File size limit for mp3's?

I have the Sansa Fuze 8 GB, with 16 GB Sandisk microSD card, firmware version v02.01.17A.
Internal memory has  48.1 MB free, external card has 4.72 GB free.
3419 mp3 files, 281 folders

I record internet radio directly to mp3 format (mp3directcut) for my weekend road trip and usually have a file size of about 700 MB (8-10 hours of audio). I was having a problem with VBR in that the Fuze would not report the length correctly, nor fast forward or rewind correctly.

The files themselves play just fine, but trying to fast forward through commercials would never work correctly. Sometimes it would fast forward 30 seconds, then I would press fast forward again but it would actually be 5 minutes earlier. I know this is a problem with VBR so I have been recording with CBR. All of my mp3 songs are VBR though and they work just fine in all respects.

Recording at CBR introduced a new problem, the player will just lock up and remain unresponsive. This has occurred after 90 mins of playback, but as quickly as 10 mins. The Fuze may shut itself off or just become unresponsive. In either instance, it won’t power back up. I finally found out how to power it up again by connecting to the PC (the player did not connect or power up by itself), press the ON button and hold for 30 seconds, let go, then turn on normally.

Is there an actual file size limit on the Fuze or does anyone have any ideas on how to play these larger mp3 files? Has anyone tried larger files with Ogg or WMA?

You need to have 90mb’s free on the internal memory on your fuze for it to work correctly!!  That said most here will tell you to leave 200mb’s free on the internal memory for just that reason…  George

Ahh, so what Sandisk means by an 8 GB player is that only 7.9 GB can actually be used, or 7.8 GB if you really, really want it to work as advertised. Got it.

Thanks for the info George-W. Running tests now.

After testing for about 45 mins things seem to be working correctly. Huzzah!

Thanks for the help George-W.

Now comes the sarcastic comment, if hard drive makers can have a class-action lawsuit filed against them for the different definitions of gigabyte, 1000 MB or 1024 MB, it seems to me that noe should be filed again Sandisk in which all Sansa Fuze’s should be labeled with an asterisk which states “actually usuable space is 200 MB less than you think it is due to internal memory requirements” and customers get a monetary settlement based on the size of their player. In my case 200 MB of 8000 MB is 0.025%, and that percentage of $90 is $2.25.

Where’s my check Sandisk?

@apocalypse wrote:

After testing for about 45 mins things seem to be working correctly. Huzzah!

 

Thanks for the help George-W.

 

Now comes the sarcastic comment, if hard drive makers can have a class-action lawsuit filed against them for the different definitions of gigabyte, 1000 MB or 1024 MB, it seems to me that noe should be filed again Sandisk in which all Sansa Fuze’s should be labeled with an asterisk which states “actually usuable space is 200 MB less than you think it is due to internal memory requirements” and customers get a monetary settlement based on the size of their player. In my case 200 MB of 8000 MB is 0.025%, and that percentage of $90 is $2.25.

 

Where’s my check Sandisk?

Thats not entirely true. The Firmware counts against your storage space, thats it. You dont have to leave the 200mb, you can leave as little as 90mb free. 90 mb is all thats required. The issues here is that when you get the fuze that full, the littlest things become big problems. I have 150 mb free on my internal, and all is fine. I suggest 200 mb because it leaves some buffer room, in that you probably cant get exactly 200 mb so your safe if you shoot for that so if you have to add 1 more song and thats it you can do so, or if you need to add a song temporarily to move it between computers thats a possibility. These little hits to space is expected by people who have been using mp3 players for a while, my sister was mad when she bought her 4 gig Ipod because only 3.6 gig was open, and I had to explain to her that there is software on the player that takes up space.

And the Class Action Suit you mentioned (If its the one I am farmilliar with) the reward was granted because the HDD manufacturer sold the drives at a lesser size than was printed on the drive when nothing was on the drive, so the person who filed the suit had a  drive that was smaller than claimed (950 gig vs. 1 Tb). Your Fuze has 8 gigs of memory, you just cant use it all.

@conversionbox wrote:


@apocalypse wrote:

After testing for about 45 mins things seem to be working correctly. Huzzah!

 

Thanks for the help George-W.

 

Now comes the sarcastic comment, if hard drive makers can have a class-action lawsuit filed against them for the different definitions of gigabyte, 1000 MB or 1024 MB, it seems to me that noe should be filed again Sandisk in which all Sansa Fuze’s should be labeled with an asterisk which states “actually usuable space is 200 MB less than you think it is due to internal memory requirements” and customers get a monetary settlement based on the size of their player. In my case 200 MB of 8000 MB is 0.025%, and that percentage of $90 is $2.25.

 

Where’s my check Sandisk?


 

Thats not entirely true. The Firmware counts against your storage space, thats it. You dont have to leave the 200mb, you can leave as little as 90mb free. 90 mb is all thats required. The issues here is that when you get the fuze that full, the littlest things become big problems. I have 150 mb free on my internal, and all is fine. I suggest 200 mb because it leaves some buffer room, in that you probably cant get exactly 200 mb so your safe if you shoot for that so if you have to add 1 more song and thats it you can do so, or if you need to add a song temporarily to move it between computers thats a possibility. These little hits to space is expected by people who have been using mp3 players for a while, my sister was mad when she bought her 4 gig Ipod because only 3.6 gig was open, and I had to explain to her that there is software on the player that takes up space.

And the Class Action Suit you mentioned (If its the one I am farmilliar with) the reward was granted because the HDD manufacturer sold the drives at a lesser size than was printed on the drive when nothing was on the drive, so the person who filed the suit had a  drive that was smaller than claimed (950 gig vs. 1 Tb). Your Fuze has 8 gigs of memory, you just cant use it all.

 

CB… I couldn’t have said all of the above better myself…:smiley:

Every once in a while I manage to articulate what I am trying to say in a way that other people understand. Most times tho, It makes sense to me and to others its gibberish.

I think you are wasting an awful lot of space by keeping even 90MB free. Heck, at 256kbps, that almost an entire album. I have not seen or heard any official recommendation for this (or any amount of free space for that matter).

My 8GB player has 6.7MB free and the 8GB card has 7.9 free. And I have NO, count 'em . . .ZERO problems whatsoever! Of course they’re your players; you can do what you want or what you feel is best. I just believe in getting my money’s worth and I’m not about to let all that real estate sit fallow. :wink:

@tapeworm wrote:

I think you are wasting an awful lot of space by keeping even 90MB free. Heck, at 256kbps, that almost an entire album. I have not seen or heard any official recommendation for this (or any amount of free space for that matter).

 

My 8GB player has 6.7MB free and the 8GB card has 7.9 free. And I have NO, count 'em . . .ZERO problems whatsoever! Of course they’re your players; you can do what you want or what you feel is best. I just believe in getting my money’s worth and I’m not about to let all that real estate sit fallow. :wink:

At $15 per 8GB, I’m not about to worry about a few MB’s.  Jeez, I remember the days when a 5MB hard drive cost a couple of hundred dollars!!!