I've got an iPod Classic and the sound quality issues aren't there for 99.9% of the population.

This -- in fact, I've seen reviews (umm. somewhere. that probably has a link I didn't save.) saying "we could definitely tell a difference, but only when we used the $400 headphones...." I suspect that the quality loss that comes from ripping/dl'ing at anything other than the very highest-quality far outweighs the diffference between iPods for those of us who aren't ND.

My iPod is in the shop. It stopped working. The in-store repair folks said that the computer recognizes it, but nothing shows up on the screen.

I also had to get a new portable XM receiver because my old one died.

It hasn't been a good month for my electronic music delivery devices.

1080p is better than 1080i. But is it worth the extra cost? If I have no articulated plans to upgrade my DVD system, is it a waste of money to buy now?

I think it is very unlikely you'll ever be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.

This may be a very stupid question but I just want to make sure I can do something and I'm not going to have much time to fix things if problems arise.

Basically, my friend is getting an iPod so she can have music easily at her wedding. But she doesn't have a computer so I said I could make the playlist she wants and put it on her iPod. What is going to happen when I hook this new iPod that is not mine up to my computer? Will iTunes just recognize it as new and I'll be able to easily put whatever I want on it?

Sorry for being so remedial but, obviously as this is for my friend's WEDDING, I don't want to eff anything up.

Does anyone know if there is some sort of hack/way for it to play non-itunes videos, and where I would look for that-- say if I wanted to play fanvids that are .avi?

I use a 3GP video converter (PC), and it's pretty simple, although now I can't find where I grabbed it from.

I've used it to convert fanvids to iPod format. Actually, that's totally why I downloaded it in the first place.

lisah, if it hasn't been synched with any other computer, it will be really straightforward.

You can hook it up, sync the playlist and be done.

However, if your friend does get a computer and she syncs the ipod, she'll lose your music.

Thanks, le_nubian! That's what I thought but I didn't want something screwy to happen at the last minute.

Lisah, when you hook it up, you can turn OFF the sync thing, so if/when she gets a computer, it will not sync and wipe it. I believe (and it's been awhile since I connected a virgin pod up) the first time it's hooked to a computer, itunes asks "This is a new gizmo, do you want to sync it to your library" (but slightly more apple phrasing).

and it's been awhile since I connected a virgin pod up

Now the rumors of omnis and the slutty iPods have been confirmed!

Of course, I just realized that joke perpetuates the virgin/whore iPod dichotomy.