Cowon A2 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player | 
 enlarge | Brand: Cowon
Category: CE
List Price: $369.99
Buy Refurbished: $244.99
You Save: $125.00 (34%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 19667
Media: Electronics
Hard Drive Size: 30
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 5.2 x 0.9 x 3.1
MPN: A2-30WH
Model: A2-30WH
UPC: 826487526020
EAN: 0826487526020
ASIN: B000CS1JRS
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Features:
| • | 30 GB multimedia jukebox plays and records music and video; 4-inch widescreen LCD | | • | Compatibility with wide range of audio, video, still image, and text file formats | | • | Record video from camcorder, TV sources; programmable PVR function for television programming | | • | FM tuner with record capability and voice recorder; line-in recording to MP3 | | • | Internal rechargeable battery; compatible with Windows operating systems |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Cowon always tries to forecast and understand what the market and customers want. Cowon believes that the customers should be satisfied with the best-quality products, and this is the key to the company's success that drives creative research and development without failure.PRODUCT FEATURES:4" TFT LCD display (16:9 Wide Vision);DivX networks certified;Direct playback format (DivX, Xvid, WMA 9, MP3, OGG, etc);Video in recording (TV, VTR, DVD);DivX DRM files supported;Powerful BBE sound;Built-in stereo speaker.
Amazon.com Product Description
Satisfy your music and video cravings wherever and whenever with the Cowon A2 portable multimedia player, which features 30 GB of storage and a crisply colorful 4-inch widescreen LCD. In addition to a wide range of audio, video, and still image compatibility, the A2 also offers an FM radio (with record function), voice recording (via built-in microphone), direct line-in audio recording, text reading, and PVR capability to record your favorite TV programs. Attractively sleek with rounded, ergonomic corners, the A2 measures 5.2 x 3.1 x 0.9 inches and weighs just 10.5 ounces.  Slim form factor with rounded, ergonomic corners. |  A 16m color 4-inch TFT-LCD presents high-quality images anywhere, anytime. |  Carrying case for safe transport. | Wide Compatibility
For music files, the A2 can handle MP3, WMA, Egg Vorbis, FLAC (free lossless audio codec), and WAV (which provides the ability to configure the sound with a 5-band equalizer). BBE sound technology is included to aid in restoring the lost harmonics of digital music to its original clear sound. On the video side, it's compatible with AVI, Windows Media, ASF, and MPEG-4 file formats and DivX 3.11/4/5, XviD, and WMV9 video codecs. Movie file formats that are not supported at first try are easily viewable after a simple conversion using the included JetAudio Basic VX software. You can record video directly from external AV devices (TV, VCR, camcorder)--just connect the A2 with included AV cable and start recording. Video will be recorded in MPEG-4 up to a 640 x 480-pixel resolution at 30 frames per second. Recording Capability
The A2 also allows professional-level voice recordings through its built-in high-fidelity microphone and direct encoding through a line-in cable. You can record important lectures or directly transmit sounds from CD players or other audio devices with the line-in cable and save them in your A2 in MP3 (encoded up to 192 Kbps). The FM tuner has 25 station presets, and has immediate and scheduled recording capabilities. Image Viewing, Storage
The 4-inch widescreen displays provides a comfortable view of text files and image files (JPG, PNG, BMP). Images can be viewed in slide show mode or be magnified for detailed view. You can also use the A2 as a USB mass storage device to store and transfer your most important files. Additionally, it offers USB host support, enabling you to connect external devices such as digital cameras or other MP3 players directly to the unit for easy transfer of music, images and other data files without the need for a PC. Additional Details
It connects to PCs using a super-fast USB 2.0 connection and it's compatible with Microsoft Windows 98SE, 2000, Me, and XP operating systems. It is not compatible with secure/DRM WMA content from online stores or subscription services. The A2's ultra power-saving circuitry enables up to 10 hours of video and 18 hours of audio continuous playback with its built-in, fully charged, 4300 mAh lithium-polymer battery. What's in the Box
30 GB Cowon multimedia player, carrying case, strap, earphones, AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable, line-in recording cable, USB host cable, installation CD-ROM, printed operating instructions
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 Cowon A2 October 6, 2008
I waited awhile before posting this review. As my tagline states.. I am very fickle about my tech devices.
[Pro's]
I got the device, configuration was a snap. I got everything on the product list in the box.
What can I say folks.. it works!
[Con's]
1. Features could be more flexible.
2. You can't change the clock from military time to 24h format.. there is simply no option for it on this device or any device in this series. I checked.. no dice!
3. I STRONGLY! suggest that you load your music to the device before!!! trying to use the lyric software (which you have to download separately). then use the program on the device and not your music folder. If you make this mistake the software will destroy whatever lyrics you have in the music files when it inserts the [cowon a2] tag into the lyric header.
4. If you are "not" a video gaming GURU! with lightning fast reflexes and the ability to change the shape of your thumbs at will let alone contort them to bizarre angles.... I highly suggest that you practice using the control toggle. The one thing I recalled from another review was the user claimed the toggle broke after a short while and wouldn't do certain things. I cant say if that was the case with that user, but with me.. that was not the case. The toggle is very sensitive to movement so you have to develop the "right touch" for it. The pause/select feature is very fickle, you have to press straight down with a solid CLICK to make it work... you cant jiggle it in any other direction or it wont work as it should.
5. the carry case has no type of belt clip.. you get a wrist strap... the weight and size of the device and the angle at which it hands make using it very awkward with headphones. I suggest getting a reinforced neck lanyard instead. This will keep it from flopping all over the place. Otherwise it slips nicely into a "standard" back pocket.. I just run the headphone cable underneath my shirt to keep it out of the way. If you need to sit down just slip the device back out of the pocket as it makes sitting tricky.
overall I did get what I paid for.. the device has good sound and great video.. learning the device took minutes.. nothing complex... PLEASE allow the device to charge for the first 15hrs before loading. the company suggests this and I recommend it.
 Don't by Cowon products... September 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been thoroughly disappointed with their products and lack of customer service. They average about 2-3 weeks to return an email for customer service issues. I finally got through to a representative and was advised to send the product back to them, at my own expense and they emailed back about 1 month later stating that there is no problem with the item. When I emailed back with a detailed description of the specific situation I encountered (item stopped powering on or charging through the USB port) they ceased communication. I still haven't heard back from them, but will never buy their products ever again. They are terrible both at manufacturing and caring for their customers.
excellent August 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
i had a creative zen nomad before and that was an excellent player too,but ever since i saw this player 2 years back,ive been wanting it and finally i got one on sale on amazon and i absolutely luv it.all the features are fantastic way better than the ipod or creative vision and ive used both of them,slightly heavier compared to the too but who cares.
pro's:lots f features like tv recording ,av out, larger screen,good battery life etc
con's:slightly bulky,can't create playlists like other players,navigation needs getting used to.
Great player July 22, 2008
I've had this unit almost 3 weeks - it's a great player. It's very easy and quick to move music from my home computer to the player. I hook the unit up to my office stereo, and my car stereo via the auxiliary input. The FLAC file playing capability was a must, and works flawlessly. I didn't even realize when I bought the player that I could record high quality AVIs from an external DVD player, or a digital video camera. And the ability to make MP3 recordings directly thru the built-in mike is very handy.
However, there are a few things that could be better. Although battery life is advertised at 16-18 hours - in use it's more like 10-12hrs. Also, there's no way to save playlists on the Cowon that I can find. If you change the playlist, the old playlist is gone. And I'm already wishing the Cowon had more than 30 GB of storage space.
 Such highs. Such lows. February 20, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'll try to be frugal with my words, since I'm sure that most just want the pros and cons.
Pros:
-Best codec support for portable device.
-Excellent sound quality for portable.
-Excellent display quality.
-Larger HD than most.
-Bundled JetAudio software is robust and great, when it works...
Cons:
-Unit began locking up after only a few weeks, and upon reformatting and sending to Cowon, I was informed that they could not replicate the problem (which was odd, because it would happen several times daily when I listened to FLACs). **I reformatted again, and have had it lock up only twice in the months since.
-Somewhat bulky, but what can one expect, given HD and display size?
-HD is larger than most, but not nearly large enough. Unless I want to upload files 2-5 times per week, I'd prefer a minimum of 250 GB.
-No WiFi.
-Navigation is no picnic. I don't mind the controls too much, but menu navigation is poorly designed, and menus display file names rather than tags, causing files with long names to be truncated in the menu.
-Recent files list is not best method. The player stores a list of your 10 most recent files played, bookmarked at the stop point. What would be better is bookmarking the stop point of every file played.
-Screen is impossible to view in daylight (but I've yet to see one that isn't)
-JetAudio software crashes my PC 25% of the time that I use it (to the point that it requires reboot).
-Line-out A/V quality leaves much to be desired. Using headphone stereo output as line-out to receiver sounds better than the provided A/V output.
|
|
|
