Ninio Compacto 2gb Digital Mp3/mp4 Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok...I'm a gadget freak.I loved the thought of the ipod, especially the nano but disliked the proprietary nature.I decided on this Korean "nano knock-off" for seventy bucks.
I received it in about four days.It was well packaged and looked just like the photos on line.
At first, I was a little confused with the navigation of the thing and the poorly interpreted manual is totally useless.
After a bit of patient exploration, I found the unit easy to operate.
I hooked up the USB and dragged a few tunes into it.Some WMA, some MP3, which I hate for quality reasons, and some Ogg Vorbis files.Now, be advised, the unit didn't claim to play Ogg files so I didn't expect it to do so, but guess what?....I does!
If you have not used Ogg, I highly suggest it.The files are very small and blow the doors off MP3.
Next, I loaded the included video conversion utility....crossing my fingers that this cheap little Korean wonder would actually play video.The included software loaded smoothly and found it very easy to use.I already own a Cowon A2 (check one out at cowonamerica.com) and use it to record direct from dvd, tv, vhs, etc.I had backup files of my Cowon movies on my PC (in WMV format) and dragged one feature length movie into the coversion software window.Then hit the "convert" button and waited.The rendering took about twenty minutes for the two hour film but the software ran rock-solid.
I then took the tiny (18MB) file of the converted video and dumped it into the Ninio, exited and prompted to disconect the USB.
I turned on the player and accessed the Video section and found my flick, hit Play and voila!....There was my whole movie playing on a device the size of a graham cracker!!!Amazing to think that the next time I am stuck at work waiting for a rehersal to get started (I am a sound engineer) I can watch some Forensic Files (or what have you) and not die of boredom!
The video is clean for the fairly low frame-rate (12-15fps) but the software has a feature which adds a still frame when there is none, so the result is pretty stable and jitter free.The audio was clean and no artifacts.The unit allows you to fast-forward and rewind also!You do have to pause the movie to adjust its' volume but that's no big deal considering how cool it is to watch a movie from the palm of your hand!
Now...I have only converted and loaded vids that were WMV so others may have less exciting results.
I also loaded some jpeg pictures and text into the unit which both worked well.
The included FM radio feature is nice with great reception and even a record feature!The voice recorder is as good as most dedicated voice recorders on the market too.
I have only owned the device for two days so I can't really comment on battery life although it seems reasonable.
The unit is well made for the price.The manufacturing tolerances are not nearly as high as a real ipod nano, but then again you can't watch a feature length film on the nano either!
The included ear-buds suck and to add to the "suck factor" the output jack is 3/32" too!I bought some connectors today to make an adapter so I can use my Sony's.
Some people may complain about the audio output at only about 15mw too, but a better set of buds make a world of difference!
Last word to the wise.....If you have marveled at the ipod nano...save your money and buy this!I am a discerning listener and viewer and not one of those "pod-heads" that cram thousands of songs they don't know or like on their devices for the hell of it.I put what I like and will use on the unit...after all, these things are supposed to be an escape from the world into a world of your choosing.Hope this helps.

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