2004 – David Hughes

21 December 2004

Of Music Downloads and MP3 Players

I received a response from TescoDownload.com albeit a standard email. It seems I have to use Windows Media Player to transfer the downloaded files to my Rio Karma.

I suppose if I’d of thought about it I would have realised this as it must way they control the DRM on the files. I have now transferred the track to my Karma – sadly it doesn’t sound very good at least not as good as those I have ripped myself with WMP 10.

Speaking of not sounding very good… I bought a Creative Zen Touch 40Gb at the weekend and was rather disappointed.

The user interface is not very good and a number of buttons are used to reach tracks and settings; both the iPod and the Rio Karma have more elegant and easier to use UIs. The Zen Touch does not show up as a hard drive in windows so you are required to use the supplied software; as with the iPod and Rio Karma. However whilst iTunes is fantastic and Rio Music Manager is good the supplied Creative software is terrible. I mean really, really bad: slow, ugly, not intuitive and just downright awful.

What really surprised me was the sound quality; it was at best average. This really surprised me as the Creative products I have used in the past have always been excellent. The sound from my Zen Touch was thin, sibilant and too ‘trebley’ – there was even hiss present.

Very disappointing indeed – so it was returned.

The quest for my next music player continues. I have to hope that either Rio produce a 40Gb Karma or that Apple produce a PoweriPod.

I don’t want a colour screen; I want at least 40Gb, great sound and a small form factor with an ‘insanely great’ user interface.

Come on… somebody must want to build such a device…

13 December 2004

Music Download Problem Continued

I decided to email Tesco about the problem I had with the download from their music download store. I don’t want a refund just an explanation.

So far the only reply has been to tell me that they are having email problems and that a reply could take seven days.

Is 7 days acceptable for a reply from a 24/7 eCommerce store? Personally I think not – what do you think?

11 December 2004

I’ve Just Bought My First Legal Music Download…

and it confirmed why I have never done so before and will not do so again.

I’ve not paid for any music downloads until today. I read in Stuff magazine that Tescos (yes Tescos) now have their own music download store; this seemed an amazing diversification for a supermarket chain but what really caught my eye was that the downloads are 192Kbps WMA files – my chosen music format.

So I thought I’d have a look tonight.

The store itself is fairly unremarkable and in fact is rather unattractive. However, I saw that they have the new Chemical Brothers single Galvanise available and at only 79 pence I thought I’d make my first music download purchase.

The purchase itself went well, I downloaded the file without any problems and Windows Media Player 10 played the track with no problems at all.

However, I am unable to transfer the track to my Rio Karma.

Rio Music Manager says that my Rio is no longer connected. WMP can’t see my Rio at all for some reason – although has in the past. RioRad from Red Chair software was able to transfer the track but now my Karma cannot play it.

Either I am doing something wrong or downloaded music with the associated DRM sucks even more than I thought.

11 December 2004

Time to Change My MP3 Player – the Ashtray Is Full

Actually the device itself is almost full with just over 1Gb of free space.

For me the joy of a high capacity music player is that I can have my entire music collection with me at all times. So I don’t want to manage that collection; deciding what will and won’t be loaded onto the player – you can guarantee the day I really fancy listening Frank Black for example I’ll have not transferred him across.

So I’ve been pondering a new 40Gb player and tonight made my decision – the Creative Zen Touch 40Gb is the new player for me. Only problem being it doesn’t appear to be available in the UK yet.

The Zen Touch is Creative’s latest player and is rather influenced by a certain other MP3 player on the market.

I was next to a chap on the train tonight with the current 20Gb model and got talking to him about it and had a play.

I thought that the Zen Touch was going to be a large player like the older Zen players but it is very compact; slightly thicker than an iPod but not as tall. I personally found the proportions more pleasing.

The build quality is excellent with the back being aluminium and the front a mix of metal and plastic. The screen is very good and the user interface also good.

The ‘touch’ strip works very well and being made by Creative it sounds great (unlike the iPod).

So Creative hurry up and bring the 40Gb version into the UK.

29 November 2004

Are MP3 Players Too Focused on Storage?

The BBC has a very interesting article on their website about the sound quality of MP3 players or rather the fact that very few buyers and manufacturers talk about that aspect of the players. Here’s a taste:

When did you last read anything about an MP3 music player that mentioned the quality of the sound it reproduces?

You’ll find size, storage capacity, the type of music files played, even the pastel colour it’s available in mentioned in advertisements and reviews, but chances are that sound quality won’t get a look in.Having bought an iPod and returned it I would have to agree.

Yes that’s right, the super cool but ubiquitous iPod actually sounds bad frankly. I bought one and was very, very dissapointed; so much so it went back after just two days.

It seems that Apple have taken form too far with the iPod and forgotten about function.

The iPod has no bass and low volume. This means that you need to use the bass booster equaliser setting all the time so that when you turn the iPod up to an acceptable volume (music heard over commuting background noise) it distorts terribly.

I’m no expert but it seems to me that the iPod hardware cannot cope; I suspect that the headphone amplifier just isn’t up to the job.

So with this being the case I am amazed how well the iPod sells; does nobody listen to it or is a generation brought up on compressed CD production and even more compressed pop radio unable to tell whether something sounds good? I have to assume that they think it does sound good or maybe the lure of the coolness factor is too high.

1 October 2004

A Victorian Trip to the Coast

I caught the train to Brighton from London the other day and was struck by the Victoriana that one sees on this journey.

Ironically, despite its name, Victoria Station is the least Victorian feeling part of the trip. Victoria is a very average station not a Victorian masterpiece like St Pancras with it’s amazing glass and metal arched roof.

The train quickly escapes London passing the amazing Battersea Power Station as it goes – no flying pigs however – and out in the suburbs. The suburbs are quickly followed by the countryside and it is this phase of the journey that feels so Victorian.

There is a viaduct that rises above a small valley that has regular castellated buttresses along its length; they serve no useful purpose that I can see they appear to be there as decoration only in that marvellous Victorian way of doing things because they could.

The viaduct is completely overshadowed by a fortress of a tunnel a short timer later.The entrance to the tunnel has a small castle or fort with windows and a castellated top built above it; rising some 40 to 50 feet above the tunnel opening. Only the Victorians would have built something so amazing and yet so folly like. A simple brick lined tunnel would have worked but the Victorians built a majestic fort protecting the route to Brighton.

It can’t be coincidence that this must have been the route the British Royal Family took to Brighton when it was in favour with them; a connection that resulted in the even more outlandish Brighton Pavilion.

Altogether a very Victorian trip to the coast.