DarkSithGirl

Ok...so I am trying to become high tech....just bought a computer ( please don't ask what kind and all the specs..have not a clue, just bought the one the guy recommended!) Anyway, I am looking to buy an MP3 player and video camera. I have not the first clue what to look for. I do know that I love music and want to hold alot of music on the MP3. Is the Ipod compatible with any computer to download from? I also know that I want to video my sons' baseball games and my daughters' soccer games. The longest battery life I have seen out there is about an hour and half. Is that the best there is? What specs should I look for? I understand that you don't record to a tape anymore (very old..sorry) What is this miniDV thing that I keep reading about?

Ok...you guys can laugh now...just don't be too cruel with me! I am a woman after all...thanx

bz268

You can use the iPod in any computer. I personally don't like the iPod because it has a spining hard disk inside. And it is kinda big and you can't run around with it. I have a RIO S35 Sport. I like it alot. It is round and small and it doesn't have a hard disk. But my RIO can only store around 200 songs. The iPod can store 2000 songs.

miniDV is a tape. It is digital so the picture is crystal clear. I have a JVC. This JVC has a FireWire port. I can hook it up to my computer. With the FireWire thing, you can control your camcorder with your mouse, and make your own movie with your computer. It is like having a studio in your house.

Scottman111

If your going to buy an Ipod I say screw that and buy a Creative Labs Zen Micro. I bought mine about 3 months ago for $207 and I've never had a problem or a skip or anything (and it gets the crap beat out of it at my work) as far as the specs for an ipod and a micro they are basically the same except the micro is better IMO (FM radio is a great inclusion) and you aren't restricted to use Itunes with the micro, you use whatever music download site you want. good luck, and as far as video camera's go my sister-in-law has a JVC gr-dvl512 that she talks highly about but sorry i don't know much about it. have fun with your new stuff.....

Tsx536

I've heard with the Ipod, you can load songs onto, but you cannot get the songs back off, unless you have some sort of hack installed.

As for the video camera, where you looking for a digital?

What's your budget?

DarkSithGirl

I have a digital still...so I think I want to stay with digital. I love the quality pics. I haven't really decided on a budget yet....I would like to stay under 600.00.
One of the nurses that I work with has an IPod and she loves it. I have heard of the Zen, but didn't know anyone with it. I want to be able to download songs from the net and off of cd's also. Thanx for the advice guys.

dmckeown

With the iPod, you have to use iTunes, but you don't have to purchase the music from the Apple online store. You can import songs that you've downloaded elsewhere, or rip from CDs or whatever. I have a friend that has an iPod and loves it. If size is a concern (or price for that matter) they make the mini, less space, comes in colors, its smaller.

I prefer the looks of the iRiver H320, it has a color screen so you can load pix to it, and is priced about the same, or less, than the ipod. I have only played with them in stores though, so if you can find someone that has used one, they could probably tell you if it has any issues. It just seems like a better buy than the iPod, or the iPod photo.

As far a camcorders go, STAY DIGITAL. Thats really all I know. I bought a fairly new Hi8, or digital 8 or whatever, and the quality was not what I expected. I also had to purchase a seperate adapter to get the video to the PC, and it came bundled with low quality proprietary software so it became an expensive paperweight. STAY DIGITAL!

glacius

I bought the iRiver H120 last May and have been very happy since.. The newer ones do have color screens and more space for a similar price so obviously get one of those instead of my model.. The feature to price ratio is great and when you plug in the player via USB, it shows up as an external hard drive so you can put anything on it and take it with you..

One nod for the iPod though, since you are a novice user, is that it will probably be much easier for you to get accustomed to.. It depends what you're more interested in, learning curve or value..

- g

DarkSithGirl

I am always up for learning! I want something that I am not going to outgrow in 6 months to a year.

DarkSithGirl

If I download my digital pics from my camera to my computer, can I copy them to a CD? Is there a particular type of CD that I need? And my computer says that I should download to a double layer CD. What is that and can I get them anywhere?