Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this on 11-5-8.

This is the first time I've ever reviewed anything online and this is my first portable video player. I'd always thought about getting one, but the ones with the features I wanted were way too expensive. If they were going to cost 600-700 to get everything I wanted, I might as well get a mini laptop that had good codec support, full internet browsing, etc. I actually did end up doing that, buying a U810. I got it for 700 and it was very good for "portable" video and connecting to wifi hot spots. Eventually, it wasn't so practical and portable for video purposes. It's slow to load because it's a fully functional pc and most of the time I just wanted to get straight to watching video. Also, weighing over a pound, it gets to the wrist after 20-30 minutes. So, after reading as many previews and reviews I could find, I had some second thoughts, but eventually took the plunge. The main thing that drew me was the fact that you didn't need to convert your video files.

I'll dive right into the cons.

If you love mkv files, do NOT buy this player.
I tested one and it rendered terribly. It plays as advertised, but it just reminded me of VLC mkv rendering. Awful.
Some others just won't play. "Can't play file" is what it said. Perhaps it may have been the encodings, but I still wouldn't recommend it.

Mp4 videos are pretty bad as well. Again, the files play, but lag and frame drops will disappoint you. Also, one didn't even play the video, just the audio.

720p or 1280x720 videos (AVI) also play, but the video lag hurts.

I didn't even touch the earphones they provided. Just an aside, after using Shure e500s and my current ER*4Ps, I have never gone back to regular earphones. I highly recommend doing some research and investing in some quality earphones.

Not much of a con for me, but the video resolution may not be up to par for some of you. It's 480x272. Videos look very nice. Crispness and clarity are subjective anyhow. If you're accustomed to your HD 1080p, it might look a lot worse in comparison. Just something to think about.

Some people may not like the touchscreen as the main user interface.Now, if I haven't scared you off yet, here are the pros.

AVIs around 480p or less, wide or regular, play just fine.
This is the bulk of the video files I have.

Good music support. Lossless fans can play their flac files without worry.
Sound is very good. I'm no audiophile, but I play one in RL. At least, I have better earphones than most people. Music wasn't the main reason to get this thing for me, but I don't have to carry my zen stone around anymore.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the O2 is the recent files folder.
It keeps track of the files you've recently played and includes the percentage progress of the file. Choosing a file from the list jumps back to where you left off in the file. Beautiful.

The mini stand and "stylus" combo is nifty. It's rectangular and folds out with ridges for the O2 to sit on. One of the corners is pointed (with an arrow) and used as the "stylus." Not much of a stand since it's so small, but it's nice if you don't like touching the screen with your finger.List of the other little extras and features:

Document Viewer - TXT files. Other documents need to be converted. Text is clear and readable. I guess it's useful for reviewing some notes and stuff.

Photo Viewer - It's okay. High resolution pictures look quite blurred even with 200% zoom. If you have a need to carry around photos to show people, I guess it's nice.

User Programs - There's a calculator with scientific mode and a notepad to scribble short notes. Multiple notes can be saved. There's supposed to be an SDK, but I cannot find it.

AV OUT - Untested. You need to buy a separately sold cable.

SD Card Slot - Untested. Expand your library of media files.

Built-in Speaker - It's on the back. I guess the reason is to make it as compact as possible with the largest screen. It sounds okay with your hand cupped in the back so it echos back toward you, but the main reason to get this is to listen through headphones/earphones anyway.

Voice Recording - Works. There's a built-in mic. Don't see myself using this much.

Timer - Untested. It apparently sets a timer for a file to play or a recording to start. Don't see myself using this much either.Noteworthy:

I upgraded the firmware immediately after opening and charging it. The current version as of this review is v1.11 and can be downloaded from their website. It's fairly straightforward. JFGI.

Battery life - A good rule of thumb is probably divide the maximum hours it states by 2 to get average usage time. It states 8 hours of video / 18 hours audio on their website. I'd say about 4 hours realistic average video usage. I'd estimate I got about 4 hours of video with lcd brightness set at 3 (MAX is 8). I used the music player in between as well so I can't give an accurate time. If you're likely to watch videos all day, it's probably a good idea to carry around the charger. I believe with my usage I'd need to charge it every other day. Keeping it charged everyday might not be a bad idea. You don't want it to die in the middle of a long train ride. This happened the other day. Once the low battery warning comes up, it shuts off in about a minute. Can't even turn it back on for music.

It actually remembers where I left off even after the battery died. When I turned it on after 4.5 hour charge, as stated, it continued where my video left off.

When going from a video file to music file, it seems to auto-adjust the volume level. It's interesting.

Using the user programs stops the music or video file that was playing.

User interface is pretty good. Can be changed to simplified mode. Only the volume buttons and the power/hold switch are not touchscreen. UI isn't perfect. For example, it sometimes lags a bit when responding to a tap. Not terrible, but it might turn some people off.

USB drive - Drag and drop. Put files in their respective folders.

Most of the files I have are AVI and 480p or less. These require no conversion/transcoding and play fine. For other files, I do not really care for and have not really tested since I do not have many, if any, of the other types, but I'm certain the files listed on their website play. How well they play, well...I've mentioned the main types people use and the resolutions. I'm sure you can imagine how they'll play. If worse comes to worst you just need to convert the file. There are many free programs out there. MediaCoder, for example, is a good one. Also, I have read some reviews with a complaint that it doesn't play DRM files. Why one would subject themselves to that, I do not know. Lastly, the 720p problem is understandable. Even my regular laptop has some lag issues with some 720p files.All in all, the O2 is the type of portable video player I've been waiting for. I can watch more videos quickly and easily. Of course, it's not perfect. It's far from it. But even with its imperfections, I do not regret buying it. It has replaced my zen stone and u810. It boots up in about 10 seconds, so I don't have to wait long to watch a video. It's light, small, and portable, fitting nicely in most pockets. It requires little to no file conversion. It's just a great, decently priced AVI player.

Hopefully, this helps some of you decide whether or not the O2 is for you.

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Product Description:
Cowon continues to master the personal media player with the O2. The player's sleek minimalism marries cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. The O2 is much more than an eye-catching MP3 player--it boasts support for more audio and video codecs than you can count on both hands, a brilliant 4.3-inch touchscreen, image and document viewing, voice recording, and plenty more. The O2 is a compact and versatile media player that'll keep you entertained no matter where, no matter when.

Sleek minimalism marrying cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. Click to enlarge.
Navigate with ease using the 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD. Click to enlarge.
Sample UI screens. Click to enlarge.
Also available in black and pink versions. Click to enlarge.
View a control diagram. Click to enlarge.
A quick glance at the O2 will make you want to pick it up--it's nearly all screen, with its 4.3-inch, 16.7-million color touchscreen TFT LCD. This makes for quality viewing and easy navigation. Surrounding the screen are various input/output options, the volume control, power switch, and speaker on the back.
You'll also notice a slot for SD cards, which lets you expand your 32 GB capacity on the fly. Of course what really counts is what you can pack into all that storage...
Enjoy Video in Nearly Any Popular Format or Codec
Anyone with an extensive collection of digitized audio and video knows that things are far from cut and dried. Depending on sources and preference, you might have a slew of different formats on your hard drive. With a lot of media players, you might spend hours just converting everything to the proper format for playback on your device--more waiting, less watching. Not so with the O2, which boasts native support for AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA(MKV), OGM, MPG/MPEG, DAT, and MTV video formats.
And then, of course, don't forget the compression codecs. Everyone's got their favorite way to squish video down to a size that makes sense for portable players. The O2 can handle DivX 3.11/4/5/6, XviD, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, and MPEG 1 video codecs, along with the following audio codecs for the accompanying soundtrack: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, and PCM. Quite a list, but it's one that any media geek would be happy to hold in his or her hands.
Regardless of file format and codec, you'll enjoy up to 8 hours of continuous video on a single charge. Whether you're on a transatlantic flight, a subway commute, or just hanging out at some coffee shop, you have plenty of video time at your disposal.
Support for Your Digital Music Library
Just as with video, everyone has a unique approach to digitizing their music libraries. Some are happy with low-bitrate MP3s, and others insist on lossless compression formats like FLAC for a higher-quality audio experience. No matter your preference, chances are you'll be covered here as well--the O2 gives you up to 8 hours of continuous audio on one charge, and will play back MP3/2/1, WMA, ASF, AC3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA(MKA), TTA, APE, MPC, WV, and WAV audio files, with full support for the following audio codecs: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, PCM.
Whatever you use to tag your files with artist info will show up on screen as well, with support for various meta tags, from all versions of ID3 to Vorbis comment or APE tag. LDB lyrics files also are supported for the lyrics-obsessed.
Getting the sound you like is no problem either. In addition to a 10-band graphic equalizer, the O2 features four "JetEffect" audio technologies to help you improve your sound:

View Your Photos, Documents, and More
The O2 also happens to be a powerful photo-viewing device, and as with audio and video, it doesn't limit you to just a few formats. Share your favorite JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, and even RAW images on the go, and personalize your device by setting your wallpaper to your favorite JPG, PNG, BMP, or TIF image.
The O2's text viewer lets you view pretty much any text file, and you can add support for all kinds of standard docs, whether it's PDF files or various Microsoft Office formats (DOC, PPT, XLS). And since the product supports true-type fonts, you can adjust the font size, character spacing, color, and properties to your preference.
Microphone In, AV Out
Use the built-in microphone to take voice memos, record lectures or meetings, sing melodies, or whatever tickles your voice-recording fancy.
The composite output (cable sold separately) lets you enjoy your O2 content on most TVs, whether NTSC or PAL video.
What's in the Box
Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (White), Earphones, AC adapter, USB 2.0 Cable, Manual, Stylus/Mini Holder, CD, Quickguide