I don't get all the anger. If you don't like it, use a different format. FLAC 'n OGG work fine for the Rockbox set, and ALAC/AAC are okay for Apple's users.

I see a LOT of use if they can convince the iPod/Portable Audio Device sync programs to play along. Your MP3HD files stay on the home fileserver, where a 200 gigabyte music collection isn't going to strain its capacity. Plug your mp3 player in, however, and it only sends the MP3 data over, leaving you a ton more space for

The market is folks who love to keep their music lossless, but need a smaller mp3-player-friendly copy. From the test shown (e.g. an 8MB MP3 + 14MB of lossless data (22 megs total) compared to a 20MB FLAC is a lot cheaper than a 20MB FLAC and an 8MB MP3 file), I'd be all over this if their "extra" format data also allowed for cover art (e.g. an ID4 or some such for extra info that MP3's don't embed well). iTunes integration would be nice too.

A good TV card won't create substantial lag (e.g. it'll be playable without a noticeable change), especially if you're getting a raw stream instead of an encoded one. However, that doesn't change the fact that the lag on this service (you know, what with the INTERNET CONNECTION between your buttons and the action) will be astronomically higher.

If a driver isn't out on day one, there's no way in hell this should be in a press release. I can only hope that it doesn't make it to any of the boxes.

Bullshit like that shouldn't be legal.

Well, that's not entirely accurate. They also take into account materials used to build them, extraction of those materials, etc.

However, the argument is silly when it comes down to it.

1. The only reason other fuel sources don't have this issue is because they have a constant consumable that is not going to last anywhere near as long as the sun.
2. It completely ignores the possibility of recycling solar panels.
3. It completely ignores the effect that a substantially increased demand for solar power will have on its manufacture. Does the stuff Nanosolar's putting together even HAVE the "takes more energy to make than you'll get from it" problem?!

Seriously, this is the only area where people will suddenly ignore the market. It's not about getting more energy than you put into it, engineers will fix that issue (which is far easier than mass-producing oil) eventually, it's about whether it will pay for itself in energy output compared to its purchase price compared to purchasing power the old fashioned way. If it does, then solar's a good idea. If not, then don't bother.

It's packed with Chinese-made parts that have to adhere to American safety regulations.

Is this batch of 10,000 going to do the same?

It's a serious question, btw. At $22k a pop this could very well be the case.

K3B can't burn ALAC, at least under any Ubuntu package options I can find. Sure, that's what I get for using an apple format, but this wouldn't be an issue if burning wasn't decoupled from the player.

Also, part of the reason I use ALAC instead of FLAC is because ALAC will allow you to embed music covers in a song while FLAC won't. No, cover.jpg in the folder doesn't cut it, because if I just want to transfer a few songs, they're not gonna have the cover. And yes, I've searched long and hard for any ways to easily embed art into FLAC files. If you know of one, it'd be much appreciated.

Also, there's a difference between "replicating functionality" and linking components within the app so you don't need to launch another program to do something. There's a reason KDE4 is moving in precisely this direction: it minimizes filesize and code-rewrite while simultaneously keeping things seamless.

Dear poster :
Please, do not start with complaining about iTunes' "lack" of features. Given that BOTH Amarok AND Songbird lack the ability to RIP or BURN music CD's, I don't really wanna hear it.

Part of why iTunes works is because Apple does a pretty damn good job of making a player that does its job : Database player/sync for a portable device that holds all the music you're ever going to buy.

You know how agrivating it is to try to burn a CD and have it re-direct you to K3B, which then errors out because your audio format, which works fine in Amarok, isn't compatible with IT?

Batch encoding is a JOKE in Amarok, which is aggrivating given that you realize you're better off settling for converting to MP3 in iTunes using iTunes' crappy MP3 encoder.

In iTunes, not only is your music added to the player, but so are your playlists, and when you have 10 gigs of music, it's nice to have immediate access to the arrangements of the 20 some odd songs you're enjoying at the moment. I've yet to see a sync app on the market that does this aside from maybe the Zune, and the purchase of that device will happen on a cold day in hell.

Don't talk shit about Apple's setup 'till you can present an app that's better or at least EQUIVILANT. I'm not talking about compatibility with a handful of devices, I'm talking about actually having that great handful of FEATURES in syncing.

UGH. >_

Every product that is ever released runs the risk of ending up with a variety of issues that didn't come up in initial testing. There's no way you can account for distribution to a market of millions, and there's always a chance something will go wrong in production, implementation, logic, or who knows what.

It took six months for Nvidia to find out that the Geforce 8 series' second release (Everything that came out after the 8800GTS/GTX/Ultra) was essentially faulty in all parts.

It took eighteen months for Microsoft to find out that Xbox 360's were obscenely faulty (*every person* I personally know who has one, something like a dozen people, including myself, has joined the "red ring" club)

Getting something at launch is almost always a stupid thing to do (save for the occassional niche Capcom game that's going to get an initial batch of 10,000 copies and that's it). Why run the risk of getting a fault that might not show up until after your warranty runs out when you can pick up a product that's had all of its kinks worked out? Is a 10% performance jump really worth it?