Ipod is overpriced for what you get. You should think about what you want to use it for, then search for the player that is best for those features. Last December, I wanted a portable way to display pictures and video of my new puppy. Printing photos were a hassle in bulk. My first impulse was Ipod, seemed to be the most common. For what I wanted, it sucked, tiny screen, poor resolution, software... Bought Creative Labs 4gig Zen, and very happy with my choice. Could be better, but does what I wanted. Don't like having to run the conversion software for every video and photo, but it's quick enough, and automatically transfers when done. Have yet to put a music file on it, so don't know about sound quality. Audio from the videos sound okay, but it's from a digital camera... The screen is 2.5 inches, and true color.