How long should these Inisignia MP3 players last?

[spokker]

I consider the NS-DV the greatest MP3 player I ever owned. I'm sure there are better ones out there, but this thing has all the features I could ever want, including bookmarking as I listen to long files (radio shows). Even my $500 goddamn cell phone can't bookmark a track.

Alas, it appears to be dying a slow death. Tracks tend to skip and it's starting to behave erratically at times (not helped by the scroll wheel and play button which are just about to give out).

I have heard of read/write cycles for flash memory, but can we estimate a timeframe for when an MP3 player like this should simply die?

I listen to very large files and transfer just under a gig a week to the device, files which are promptly deleted after I listen to them. The player is on for at least 4-5 hours per day, more if I decide to listen to music. I've also used it while plugged in and connected it to my stereo system just to have music in the background. It gets a lot of heavy use.

My motivation for asking is because I recently left the Best MP3 Player Ever in a classroom accidentally and within an hour it was taken (and not taken to lost and found, unsurprisingly).

So in a way I'm hoping the thing just stops working soon. If someone does try to use it, they would have to buy a new battery anyway. The one that's in there can hardly hold a charge anymore.

[CrowdAds]

[Tobey]

Sorry for your loss...

The flash memory should be good for hundreds of thousands of read/write cycles, which I'd venture to guess is a limit you weren't even close to touching. The erratic behavior was likely due to a corrupt database, which a format/reload would have cured.

So, sorry to say, your player thief will likely get a few more years of use out of it. Assuming the battery is replaced and the scroll wheel holds up, that is...

[bluecnc]

Hey! I just dug mine out of my dresser drawer and it still works. Scroll wheel is a little erratic. I forgot how good it sounds.

[Mongo]

Mine worked perfectly for 3 years until I left it on a plane last week Did buy a battery. Now looking for used ones since can't seem to fine a reasonably priced player w/Insignia's features
(key to me are standard mini-USB port (have lots of cables) and a folder browser (put lots of audio books on a player in individual folders, which can then "play all").

Originally Posted by spokker

I consider the NS-DV the greatest MP3 player I ever owned. I'm sure there are better ones out there, but this thing has all the features I could ever want, including bookmarking as I listen to long files (radio shows). Even my $500 goddamn cell phone can't bookmark a track.

Alas, it appears to be dying a slow death. Tracks tend to skip and it's starting to behave erratically at times (not helped by the scroll wheel and play button which are just about to give out).

I have heard of read/write cycles for flash memory, but can we estimate a timeframe for when an MP3 player like this should simply die?

I listen to very large files and transfer just under a gig a week to the device, files which are promptly deleted after I listen to them. The player is on for at least 4-5 hours per day, more if I decide to listen to music. I've also used it while plugged in and connected it to my stereo system just to have music in the background. It gets a lot of heavy use.

My motivation for asking is because I recently left the Best MP3 Player Ever in a classroom accidentally and within an hour it was taken (and not taken to lost and found, unsurprisingly).

So in a way I'm hoping the thing just stops working soon. If someone does try to use it, they would have to buy a new battery anyway. The one that's in there can hardly hold a charge anymore.

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by Mongo

Mine worked perfectly for 3 years until I left it on a plane last week Did buy a battery. Now looking for used ones since can't seem to fine a reasonably priced player w/Insignia's features
(key to me are standard mini-USB port (have lots of cables) and a folder browser (put lots of audio books on a player in individual folders, which can then "play all").

Have you looked at the Clip+? Not sure about te audiobooks "play all", but has mini-usb and folder browse.

Steve