I posted this question here because it seems to be the closest fit. I have a couple of needs and I am looking at the best way to have them met without becoming a techno-junkie, having to take care of 2 or 3 gadgets to get my geek-fix. I want some kind of personal size video player with a decent (at least 4 hours) battery life. The other option is a player that has standard AA cells that can easily be replaced. I also need to get something that will make pretty good recordings of lectures and sermons.

Am I likely to find an MP4 player that will make good, clear recordings? I know that "good" is really relative, especially on this page Would I be better off getting a digital voice recorder?

Are there external batteries for these devices?