[Petronski]

The fact that the i-pod firmware blocks all other major music websites other than i-tunes also indicates that they are trying to create a monopoly for online music distribution.

Have you had any difficulty loading onto your iPod mp3s that you didn't buy from the iTunes store?

[martin_fierro]

Have you had any difficulty loading onto your iPod mp3s that you didn't buy from the iTunes store?

Nope.

Of the 4,959 songs on mine, exactly 5 were purchased from iTunes.

[CFC__VRWC]

Have you had any difficulty loading onto your iPod mp3s that you didn't buy from the iTunes store?

I had some tracks I had bought from Napster for my old non-iPod player (which croaked after three months, BTW). Napster tracks are in an encrypted WMA format, and the iPod wouldn't convert them. I just burned the tracks to CD and then re-ripped them back into iTunes as AACs (Apple's format). I've had no problems loading non-iTunes mp3 files onto the iPod.

[vidbizz]

Ummm, I thought ipod downloaded in the more compressed mpeg-4 format or at least they did when I helped my nephew download songs onto his a month ago.