Since recording isn't important, you should take a look at the
Istation v43. Well, since you considered the a2 expensive...
Prices first
- 20gb Standard: 473,000Won (approx. $ 453US)
- 30gb Standard: 513,000 Won (approx. $ 491US)
- 20GB Power: 538,000 Won (approx. $ 518)
- 30GB Power: 578,000 Won (approx. $ 557)
- 20gb Navi (GPS): 583,000 Won (approx. $ 559US)
- 30gb Navi (GPS): 623,000 Won (approx. $ 597US)
Threads that may be of interest.
v43 ThreadA2, AV 500, v43Another AV500, v43, A2 Thread
I was deciding whether to get an A2 or wait for a v43. I look at it this way. if audio is what you want most from a pmp, get the A2. For video and almost a2 level audio, get the v43. The v43 has a better screen (larger and better quality) and mpeg2 support so you can just rip a dvd and play it. No need to convert and go through all that time consuming junk. Dunno too much about it because it's not out in the us yet. The firmware for a2 is constantly being updated so mpeg support is possible. They did have it in earlier firmwares, but it was buggy and removed as a result.
http://www.iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6148
Anyways, I ended up getting the a2 from zipzoomfly.com because I'll be listening to music 80% of the time. Besides, I have a sony 34" hdtv and fw900 monitor waiting at home that I'd rather spend time watching movies on.
At first, it was whether to get an x5l or an a2. Then it was about pmps.
As for things I dont like. The a2 doesn't currently support flac like the x5 or u3. All my music is in flac/ape/tta so it's a pain decoding. Play back is not gapless which is not all that important to me. No mpeg support at the moment as I've stated. Firmware can help everything. There are more things that bother other people, but those are what bother me the most. I'm happy I purchased it. Read the threads I linked and check those forums. Now I'm just waiting for zcover to start shipping cases for the a2. The removable plastic screen cover that comes with the player has air bubbles. Pretty annoying when watching movies.
The v43 has a touch screen and is open sourced. Pretty cool. Open source is good imo.
Deciding on what to buy is a pain in the ass. Research, research, research. I plan to keep the a2 for 2-3 years which is supposebly about the life of the battery. I believe you can get the battery replaced for $50 through Cowon. The Av500 has a removable battery, but the a2's has longer life.
I have no idea about the neuros. I read something about a new neuros in the making a while ago. Can't remember really. I just found out about it at americantechpushers when I ordered um2's to go with the a2 a few days ago.
To be honest, I'm still thinking about the v53. It looks sexy. Spec wise as well. I'm sure its nice to read comics on. Something I've thought about.
I've tried reading manga on the a2 and it's not too good. Doable, but not worth it to me. Doesn't zoom in far enough. I'll mess around more later. The av500 is suppose to be better in the photo viewing aspect. Photo viewing to me is nice to have, but not something I care about on a pmp. You can listen to music while viewing photos on the v53 unlike the a2. I'm pretty sure the Av500 can't do that either. whatever though. The v53 is expected to cost $560 for the 30gb power model (includes remote + case). The US release is Jan/feb from what I've read on forums. Gotta forget about it. I wouldn't be able to make it worth the money. I'll be listening to music mostly. Watch an an episode of some anime or a movie while waiting somewhere or traveling for looong periods which is not too often. I got the a2 for $409 w/ free 2nd day shipping from zipzzoomfly.com
From what I've read about the gmini500.
"We already carried out two tests of Archos AV500 which in fact is exactly the same product as Gmini500! Except that Gmini500 is available in 40Go and without the function video recording! " +it costs about 10% less.
http://google.com/translate?u=http%3...&hl=en&ie=UTF8
The av500 and a2 have the same screen size. And although the a2 has 16.2 million colors as oppose to archos's 262000, the archos supposebly looks better because the a2 has a hard plastic cover over the lcd screen. I didn't compare them side by side, so I cant say. Just what I read. Might be a good idea look at them both in action to see is an a2 is acceptable to you. Some people are complaining about the a2 having wierd problems with horizontal lines showing up during fast motion scenes. I don't think they're talking about the tearing you'd see on a pc monitor that can be fixed by enabling vertical sync. I haven't been able to notice it, but then again I haven't messed around with it too much. Looks fine to me.
"The interlaced effect is not very noticeable but if you keep the A2 screen very close to your eyes you could see it.
This effect is like many horizontal black lines over the color of the fast moving object."
I guess it's like a combing effect you can see from watching interlaced dvds without properly deinterlacing them. He says if you keep the a2 screen very close to your eyes, you could see it. I'm not going to watch stuff very close to my eyes.
Quote is from Page 3 from the firmware thread on the iaudiophile.com link i posted.
Hope this helps
