Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

by Cowon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.8 x 6.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001ISK6HK
• Item model number: O2-32BL
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Cowon continues to master the personal media player with the O2. The player's sleek minimalism marries cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. The O2 is much more than an eye-catching MP3 player--it boasts support for more audio and video codecs than you can count on both hands, a brilliant 4.3-inch touchscreen, image and document viewing, voice recording, and plenty more. The O2 is a compact and versatile media player that'll keep you entertained no matter where, no matter when.

Sleek minimalism marrying cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. Click to enlarge.

Navigate with ease using the 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD. Click to enlarge.

Sample UI screens. Click to enlarge.

Also available in white and pink versions. Click to enlarge.

View a control diagram. Click to enlarge.

A quick glance at the O2 will make you want to pick it up--it's nearly all screen, with its 4.3-inch, 16.7-million color touchscreen TFT LCD. This makes for quality viewing and easy navigation. Surrounding the screen are various input/output options, the volume control, power switch, and speaker on the back.

You'll also notice a slot for SD cards, which lets you expand your 32 GB capacity on the fly. Of course what really counts is what you can pack into all that storage...

Enjoy Video in Nearly Any Popular Format or Codec
Anyone with an extensive collection of digitized audio and video knows that things are far from cut and dried. Depending on sources and preference, you might have a slew of different formats on your hard drive. With a lot of media players, you might spend hours just converting everything to the proper format for playback on your device--more waiting, less watching. Not so with the O2, which boasts native support for AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA(MKV), OGM, MPG/MPEG, DAT, and MTV video formats.

And then, of course, don't forget the compression codecs. Everyone's got their favorite way to squish video down to a size that makes sense for portable players. The O2 can handle DivX 3.11/4/5/6, XviD, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, and MPEG 1 video codecs, along with the following audio codecs for the accompanying soundtrack: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, and PCM. Quite a list, but it's one that any media geek would be happy to hold in his or her hands.

Regardless of file format and codec, you'll enjoy up to 8 hours of continuous video on a single charge. Whether you're on a transatlantic flight, a subway commute, or just hanging out at some coffee shop, you have plenty of video time at your disposal.

Support for Your Digital Music Library
Just as with video, everyone has a unique approach to digitizing their music libraries. Some are happy with low-bitrate MP3s, and others insist on lossless compression formats like FLAC for a higher-quality audio experience. No matter your preference, chances are you'll be covered here as well--the O2 gives you up to 8 hours of continuous audio on one charge, and will play back MP3/2/1, WMA, ASF, AC3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA(MKA), TTA, APE, MPC, WV, and WAV audio files, with full support for the following audio codecs: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, PCM.

Whatever you use to tag your files with artist info will show up on screen as well, with support for various meta tags, from all versions of ID3 to Vorbis comment or APE tag. LDB lyrics files also are supported for the lyrics-obsessed.

Getting the sound you like is no problem either. In addition to a 10-band graphic equalizer, the O2 features four "JetEffect" audio technologies to help you improve your sound:

• BBE is a sound effect that refines the sound quality.
• Mach3Bass provides deeper, tighter, and more musically accurate bass frequency.
• MP Enhance restores and enhances the harmonics lost through compression.
• 3D Surround provides the three-dimensional surround sound effect.

View Your Photos, Documents, and More
The O2 also happens to be a powerful photo-viewing device, and as with audio and video, it doesn't limit you to just a few formats. Share your favorite JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, and even RAW images on the go, and personalize your device by setting your wallpaper to your favorite JPG, PNG, BMP, or TIF image.

The O2's text viewer lets you view pretty much any text file, and you can add support for all kinds of standard docs, whether it's PDF files or various Microsoft Office formats (DOC, PPT, XLS). And since the product supports true-type fonts, you can adjust the font size, character spacing, color, and properties to your preference.

Microphone In, AV Out
Use the built-in microphone to take voice memos, record lectures or meetings, sing melodies, or whatever tickles your voice-recording fancy.

The composite output (cable sold separately) lets you enjoy your O2 content on most TVs, whether NTSC or PAL video.

What's in the Box
Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black), Earphones, AC adapter, USB 2.0 Cable, Manual, Stylus/Mini Holder, CD, Quickguide

Product Description

4.3-Inch Wide LCD, 16 million color, res. 480x272, ultra portable; Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music; Touch sensitive interface; Voice recorder with internal microphone, built-in stereo speakers, and TV-out supporting composite connections; Maximum 8 hours of video playback and maximum 18 hours of audio playback.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not excellent PMP from Cowon, December 24, 2008

By 

Nathan Beauchamp "ConsumerAdvocate" (Oak Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) (Electronics)

I've always been a fan of Cowon. I think they typically make great mp3 and video players, and their D2 is my favorite mp3 player of all time. When the O2 was announced, I knew I would be buying one. Overall I'm satisfied with the O2, but there are a few rather glaring problems with the player that cannot be ignored.

Cowon has always been better at making hardware than writing firmware to support it, and this trend continues with the O2. Things that should be there aren't, and things that should work better don't. There is a lot to love about the O2 anyway, but it just feels like Cowon keeps just missing. I'm still waiting for that perfect PMP that I know they're more than capable of producing. I'm hoping that as the firmware matures for the O2 that they fix some of the problems and make this a good PMP into a great one.

Before addressing what makes this player good but frustratingly imperfect, here are a few technical details from my experience using the O2:

File upload speed: internal memory, using provided USB cable plugged directly into the computer (no hub) is about 6.5 - 7.4mb/second. I tried large batches of files (3-4gb) and small batches (200mb - 500mb) and they all uploaded at approximately the same speed. Single large files like movies upload slight faster, in the 7.5-8mb/second.

Firmware updates have been made much easier than in previous Cowon players. No more Copy file, reboot device, copy in 2nd file, reboot device, etc... The firmware can be updated with a single collection of files uploaded to the main directory. Reboot the O2, the system loads the new firmware and you're done. Updating from 1.9A (preloaded when received from Amazon) to 1.4b took about 20 seconds tops. This is a great improvement from the D2.

A strange difference between the O2 and the D2 is that when connecting to the computer via USB, you can only access the internal or external memory at one time. When you plug in, the O2 will give the option of selecting internal or external. This is different from the D2. The major disadvantage to the only being able to access internal or external in isolation is that you cannot transfer files from one directory to the other.

Now lets get on with the good:

1. 32gb of flash memory (about 29gb accessible).

2. Support of many audio and video codecs, including FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) which is what I use for all my music files.

3. Slick, sexy design. Understated cool. The O2 feels solid in your hand and is just quality all the way around. Has a very thin bezel. Almost the entire device is touch screen.

4. Expandable via SD or SDHC card. I've got a 16gb SDHC card combined with the onboard memory for an outstanding 48gb of flash (about 44 accessible). The SDHC card slot is PERFECT for a PMP because you can add movies to an SDHC card and swamp them in and out as needed. This is especially nice if you're taking a trip and want to have a good number of movies available.

5. Great resolution and very pretty screen. Movies look nice on the O2.

6. Very fast boot up. My O2 starts in about 8-9 seconds, which is 3 times as fast as my D2. That is an excellent improvement.

7. Simple, intuitive GUI (Graphic User Interface). The O2 uses icons sort of like what you would find on a smart phone to navigate through menus, select media files and play them. There O2 also allows multitasking; you can simultaneously listen to music while using the notepad for example.

8. 10 band EQ. This is simply fantastic, and easily the best EQ I've ever had in a PMP. You can adjust to your hearts content and make your music sound the way it should. I love this feature!

There are some real problems with the O2 however, a few of which are beyond silly in a PMP of this caliber.

1. No support for meta tags. Seriously Cowon, what were your designers smoking when you decided to leave out support for tags? Especially since Cowon has offered support for them in every other PMP they've put on the market! The D2 supports tags (albeit after several rounds of firmware to get it to do it correctly) so why the heck doesn't the O2? Because my media files are all tagged perfectly (download mp3tag if you need a great tag editor) and also organized very logically in files, this doesn't affect me that much, but it could be devastating for someone who keeps their files all in one big mix and relies on meta tag information to keep them sorted.

2. No support for DRM files. While I don't personally own any, this is a bit of a travesty considering how many people have extensive libraries of DRM files.

3. No FM receiver. The D2 has it, and the O2 should as well.

4. Finicky GUI in certain situations. I have larger fingers and find touch screens to be a pain. The O2 is no exception. The size of the some of the menus, and especially those in the audio and video playing area, are small and hard to access.

5. Firmware bugs. Even the most recently released firmware has bugs. Check out the official O2 forum (google search iaudiophile) for details. Since Cowon changes firmware for their players like most people change socks, it would be pointless to point out the current bugs. As time goes by, they will evolve. Fortunately, Cowon also has a history of steadily improving their firmware, so if you have a bug now, chances are it will be fixed in the future.

6. Flap that covers the SDHC card slot and USB access is connected by two flexible plastic bands. I hate when phone makers do this (Razr2) and its even worse on a media player. They always wear out, especially since they have to be used ALL THE TIME when charging the device, and once they break off they are impossible to repair. They should use steel bands (or anything other than plastic!) to make sure these covers don't wear out!

Conclusions:

The number of files supported, over all excellent GUI, sexy design, and high quality audiphile touches like the 10 band EQ make the O2 a great PMP option. Sadly, it isn't perfect, and while firmware updates may improve it, they can't add an FM receiver nor replace the plastic bands that hold on the SDHC card slot cover. If they manage to fix my other complaints and provide support for meta tags, tweak the GUI, and add support for DRM files, the O2 would be unchallengeable as the best PMP on the market. Here's hoping that happens.

Additional thoughts:

I've added a few photos to the Amazon page. One is a size comparison to several other PMPs (Ipod 4th generation, Cowon D2, Iriver Clix), on of the included accessories, and the last a picture of the SDHC and USB port and its cover.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent player, December 17, 2008

By 

DragonEar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) (Electronics)

The good
===========
- The large display is lovely - watching movies is sheer pleasure.
- Awesome sound for music files + plenty of options (via EQ, BBE, 3DS, MPE etc.) for enhancing/fine-tuning the sound. Very pleased with this.
- I've only used the .avi files (typical of whats available on internet :) - all played smoothly regardless of size. No problem with .srt subtitle files either - works fine.
- The touch screen works perfectly with the provided stubby stylus which dangles from the player (instead of having its own housing). So no chance of losing it and always available (instead of the usual stick-thin stylus typically provided with PMPs which you need to push-in/take-out from the housing everytime you want to use it). Simple & effective.
- I can use it as a simple external storage for my misc files - no issues. My 16GB Transcend SD card works fine with this so I've effectively 48GB of storage.
- It has crashed only once since I've purchased. I'm ok with that level of stability.

The bad:
===========
- No dedicated pause/continue button - so if you need to pickup an incoming call quickly, its not so quick :)
- Hardly any options to customize the fonts/screen etc. Since this is a new model, I don't think there are many downloadable themes, if any.
- The onscreen fonts are quite big and not anti-aliased plus no way to change them. This may not be much but once you've seen lovely fonts on ipod nano's tiny display, you pity that this gorgeous display is being wasted.
- No way to change/add/remove icons from the main menu. You are stuck with what you are provided.
- The display is excellent but a bit reflective so usability goes down the hill outdoors or when the light source is facing the display.
- Using the touch screen with fingers is a hit & miss affair unless you have really thin fingers. Better stick(!) to the stylus provided.
- No ID3 tag based searching for MP3. I would take this for granted in a modern PMP - too bad for O2. I don't use playlists so don't care about the missing capability to handle .m3u etc.
- The audio settings like BBE, 3D Surround etc. do not apply to the audio when you play Movies! What could possibly stop them from providing the same audio customizations for Movies?

I've not explored this with a variety of audio/video file formats so cannot comment on compatibility but the list of supported formats is pretty long so shouldn't be an issue.

The Ugly
===========
Nothing :)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very close to getting everything I need right, but there are some problems, November 16, 2008

By 

C. Smith (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) (Electronics)

This player caught my interest about a month ago and I had been waiting for it to be available ever since. Overall I really like it, it feels well made and the price for what you get is hard to complain about. The ability to connect to a computer and transfer anything to it, even use it as a removable hard drive, is something I wanted and this does that happily.

For video playback it will play almost anything I want to throw at it, but not everything. Support for all the videos it says it supports can be a bit hit or miss with some MKV and H264 files but almost everything else has worked with it so regardless of the limitations it still makes playing videos less of a hassle than other players I've used.

Video quality is pretty good too, I don't feel there is much of a need for a higher resolution on a screen this size for something I am taking on the go. Brightness and motion are good so as long as it has no trouble handling the encoding of the video it will play back with beautiful smoothness.

For playing back audio files I've found the sound quality to be fantastic for a portable device. Something Cowon is generally known for anyway. One downside is that it lacks any sort of library management system based on ID3 tag data like genre, artist etc. That's no big deal, I tend to listen by the album so I'll pull things in to it to play and load up an album. That still presents a problem and in my opinion the single greatest problem with this player. NO PLAYLIST SUPPORT.

This omission alone has me on the edge about the player, I want to like it, in fact I do like it for the most part. But for the way I listen to music lacking the ability to read a M3U playlist (or at least display and by default play files in track order rather than alphanumeric) makes this a bit less enjoyable to use. Sure, there is a workaround. Since files are listed and played in order by name I can rename files I put on it to have the track number out front. Not terribly convenient.

If Cowon could add m3u playlist support this would basically be perfect for me. I can live with the sometimes tricky interface (due to the size of the things you have to push mostly) but playlists are basic, supported by damn near everything and it's almost an embarrassment to Cowon that they omit this.