Ah good. I've been keeping my eye on RockBox and waiting for someplace like LifeHacker to give it their official blessing. I recently bought a CHEAP first gen sansa 6gb and hopefully RB w/ cheap memory card could make it a sweet lil' player.

Dagnabbit.

Interesting, thanks for the heads-up. My daughter has a Sansa c230 or something like that. Maybe this is worth a try? How likely am I to 'brick' the thing? ;-)

Speedmaster

I want it for the iPod Classic :'(

afolex

Sooo what improvements does this get me on my 5G iPod Video? Their site is dog slow right now.

KStrike155

I used to use it on my old Archos and it was vastly better. I'd put it on my ipod in a second (I never use itunes as it is) if only it supported the classic!

tdelet

This isn't out for iPod touch right?

Spiken

i've been using rockbox on my sansa 260 since i got it. it's one of those things that's hard to live without once you've used it. though you probably won't use most of the options, odds are you'll find a couple of them irreplaceable.

cakezula

@afolex: I've been watching the rockbox site for months waiting for ipod classic support since I can't seem to get my classic to cooperate with Ubuntu.

oobogart

@alaysias: I searched out an 80gig 5.5 for the same reason. If you want FLAC support and direct access to your iPod, there is NO beating RockBox.

This thing has so many features you'll be playing with it for hours.

RJinLA

I used Rockbox on my old iRiver h120. Absolutely fantastic device, absolutely fantastic firmware.

Unfortunately I ended up falling on it and cracking the screen. Were it not for that, I'd still be using it today. I really wish iRiver would re-release the device and just update it with a video screen + video codecs. I'd probably buy it again, despite having an iPod Touch. I loved it that much =D

One of the neatest things about it was playing Doom on an mp3 player from 6 years ago (ancient!)

AndyMan1

If it supported my Rio Karma, i would definitely swop it over but my ipod (mini) does not really change enough for me. If it worked on the classic maybe!

neal whitehouse piper | whiper

RE: the RockboxUtility...

""NOTE: current released binaries of RockboxUtility can't install the latest released Rockbox 3.0. Updated binaries will follow in the next couple of days.

Robert H

@KStrike155: I finally got through to the site. So it looks like, for Apple users, the biggest benefit is a much broader range of audio codec support. There is no H.264 decoding (bummer) and the interface looks terrible (read: ugly as hell).

Neat idea, but I think I'll stay with the Apple firmware. It would be fun to just try it out, though.

KStrike155

thanks for the heads up adam! this was one of the reasons why i bought the iPod 5.5G over the iPod Classic. Rockbox is the best thing for the previous gen iPods.

My favorite features are the ability to add/remove songs directly (no iTunes!), browse songs via tags and folder structure, crossfading between tracks, play/pause fade in/out, ability to play FLAC files, custom skins, and highly customizable settings for pretty much everything.

@afolex: as much as I'd like to see this for the Classic, I very much doubt it will ever happen. Unfortunately, due to the completely different hardware design from the previous gen iPods and the Classic/newer Nanos.

alaysias

I noticed spots of some terrible slowdown with the last rev of Rockbox on my 5g iPod. I'll definitely give this stable build a shot, though. The extra features over the default software are incredible.

Th3Sourc3

I've been using Rockbox on my 20gb iRiver for 3 years. I can't imagine using anything else (except the old Rio Karma interface). I listen to a of audiobooks and it's ability to support multiple bookmarks is invaluable, along with the wide range of audio file support. Add to that the ability to customize the display to how you like it (although i did that so long ago I'd almost forgotten). Rockbox rules.
I was only thinking yesterday that I hadn't checked the recent releases (since it's also very stable and almost never freezes, maybe 3 times in 3 years)!
I did request to add a feature like the RioDJ feature about a year ago so I'll head over there and check it out.
Yahoo for Open Source..!

Donalb

I've enjoyed rockbox everytime i've used it. The problem is that it's not really any better on the ipod, just different.

Also the album art support is a joke, bmp files only and nothing embedded.

rugbysteve

Man, I remember rockbox on my Archos 30 gig brick mp3 player, waaaaay back in high school

AlexLand

@hepatace: As someone who used to have that, I'll just warn you that cancelling that is about the same level of annoyance as cancelling AOL. You have to call them, and decline another free month if you really want it gone.

Then again if you're comitted you could probably get a free subscription for a while by threatening to cancel each month.

tachyon47

I've been using Rockbox on my Cowon iAudio X5 for a few years now. It's awesome, especially if you're a fan of collated data (and who isn't these days?) and use sites like Last.fm.

Oh, and go, go, FLAC support!

WiseSalesman

i need this for my screwed up creative zen micro =P

Dan Cardin

@afolex: Not going to happen. All the ipod firmwares after gen 5 are encrypted and can't be hacked as of yet. The rockbox team said they will probably never do it.

radink

@Spiken:

Correct, only for first gen through 5.5 on the iPods.

x3r0

This morning in a burst of inspiration, i decided to get me Rockbox and after reading articles and reviews, i decide to see whether LH has officially blessed it.

Guess what! This post is exactly on time! I have a good feeling about this one. cheers LH

sheldon.s.d

It sucks that "it is highly unlikely that Rockbox will ever support playback of DRM encrypted audio files" (copied from the RockBox FAQ page). In attempt to be legal (and somewhat frugal), I am currently test-driving Rhapsody-To-Go. Otherwise, I'd make the jump.

hepatace

Speedmaster,
I've rockboxed my Sansa e250(2GB), e260(4GB), and Apple Nano (1st gen-4GB) without any issues. The forums have methods to unbrick your player if you run into issues (it has happened), but I've not heard of any permanent damage.

My players are all dual-boot, original vs rockbox firmware.

Features I like are: replaygain aware mp3 playback, mpeg video playback, jpg image viewer, and skinnable user interface.

I can disable the bright blue ring on the sansa, adjust display brightness, and it has quite a few games to play, like breakout, minesweeper, asteroids, space invaders, suduko, etc

The microSDHC card slot in the sansa's can handle 8GB kingston cards if you use rockbox, but not with the original firmware.

There is a woot-off today, so the sansa series players are likely to come up real cheap, so move fast if you want something to play with.

ericslaw

Last time I checked, everything worked for my Sansa e250 except the USB connection. The PC could tell it was plugged in, but that was it. You had to reboot into the original firmware to copy songs over. Not really convenient.

Once that's working (and the site's back up) I'll give it another go. It's pretty awesome in other respects.

TheLoneIguana

The best feature on Rockbox is the gameboy emulator, grab a few roms and you're set.

Playing Pokemon, or Zelda, on your iPod is pretty cool

Sam Walton

LOL at "one of the top 20 ipod utils".

Just how many utils do you need for an ipod? If you're #9 you are already useless.

playdoh

@AlexLand: You just used the phrases "waaaay back in high school" and mp3 player in the same sentence. Obviously it wasn't *that* long ago.

Although if you meant in tech years, sure, I could see that.

David Myers

Slashdotted. I'll poke at it in the wee hours.

Deadhacker

I'm a firm Rockbox fan - so much so that when I bought an Ipod Touch I still wound up returning to the iRiver h140 because Rockbox gave me all the features I wanted and - most importantly - complete freedom with the device.

As someone doing radio shows one of the more dull features I have come to love is the ability to copy and paste files. I put all my promos on the iRiver, then on the commute to work I can compile a new folder of tracks that will be aired on the show. Nothing astonishing in itself, but so incredibly helpful for me.

Past that, I'd say the wider codec support is the other killer function. In relation to the original iRiver firmware, it left it for dead; infinitely more contol over sound quality, superior battery life, quicker boot time... it just trumped it on every level.

Right - off to Rockbox.org to upgrade!

portobello_man

I've been using it for about 5 months and if i didnt then i would probaly chucked out my sansa a long time ago. Does anybody know what theme that is in the picture also does 3.0 look any different from tho old one??!?!?

mzeal93

I've been running RockBox on my iRiver frankenH320 (I've replaced the battery with a long-lasting one, and threw a 30gb drive in it.)

Seriously, it's the best firmware out there, and lets my H320 outperform many modern players.

I look forward to trying this out!

dwarf74

wootoff just started selling Sansa e250 (2GB) for $30 delivered.

ericslaw

yah i second the need for this on a creative zen sleek

JackMac

Thumbs way up for Rockbox! I have been using this on various incarnations of the Sansa E200 series for years. The sounds quality is VASTLY improved over stock, especially bass response. It's insane. Highly recommended!

Dook_In_The_Urinal

I've been waiting for a version available for my 30GB Creative Zen Vision: M ever since I got it....

BrunhildeHoosier

@KStrike155: For iPod users it is mainly more codecs (like you said), added functionality, and most of all it unties you from iTunes and gives you a faster and easier way to just transfer your files over without being beholden to that particular app.

JerryA

I love RB on my Sansa e200 player. I was hoping for some new features, though. Still need to use the original firmware to transfer files, as Rockbox on the Sansa has no USB support. :(

unknownsoldierx

I love rockbox, been using it for ages.
Personally, I love my ipod, but I hate iTunes (I convert all purchases to DRM free formats) and I hate having to use a utility to put music on my ipod. Rockbox means I can add / remove music from linux as well as just from windows explorer. The other benefit for you guys who are a little nervous about this, is that its still a dual booted firmware, so you can always just boot into the existing Apple UI if you prefer.

cbiggins

@Speedmaster: I installed Rockbox on my Sansa M250, which isn't supported. Nothing happened, I deleted it from the drive and everything was back to normal.

Hands

Guess I'm going to give it another try on one of my iPods. I'm going to try and devote some time to mastering all of it's features this time.

kiwiboyus

Dual-Boot is supported so you can have both the Apple firmware and Rockbox, as well as iPodLinux, installed at once

AliceAerope

@Rodriguez: As long as it lets me sync with something other than the default software, I'll do anything to replace the firmware.

Bleh7777

I kinda want this for my Zunes.

Rodriguez

Still no support for Creative players. =(

TonyKeenan

The sound quality in rockbox is better than the default in any player I've tried. Great equalizer and replay gain support is also great.

HallGaloodle

I tried a recent version of Rockbox (2.something) on my third generation iPod. I found it to be a huge battery consumer, to the point where I could only get through about half of one song before the battery would run out. I tried recharging repeatedly, but the same problem would always occur. I eventually gave up and uninstalled. Anyone else have a similar problem?

QuigleyTaygete

I upgraded the version of Rockbox on my Sansa e200 yesterday, after not having touched it for 6 months.

I just upgraded to 3.0. Should have waited another day.

jadn

@ericslaw: I didn't know that the firmware limited the sansa card memory size. Another reason to try it out.

How's the mpeg video quality? The test vids (ginomorous .mov files, I think) that came with the sansa 200 series were awful, even on that small screen.

Dagnabbit.

For me, without the ability to read/use my smart playlists from amarok and without native usb support (which still isn't there -- you have to reboot into "apple" mode) is an absolute non-starter.

I have always had high hopes for rockbox and always been disappointed.

mardukvmbc

@jadn: What do you mean you "should have waited another day". Was the update good or not? I have an e280 and I've been running an unofficial build for a while.

appleturnover

Wow, just tried it.
And honestly it has come a long way since I used it a couple months ago.
I spent the better part of Jan. trying to get it working perfectly and just gave up.
So many little annoyances are fixed (EX: Scroll wheel is finally smooth, forward = select & visa-versa).
For anyone who wants to try it out do it, really.
I just backed up everything on my iPod, and used the installer app and had it installed in a minute flat.
Power users will def. love this app.

Greg2B

Can anyone tell me how it compares to Foobar2000 in terms of mem and CPU usage and iPod-compatible features? I'm loathe to try it unless it's as light on resources as FB is and has enough extra features over FB to sway me. Also, will it work with an iPhoto?

emnem

...I lied, I enabled disk use and it worked fine :) Very cool app indeed!

xxdesmus

not working with my old 3rd generation iPod ...it has it on the list of options, but it won't detect it. :(

xxdesmus

Hmm... anyone know of an alternate firmware platform for the Dell DJ? (RockBox says maybe in the future.)

AlexJAnder

I've been using it on my Sansa e260 without any problems. It not only adds features, but I really like the variety of fonts it provides. Much better looking than the default Sansa font.

tomrye

You can just use sharepod for managing your music without itunes, and it runs directly off your ipod (so yes, you can take your ipod to someones house, and shove a load of songs on it, bring it home, and import those songs into itunes)

falter

New Rockbox!?!? Awesome!! ::digging up my iRiver::

kaiz3n

@unknownsoldierx: Does anyone know if it has USB support for Sansa players yet? If so, my e280 would love RockBox...

adoucette

I gotta say, i love the flac and ogg for my ipod and no need to put new songs via itunes!

erifneerg

I have a Sansa e280r running Rockbox, and let me tell you, it's wonderful not to see Rhapsody everywhere. I bought the thing slightly cheaper at Best Buy thinking it wouldn't annoy me to have the r there, but maaaan, it did.

Everything about Rockbox is better. It's slicker and more efficient in design, it supports better album art and its plugins, like a JPEG viewer, let me actually LOOK AT REAL PHOTOS WITHOUT CONVERTING TO TINY BITMAPS! And, the sound quality is superb.

I gave this article a thumbs-up on Stumbleupon!

InfectedWithDrew

@radink: I heard that actually, they are going to be doing it, but it's hard since the checksum is radically different. It'll be a while, but anyone could come in and contribute since it is open source.

InfectedWithDrew

@QuigleyTaygete: Turn down the brightness and other settings. Rockbox, by default, overclocks some things and can suck batteries. If you were playing music at +6dB, I'd expect your battery to run out pretty fast as well (since that's 6 decibels higher than the iPod can normally handle).

InfectedWithDrew

@Speedmaster: Rockbox installs to a directory. You modify the bootloader to point to the new directory. That's about it. The bootloader utility can switch it back if you choose, or you can hold down a key combination to boot the original firmware. Native utilities can usually restore the bootloader if something was really screwed up, so there's really little chance of bricking the whole thing. Read through the site, because you can brick it, but it takes a lot to do it.

CJ

@Greg2B: Where does one get this installer app? I can't find it on their website.

Avian00

@Robert H: thanks thats good to know

superbryant

I can't believe no one in the first 20 comments I read mentioned anything about the games. The #1 thing I done on my 30GB 5th Gen. Video Ipod with Rockbox in the past year that I have had it, is play the classic Atari games like pacman, invaders, and their version of the brick game(which is better than the apple one) plus there's tons more including doom. I can't wait to install this new version and see how it works.

willugoupordown

@emnem: I think you got the wrong idea.

What is Rockbox? What is its purpose?

Rockbox is an Open Source replacement firmware for portable digital audio players including the Archos Jukebox 5000, 6000, Studio, Recorder V1, FM Recorder, Recorder V2 and Ondio MP3 players. Development of Rockbox for the iriver H1xx, H3xx and H10 series of players as well as the iAudio X5, M5, and M3, iPod 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G greyscale, Color/Photo, 1G and 2G mini, 1G nano and Video (5G and 5.5G), Toshiba Gigabeat F and X, Sansa e200, e200R and c200, Olympus m:robe 100, and more is underway.

Rockbox is a complete rewrite and uses no fragments of the original firmware. It boasts numerous features while remaining easy to use.

rerunx5

@Avian00: [www.rockbox.org]

NOTE: current released binaries of RockboxUtility can't install the latest released Rockbox 3.0. Updated binaries will follow in the next couple of days.

rerunx5

I'm sold just for the FLAC playability alone. Playing lossless formats on a lossy player? Now that is cool!

JeRrYFaR

@TheLoneIguana: I had that problem. I just reinstalled Rockbox with the latest build and works fine.

rerunx5

@Speedmaster: I have Rockbox installed for months on my Sansa c250 and works great. One time Rockbox wouldn't load due to a file that was deleted. I was able to load the original Sansa firmware by pressing and holding Left on startup. I love Rockbox for its supporting Last.fm and Mirco SDHC.

rerunx5

I am confused. I updated my Rockbox just the other week, by copying over the old version. i got a nice new interface etc. Does it mean I have nearly the latest version, or should I go and install this 3.0 version?

helldiver

Installed this last night on my old H320 and it's pretty sweet so far! Even just for the super fast start up and shutdown it's worth it.

...Just having some issues getting the video playback to work. The sound is out of sync with the video.

CommenterKeen

I had to install an entirely new OS in order to get my Classic to work. I hate having to boot into Windows to be able to update my podcasts and such. Now I can't even upgrade the version of iTunes that I have to 8. It freezes everytime it gets to the registering modules step. The first app that can untie me from iTunes will almost certainly be my new favorite.

IfIGetOld

Look okay

ThoraNormish

@KStrike155: All I have to add, other than the fact that the GUI is almost fully customizable and skinnable, is that the Dynamic Playlist system that's used by Rockbox is better than anything else I've ever seen. I always annoy my girlfriend when she's playing her (non-rockbox) ipod in the car because I'll say, "ooh i want to hear X, why not insert it next in the playlist?", which of course I then realize is impossible with apple's pretty-but-stupid controls. Then I'll tell her to turn on Crossfading... foiled again.

Drakar2007

I've been using Rockbox on my iRiver h140 for over 2 years now (i scored a 140 cheap on ebay specifically because it was one of the strongest rockbox-supporting players). Whenever I try to use the original firmware, or any other player's interface, I find it stifling and confusing. My girlfriend's ipod has its original firmware on it, and I can't believe how feature-lacking it is. Dynamic playlists, ogg-vorbis support, games, crossfade, these are things I can't do without.

BTW I actually have code in rockbox -- it's small, but if you look under crossfade options and see the option for "shuffle and track skip", that was originally a patch I wrote O:-)

Drakar2007

Hey, has anyone else had problems with the prefetch abort while building the taglib (iPod 30Gb video)?

I see there's forum posts, I'd like a work around, but the site is so slow, I can't get it to serve me the page before my browser times out.

englishman

Can someone help me figure this out. Rockbox displays id3 information on the now playing, but when I go to view the playlist it shows the filename. The iPod randomly renames the files to things like HGYI.mp3, so I never know what songs are queued up. Is there a way to make it display the song titles?

Pulseczar

I've been using this for the past year or so on my Sansa e280R, and while it's stable and sounds *fantastic*, it is ugly as sin. Geez. Doesn't hold a candle to the original Sansa firmware in terms of sexiness.

Open source is sweet, but man, does the community need more designers. Stop letting code jockeys design interfaces! :)

vp_shooter

I have to convert my Mac formated iPod to a Windows format in order to use this? That's pretty lame so no thank you. There's a reason I don't run Windows anymore.

SunandiniJebbies

Would someone for the love of whatever deity just crack the firmware for the ipod classic! I know! I know! It's already been replaced and the firmware is hard core encrypted.. but dammit I want functionality! Ok... sorry.. I'm done. My bad..

YardleyEfreisone

Not sure what "first gen" sansa you have but if it is a e or c series this works great. Sansa only supports 2 gig cards but with Rockbox I have an 8 gig card. Much better sound than the Sansa software as well

EvelynHammer

To all the iPod owners: Rockbox isn't out for the Classic, the new Minis, or the Touch, because the firmware for those iPods is heavily encrypted and is difficult to get into. At the moment, the team needs someone with neurosurgeon-like skills in order to get a chip hooked up so that it can be looked at. To all Sansa c2x0 owners: I use a Sansa c250 and have not had any significant problems. Rockbox truly adds life to the Sansa line, giving the DAPs a world of features that they otherwise would not have. My motto with gadgets is: function before form. (Note: Most Sansas sold these days are v2 models, which are currently incompatible with Rockbox because they use different hardware (a port is in the works). The only way to check to see whether a Sansa is a v2 or not is to look at the firmware on the menu. If it starts with 3, then it's a v2.)

NapoleonAethlius

I'll have to check this out. I put Rockbox 2 on my Sandisk Sansa, but haven't used it at all since I got my iPhone. Will this work on that? Haha :P

Gix0r

@emnem: FB2000 runs on your PC - Rockbox runs on your iPod. Comparing apples to oranges there ;)

GodEater

I've used Rockbox on my 5th Generation iPod. I enjoyed it, but with one very minor but annoying bug (songs would stop playing and all I would hear is electronic "hissing").
I wouldn't mind giving it another try; I know that development is very rapid with Rockbox. I enjoyed playing Pokemon Blue on my iPod =]

andryou

I've been waiting for third party firmware or software to come out for Sony's hard drive players, as I've got a Sony HD5 from a few years ago. Nothing ever does.

equazcion

I've had Rockbox on my iPod Video for awhile now. It's pretty cool, but you have to be careful what kind of features you're using on it since some can eat your battery up like candy...

Tips to Save Battery Life -
Only update/scan your library when you're plugged into something, or don't use library at all.
Go minimalist/reduced graphics with the theme (if you're desperate).
Using the library spins up the disk if you don't have the database loaded into RAM, which consumes battery life like candy, so it's a good idea to enable that feature if you browse your library frequently.

Keep in mind this firmware has features matching up to the iPod Video (except for the video part), so using this on an older iPod won't help much, if at all, with battery life. Also, keep in mind most batteries have to be replaced after a few years, since batteries start to lose their capacity after awhile.

Also, I like Rockbox far more than the stock firmware not considering the battery life. If it's that big of a problem set your iPod to dual boot and only use it when it's plugged in.

Leandri

embedded albumart is for idiots.... who puts the same image in all 10+ tracks of the same CD? Right.... As for jpg albumart: it will come one day, once jpg decoding makes it into the main binary.

AndriaTabalisha

er, Rockbox is a replacement firmware for portable music players, including some iPods. It is not a replacement for foobar (although seeing as it runs on devices such as iPods with dual 80 MHz processors and 32 MB of RAM, yes it beats foobar for resource usage :))

IndigoPerseus

Any idea how well this works on linux?

internetswasyes

Well it still doesn't work on the Sansa e200 v2 models and I don't think it ever will. Screw that.

CaraBroteas

@Gix0r: The sansa c### and e### players seem to be on the list. I use it with a sansa e240 and a 250

glycolized