Sweet - another mp3 player thread

[FatOtt]

I'm thinking about getting a new mp3 player in the 20-40 gb range and I'm curious about one feature that I think I wouldn't be able to live without: an ID3 database. It seems that there are two types of mp3 players in terms of organizing music. One type (e.g., Creative Zen) has a database of ID3 information, so you can sort by song, genre, etc. The other type uses a folder-type structure, so you navigate to songs like you would in Windows. If you want to find Sk8r Boi, you just cruise through Avril Lavigne->Let Go->Sk8r Boi, assuming that's how you set up your folders.

I'm used to the ID3 database setup and I can't imagine having the folder-type player. The biggest problem that I see is when I'm looking for a song that I have on a compilation CD. Say I want to hear Peter Schilling sing "Major Tom (Coming Home)". On my Creative, I can just choose Artist - Peter Schilling. On a folder-type player, I'd have to remember that the song is on a CD called Living in Oblivion The 80's Greatest Hits - Volume 5, which seems pretty unreasonable.

I note that a highly-recommended player **cough**popular among rocket scientists**cough** seems to be organized by folders. That's the one I'd get, but this folder business seems like a deal breaker.

So does anyone have a player that is organized by folders? Is this a big deal?