Sony 8 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player (Black) by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony 8 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player (Black)
Digital camera Review: Problems with photos
Summary: 3 Stars
I have and love the 4GB unit. I run out of space and got an 8 GB unit. Mp3 and videos work as good as the 4GB, but when I loaded my photos I was completely disappointed. Colors are just not right, and pixelation shows in High res images (the same files display great in the 4GB unit). It looks like the JPG engine was changed.
One more suggestion for dear Sony, how about a Micro SD slot?
Digital camera Review: Sony 8 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player
Summary: 5 Stars
Ignore the color factor - this is a great unit. 8GB is much better than the 4GB as it hold significantly more data. Easy to use, load, edit and change content from your computer using MS Media Player or the Sony software.Digital camera Review: Sony NWZ-A728 Comprehensive / Usage Review
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to try to make this review as comprehensive as I can.
I've owned this Sony NWZ-A728BLK MP3 player for about 10 days now and have tweaked around with it as much as I can. However, I did not like the included media manager software and won't be discussing that part of the package.
In short, the main reason why anyone would consider this player over other competitors is simple--sound quality.
Pros:
Excellent battery life
Excellent sound quality
Very crisp 2.4 inch screen
Pretty good video playback
Plug and play recognition
Organizes music files based on ID3 tags as well as file name
Cons:
Charges only through the included USB cable
No FM radio, voice recorder, or other extra functions
No playlist creation on the MP3 player itself (has to be done on the computer)
Sound quality:
Compared to the Sansa and Ipod players, this thing blows them away due to its crisp sound quality. Playing the same track on each one, I was able to hear background instruments and melodies that were inaudible on the other MP3 players! This is particularly useful when listening to orchestrated music tracks or any other tracks with a wide array of instruments playing at the same time.
The 5 band equalizer also includes a "clear bass" column that you can adjust, which really helps to bring out the low bass sounds. There are a few preset equalizer configurations as well as two custom ones. (Mine is set to a V formation across the 5 band with bass up to +2, try it =P).
The VPT Simulated Surround feature is amazing and offers 6 different surround sound environments for the user's taste. (Matrix is my favorite followed by Studio and Live whenever I feel like listening to my songs in that kind of setting).
The other sound options, DSEE and Clear Studio are mentioned in the item description above.
The included Sony EX earphones are great looking and quite durable. You get small, medium, and large changeable silicon rubber earbuds in the package. I even accidently yanked the earphones out of my ears while doing some punching exercises only to find it undamaged.
Video:
To get video playback on MP4, you must find a video converter with customizable conversion settings. Simply getting a PSP converter won't work due to differences in the required resolution. I have converted 4 files so far without fail by following these conversion specs:
Video Codec: mpeg4
Video encoder: H.264 / AVC
Video Size: 320 x 240
Video bitrate: 1000
Audio Bitrate: anywhere from 128 to 320
Audio encoder: AAC
Audio channels: 2 (stereo)
Hopefully everyone else will be as successful in their attempts to get their video files to play on the MP3 player.
The video files play beautifully once you get them in with the right format and can be viewed vertically or horizontally left as well as horizontally right (basically means from every side except upside-down from the top). The only downside with the video playback is that you can't tweak the sound quality like you can with music playback.
File transfer and organization:
This player is automatically detected on the computer and works just like a flash drive. You can click and drag files into either the "MUSIC," "PICTURE," or "VIDEO" folder. You can also store your music into organized folders that you make yourself (basically a folder hierarchy that goes down all the way to the 8th folder in a folder according to the manual). This also allows files to be played according to the folder it's in if that's your desire. You can also create new folders outside of the MUSIC and VIDEO folders to carry other bits of data such as text or PDF documents (flash drive-like function).
Once everything is loaded onto the MP3 player, you'll be able to browse through your songs via the first character of the file name itself (including 0-9) or the folder name that contains the file. This means messy and old mp3 files will still be manageable when mixed in with new mp3 files that contain ID3 tags! It's essentially up to your preference on how you want to organize your collection.
Battery life:
Sony claims this MP3 player can do 36 hours of music, but the problem with that claim is in the details. The player does get 36 hours when playing 128 kbps files with all the sound features turned off and the equalizer set to all zeros. But why anyone would plan to do that is beyond me... You paid for the advanced sound features so you might as well use it! I got roughly over 20-some hours with all the features turned on and constant fidgeting with the options as well as some video playback. (This is a very rough estimate. If I have time to track the playback time with all sound functions on, I'll update that number). Overall, I'm still impressed with the longevity of the product's battery life.
To extend the running time of the battery (aside from the sound features), you can turn:
-turn down the screen brightness
-set the screensaver timing to "15 sec"
-set the screensaver to "blank"
-set New Song Pop Up to "deactivate"
This configuration will prevent your player from needlessly turning on its screen while playing music (which it does every 15 seconds by default).
Other accessories:
Accessories for this MP3 player are few, far, and expensive. The only one I bought was the silicon case, CKM-NWZA820. This thing comes with a screen protector as well as the silicon case. For anyone who has a problem with the ease in which the "hold" button slides, this might help. (This has never been a problem for me though).
Conclusion: This is a great MP3 video player that does what it's supposed to do very well.
Update: With all sound features turned on, including equalizer and VPT surround, I got around 20 to 21 hours of playback (tracks ranged from 128 to 320 kbps).
Digital camera Review: Too Expensive for what you get !!
Summary: 2 Stars
CONS-
1.....while plugged into computer and charging...it automatically starts deleting songs sometimes !!! Lost 300 songs this way ! Almost flushed it down the toilet that day!! Purchased sansa because of this!
2.....no radio
3.....unable to organize songs or delete them from player , must go onto windows media to delete (can be a pain).
4....no real off switch, turns on easily and runs down battery
5. belt clip sucks, falls off once in a while and I use it at gym...I hate arm bands while doing weights! duh!
Could have had a sansa for much less that had more options !
PRO-
good screen, easy access to specific songs, sounds good, scratching doesn't seem to be an issue, thin..but a bit long for the gym
Digital camera Review: Top Notch Sound and Video!
Summary: 5 Stars
Honestly, as my first MP3 player, this Walkman 8GB impressed the heck out of me. I actually went to the store looking for the older model (600 series) but found this instead. The price was decent for the features, and when I loaded up a few of my favorite songs, the sound quality blew me away. The EQ bands are great, and being able to adjust the ambient sound and other features (like fixed volume) made this even sweeter. Then I downloaded about 50 photos into it, and suddenly I had a great pocket photo album! Video is smooth and clear, too.
But the feature I found best is the ease of use of the controls. The 4-way toggle ring with Enter/Play in the middle has a firm mechanical feel, so I truly know if I've selected something. (The funky rotating wheels on other brands of MP3 players still don't impress me as a sensible way to select things.) The download and sync times are quick, and with Media Player they are relatively painless, too. Also, the included earbuds have great bass response in conjunction with this player.
Two minor quibbles: The included Sony Media Manager is lame. Ignore it and use your favorite media player to sync. Second, there are precious few accessories available, and they are NOT to be found at your local electronics store. Apparently the Zune/iPod monopoly precludes anyone carrying anything but their approved accessories. BTW, there is a nice leather case with a snap clip available through Sony, but it is a bit pricey. A belt-looped case would be nicer.
Also, recharge time is good: 1-2 hours over the USB2 connection. And I recently played this thing for 18 hours (9 hours each on 2 successive days), and the battery meter indicated half a charge still left. Follow Sony's FAQ advice on prolonging battery life, and you could easily beat the 30-hour rating on this thing.
Most wanted feature: Sorting songs by Title within a playlist. Are you listening, Sony?
NOTE: The picture shown on this page as of May 17, 2008, does not show the actual screen of NWZ-A728. The picture shown here is for the NWZ-A828 that supports Bluetooth headphones, which this one does not do natively. (A Bluetooth adapter and headphones are available for the 728.) However, this model does have built-in support for Rhapsody channels and downloads -- for those who care about such things.
EDIT 7-18-08: The picture issue has been fixed. Thanks, Amazon.
EDIT 7-18-08: I recently accidentally left my Walkman on for 26 hours straight with the Clock screensaver on. The sound started to fade at 26.5 hours. Awesome battery life!