Balance between bitrate and file size? I wonder what users find to be the best balance between file size and sound quality. I currently use 128kbps, but might want to reconsider.Thanks.11-16-2006I have noticed the "digital" effects of my 128kbps rips, and now wish I had started with at least 192 kbps. My main problem with 192 is the limited space of the 30 GB unit. Now there are larger capacity.I don't understand the responses from those who rip at a higher bit-rate than 192... I thought CDs were 192kbps. This must not be true if you can rip higher. Balance between bitrate and file size? I wonder what users find to be the best balance between file size and sound quality. I currently use 128kbps, but might want to reconsider. » Read More Balance between bitrate and file size? I wonder what users find to be the best balance between file size and sound quality. I currently use 128kbps, but might want to reconsider.Thanks.11-16-2006I have noticed the "digital" effects of my 128kbps rips, and now wish I had started with at least 192 kbps. My main problem with 192 is the limited space of the 30 GB unit. Now there are larger capacity.I don't understand the responses from those who rip at a higher bit-rate than 192... I thought CDs were 192kbps. This must not be true if you can rip higher. « Show Less
406004
I AM SHOCKED! No one has mentioned WMA format.The player's limit is 320kpbs with any format, and 64kbps on WMA is around the same quality as 320k on MP3, especially using earphones. I have converted 320k mp3 files into 64k wma files without noticing a difference. It's a shame if you put MP3s into this player.
406005
For the majority of people, 128 should be just fine. I use 192 just because I have a large cd collection and didn't want to say "Gee, I wish I had done all this at a better bit rate" when I was all done ripping my collection.
406006
Never EVER use anything below 192k. Anything below that and your music will have distortions to it. For me personally I use 320k since it's the best format... all though it takes up quite a bit more room but hey I don't mind.
406007
Honestly it all depends on what type of headphones/speakers you'll be using as to whether you'll get more out of better sound quality. My personal cutoff is 192kbps for the lowest I'll listen to, but I try to rip everything lossless and download everything I can at lossless quality because you really notice a difference at 900+kbps. But of course I'm using 500 dollar Sennheiser headphones to listen to the music, so if you're using 10 dollar Sony's you might not need anything near that high.
406008
Okay, saying that a 64kbps wma file has "around" the same sound quality as a 320 kbps mp3 file is an OUTRIGHT LIE.That is like saying the $5 phone at WalMart will provide you "around" the same sound quality as a hi-tech $200 office phone system.
406009
It's not JUST the bit rate.Some encoders are optimized for lower bit rates, some for higher bit rates. For instance, many commercial mp3 encoders are so heavily optimized for <128k encoding that they get hardly any better above 128k, and none after 160k.OTOH, some encoders, like bladeenc, an old free encoder, is heavily optimized for higher bit rate encodings, and at 256k is almost indistinguishable from the original audio signal off a CD. OTOH, bladeenc at 128k and below is practically unlistenable.It really depends on what you're encoding and all, but I hardly ever encode with less than 192k, and I almost always encode at 192k as a minimum, and more often at 220k or 256k. It's not JUST the bit rate.Some encoders are optimized for lower bit rates, some for higher bit rates. For instance, many commercial mp3 encoders are so heavily optimized for <128k encoding that they get hardly any better above 128k, and none after 160k.OTOH, some encoders, like bladeenc, an old free encoder, is heavily optimized for higher bit rate encodings, and at 256k is almost indistinguishable from the original audio signal off a CD. OTOH, bladeenc at 128k and below is practically unlistenable.It really depends on what you're encoding and all,... » Read More It's not JUST the bit rate.Some encoders are optimized for lower bit rates, some for higher bit rates. For instance, many commercial mp3 encoders are so heavily optimized for <128k encoding that they get hardly any better above 128k, and none after 160k.OTOH, some encoders, like bladeenc, an old free encoder, is heavily optimized for higher bit rate encodings, and at 256k is almost indistinguishable from the original audio signal off a CD. OTOH, bladeenc at 128k and below is practically unlistenable.It really depends on what you're encoding and all, but I hardly ever encode with less than 192k, and I almost always encode at 192k as a minimum, and more often at 220k or 256k. « Show Less
406010
ariadne is absolutely correct here.For lower bitrates, wma is generally better than mp3At higher bitrates, mp3 is generally better than mp3.Ogg is better at both but sadly, the zen doesn't support ogg.Bladeenc mp3 encoder (free software, runs from the command line) has almost the exact same quality as the original CD at 320kb/s
1792301
i formatted a 64gb card as fat32 and it reads it perfectly. once 128gb micro sd cards come down in price im going to try that as well. the limitations on the cards were set because those were the largest cards at the time, and everything above those sizes generally cant be formatted in a readable format for the player without using 3rd party software (which you can get for free)
2049825
I have a different model, but same line. It played from a 500GB usb drive fine. The thing is it has to be formatted to FAT32 or it won't read. I use a 128GB flash drive on two different Pioneer AVH models fine as well. According to the manual there are file and folder limits though (I think 15K file/1500folder, not positive though), so 256gb may be overkill to be honest (I do have 10K+ mp3 on my 128 with room for more). I only tried the 500GB out of curiosity.Also a note on the 160gb iPod working... that's because it runs off the iPod o/s, making the size and format irrelevant. It also runs much slower than using a usb drive as a result. I have a different model, but same line. It played from a 500GB usb drive fine. The thing is it has to be formatted to FAT32 or it won't read. I use a 128GB flash drive on two different Pioneer AVH models fine as well. According to the manual there are file and folder limits though (I think 15K file/1500folder, not positive though), so 256gb may be overkill to be honest (I do have 10K+ mp3 on my 128 with room for more). I only tried the 500GB out of curiosity.Also a note on the 160gb iPod working... that's because it runs off the iPod o/s, making the size and format irrelevant.... » Read More I have a different model, but same line. It played from a 500GB usb drive fine. The thing is it has to be formatted to FAT32 or it won't read. I use a 128GB flash drive on two different Pioneer AVH models fine as well. According to the manual there are file and folder limits though (I think 15K file/1500folder, not positive though), so 256gb may be overkill to be honest (I do have 10K+ mp3 on my 128 with room for more). I only tried the 500GB out of curiosity.Also a note on the 160gb iPod working... that's because it runs off the iPod o/s, making the size and format irrelevant. It also runs much slower than using a usb drive as a result. « Show Less
1195554
5400 is actually better (or at the very least, no worse) than 7200 for large files since the heads spend less time bouncing around the platters trying to find your data. Also once you RAID these, which is what they're designed for, they'll be plenty fast enough that you won't think twice about how fast they spin.
465740
It all depends on the quality of the video. There is a 2 gb size limit. Then it switches to another file.
1263400
I think the "recommended" max is 16GB (and 8GB for certain kinds of music file formats), but I've seen posts from users who've exceeded the OEM "recommended" size with no problem. I use a 16GB card ... zero problems. However, if you're inclined to try a larger card, I'd stop at 64GB.
1285758
Can I play back? I record and then listen to it for my minutes of the meeting. Does that answer your question? It is for a non-profit group and I keep it as our permanent record though the file size is huge; I want to say around 128 megabytes. It works great. Let me know if you have any more questions.
789204
I have only tried it with 2gb. I read somwhere it won't handle anything higher. You might be able to get away with more if you use folders with only 2gb in it. If you are interested I could try it and let you know. By the way, mine works great, this was probably the best tape/mpe idea I have ever had! I love mine.
843821
Depends on your bit rate, really. Assume an MP3 file with the size of 5 mb, which means 205 songs per gb or around 41000 songs approximately.
1255453
Is it normal, ya sort of :) Not real world results, but it gives you a number for comparison between other devices. Its sort of like car performance and fuel economy results, they are test track and not real world results if that makes any sense. 32gb is the unformatted size, so figure a loss on average of about 74 megabytes (MB) per GB for formatting, basically 32 x 74mb, is about 2.368 gigs, and 2.368 subtracted from 32 = 29.632 but close enough to your 29.71GB number. It may vary slightly on different devices like sticks, drives, etc, depending on what they need for overhead. As far as the speed tests, that really depends on the type of file you are reading or writing. Tiny files in short bursts will give you a different result than reading or writing a 5 or 10gb file. I think the stated 40 mb/s speed is an average of whatever mixture they test on these devices. The chances of hitting that speed is probably not going to happen. What you seem to be averaging is about 1 meg a second write and 2 megs a second read speed, so a 10 meg file would take 10 seconds to write and 5 seconds to read with the data that you used for testing. Hopefully that helps.
538670
That depends on the media. Music through the audio-in jack was good while music from the MP3 disc was mixed. I ended up returning it since the mp3 capacity was not as claimed. My previous Sony (CFD-440) was exceptionally good.
1844995
Unless there has been an update, it will only recognize up to 32gb. If you are not using extremely large files there is no need for it. The player will only "see" up to 8000 files. It Has a cap of 4000 mp3 or audio files and 4000 other files. I have heard of people "hacking" the device to remove the file limits, but I'm not that good with computers and such and didn't want to risk damaging mine. I have a little over 2000 mp3s on mine and it has taken up about 16gb. I have heard of some people having luck with larger sd cards but some do not, it's hit and miss depending on what software version it has I guess. I have a 32gb for mine but have never used it. Unless there has been an update, it will only recognize up to 32gb. If you are not using extremely large files there is no need for it. The player will only "see" up to 8000 files. It Has a cap of 4000 mp3 or audio files and 4000 other files. I have heard of people "hacking" the device to remove the file limits, but I'm not that good with computers and such and didn't want to risk damaging mine. I have a little over 2000 mp3s on mine and it has taken up about 16gb. I have heard of some people having luck with larger sd cards but some do not, it's hit and miss depending... » Read More Unless there has been an update, it will only recognize up to 32gb. If you are not using extremely large files there is no need for it. The player will only "see" up to 8000 files. It Has a cap of 4000 mp3 or audio files and 4000 other files. I have heard of people "hacking" the device to remove the file limits, but I'm not that good with computers and such and didn't want to risk damaging mine. I have a little over 2000 mp3s on mine and it has taken up about 16gb. I have heard of some people having luck with larger sd cards but some do not, it's hit and miss depending on what software version it has I guess. I have a 32gb for mine but have never used it. « Show Less
730079
Assuming you are using standard quality MP3, then a typical pop song is 3-4MB. I am not sure how much of the memory is taken up by the OS. Another person said 2.1GB (seems like a lot). That would leave 13.9GB to store music. 13,900/3.5 = 3,971 or about 4,000 songs. If you have high quality MP3 (i.e. lossless) or use a different file format or have a large number of long classical songs, then you may get fewer songs. However, as another person pointed out, you can listen for hours/days without repeating song with a few thousand songs. Unless you have an unusually large music collection and all must fit on this device or you plan to have video too, 16GB should be fine. Assuming you are using standard quality MP3, then a typical pop song is 3-4MB. I am not sure how much of the memory is taken up by the OS. Another person said 2.1GB (seems like a lot). That would leave 13.9GB to store music. 13,900/3.5 = 3,971 or about 4,000 songs. If you have high quality MP3 (i.e. lossless) or use a different file format or have a large number of long classical songs, then you may get fewer songs. However, as another person pointed out, you can listen for hours/days without repeating song with a few thousand songs. Unless you have an unusually large music collection and... » Read More Assuming you are using standard quality MP3, then a typical pop song is 3-4MB. I am not sure how much of the memory is taken up by the OS. Another person said 2.1GB (seems like a lot). That would leave 13.9GB to store music. 13,900/3.5 = 3,971 or about 4,000 songs. If you have high quality MP3 (i.e. lossless) or use a different file format or have a large number of long classical songs, then you may get fewer songs. However, as another person pointed out, you can listen for hours/days without repeating song with a few thousand songs. Unless you have an unusually large music collection and all must fit on this device or you plan to have video too, 16GB should be fine. « Show Less
401903
Well, it all depends on the video quality you want in your project. But, yes, at the video quality a single-layer disc allows you 120 minutes, a dual layer will allow you double the capacity. Roughly. The disc requires some space for administrative data, so the 8.5Gb rating doesn't refer to the amount you can get onto the disc. Your media/burning app should be able to tell you how much space available vs. required when you're burning.
52387
There is a very small amount for the formatting. I've been able to get around 23 gigs on a disc. When highlighting files being transferred, it gives a total of those files so you don't go over the allotment. I had no problems with these discs. I hope this helps you.
1546077
I don't think for listening to mp3s the class rating will make much of a difference, maybe loads between songs or slightly better sound. The class rating on an sd or mini sd card has to do with the read/write performance, 2 being lowest and 10 being the highest. So an hd photographer eould want a rating as high as possible.
136577
Hi There J. Dwinell !!!!Ohhhhhhhhhhhh I'll Try That :-) THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO Much !!What I Bought The B/R Player Was For The Sound Of The Uncompressed Audio, The Pic Is Secondary To Me ...I Want It For Mostly For Concerts :-) I Have Gone Thru All The Mediums DVD-Audio-Has The Compression Algorithm, MVI Also, But SACD No Compression But Limited Titles...So Thanks Again So Very Much !!YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY !!I REALLY Appreciate Your Help !!Happy New Year 2009 To You And Your Family !![[[[ Wild Wizard ]]]]YAY YAY YAY !!I'll LYK How It Goes :-) Hi There J. Dwinell !!!!Ohhhhhhhhhhhh I'll Try That :-) THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO Much !!What I Bought The B/R Player Was For The Sound Of The Uncompressed Audio, The Pic Is Secondary To Me ...I Want It For Mostly For Concerts :-) I Have Gone Thru All The Mediums DVD-Audio-Has The Compression Algorithm, MVI Also, But SACD No Compression But Limited Titles...So Thanks Again So Very Much !!YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY !!I REALLY Appreciate Your Help !!Happy New Year 2009 To You And Your Family !![[[[ Wild Wizard ]]]]YAY YAY YAY !!I'll LYK How It... » Read More Hi There J. Dwinell !!!!Ohhhhhhhhhhhh I'll Try That :-) THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO Much !!What I Bought The B/R Player Was For The Sound Of The Uncompressed Audio, The Pic Is Secondary To Me ...I Want It For Mostly For Concerts :-) I Have Gone Thru All The Mediums DVD-Audio-Has The Compression Algorithm, MVI Also, But SACD No Compression But Limited Titles...So Thanks Again So Very Much !!YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY !!I REALLY Appreciate Your Help !!Happy New Year 2009 To You And Your Family !![[[[ Wild Wizard ]]]]YAY YAY YAY !!I'll LYK How It Goes :-) « Show Less