Cowon A2 (30GB)

Pros: All the features that you want

Cons: Interface not for the easily frustrated

Summary: First off, you CAN purchase this from cowon's website at cowonamerica.com

I'll start with my con. I have no complaints about this awesome PVP, except that if you are easily frustrated trying to get all functions to work, you might become frustrated. The included manual is trite on explaination, but once you see the player in action, nothing matters.

Also mentionable is that I researched over 25+ hours on what type of PVP I wanted, starting at the ipod video (piece of junk), and finally the cowon a2, which is inches from me playing a full length dvd.

Comparable Products:
Archos AV700: too big (7 inch screen!!) bad video quality.
Creative Zen Vision: has a PDA screen on it...meaning that you have to hold one hand away from the other to view it, and forget about showing it to others, the viewing angle is VERY small.
Archos AV500: a good unit, screen smaller than A2, bulky cables to record video.
MobiNote DVX-POD 7010: poor sound quality.
There are more bad things in the forums, so if you are thinking other than the A2 then check them, but I have saved you the hassle, so trust me.


Now for the good stuff:
The screen is a 4 inch diagonal screen, 16:9 ratio, and a TFT. It is bright even in direct sunlight. The buttons are all strongly built, have a durable feel to them. The buttons on the right, below the joystick, are as follow: back, a, b,and c. The a, b, c buttons are different for each section of the unit, and you are told what each one does on the bottom of the screen.
The menu's background is customizable (meaning you can turn any picture into a background). The menu icons have a sort of mac feel, being large and cartoonish.

The unit includes a cd with loaded software that has a video convertor that can easy convert most video formats (i.e. ripped dvds)and put them onto the a2. It also includes a very nice case, that doubles as a good stand. I've found it does a good job at protecting it while it's in my pocket, such as at work. It is also small enough and light enough (to a point) that sometimes I forget it's there.

The A2 is very smartly built on a file system. Basically if you have a movie, you stick it in the movie folder. And when you go to movies in the A2's menu, there are your movies. There are lots of codexes supported for the player, check their website for a list of them. Also it has a USB host abilty so you can sinc your camera up to it and transfer files to the A2 and free up memory card. The pictures viewed on the screen can be set-up as a slideshow, and look very crisp.

Another neat thing it can do is record tv in mpeg4. Unlike the Archos machines, the A2 doesnt require any tv convetor unit, all it needs is a standard 3.5mm to RCA composite video cable. It can also turn itself on when you set an alarm and it will record whatever you hook it up to.
Also it can export to a Tv. Ive tried this with Finding Nemo (720x480) and the quality does a good job on the 50 inch plasma that I tested it on. (Think of digitized vhs)
The sound output is very good too. I love hooking it up to my car stereo and listening to movies through the car speakers. It sounds so nice, it's hard not to want to watch it also while driving, but that's way to dangerous for me.

If you already have converted movies, or know how, this unit is for you. As mentioned above, the screen is BEAUTIFUL!!! I forget that I'm watching it on something so small, because the quality is so great. This unit is great for kids in the back seat, because it is strongly built and even if it's dropped will probably be fine.

Prices: 20GB=$400 30GB=$450

any questions: peauproductions@gmail.com