i have a 30gb ipod and i'm considering rockboxing it because i f###king HATE itunes, BUT...i have an alpine cda-9856 head unit with ipod hookup capability. has anyone ever used a rockboxed ipod with an external device? i'm not going to try it if my ipod won't interface with my car stereo anymore.

thanks!

sorry but whats rockboxing?

it's a third-party firmware replacement for ipods (and several other makes of mp3 players) with a less hostile user interface, the ability to drag-n-drop without itunes (which is fantastic, btw), and more file format options (flac, ogg/vorbis).

it's free, it's simple, and i've been interested for a while.

the rockbox website

i asked people on their forums and no one seems to know, so i thought i'd ask here...just in case.

This post has been edited by uberschall: Jan 2, 2007 - 11:21 PM

There are programs that transfer songs to the ipod other than itunes. I'd recommend changing what you dont like before you go and destroy your ipod.

>

what makes you say that?

i have itunes and i've been using it for years. i don't like it that much, but i can live with it. i would really like to be able to play flac files on my ipod, and i don't know how else to do that.

suggestions are welcome and appreciated, but you don't need to insinuate that i'm an idiot.

After you Rockboxed it, you can always go back and iTunes it right?

yes, you can go back.

afaik, you just have to have a copy of the latest firmware from apple and you can reset it. however, if i have any problems, i won't be anywhere near an apple store starting in a couple of days when i go back to school.

what are flac files.

the answer to your question is YES it will still play through your head unit.

flac is a different compression format. the advantage over mp3, wav, etc. is that flac is lossless, so the sound quality is MUCH better. the only disadvantage is that flac files take up alot more hd space than say, 128kbps mp3 files.

i can't really afford a new player right now, so i'm trying to see if i can make things work with what i already have. i bought the head unit i have specifically to work with my ipod, so it would be dumb to get anything else anyway.

cochise, thanks. i think i'm going to try it and see what happens. worst case, i'll have one of apple's "geniuses" re-firm my ipod before i leave.

supersprynt, if you're into music, you should check out flac. if for no other reason than to see how great the sound is. i can get you some info on where to get music, media player software, etc. if you'd like.

the connection on a car sterio is little more then a auxilary imput right? if so it would work just fine, or can you navigate the files stored on the ipod though the sterio, meaning its a more complex connection?

i think alpine calls it full speed. the controls on the ipod are disabled, and you use the head unit to control it.

i actually heard back from one of the rockbox guys today, and he said that rockbox isn't compatible with remote operation at the moment.

thus, i'm going to leave the firmware alone. i really wanted to be able to play flac in the car (i have it in there more than with headphones), but it's not worth it if i can't do that.

thanks for the input, folks!

could you buy a cheap second hand nano or shuffle or something and try it with that first?

the nano or shuffle are compleatly diff i think, would be be a good test.

I use a 4gb nano with my alpine full speed deck...I boycott CDs now..its fantastic!