MP3 players

It's probably time I retired my portable cassette player.

OK, there's all these MP3 players out there. iPod seems to be the biggest player in the market.

What do I need to know about these players? A few things in particular:
How much memory do you need? I see they have the capability to hold over 1000 songs, but is there a way to index them or something?
I see some have/use/accept SD cards. Is that a good thing or indifferent?
Some seem to play movies. Can you actually see a movie on a 1.5" screen?
Do I assume correctly you import the songs via your PC? Do you need to save on the PC or can you just copy from the CD player to the MP3 player? Reformatting required?

What else do I need to know?

I'll tell you what I know. I have an Ipod that does music & still images I use it to play my music while traveling in my truck. I've also used it to show vacation pictures on friends TV sets.

My music files are stored in MP3 format on my computer. I have about 1500 songs, I sort them into playing files eg. Country Western oldies 257 songs, 70s & eighties rock 166 songs, all time favorites 87 songs etc.
I have 8 different files total depending on my listening mood.
All my organizing is done on the computer so it's pretty easy to do.

The photo thing is pretty good I can put an up to 1000 photos in as many files as I chose, plug it into most newer TVs and run a slide show with music if I want it. It's a great way to show photos to friends or family.

I had a thing installed in my truck at a local stereo place for $ 140. The Ipod sits in a holder that furnishes power and sound connections I can control the Ipod with my steering wheel radio controls or the radio buttons.

It's not a necessity by any means but if you're like me and like your own uninterupted music, set up the way you want to hear it, It's a pretty good gadget.

Hope this helps.