Bought my 7 year old son a SanDisk Sansa Fuze MP3 Player
Anyway, enough of the commercial.
Ethan wanted to put some episodes of SpongeBob on his new mp3 player, so I went looking for instructions on how to do that. Turns out adding video to the Fuze is a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. The video has to be in just the right format and the Fuze is not compatible with Amazon Unbox videos or AAC files.
Not one to give up easily, I continued my search – until I found this and this. Media Converter Pro software to remove DRM protection from Amazon or Apple videos and complete instructions on how to convert TV series DVD episodes into XviD files! XviD works on the Fuze (sort of – it’s a format that can be changed into a format that works with the Fuze)!
We have a ton of SpongeBob DVDs – perfect!
First I tried the software – but the trial version only converts a minute of video. But it does work. Then I tried the DVD instructions.
I followed the directions exactly and IT WORKED!!!! I also discovered that the Rhapsody music store (free software – you don’t have to sign up for their service) automatically converts the AVI file to the accepted format when you add it to the Fuze. So, for those of you keeping score at home, the process goes something like this:
1. Rip episode from DVD
2. Convert file formats and import to Rhapsody software
3. Connect Fuze to Rhapsody Music Store
4. Drag video file to Fuze and let Rhapsody do the rest
My baby now has SpongeBob on his Fuze – and Mom is a hero! And the video looks good! Now granted – the screen on the Fuze is only 1.9 inches so there are some limitations, but the video is clear and watchable and the audio is perfectly synched with the video. And it’s all free software – I didn’t have to buy anything. A definite success.
What I haven’t told you yet is this – the whole process took all weekend.
ALL weekend!
But I did it! And next time won’t take all weekend.
It doesn’t stop with SpongeBob, you know. I can now add my Dead Like me episodes to my Fuze and my Northern Exposure episodes too! Maybe some House and Bones too! And Chuck.
Oh man, I’m gonna need more memory cards. LOL
I feel like such a geek – and I love it!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wendy,
I too have a Sansa Mp3 Player. The Sansa Clip 8G, and it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. My only complaint is the lack of an SD card slot, but the thing is so tiny I don’t know where it would go. 8 gigs and a screen on something that’s literally smaller than the palm of my hand is more than enough. The best part is I found it brand new on eBay for 60 bucks. It’s the competitor to the iPod shuffle, which doesn’t come close to comparing to the Clip’s features. Why do people still buy iPods? >:) Whoa, talk about plugging something!
Anyway, good job on getting Spongebob on your son’s Fuze.
Hi Mike! My husband bought me a Sansa Clip for Christmas 2007 and I loved it! It was a 2G and I quickly filled it up, so I opted for the Fuze with the expandable card slot and more internal memory. But you’re right, you can’t beat the Clip. It’s an amazing little player!
Hey Wendy!
Great blog!
I hate to disagree but I LOVE the Ipod. To me its the software and ease of use that makes it my first choice. I got burned once buying a “bargain” mp3 player and will never go cheap again.
Its good to hear you found a good one though!
See you in the forums,
Andy