@worstje wrote:
Sorry guys, but IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE to use a non-free software to get videos on your player (Sansa Fuze 4GB in my case) just because the original software JUST DOES NOT WORK! I played with SMC for a couple of hours (installed Mediaplayer 11, QT7, suggested codecs packages, DirectX9, etc.) without any success (still got the codec missing error message). I have read that several people in this forum encounter exactly this problem.
Does anyone have further knowledge about how to teach SMC about the location of the codecs needed to convert video files?
Best regards,
Worstje
Message Edited by Worstje on 12-30-2008 04:03 PM
Message Edited by Worstje on 12-30-2008 04:06 PM
Of course it isn’t acceptable. But you can sit around and get angry about not being able to watch videos on your player, or you can take steps to empower yourself without waiting for SMC to magically work.
As for a good place to download videos, if you already own a dvd or cd, and you want to skip trying to get software that can convert them for you, you can try using Bittorrent sites to get copies of your media. Beware though, even though it is technically legal to download copies of works you already own, there have still been some issues with Torrents in general. I fully support Torrent file sharing, as it gives us a way to bypass programs like Kazaa and Limewire that are full of viruses and broken software, in exchange for clean media shared by peers. The issues I am talking about are due to copyrighted materials people are uploading/downloading illegally.
@If you do choose to go this route, you can find the bittorrent software @ http://www.bittorrent.com
It is a very small download and quick install. The way it works is you find torrent content online through 3rd party sites likes www.isohunt.com or www.mininova.org and then you simply find the media you want with a high number of seeds and you click on the download link. Your computer will then ask you what you want to do with the file, and select ‘open with bit torrent,’ and the software does the rest. You can go into the options of the torrent software and change where it saves files as well as setting upload/download limits on anything you might be downloading. A quick FYI tho, torrents work based on peer to peer file sharing, as you are downloading a file, it is simultaneously being uploaded to other people, which incfluences download speed in the first place. A file with a high number of leachers and a low number of seeders, is going to take a long time to download. On the other hand, a file with a large amount of seeders, and a small amount of leachers, will download very quickly in comparison.
Just beware that most internet providers don’t allocate badwidth for file uploads, and if you let files upload after you have downloaded them with Bittorrent, you could create a lot of lag for other programs and games you might be using at the same time. It is best to download a couple things at a time, then let them continue to upload for a while after they have completed, and then cut them off. This is actually more of a curtesy thing, as you are only able to download files via bittorrent as long as other people are uploading them. Lastly, if you are downloading videos and music, make sure the videos are in Xvid format and the music is mp3 format, to give you the least problems when you go to put them on your player.
This method is only suggested by me for media you already own. Torrents themselves are legal to download for ‘backup purposes only.’ If you are just trying to get free stuff, plz stay away from torrent sites as you are the primary cause of lawsuits against such services.
If you are trying to find a way to buy media online for your player, unfortunately Rapshody or Itunes are your best bet.