RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player

by RCA

Product Details

Supplementary Guide [189kb PDF]

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Product Manual [4.99mb PDF]

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FAQ [113kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008VFCU
• Item model number: RD2780
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)

Product Description

Lyra Audio/Video, 20GB, 3.5" display - RCA Lyra portable audio/video 20GB Jukebox- 20GB internal hard disc (stores up to 300 hours of music, 80 hours of video, or 100,000 JPEG images)- Plays open mp3s- 3.5" TFT color LCD screen- Built-in rechargeable battery (up to 4 hours continuous play in video mode)- Hi-speed USB connectivity (up to 40 times faster, compatible with USB 2.0 and original USB specifications)- PC/Mac compatible- Composite video input/ouput jack (2.5mm)- Audio/video recording mode- Compact flash slot (type 1)- 3.5mm headphone jack- Dimensions: 135mmW x 80mmH x 24mmD- Weight: 275 grams - USB connection jack - Stereo line in/out (2.5mm) jack- External DC jack (3.5mm)- System requirements: Pentium III 500MHz or iMac G3. Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 with service pack 3, XP or Mac OS X version 10.1.5. Internet Explorer 4.0. Internet access. 100MB free hard disc space. 64MB RAM. CD-ROM drive capable of digital audio extraction. USB port- Sleek design- SilverPackage Contents:- RCA Lyra Jukebox- USB cable- CD-ROM for PC, music management software- Audio/video line out cable- Earbud headphones- Carrying case- Compact AC adapter- Car kit accessories (tape adapter, cigarette lighter charger)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So close, but yet so far..., January 25, 2004

By 

D. Sun (Vallejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player (Electronics)

Last week I bought a Lyra 40GB mp3 jukebox and really enjoyed the storage, how it functioned as a hard drive, the sound, and ease of use.

The one thing that kept nagging me was how the 40GB mp3 jukebox was $299 and the Lyra AV was $399, so why not spend the $100 more and get the video player/recorder?

At first I loved the RCA AV device and spent the entire weekend playing with the features that were available. It was good improvement over just a pure mp3 jukebox, however after a few days the drawbacks and limitations became clear.

These are some big problems:

1. The video you capture is in ASF format and not avi, which makes editing in a common video editor a far tougher task.

2. The picture play back is only for .jpg files and not all jpg compression files worked.

3. Battery life with video only or mp3 only was very close to the same, which is alarming. The battery indicator also would go from full charge to 1/2 to 3/4 and never showed the correct charge. In one mixed function test the system ran for almost 3.5 hours. After another full 6+ hour charge it ran for about 2.5 hours in the same conditions.

4. The latest January 15 firmware adds a few features and fixes some problems, however a large amount of functionality is still missing.

5. RCA restricts users from backing up copyrighted works. People have figured out a work around, however there are several things that could be done to tighten copying, which severely restricts the usefullness of the device.

6. The system OS also runs slow. Checking the Lyra status screen took more than 2 minutes for some reason. At random times switching songs, stopping playback, or performing simple functions gives you 10-30 seconds of lag and it almost appears as if the system locked up.

The best things about the RCA AV jukebox include the nice TFT screen, the sleek form factor, the lower price, how so many accessories are included in the box, and how it forced Archos to lower the prices on their competing products.

If the RCA came out with complete functionality, recorded in avi format, and offered the same functionality as the Archos players it would have been a serious hit.

As it stands the RCA player is functional, has some good points, but it fails in a side by side comparision with the Archos. The promise was there, but the delivery was not.

Perhaps with jukebox 2 from RCA or after 6 more months of firmware updates the Lyra will be better competition, however there is a good chance future devices will be even further restricted as time goes on because media companies will just blame them as tools for abuse, ignoring the fact that any PC or Mac out there is a far better tool for any person wishing to pirate media.

I initially gave the Lyra a 5, but now feel it deserves a 2.5-3 for what it currently delivers. I am moving to a Archos AV340 because after my experience with the Lyra and after further research it appears the additional money is well worth it when it comes to these types of devices.

64 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above Par for a First Generation Product, May 5, 2004

By 

B. Miller (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player (Electronics)

I gave the RCA lyra AV 4 stars only because it is a bold new product that has few competitors and deserves praise for being a high level of versitility out of a 1st generation product. That said, if there were many PVPs out there on the market, then I would not recommend buying this particualr one because it has many quirks.

Cons:
1) Battery life is pretty short. But this isn't such a big deal to me. It comes with an AC and car adapter so the only place you have to wrroy about this is outside.
2) When recording video, it is slightly out of sync. I recorded the Matrix Reloaded onto it yesterday and the lips were slightly out of sync. Just enough to be bothersome, but still watchable.
3) Many JPEGS show up as "format unreadable." For no reason whatsoever the RCA lyra chooses not to read some JPGs while allowing others to be read.
4) Limited readablity of video formats. Simply put, if you dont have a program with AVI MPEG layer 4 codecs, dont get this. It is annoying that it doesn't read a wider range of formats.
5) The included software is NOT Apple MAc compatible. I am an Apple user, and while the RCA lyra AV showed up on my desktop as a disk drive PERFECTLY without installing drivers, the included Musicmatch and firmware transfer sowftware is for PC ONLY. When you recieve your Lyra, you will absolutley NEED to update the system's firmware. YOU MUST have acess to a PC-compatible computer in order to do this. NOT A MAC! But otherwise, transfering movies, pics, and mp3s to the lyra on a mac is a simple drop and drag procedure.
6) You CAN NOT read Text, Excell, Word, PDF, or any other files on this machine. This is slightly decieving, because the description DOES make it seem like this is possible, by saying "view files such as word and excell documents." What this means is that you can LOOK at the file NAME and see that it is there, but cant look at the FILE itself!
7) Not to be petty, but the machine looks GREAT, except for these odd orange stripes ugglifying the back panel. Poor choice of color.
8) Cheap buttons. It has these little plastic joysticks that feel loose. One of mine is not even centered. This machine, for this price, should have touch sensative buttons like the apple iPod. This is only a minor drawback though.

Pros:
1) AMAZING sharp screen. A pleasure to watch video on. I mean, I never thought I could sit there and watch a movie on a little screen like that, but this screen is so crystal sharp that I was blown away.
2) Even though lips are out of sync, the sound and video quality of video recorded directly onto the lyra is SUPERB! I mean, it is just freaking incredible. The sound will blow you away. Again, a pleasure.
3) The look of this machine is great. Except for the buttons, it feels solid. Nice silverish color and black screen. The operating system is flashy and full of colorful graphics and sybols. It looks pretty.
4) Although I dont LIKE the case it comes with, the fact that it comes with a leather case at all is a plus. Any case will extend the life of a product.
5) Lots of great features. Allows you to set the recording time so you can start the recording at the begining of a 1 hour TV show, and it will automatically stop at after 1 hour. This is great so that you dont have to attend to the machine.

Overall, I think this is an AMAZING first generation product with about as many quarks as a typical first generation product has. It deserves 4 stars because I believe that it delivers everything it promises. Dont believe anyones review that says "THIS IS AMAZING!! BEST PRODUCT EVER!!" or "THIS THING IS TRASH!! GARBAGE!!!" They are extremes and dont accuratly represent the RCA Lyra AV. The truth lies in the middle.

My verdict: If you ABSOLUTELY MUST have a PVP, and cant wait a few more months untill the consumer market grows with many more PVPs, then get the RCA LYRA. I promise you wont be dissapointed. But if you are weary about getting a PVP, and are (...) and want a perfected top notch machine, wait it out. Hopefully Apple will come out with one and will blow away all of the competition!

But for now, I say the RCA Lyra AV is just plain fun to use!

-propynyl

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different Nifty Tips on some issues involving the lyra..., August 13, 2004

By 

Secret Agent Man "S-A-M" (USA (NY)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player (Electronics)

This item is excellent.... i give it 5 stars i have had a long time to review this so i would know...all the problems that people have can be fixed with updates,warrantys, or by this review...(lol)Mp3 sounds wonderful..the movies are good...but
this item has its glitches.. as long as you update right when you get it and before you put anything on it or do anything with it, it will be fine..... a little slow cf transfer and it is picky with the different types of movie files are allowed on it....
here are some helpful tips

HOW TO RECORD A COPYRIGHTED DVD ONTO THE LYRA:
step 1: pick your dvd and plug the cables into the dvd player...
step 2: start recording your dvd and after 6 seconds stop the movie (where you are allowed to resume it) or unplug the connection cables attached from the RCA to the dvd player... the LYRA takes about 9 seconds to determine a copyrighted dvd so after about 7 more second replug the cable back into the dvd player and there you go...BUT NEVER STOP RECORDING ON THE LYRA WHEN YOU UNPLUG THE CABLES...it wont work...

HOW AND WHERE TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON THE LYRA:

This website i am about to give you sells the battery for the lyra and gives instructions on how to replace...there are screws on the lyra that you need a certain screw driver for (included with the purchase of a replacement battery)..FOR those who said it couldnt be done..you were wrong....(...)
NEW SOFTWARE UPDATE INFORMATION:
Reliable sources from RCA tell me that hopefully soon to be released updates will allow more movie transfers and new features that arent available already.. also they are hoping to come out with a digital camera attachment for the lyra...(release date unknown) the camera is a rumor but RCA said themselves they are going to work with the rumor... Many new things might be available in the next year
-possible longer battery life
-more hard drive space
-more advanced audio features
-for movie buffs, different movie types being allowed....

that is all i have heard so far.. hopefully amazon will post this so all the wondering eyes looking for good reviews can find this .