Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer, and Audio/Video Player (B31B174011)

by Epson

Product Details

• Item Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006SKK4C
• Item model number: B31B174011
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 9, 2004

Product Description

CL) MU) Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer, and Audio/Video Player (B31B174011)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

129 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epson's P-2000 is AWESOME!, April 6, 2005

By 

J. McNab - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer, and Audio/Video Player (B31B174011) (Electronics)

Last summer I bought a Canon Digital Rebel and broke it in on vacation in Florida. Foolishly, I thought a single 512 CF card would suffice. I wound up conserving my shots and deleting more than a few in order to make room for more. Granted, the larger 6.3 megapixel camera created larger files, but I still was woefully prepared. I spent too much vacation time fretting over how many pictures were left and weighing that against the number of days left in my vacation. Not anymore!
This summer, when I travel, I'll be toting the Epson P-2000 to go along with the upgraged Canon 20D. Even with the boost in megapixels, I'll not worry about a single shot. I can fill the 512 CF card and then download all the images (including the raw format for the 20D) onto the Epson P-2000, erase the images from the card, reload and then keep shooting.
I have a 60GB Ipod, but I bought that for the music. I was originally considering storing unprocessed pictures on the Ipod this summer in order to free up space on my CF card. However, the more I read reviews on the two Belkin products that can accomplish this task, the more I realized that this was going to be a frustrating, time consuming, and battery-draining endeavor. The main reason I began to search for a media storage device was the numerous consumer reviews I'd read about the Belkin product that complained about the excessive time spent downloading onto the Ipod. Not only would it take over twenty minutes, but it would seriously drain the battery. I considered this transition from CF card to Ipod needing to be accomplished in the Magic Kingdom and realized that this was the stuff nightmares were made of! Not only that, but then I would be needing a charge for the Ipod! Not good! The purpose of this was to make cleaning off a card convenient!
After searching through several products, I came upon several reviews of the Epson P-2000. It has several glowing reviews and, now that I have one, I understand why. Albiet a bit pricey, this is a solid unit that really delivers!
The 40GB is more than ample to handle pictures taken with my 20D using either RAW format or the Large/Fine files. The download from a regular 512 Sandisk (not WA or 80x) is very fast! Really!
The machine is quite intuitive to use. The controls are straightforward. The screen produces some outstanding images with superb color, clarity, and detail. The zoom feature on the Epson is also stunning. You really won't believe your eyes until you load some images onto the unit and view them for yourself.
This product allows you to clear you CF cards AND see the images you took. I like that advantage over the idea of carrying the data on an Ipod without the ability to see the pictures.
I didn't buy this product expecting it to be a great MP3 player. From what I understand, it performs well as an MP3 player, but I doubt it will touch the quality of sound from the Ipod. The unit does come with some sample pictures and a sample video. As of yet, I haven't transfered any video to the P-2000, but the sample video was incredible! The screen is large enough and the speakers produce ample volume that I would consider copying a DVD into AVI format and load it onto the machine.
If your primary consideration for a media storage device is for pictures, this is your unit. Although it does a lot more than just handle pictures, there are other units that are probably better suited for other purposes. For instance, the 100GB Archos would be my choice for a device to store DVDs on. The Ipod is the one to beat for quality music. Similarly, the Epson P-2000 is the king of the hill when it comes to allowing you to view pictures in brilliant, amazing color on the ample 3.8" LCD screen. The 40GB is also quite sufficient for storing a huge number of high-quality pictures from your CF card.

76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nearly perfect, August 4, 2005

By 

L. Wimberley (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer, and Audio/Video Player (B31B174011) (Electronics)

I can't imagine going on a shoot or traveling without one of these!
It works just like you'd expect it to, very easily, you drop in your CF or SD (it supports both) and you can download and create an album in a matter of seconds/minutes depending on card and file sizes.

The only thing that really irks me is the time it takes to cache the images, you have to cycle through the entire album once for it to do so, and that can take forever if we're talking about a 1GB card. It takes about a second to cycle through each image (jpeg format from my 8mp digital slr) If it were a touch faster, it would be rockin'.

I also dislike how finiky the unit is regarding movie files. It claims to be able to play AVIs, but it wont play the avis' that run on my computer, but it will take the ones from my compact camera. Okay...! Not a big deal for me since I'm using this for purely on the go storage in lui of lugging a laptop around, but still, they could've made this easier.

The case that comes with the P2000 is okay... Lookswise, it's kinda silly looking. It has a pull tab on it. As for protecting the case, I mean, it's slightly padded, but I would've liked to see a case included that you could store the P2000 in while using it. The one that is included is soft foamy material. The sell cases on ebay specifically made for the P-2000 that are made of leather, and they store memory cards, all while holding the unit. I'd reccomend picking one of those up instead of the included case.

The design is REALLY sleek and nice. Images look simply beautiful on the big screen. It really looks similar to a Sony PSP, people get mixed up and ask me all the time what game I'm playing.

The battery life is GREAT, I've only recharged the battery once, and I read in Popular Photography that you can transfer up to 13 cards before having to make a new charge.

The few annoyances I mentioned above are not even worth mentioning once you have the unit in your hands, it is worth the cost and the time it takes to cache the images!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the P-2000 ...Much better than the Flashtrax, June 23, 2005

By 

Luna Moon (Minneapolis, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer, and Audio/Video Player (B31B174011) (Electronics)

Advantages to P-2000
- Menus & Buttons are visual, intuitive and easy to use. Browsing thumbnails display quickly.
- The display is large, sharp, bright and perfect for viewing photos
- Quick downloads
- Memory cards slot design makes it easy to load & remove cards with press of button. Accepts both SD & Compact Flash cards without an adapter.
- Comes with protective case, hand strap & display stand
- Battery is well protected - stored inside device with a door covering it
- Easy handling, no clumsy screen to unfold

Disadvantages to P-2000
- Can't Zoom or do slide shows with raw files If you shoot .nef +jpg, you can still zoom, create slide shows and it will auto rotate the jpg for you. Although you can't rotate raw files I didn't find it an issue since it's easy to turn the device sideways and that way it uses the whole large screen for a larger display anyway.
- No Histogram display on raw files (again if you shoot with a raw+jpg you can view the histogram on the jpg)
- Hard to find one in stock to buy!

Advantages to Flashtrax
- One button download don't need to open cover to start download process
- Better raw file support, can rotate & zoom raw files & view histogram
- Offers a 80GB option

Disadvantages of Flashtrax
- Doesn't come with protective case
- Hinged screen seems vulnerable to breakage if you bend it back too far
- Menus & filelists are hard to navigate - buttons awkward
- Need to move rubber piece to insert memory card each time
- Compared to p-2000 the screen display is poor and protective plastic is flimsy
- Battery snaps on end near hinge and can pop out if you press buttons on side accidentally.
- slow download speeds
- Awkward to hold & balance because you have to unfold the screen. Folding screen also makes hard to adjust screens angle of view if there is a glare.

Prior to buying the P-2000 I owned a Flashtrax & an eFilm PicturePad which I use to download raw digital photos. One day the eFilm stopped reading memory cards, but the other functions worked. Although it was under warranty the eFilm stopped making them and couldn't fix it so bought a Flashtrax to replace it.

I liked the Flashtrax a lot better than the picturePad since it's display, battery life and menus were much better than the efilm. When my husband dropped the FlashTrax on a grassy area, the screen cracked even though it was folded at the time. It still worked fine, the display was just cracked. So don't assume that the folding screen will protect the screen from breaking. SmartDisk replaced the screen but a few weeks ago my photo equipment was stolen so I was back on the market for a portable storage device. After reading a review of the p-2000 I decided to give it a try. (On the p-2000 the glass/plastic on the p-2000 screen & body seems much more solid than the FlashTrax so I think it would withstand rough play a little better even though it doesn't fold.)

Now that I've worked with the P-2000, I wouldn't buy another Flashtrax. The P-2000 downloads from memory cards much faster, and the screen display is bright, sharp and large enough (3.8") to get a detailed view of photos. The menu's are more intuitive due to the more visual nature of the menus and the buttons easier to use. The slide show feature also automatically will create transitions to make the show look polished without any effort. There's no folding and unfolding screens to view making it's easier to hold and adjust the screen to get a direct view without glare.

Bottom Line:
If you are a professional or enthusiast who shoots raw, you'll probably agree that Epson could to improve the raw file support. They need to add the capability to view histograms and zoom on raw files which I'm hoping Epson will do in a future software update that I'll be able to download easily. Shooting a small jpg does work around this but wastes memory space. Most the time I only check my histograpms while I'm shooting to see if I need to adjust settings so this isn't a deal breaker for me. You'll still love the P-2000 for it's great display and ease of use. It's much cheaper than buying 40GB of compact flash cards and smaller and easier/faster to use in the field than a laptop.

If you are an amateur you'll love the p-2000 since its a slick device to store/view thousands of photos, listen to jpegs and watch quicktime movies on.

Definately worth the wait if you can't find one right away to buy.

Epson if you are listening... you have a good product can't you increase production, improve raw file support and come out with a 80GB option?