Customer Reviews

Cowon O2 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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 :)

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.

Like most of the Portable Media Players I get, the Cowon O2, is virtually unknown where I live, but I couldn't be happier with it.

The wide variety of media codec support, means I don't have to convert my music and video just to listen to it.

The external subtitle support, means any .srt subtitle file I have on hand, can be natively played with the video I'm watching.

The Recent Files menu, means that the last FIFTY songs and films I've seen are remembered, even after I turn off the power. And the best part of Recent Files? Each song and film, has it's play position remembered.

The SDHC card slot, means the 32 GB of Flash memory I started with, can be expanded with as many SD cards as I can carry.

Even the touch screen, (which I hated on the iPod touch) is easy to use, thanks to the included stylus. And what makes the touch screen even MORE bearable, is the dedicated digital volume switch on the outside. (something you don't miss till you lose)

In terms of weakness, a removable battery would've been nice. But considering the 18 hour music, 8 hour movie battery life, and thin dimensions of player, I can't complain too much.

The other complaint being the lack of H.264 High Profile video playback, but the plethora of video codecs it DOES play back, made up for it.

Thanks for reading.

I use the Cowon O2 as a replacemrnt for a CD changer in our home audio system. I rip CDs in FLAC format and use compression level 4. The connection I use is an analog audio cable. The sound is almost identical to the sound I get when playing a CD on my blu-ray player. Fantatic sound and even with FLAC I can get about 100 CDs on the 32 GB memory card.

My set up begs the question: Why don't audio receiver companies make an audio amplifier with memory built in to play compressed digital music? Maybe next year.

I see many people have the white one and there are 3 reviews so far for it. However the black one has no review....it's not much of a big deal since it's the same player. The only advantage the black version has is that it is a little bit more understated and therefore perfect for using about without drawing too many inquiring stares. Now to the product. As has already been stated, this player lacks the wifi of the touch and archos. After going through a zen x-fi, and archos 5 and the ipod touch 2G in the past three months I have finally found the perfect player...the Cowon O2. This is perfect because I mostly watch downloaded anime and shows and read a few books as well as listen to remixes from my DJ friend and this does the job so very well. Of course it isn't that large and slips sweetly into my pocket...actually it's size is an advantage cos it is easier to fish out of your pocket than the touch.

Cons:
I only wish it read pdf like the archos and played mkv hi-res videos smoothly since I have many football matches I would like to put on a portable player. I also wish there was an easier way to skip track because each time I want to do that I have to use the touchscreen. Additionally I wish it was easier to scroll down the txt files....and where's the csd viewer? I need to read my manga! The external speaker has a very very low volume and isn't much good with videos since video sounds cannot be enhanced to increase their volume.

I've only used this for a day but it has become such an excellent companion to me. I would readily recommend this for anyone who is fine with not having wifi on his her portable device....as it is I have a laptop and the Cowon and between the two of them all my needs are cared for. This is a very rough and basic player but does exactly what I need so I give it a 4 star rating.

Sorry the review isn't that good...this is my first review. I would be happy to answer any questions posed in comments on my review to clarify anything I have missed.

Video quality is great! Love the screen.
Awesome sound quality, as expected from Cowon.

But also, as expected from Cowon, terrible UI. It's so unintuitive, it left me blinking in disbelief.

And, worst of all, don't get the O2 if you want to use playlist files - m3u's. It can't read them! Unbelievable... How hard can that be to add to the player's software?? You're limited to a 300-file long favorites list, if you can figure out how to use it with the convoluted UI.

The O2 is a simple straightforward media player. It is hands down one of the best sounding players in the world. The BBE enhancements for the audio produce very lively and added warmth to the music. The built in amplifier can power the most demanding of headphones. The video looks very good. Not as good as the new OLEDs, but the screen refresh rate is great, along with the color reproduction and vibrancy. Also, the player supports an outstanding array of audio/video codecs, so you have no need to convert audio or video.

The only downsides to this are that the UI isnt very flashy. This is fine for a lot of people. The now playing screen does look good though with huge album art.

I've had the Q5W, A3 and Now the O2 and it's by far my favorite. Since music is my main need, the O2 Plays my AAC music files without a problem. With the q5w I needed additional software to play my files, with the A3, it plays them just fine, but music info and album art is small, whereas on the O2 album art and music info is easily readable. My only regret is that the O2 does not have video recording like the A3, which I am using solely for recording TV shows to watch later. I also wish that SD card was totally integrated into the main menory, except for those two cons, if you want to call them that, it's perfect for me. The O2 is also smaller and lighter and easier to carry than both Q5 and A3.

I want to give it five stars, but I had to go with four because
*there are no playlists (except one 'favorites' list) - that one is huge.
*of the shady user interface ... takes a good week to get used to.
*the speaker on it is not even as loud as those on cell phones (even my cheap net10) and it's on the back making it pretty much useless.

I'm used to using the Cowon now but at first I really thought about returning it. I loved my Zen Vision M, but they didn't make it anymore... This thing is a bit bulkier than the zen and I really would never want to drop it because it would cause some serious damage. Unlike Zens, Zunes and the dreadful ripoff IPods, the Cowon isn't made of any metal.. not even the back. I think a drop from 2 feet (when does that happen?) would maybe be okay but anything past that and I'm pretty sure the Cowon would be junk. I did buy this for the mp3 player and I use it for video once in awhile, but I also paid quite a bit less than the current price is. the point is I'm not sure I'd be happy with it if I paid what the price is now.

The good... the screen is awesome, it looks great. No ghosting on videos with a good conversion (which takes a while to learn if you do it with free software..) The color looks great on here.
The battery couldn't get any better. It literally lasts the advertised 18 hours. The only drawback is when you use the USB to charge it keep the player off because it'll actually take away some of the charge. Also, if you have the O2 on while charging it can take up to 6 hours to charge through the wall outlet.
The touch screen is nice but I always use the 'stylus' included because even the skinniest of fingers will press the wrong thing on the Cowon because of the font size. I did buy a screen protector with the o2 but it made the touch screen unusable (not sure why..) So I took the screen guard off and there is not a scratch on it yet. I'm pretty careful and I have a hard case for it though.
The sound is awesome. I love having an equalizer on here. I would turn off the enhancements though, they tend to just mess the sound of your music up. The volume also gets pretty loud which is not the case with most mp3 players.

I'd buy it over again if it were the price I paid. Not sure I'd pay anything over two hundred.