[SWLUG] linux mp3 players advice please

[Glenn Booth]

Hi,

On 18/09/05, Steve Anderson <steve at twindx.com> wrote:
> Neil Jones wrote:
>
> > Are there any issues that I should be aware of when using one with Linux?
> > Is it rather like digital cameras where they will work anyway?
> > Or are there other problems?
>
>  From what I've heard, avoid the Sony ones. Unlike virtually every other
> device, they don't appear as mass-storage devices to the PC, and require
> some nasty Windows app to do the business. My colleague's a Sonyphile -
> everything he has is Sony branded - and he hates it.
>
> Steve

Also keep a wary eye out for other proprietary files systems, a la Rio Karma. It
too doesn't appear as a mass storage device in Windows (it ships with
only Windows software) so some tinkering is required, in the form
of a 3rd party middleware java application - if you want to just plug and
go, this might not be what you want. On the other hand, it could make
for an interesting evening's hackery :-)

If the Rio is interesting, you might want to check here:

https://rmml.dev.java.net/

for some details on how to make it work with Linux.
I like it a lot, mostly because it's great with high
bitrate ogg files, it has ethernet, and it does a good job
of gapless playback, even on mp3's (with recent firmware).

Regards,

Glenn.