[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loc13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe it's glass. It doesn't scratch easily.

(I just have a few more questions and then I will shut up.)

Along with the screen, how is durability in general for this player/series?

To re-ask ceres' question, how are the transfer speeds on the new players?

Finally, besides price, would there be any reason to get the A818 instead of the A728? Or is there reason to wait longer for something in the future from Sony or another company that is already known about?

 

[Loc13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif (I just have a few more questions and then I will shut up.) Along with the screen, how is durability in general for this player/series? To re-ask ceres' question, how are the transfer speeds on the new players? Finally, besides price, would there be any reason to get the A818 instead of the A728? Or is there reason to wait longer for something in the future from Sony or another company that is already known about?

I only had the A728 for 4 weeks before I returned it, but I think the build quality is very good.

As for the price, i think the A728 is cheaper than the A818 if you use the BestBuy coupon this week. Besides, you get a bigger screen, but bigger form factor also, which can be an issue if you take it to the gym. I personally think the A728 looks more classy.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Edit: I could be wrong about the screen being glass. Just found a new review.

Sony A820 Review

 

[berniebennybernard]

Does anyone know where to get a replacement cable for a 728B? I bought it off a seller and she forgot to pack the cable and meanwhile I wait, I want to be able to use it, lol.

I called the Canadian Sony Store (I'm in CA) and they redirected me to Able Electronics Inc. and it would cost me 50.33 for one. I thought I misheard the rep at first, but nope. Who would buy a USB cable that costs 1/4 the player itself? What?

Is the cable similiar to any other cables used by any other Sony products? I wish they still used the standard USB mini-plug.

 

[moseboy]

The only things I want to make completely sure of before I get one are the durability and the transfer speed (within reason).

Other than that, if no one has found anything wrong with the A720 series, I will probably just go ahead and get the A729 when I find a good deal.

Just a random question, how does the screen look on the A720/A820 (in real life)? Good/bad things? Better/worse than the A810?

 

[berniebennybernard]

Is the A729 out? Can't seem to find anything on this.

 

[mdsjack]

@moseboy: movies look astonishing on the 820. ...such a level of detail!


for the WMPORT cable, look on ebay.


I'd like to know where to find a line-in wmport cable (used by S series I think) to hack it into a line out... I'm afraid they sell it in japan only.... damn...

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdsjack /img/forum/go_quote.gif @moseboy: movies look astonishing on the 820. ...such a level of detail!

I read (in one of the reviews that was posted) that the contrast ratio isn't the best. I assume it's bearable though?

 

[mdsjack]

well, I don't own any players to make a comparison, but of course it's not a 37'' lcd tv (although there is a pretty wide "brightness" range): if you watch movies like Van Helsing, no matter how well encoded they are, you won't see much detail. But I watched "Into The Wild" on it, and it looked great, as well as other action/adventure movies with bright scenes (Rambo and Indy would look great with jungle vivid colors).

Of course I'm speaking of movies watched indoor: don't even try looking at the walkman video playback when you're on the street.


Oh, and don't rely on the screen captures / pictures you find online: when you see it with your eyes it looks thousands times better, of course.

 

[RedSky0]

Zen and D2 both have 16.7M colours, everything else has 262K apparently (may have missed one or two) according anythingbutipod.com Not sure if it'd really matter though.

 

[moseboy]

As far as the screen, I wasn't as worried about the color depth as I was about the contrast ratio. I mean, we're dealing with a 2.4 inch screen with a 320 x 240 resolution: Of course you're not going to get as much detail as a dedicated PMP with a higher resolution screen. But if the Sony is unable to reproduce a dark shade that's at least close to black, I will be quite disappointed.

 

[novasol]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdsjack /img/forum/go_quote.gif @moseboy: movies look astonishing on the 820. ...such a level of detail! for the WMPORT cable, look on ebay. I'd like to know where to find a line-in wmport cable (used by S series I think) to hack it into a line out... I'm afraid they sell it in japan only.... damn...

You mean this, it's easy to find MP3 Players - Digital Music Players - Walkman - Audio Accessories - MP3 Player Accessories - Sony Style Canada

 

[mdsjack]

unfortunately I live in italy... I'm afraid the shipping costs would not justify the deal...

But I found the same cable in a London shop for even less. I'll ask a friend of mine to mail it to me.

Here:
AskDirect: Sony WMC-NWR1

 

[moseboy]

Originally, I hadn't even thought about getting any of the A820 players because I didn't think I'd ever utilize the BlueTooth feature. But the more I hear about what happened to the Samsung YP-P2, the more I'm considering getting the A829. What are the chances that Sony will eventually release a firmware update like the "Blue Wave" update for the P2 that allows for more BlueTooth functionality?

Also, for anyone who has tried both, how does the P2 compare to the A720/A820 in terms of sound quality and as a player overall?

 

[ceres]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Originally, I hadn't even thought about getting any of the A820 players because I didn't think I'd ever utilize the BlueTooth feature. But the more I hear about what happened to the Samsung YP-P2, the more I'm considering getting the A829. What are the chances that Sony will eventually release a firmware update like the "Blue Wave" update for the P2 that allows for more BlueTooth functionality? Also, for anyone who has tried both, how does the P2 compare to the A720/A820 in terms of sound quality and as a player overall?

Probably ZERO chance of new features via update.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceres /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably ZERO chance of new features via update.

Damn....