Buying an mp3 player for the first time

by Shonabear Aug 31, 2010 4:10AM PDT

Hi all,
Finally breaking down & getting an mp3 player, need some expert advice. I do a lot of walking/hiking so it must be able to withstand some activity. I have over 5K songs on my computer with even more on my external hard drive and use Windows Media player for organization/playback. I have NO interest in an IPOD that requires me to use apple software, have little need for buying music since my personal cd collection is over 15K & all free time is spent weeding down this number. I do occasionally download free music or buy tunes from Amazon & other websites, but mostly I upload songs from discs that I want to get rid of or add to playlists.I am comfortable using Windows Media player, and would rather not change this.

Would truly appreciate some ideas on what brand/type of player to get that is compatible with what I've described above. I already assume I'll want at least 16GB, maybe more.

PS...not interested in having videos or photos, just songs.

Thanks!!!!

Discussion is locked

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Here's a good place to start

by Brechan Aug 31, 2010 4:23AM PDT

http://reviews.cnet.com/4247-6490_7-10-0.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.3

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Software compatibility

by Shonabear Aug 31, 2010 5:37AM PDT

Thanks for the link. While certainly helpful, it doesn't answer the critical question of what will work best with my software needs. I use Windows Media Player, don't want to have to switch to apple or anything else. Can all mp3 players accomodate this? Is this a non-issue?

Thanks!

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Windows Media Player,

by Brechan Aug 31, 2010 7:16AM PDT

Most (if not all) MP3 players will playback WMA or WAV music files which are associated with Windows Media Player.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAV

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Audio

I found (by applying the filters you stated in your first post) 5 MP3 players reviewed by CNET
http://reviews.cnet.com/4248-6490_7-10-0.html?chose=174,179,176,180&comparable=&notImportant=4

Although this next link is for the Creative Zen; if you scroll down the page it briefly describes all the different audio file formats that are widely (and not so widely) associated with MP3 players http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/creative-zen-x-fi2/4505-6490_7-33824275.html?tag=dtBody;[object%20NodeList]

Buying an mp3 player for the first time

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