sorry i can't comment on the creative product since i never owned or tried one.

If you need an external speaker it would be better if you buy the Player you like and connect some of that small speakers to it later, since you limit your options with the built in speaker.
for example you can connect these speakers to any player with a 3,5mm headphone output.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/iHome+-+Rechargeable+Mini+Speaker+System+for+Most+MP3+Pla yers+-+Black/9251347.p;jsessionid=2EE3EF7B4F4CE57FCE302F26C3BB8 FF7.bbolsp-app06-19?id=1218072726496&skuId=9251347

Maybe you cant try some different players and the interface they offer in your local electronics store?