Customer Reviews:
 AVI files June 25, 2006
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I just wanted to point out to the guy that gave the PMP a bad review because he couldn't get an AVI file to play that AVI files CAN IN FACT BE ONE OF MANY DIFFERENT FORMATS. So unless a video player actually supports all the formats, you'll run into this with any player. And unless the company pays licensing fees for certain formats, the support will be shoddy.
At least iRiver products don't artificially restrict your freedom to use different formats by only allowing you to play wmas and mp3s. There are other formats out there that are free that manufacturers avoid due to the pressure to implement DRM as a means to restrict your experience as an end user.
Basically, if you use a Windows-based product you're supporting a group of people who actively work to take away our digital rights. Which, hey, I've done it too. I forgive you.
 Faulty Faulty Faulty! May 11, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was given this as a gift for Christmas and just over 3 months after I recieved it, I put it on charge for a night, and came back to it and the screen had a dead spot in it. The next time I put it on charge, it completely messed up the whole screen to where now nothing is visible anymore. And the player only has a 90 day warranty, and when I tried to contact Iriver about the problem, I recieved no response. You will probable be better off buying an Ipod that plays both mp3s and videos instead of this product.
People who don't like it don't know how to use it. March 11, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Most of the people who don't like are the people who don't know how to record the radio or how to put movies on it.It's a good product that is very organized with a big screen compared to ipod video, and is only about $200 used. So if I were you I'd buy it.
 From the moment I took it out the box to the moment I sent it back November 14, 2005
12 out of 25 found this review helpful
I ordered it so it came before my holiday, to do something for the long journeys.
It arrived a few days before and I opened up the box. First observation, its f***ing massive!
But I decided to be optimistic, as it just about fitted into my pocket.
I plugged it into the computer and turned it on. I soon realised I had brought a computer rather than an MP3/4 player.
However, I figured that I might fall in love with it still, and shoved some songs on.
There is no way to effectivley group them by album (the device doesnt do this itself), but only by artist. To do this you must put them in folders of the artist name, and subfolders for the album name.
I shoved all my 1,500 songs from itunes on and took a scan round. I couldnt find The Distillers, and realised that I should be looking under T and not D.
This is because it arranges them strictly by alphabetical order, as it is a computer, not an mp3 player.
But I figured I could live with this. Then I decided to open the folder. I assumed it would be instantaneous, but it took a good 5-10 seconds to open an artist folder!
This is no music player, its a crap computer!
But I decided to shove some films on to see what it was like.
I downloaded an avi film and tried to put it on. There was a file error. I went to the help on the website and it said some AVI files are not equal to others.
Bloody hell... better get out the software that came with it.
Wait, I can't install it because the serial code doesnt work.
I managed to get another off the internet, and eventually shoved on a film that worked.
But guess what... the sound was out of time to the picture.
I sent it back.
Mediocre October 24, 2005
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
It does what it says it will do. However, the player has enormous trouble with Xvid, regardless of settings. Plan on only encoding in Divx. With Divx, it can handle 1500kbps, 640x480@30fps and lots of B-frames. It also must have CBR-MP3 to play the video in sync, so if you have VBR with anything, you must encode it over to CBR. The screen isn't particularly detailed because the pixel size is so large. With video, you are limited to 192kbps for audio; anything higher will cause a desync.
It also tends to hang while playing a "non-standard" movie (such as VBR-MP3 or Xvid). You will have to remove the battery to reset the machine and allow for control response again. This problem is alleviated by making absolutely sure you're using Divx and CBR-MP3. On top of that, you lose the ability to fast-forward/rewind through movies above ~650MB. If you have a 1.3GB movie, you'll need to break that up into smaller chunks if you plan on being able to fast-forward through it. It'll play the larger file, and it'll even continue the movie at the stop point, but you will not be able to fast-forward.
Doesn't play Vorbis/FLAC/ACC/AC3 audio, but it will handle VBR-MP3 just fine. The playlists are fairly standard, and the player will let you make your own playlists. The radio uses the headphone cord for it's antenna, and it does a good job with gain. Radio reception is good. There is a built-in microphone for recording audio to MP3, but you cannot record from the radio.
The player comes with iRiver's own little converter, and it's extraordinarly poor. They have pre-selected options, and it is adjusted for encoding speed, not quality. Plus it will crash if you have various codecs on your machine.
You spend more than what you get. There are superior products available for less money. 2 stars because of the price, 3 stars for the machine itself.
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