2 quick questions before I buy a j3

[hedcase]

If i buy a 8gb player and chuck a 32gb micro SD card in it, will it act like a 40 gb player? Or does it partition and only play a specific selected hard drive? If I set it to shuffle will it select from both hard drives? Also is it easy to ad tracks via windows media player to both hard drives, can you select them individually?

Cheers

[CrowdAds]

[steinburger1109]

Originally Posted by hedcase

If i buy a 8gb player and chuck a 32gb micro SD card in it, will it act like a 40 gb player? Or does it partition and only play a specific selected hard drive? If I set it to shuffle will it select from both hard drives? Also is it easy to ad tracks via windows media player to both hard drives, can you select them individually?

A quick search turns this up:

Originally Posted by jabrow75

The internal and external memory is integrated into the database or you can browse by folders to see each memory separately.

So yes, it puts it all in one database, and this means you can shuffle it all.

Yes, you can do that with WMP.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by hedcase

If i buy a 8gb player and chuck a 32gb micro SD card in it, will it act like a 40 gb player?

Yes.

Or does it partition and only play a specific selected hard drive?

No. It functions as a 40GB device, although the internal and external storage components are addressable and browseable separately.

If I set it to shuffle will it select from both hard drives?

If you start your music browse/play process by [Folders], then you will in essence be limited to either internal storage or external storage, since [Folders] browse is conceptually like using Windows Explorer on the particular physical internal or external Windows drive letter you've selected. [Folders] is a "physical" browse through your folder/file organization, and is isolated to the internal or external drive you start from at the top.


In contrast, if you start your music browse/play process "logically" rather than "physically", i.e. by using the "tags database" (which is developed by the J3 from ALL SONGS located on BOTH internal and external storage), then you have now have complete access to all music on your J3 no matter whether it's on internal or external storage.

So you'll be able to select music by [Artists], or [Albums], or [Genres], or [Years], of [Songs]. And, if you choose [Songs] that means ALL SONG TITLES (i.e ALL of your music collection, on both internal and external storage) as conveyed by the internal "song/title" tag field in each music file, then the "shuffle" mode now will randomly pick songs from this [Songs] playlist, which essentially means from ALL music on your J3 no matter where it lives.

Note that if your music files do NOT have their tags properly built then this tags-based browsing function is inhibited, and those music files which do not have proper "song/title" tag fields will not even show up in the list of music files corresponding to [Songs].

Again, tags-based browsing is a "logical" browse of all music files anywhere, but based on tag fields and not the physical external folder or file names. But the J3 knows where each of those "logical" songs are physically located, by using its tags database.

Also is it easy to add tracks via windows media player to both hard drives, can you select them individually?

Yes, although many would suggest that there certainly are better program utilities than Windows Media Player to maintain your J3. However certainly WMP can do the job, as can the more fundamental Windows Explorer and other file manager products (e.g. Free Commander, Beyond Compare, etc.).

The J3 is recommended to be set to a USB connection mode of "MSC" (which is the factory default, though you can change it to "MTP" which most J3 users will not recommend for many reasons). In MSC mode, when you plug the USB cable into the PC, Windows will assign two drive letters, one for internal J3 storage and one for external J3 storage.

After that the J3 is simply one (or two) external removable drive(s), with unique drive letter(s). Thus any Windows program that can read/write using drive letters will work 100% successfully with the J3.

NOTE: when running in MSC mode, just like any other removable device that has been assigned Windows drive letters, you must first "safely remove hardware" before unplugging the USB cable, to guarantee that any last remaining data in buffers gets written out to the device before shutting down the connection.


Hope this answers your questions.

The J3 is terrific. It sounds and looks glorious.

Its Jet Effects BBE EQ running "flat/normal" sounds terrific when the J3 is played through your car or home audio system where you have bass/treble etc. tone controls in that secondary system.

Otherwise, if you prefer you can adjust the J3's EQ to your own tastes for your own music, ears, and headphones. It's glorious sounding... especially with FLAC files, or high-quality MP3.

I'd also recommend you investigate the complete set of Kizune-written UCI replacement user interfaces for the J3. They provide considerably enhanced browser and music interfaces, not only looking beautiful but adding significant function and convenience not provided by Cowon.

[Petuh21]

Hello guys. I’m really new to PMP’s and to this forum. I couldn't find a better place for my question. My apologies if I made a mistake.
I’ve just got a Cowon J3 and updated its HW ver. To 2.26, downloaded a couple of MP3 books and tried to listen to them. Perfect. As a result I got a question: How can I use a bookmark to further read from it next time? Sorry I couldn’t figure it out even with help of the manual. I would appreciate if any one guides me. Thank you.

[Petuh21]

Sorry to place one more post. Looking for an answer about the bookmarks on different forums I got across a question how to separate MP3 music and MP3 books. May be I found a solution. I’ve just put the books into “Audible” folder by dragging them, and not syncing through any Media player program. I hope it can be useful to some people. Thank you.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by Petuh21

I’ve just got a Cowon J3 and updated its HW ver. To 2.26, downloaded a couple of MP3 books and tried to listen to them. Perfect. As a result I got a question: How can I use a bookmark to further read from it next time?

Welcome to the J3 club.

Assuming you're still using the stock Cowon Music interface, page 18 of the PDF manual shows how to add a bookmark:



Press the little down-arrow in the center of the blue title bar over the album art. That will reveal a drop-down sub-menu with five icons on it. The leftmost icon is the "+", which allows you to either (a) add the currently playing music file to Favorites (you can have up to 250 files in Favorites), or (b) set a bookmark for where you are in the currently playing file (up to 250 bookmarks can be set).

When you then tap the "+" you'll get another dropdown sub-menu with the two icons for adding to either Favorites or Bookmarks.


Segregating your true music files under \Music from other audio items such as MP3 books under \Audible is for organizational consistency. In fact the J3 will find music files ANYWHERE THEY ARE LOCATED so from the J3's perspective it really makes no difference. Actually, it makes good sense to me to place audio books under \Audible and music files under \Music.

But if putting your MP3 books someplace other than under \Music also prevents them from getting touched by some sync program on your PC and it works for you, then that's an excellent solution.

Again, the J3 will find all MP3 (and other music files) anywhere they're located.

Same with video files. They, too, can be anywhere, under any folder structure or even in the root under no folder... and the J3 will still find them by their filename extension. Putting music, videos, books, text documents, etc., under a folder structure of your own design is simply a freedom that allows you to organize your J3 however you want. The J3 will still find the files themselves, by examining ALL OF STORAGE and looking for file extensions.

[noobkanon]

Originally Posted by DSperber

I'd also recommend you investigate the complete set of Kizune-written UCI replacement user interfaces for the J3. They provide considerably enhanced browser and music interfaces, not only looking beautiful but adding significant function and convenience not provided by Cowon.

So just clarifying after a quick browse of their website if you use the complete uci from kizune does that remove the playlist problems? and the limits?

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by noobkanon

So just clarifying after a quick browse of their website if you use the complete uci from kizune does that remove the playlist problems? and the limits?

Nothing eliminates the formal playlist problems and limitations (i.e. involving M3U and PLA playlists). They are inherent and unavoidable because of the underlying Cowon firmware implementation.

However there is a clever "dynamic playlist" capability from Kizune's Sense (music UCI) and Leaf (browser UCI) that builds on the Cowon Favorites concept. The Cowon firmware allows you to use the "+" button while playing a song or browsing a list, to "add this track to Favorites".

Cowon's Favorites implementation is limited to 250 tracks, but (a) can be added to from music files on either internal or external storage, and (b) can be manually edited. So it's like an on-the-fly built-in special "playlist" that you can add to and delete from as you play music or browse lists of music... but limited to 250 tracks.

Kizune's add-on is to allow you to SAVE the contents of the current Favorites list, in a file you name yourself. You can do this as often as you want, saving each new Favorites list in a new file. You also have editing capability on these previously saved Favorites files.

Then, you can also LOAD the contents of Favorites from any one of these previously saved Favorites files. So the SAVE/LOAD provides kind of a shuttle back and forth between the one "active Favorites list of up to 250 music files" and any of your previously saved "Favorites lists".

==> "Dynamic playlists", which are really user-constructed Favorites lists saved as files and capable of being edited, deleted, re-loaded into Favorites, etc.

Note that these saved "dynamic playlists" are NOT in a form usable on your PC. So you can't edit them through your PC. You can only use the J3 and Kizune's interface to maintain them... i.e. it is a MANUAL PROCESS.

[Petuh21]

Originally Posted by DSperber

Welcome to the J3 club.

Assuming you're still using the stock Cowon Music interface, page 18 of the PDF manual shows how to add a bookmark:



Press the little down-arrow in the center of the blue title bar over the album art. That will reveal a drop-down sub-menu with five icons on it. The leftmost icon is the "+", which allows you to either (a) add the currently playing music file to Favorites (you can have up to 250 files in Favorites), or (b) set a bookmark for where you are in the currently playing file (up to 250 bookmarks can be set).

When you then tap the "+" you'll get another dropdown sub-menu with the two icons for adding to either Favorites or Bookmarks.


Segregating your true music files under \Music from other audio items such as MP3 books under \Audible is for organizational consistency. In fact the J3 will find music files ANYWHERE THEY ARE LOCATED so from the J3's perspective it really makes no difference. Actually, it makes good sense to me to place audio books under \Audible and music files under \Music.

But if putting your MP3 books someplace other than under \Music also prevents them from getting touched by some sync program on your PC and it works for you, then that's an excellent solution.

Again, the J3 will find all MP3 (and other music files) anywhere they're located.

Same with video files. They, too, can be anywhere, under any folder structure or even in the root under no folder... and the J3 will still find them by their filename extension. Putting music, videos, books, text documents, etc., under a folder structure of your own design is simply a freedom that allows you to organize your J3 however you want. The J3 will still find the files themselves, by examining ALL OF STORAGE and looking for file extensions.

Hello DSperber. Thank you very much for clear and perfect explanation how to put a bookmark. Sorry for my omissions in the manual. Still I got some more questions. I’ve put a bookmark on a book I’m reading (listening to), After turning of and then turning on the J3, I can’t figure out how to get to the bookmark to resume playing. I’ll really appreciate some more help. Sorry for the delay with my response, but please keep in mind that I’m new to the forum (for two days almost I couldn’t find neither my post nor the responses) and to the English language also. I’m not a native speaker. All that makes me slow. Thank you very much once more.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by Petuh21

Hello DSperber. Thank you very much for clear and perfect explanation how to put a bookmark. Sorry for my omissions in the manual.

Don't feel bad about not being able to really learn specifics about how to use the J3's interface from the "manual". Even native English speakers find this an awful document that really doesn't provide enough wordage to explain anything.

They obviously expected you to figure everything out through these tiny icons and the few words they have expressed... but mostly, I guess, through trial and error. I personally don't it is really very helpful beyond the basics. Certainly doesn't provide and 2nd-level and 3rd-level information or insights, beyond the basic 1st-level "here's how you do it, or here's how you get started doing it". I'm always more than willing to elaborate in detail (and with pictures if appropriate) when I answer a question, and hope that the additional information and editorializing is informative and useful.

In truth, most of us have learned the real ins-and-outs from forums like this, and asking others questions.

Glad to help out.

Still I got some more questions. I’ve put a bookmark on a book I’m reading (listening to), After turning of and then turning on the J3, I can’t figure out how to get to the bookmark to resume playing. I’ll really appreciate some more help.

Well, again the so-called answer to your question is on that same page 18... item number 2.

If you push the "lines icon" (actually, it's officially named the "browser button") at the left side of the blue title bar you will be presented with one of three lists: (a) current playlist with a title showing how you navigated there, (b) "Music Favorites", or (c) "Music Bookmarks". Whichever one of these three you were at when you pressed a music title to enter the player, that is the presentation you'll see again when you push the browser button.

At the left side of the title bar in each of these three presentation there is another icon/button, just where the browser button was initially on the blue title bar of the music player. If you simply tap whatever button appears on the left side of the title bars for the three presentations named above, you will then cycle through all three in sequence.

As I stated, the first presentation you see will be the last one you were at when you tapped on a music file to begin playing it. So that's where you'll be returned to when you first push the browser button on the left side of the music player title bar. But if you keep pushing the button which appears on the left side of each new title bar for that presentation, you'll just cycle through all three possible presentations... list/browser, Music Favorites, and Music Bookmarks.

If you want to just exit this list/browser mode without choosing a new music file to play, but rather you want to simply return back to the music player to continue on the still currently playing track, just tap on the "X" on the right side of the title bars in each of these three presentations.

Hope this answers your question.

[Petuh21]

Yes it does. Clear, concise, just to the point, and no stones left unturned. A++. Thank you. As using listening to American books as an a way to improve my English was the main purpose for acquiring the J3 and you appeared to be extremely helpful I just wanted to thank you and tell that that is all for now. But as Russian proverb tells: You are back for a lunch where you had a nice breakfast. (My not very good translation.) There is an one question more.
Is there a way to use the J3 for reading also eBooks? The ideal way would be to follow the printed text while listening to the audio. May be it requires some reprogramming and somebody already did it? I feel that I want perhaps too much, but still no harm done to ask. It was a pleasure to meet and Good luck to you. M.

[DSperber]

Originally Posted by Petuh21

There is an one question more.

Is there a way to use the J3 for reading also eBooks? The ideal way would be to follow the printed text while listening to the audio. May be it requires some reprogramming and somebody already did it? I feel that I want perhaps too much, but still no harm done to ask. It was a pleasure to meet and Good luck to you. M.

Well, I'm afraid I've now run out of the ability to answer this question with firsthand knowledge.

The J3 does have the ability to support Lyrics and music (LRC files), so I suppose there is a remote possibility your desire might be possible.

But I'll have to leave it to others with more experience on this subject to [hopefully] help you out. Sorry... I have zero experience with this subject.


Glad to have helped you on the other items, however.

Welcome to the J3 club.

[noobkanon]

thanks dsperber .. i thought that might be the case because it alot of poeple said it was a hard limit however when reading the site i thort they had found a way around it..

the kizune playlist structure now sounds alot like the zunes exept for the limit and the lack of editing on the computer..

hmmm decisions decisions

[Petuh21]

O.K. I really appreciated your help. It was a kind of perfect and pleasurable welcome to the J3 club. Thanks. M.