Best device for audiobooks?

[Lily]

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I really didn't know if this would count as 'off topic'..

I am looking into getting an mp3 player/some other such portable audio device.
I don't want video, pictures, etc... just a plain old audio machine that's got enough memory to hold an unabridged audiobook.
I'd also like to be able to walk down the street with the thing in a pocket and not have to worry about the motion causing a problem (Having never owned one of these, I do not know if it would be in the cheaper models)

I'm wondering if the collective brain here could provide me with some insight on a few things...
1.) about how much memory would be 'enough' to hold an audiobook in it's entirety, even the long "normally would be 23 cd" variety?
2.) does there happen to be a particular brand or model that's designed especially for audiobooks? (ok, Probably not, but you know what they say about unasked questions)
3.) is skipping(or some other type of motion interference issue) a problem with the cheaper models? and if so, what feature do I look for that will prevent it?
4.)To what extent do I have to watch out for WMA files as opposed to
mp3 files, or are they automatically converted on transfer? will storage space become an issue with .wma files?
... this is because I will be mostly using Overdrive, which appears to be Windows Media Player compatible to the point where they get all cozy and work together to burn cd's together...

and, beyond all that, I'd like to know what kind, if any, you have and how it's working for your audiobooks (or how it would work for them, if you aren't an audiobook person)

 

[Violanthe]

1.) about how much memory would be 'enough' to hold an audiobook in it's entirety, even the long "normally would be 23 cd" variety?

I have a Phillips GoGear 2GB mp3 player. It has enough space to hold more music than I could listen to in a day and a medium sized (11 disc) audiobook. Of course, if I wanted to put a larger book in, I could just delete some of the music.

2.) does there happen to be a particular brand or model that's designed especially for audiobooks? (ok, Probably not, but you know what they say about unasked questions)

I don't know. But I think that if you stick with a major brand, you're safe. DON'T get one that only shuffles. Perhaps this is obvious, but such would be a calamity for the audiobook listener.

3.) is skipping(or some other type of motion interference issue) a problem with the cheaper models? and if so, what feature do I look for that will prevent it?

It shouldn't be a problem in any model. But I don't know. Mine doesn't skip no matter what I do. I wear it on a cord around my neck.

4.)To what extent do I have to watch out for WMA files as opposed to
mp3 files, or are they automatically converted on transfer? will storage space become an issue with .wma files?

I'm not sure how WMA files work. I'm downloading my first WMA audiobook as we speak, so I'll see if I can figure it out. Normally, I just rip CD books onto my computer and then install them on my portable player. I like Musicmatch software for that.

 

[ions]

1.) about how much memory would be 'enough' to hold an audiobook in it's entirety, even the long "normally would be 23 cd" variety?

Consider a CD plays 70 minutes of audio so 23x70=1610. 1610/60 so look for a player that supports at least 26.833 hours of play. This really depends on what kind you want - RAM or drive based. With the cost of them getting competitive I would say 4Gig is as small as you should go.

2.) does there happen to be a particular brand or model that's designed especially for audiobooks? (ok, Probably not, but you know what they say about unasked questions)

Apple, Creative, iRiver, Samsung and Rio all make farely decent units. My personal choice would be Apple if money were no object but iRiver or Samsung otherwise.

3.) is skipping(or some other type of motion interference issue) a problem with the cheaper models? and if so, what feature do I look for that will prevent it?

Skipping is not an issue. Do keep in mind that drive based players are more delicate than RAM based players.

4.)To what extent do I have to watch out for WMA files as opposed to
mp3 files, or are they automatically converted on transfer? will storage space become an issue with .wma files?
... this is because I will be mostly using Overdrive, which appears to be Windows Media Player compatible to the point where they get all cozy and work together to burn cd's together...

Stay away from MSs WMA shit as much as you can. MP3 and ogg are the way to go. Players will not encode files to a preferred format on transfer so make sure you get a player that will play as many formats as possible. iRiver and Samsung do well here.

and, beyond all that, I'd like to know what kind, if any, you have and how it's working for your audiobooks (or how it would work for them, if you aren't an audiobook person)

Remember that some audio books are encoded at much lower bitrates than music. Some portable players will not play files below a certain bitrate. If you find your audio is of too low a bitrate for the player all is not lost. You can re-encode, provided your format supports that, at a higher bit rate so your player will recognize the files.

I personally don't have a player. The only one I'd be interested in would be the 80gig Video iPod but there's no way in Steve Job universe will I pay that much for a player. Plus I'd put Linux on it right away so it would be usable. But I have rather demanding needs of my devices that aren't likely to be implemented for a couple of years. At least.

 

[direstraits]

Ah... audiobooks. [smacks lips]

I've never heard of OverDrive until now, so I did a little research. What I found though, was not what I expected.

Firstly, some disclaimer. I'm an avid audiobook listener, but my device is my trusty HP iPAQ h4150, equipped with 1GB mem card. This is enough for me, partly because I can easily manage my audio files, swapping in and out the different parts of a long audiobook as and when I finish them. Because it's a PDA, I have no problems listening to audiobooks in any format, as I have different applications playing different files. However, my main audiobook provider is Audible.

I've never had the experience of listening to audiobooks using a portable audio playback device. The only other person I know who does, and she uses an iPod, is StillILearn. But you can't tap her knowledge because I found out something about OverDrive.

From their website, it is stated clearly that they use Windows Media file formats, of which iPod doesn't support. So if you intend on using OverDrive, the sexy looking gadgets are a no-no. There is a list of compatible devices, and you should choose one of those listed there.

As for memory, you should go for higher capacity as you can afford, as it saves you the trouble of swapping files regularly. But as someone already mentioned, you don't need a terribly huge capacity, as you can always swap the files in and out. But at least 1 or 2 GB. You can play songs on them too.

Skipping is impossible on digital music players, but as ions mentioned, some players use a hard disk ("drive based" in ions post), and is susceptible to vibrations (it won't skip, but actually damage your player). Don't play badminton while listening to those. RAM (or flash memory), translated simply, means the players use another type of media for storage, and doesn't have moving parts. These you can play badminton with.

Do read OverDrive's site for more info, they do have lots of answers to other common questions you may have.

ds