The Insignia Pilot knows what it's doing as far as ease of use is concerned--the main menu is icon-driven and music is organized into the typical Creative step-down structure (artist, album, genre, playlist, and so on)--but the interface isn't particularly exciting. You can change the wallpaper color, but that's about it: no themes and no setting your own images as a background. The playback screen displays album art, at least, along with a plethora of information on the currently playing and upcoming songs. And you have the option to switch between screens to view larger album art or, in some cases, a short artist blurb. Another nice--if unusual--touch is the star toggle on the top edge of the player. Flick it in to the left to take away stars, to the right to add stars, or push it straight down to access a contextual menu for changing playback settings or for placing bookmarks.
Doubtless, a big draw of the Insignia Pilot is the breadth of the player's features--it's almost insane. The device supports JPEG photos, MPEG-4 and WMV videos, and an outstanding number of audio formats: MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, WMA DRM, WMA Pro, OGG, WAV, and Audible. There's even Rhapsody DNA integration, so you can transfer Channels (basically, Internet radio) to the player for on-the-go access. And if you get sick of digital, you can switch over to the FM radio, which offers autoscan and up to 20 presets. There's also recording for voice and FM (both in WAV) along with line-in (saved as WMA). Last but certainly not least, is the Pilot's built-in stereo Bluetooth functionality, which allows it to stream audio to Bluetooth headphones--definitely a nice touch for wire haters.
Unfortunately, the Pilot isn't all that impressive when it comes to sound quality. Overall, the player sounds OK, but audio enthusiasts will find that music is lacking across ranges. Even with the Shure SE310, bass is not thumping and the mids seem deficient and don't come across as warm or buttery as we would like. High-end clarity and detail is decent, but sound doesn't sparkle. Video quality is similarly mediocre. Color saturation is good, and there is some noticeable pixelation during video playback, though it's not too distracting for short clips. On the plus side, photos look pretty good, and the rated battery life of 25 hours for audio is plenty decent. CNET Labs was able to get a more than respectable 24 hours of battery life out of the player (which is rated for 25 hours).
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