Customer Reviews

RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

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.

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

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 .

As many other reviewers have stated, this device is really cool. Essentially for the same price as the Apple iPod 20GB, you get Video, too!

BUT... RCA was clearly not ready to release this thing. You have to be fairly A/V and computer saavy to fully use this thing. First, you have to update the firmware and the software that came with the unit. Then you have to figure out how to dump video to this sucker. You could always encode off of the line-in, but that's too pedestrian. Most of us want to capture video - in my case from a TV tuner card - and dump the TV show or clip to the Lyra for later viewing.

The problem is you can't do this with the software that comes with the unit!

So I went and bought a fairly inexpensive package, Roxio's VideoWave, and tried to create my shows. Still no good, because until they update the firmware to support the widely available codecs, you *MUST* encode in AVI format such that the audio is MP3 and the video is either MPEG-4 SP (standard profile) or DivX. I only have MPEG-4 Version 1-3 codecs on my brand new box.

Luckily, you can save yourself a lot of time and hassle by just going to the following site and downloading the *FREE* DivX codec: http://www.divx.com

Now everything works fine, and I only spent about $50 for the additional software, which will be useful anyway for creating videos.

If you already have capture software, the only thing you have to watch out for is to make sure you can specify the audio compression algorithm (MP3) when creating an AVI. Some (many?) packages simply use uncompressed PCM audio, and that won't play on the Lyra! Besides, it will make you AVI file substantially smaller if you compress the audio.

I purchased an RCA Lyra model 2780 in early January. This unit worked as expected for about 2 weeks before it exhibited what I found later to be a known flaw with the model, a faulty headphone jack.

I contacted RCA/Thomson to attempt to find a place to repair the unit, to be informed that it needed to be sent in to the warranty center. So I posted it to the warranty center with the specified copy of the bill-of-sale, and was informed that I would need to wait a week or more for the company to "receive" it.

Once it was received, I was then informed that it would not be repaired, it would be replaced. And that they were allowed one month to replace the unit. So I waited one month. Upon finishing that month, I was informed that the company would be paying me the cost of my unit, that this was the only option. So I re-sent in the bill-of-sale to a fax number. I was then told that it would take 6-8 weeks for them to send my refund.

Yesterday (3 weeks later), I was contacted by a supervisor and informed that I would not be receiving a refund for my defective property because it wasn't purchased from a recognized dealer of RCA Lyras. And today I am informed that I will also not be receiving my defective equipment back from RCA/Thomson.

So far, Thomson has repeatedly misled me about expectations, wasted hours of my time in dealing with a poorly-staffed and poorly-managed call center, and I'm now informed I can receive neither my property or a refund from Thomson.

Not only will I not purchase another item from RCA/Thomson, I will be letting people know through a variety of online and RL connections exactly how poorly their product is made and supported by the company.

Yep -
Quick story:
Bought on the day after Thanksgiving. Returned a week later.

Longer story:
Although the there are a couple good points, there are many more bad ones.

Good - pretty sharp screen for size, nice recording features (has straight RCA in and RCA out), on the whole nice set of accessories (although the leather case is ridiculous), lots of space (20gigs)

Bad - slowest OS I think i've ever seen on a portable - it will randomly say "saving settings to hard drive" and pause for a good 30sec - 1 min, takes around 10-20 seconds to start playing each song or movie, cumbersome controls (if you want to use it as a convenient MP3 player, you have to hold it in two hands and go through the whole interface any time you want to change a song), can't browse through songs while one is playing, can't create playlists on the unit itself, start up time to record video is variable (from 10seconds to over a minute) so if you're trying to record anything off tv, its tricky to time the starting, audio lags on recorded video after 10 to 15 minutes (loses sync - gotta love watching mouths move and the words coming out after like a poorly dubbed foreign film), leather case is bulky and pretty much impractical short of keeping it "safe" for storage (who wants that on their belt?!), only .avi movie files recorded with mpeg-4 video and mp3 audio codecs can be used (plus the asf format it uses to record), and finally, the most annoying thing - half of the features in the OS come up with an annoying message saying "feature is not available, look for in future upgrades at www.rca....."

Overall - RCA rushed this out to capture the xmas market long before it should have. While the video is relatively clean and a good step for portables in general, the negatives greatly overshadow it. Trust me, i loved the idea of video, and if all you're looking for it that, this could (COULD) be somewhat useful, assuming you're patient enough. However, if you have any plans of using it for music also, and don't have unlimited patience every time you want a new song, this is not the one. I ended up taking mine back and getting a beautiful new 3rd gen iPod last night, and while there's no video - wow, every accolade apple has gotten for this is warranted (and this is coming from a very anti-apple/mac, die-hard pc guy)

and as a note to those who say the new firmware fixed problems, i'd just like to say that I had the newest upgrades for both the software and the lyra itself, and i still had all these issues

As is, with the most recent firmware upgrades, the Lyra does a very good job on both video and audio. Many features still aren't available though - get to work RCA - with better support the Lyra RD2780 could be a grandslam. This device is ripe for some clever porters to vastly improve it.

The unit seems very sturdy, compact, and well made. The control joysticks take a little getting used to, but they work well. The included accessories are more than adequate, I especially like not having to buy a case.

Video recording is easy and works well, but RCA needs to incorporate a start time option. The "wait six seconds, pause the record, and then start it again at 11 seconds" method for recording copywritten DVDs is an absolute godsend. Video playback is awsome for such a small device. As noted in previous reviews there is some pixelation in the dark (black) areas of videos, but it's not a major problem unless your expectations are very high. I would put the video on par with, and maybe slightly better than, some of the less expensive portable DVD players on the market. It takes maybe 10-15 seconds to load a 2 hour video file before playing.

Audio capabilities are more than adequate for me. Playback is smooth and clear. I don't experience the lag times some people have talked about between songs. It takes maybe 5-10 seconds to load a playlist, and then it plays all the songs smoothly. Here again though some features aren't yet available, RCA needs to get the equalizer feature working.

Connecting to a PC is easy, and downloads are fast, no problem there. I haven't tried to download from a compactflash card.

Battery time is really very good considering this is a hard drive based unit. I have watched 3 straight hours of video before running out of power. This was with the screen brightness turned way up. I've never run the battery out during audio playback, but I haven't used it for long periods of time. The battery meter is very rudimentary, and doesn't give a good indication of how much battery time is left...an area for improvement.

The picture viewing feature works well and allows you to zoom and rotate. There are other picture features that don't work yet.

Bottom line: The Lyra is a very good device that works well as is, and is well worth the money, but there is room for improvement. If RCA comes through with the promised firmware upgrades I'll be totally satisfied. The only reason I'm critical at all is that the potential is here for a really awsome device, and I'd like to see RCA (or someone) explore that potential.

Suggestions for RCA: 1)Get all the features working. 2)Get the user manual finished and online. 3)Offer accessories such as an external battery pack (for those extra long flights), and maybe a plug-in video/digital camera...the possibilities are great for this device. 4)Get some smart programers to explore the unused capabilities of this thing (such as allowing people to customize the desktop/menu page, and better file exploring/manipulating capabilities).

The Lyra was my first PVP machine and I picked one up in January 2004 not long after its release. I was enamored with its sleek screen with dazzling video, cool interface, respectable audio fidelity, and other amenities - including the ability to record directly from a video source. I auditioned one for a month before after much hand wringing, forced to return to Best Buy just before my 30 day return was about to expire. There were a number of factors which led me to do so; glitches with the interface, video issues, system freezes, etc. Finally, I experienced a complete lock-up of the interface that not even the pin reset could undo. Mind you, my Lyra wasn't abused in the least - never dropped, rocked, or jolted. I *really* liked the Lyra even in spite of its considerable flaws but had no choice but to return it. I've moved on since then to a much more issue free Creative Zen Vision M and have no regrets...but you know what they say about your "first love". Sigh.

If you want this thing to work correctly, you've GOT to upgrade its fimware! The RCA site is now up with current firmware and a complete manual. I suggest that you print out the manual. Believe me, you'll refer to it much over the 1st few days as you find out what The Lyra can do.

I bought it on 11/19/03 and haven't looked back. It takes a while to get used to the feel of the controls and to what does what, but after a couple of days, it's almost 2nd nature. Some functions are not yet available but will come in future upgrades. I look fwd to them. They will make The Lyra really worthwhile to own.

I usu watch it when I have a break on the workroom floor, usu 1 hr out of 4 hrs. It fits well in my apron pocket and isn't heavy. Where ever you stop the playback, The Lyra 'timestamps' that spot so that you won't have to FFWD to that spot again. Upon your return, it asks you if you want to start where you left off or start @ the begining of the show. I might have to reset it once or twice/day, usu after entering a lot of commands in rapid order. The video is good as is the sound. I use the low rec mode and the picture is close to tv quality, which is more than fine for one person watching an hour or so @ a time. To rec, I hook it up to my DVR's tv out, set the DVR to play and the Lyra to rec for the duration of the show. The Lyra's screen shows what's being recorded. After the rec period elapses, The Lyra shuts down after saving your file. I don't like that you can't name the file, but that's supposed to be one of the firmware upgrades. It won't rec DVDs directly from your DVD players' out plug, but it will play DIVX encoded files (ie, owner purchased ripped DVD's, for your own personal use, of course).

As for the MP3 audio, it's close to being as good as my iRiver flash player. Nice, crisp, and loud. I work in a nosy place and can hear it just fine. Also, nice leather carrying case. On a down note, I'm not sure where they are getting the battery life info, but my LYRA gets about 3-4 hours (video)before it poops out.

All in all, $$ well spent!

I have owned the Archos AV340 for about 4 months. Today I purchased the RCA lyra 2780. I got it as a gift for my girlfriend. I did not want to get the Archos for her because I read how the RCA would support more audio formats and More video codecs. For the past five hours I have been playing around with the Lyra. I have tried out every function and feel I have a good feel for what it does and doesn't do. I read some of the early reviews for both products. The lyra just came out this weekend 11/16/03, so I am not sure what some of these people were reviewing. Any one who gets their hand on both and think the Lyra is a superior product must work for RCA. I don't want anybody to take my word for it, before buying either one, go out and test both product. Do a side by side comparison of video quality, sound ( please bring your own headphones, the RCA ones are good, but the ones Archos provides SUCK) Compare the operating system and play with the controls to really get a feel for each product. After doing this myself I am almost convinced I will be returning the Lyra. THE ARCHOS IS HANDS DOWN A BEETER PRODUCT. The lyra is suppose to support more video formats codecs, but so far its seems to have problems playing most of the video files I have tested on it. The archos only pays DIVX files in simple format. Basically unless its encoded that way you have to convert the files using a program called virtual dub. The latest version is much easier to use than when I owned the Archos AV20. Please don't buy the Av20 you will be very frustrated using it. The lyra does support more Audio formats but Archos claims they will offer Firmware upgrades that will support more audio formats. The lyra main screen looks much better than the Archos but that seems to be the only thing better about the interface. The archos is easier to understand and works better. The controls for the lyra are scattered and feel so flimsy I don't think it will stand up to everyday use. Video quality on the Archos is much, much better. Even the demo video that comes with the Lyra is painful to look at. I tested video file downloaded from the web and recorded a video tape. The Archos is near DVD quality, the Lyra is near VHS. You see a lot of pixilation on the Lyra. The archos screen is better and can be viewed from more angles. The difference is very obvious. With the lyra you don't need a separate module to record video. Both products have almost the same plastic feel, the archos feels studier. The lyra comes with more goodies out of the box. (a nice case that allows acces to all the scattered controls) a car adapter and all the cables you need. The Archos comes with the video recorder module and cheap headphones and all the video and audio cables you need. The archos will eventually do much more when the Camera module is finally released. I have called archos several times to try to get a release date for the AV cam and so far every date they have given me has come and gone. Archos is not very good a keeping its own announced release dates. Please note you must update the lyra from RCA website to use some of the features. The Archos firmware must also be updated but you can use almost all of its features out of the box. I had great expectations for the lyra and I am very disappointed. I will continue to play with it for a while. The Archos is a MUCH, MUCH better products.
Nov 19th
OK, I've had this for about five days and I am returning it this weekend. To many problems and a lack of out of the box functionality. Its frozen on me several times and I had to reset it. The reset fuction does not seem to work the way its suppose to. Worse of all YOU CAN'T RECORD COPY PROTECTED DVD'S. I've recorded a few DVD's I OWN!!! to take with me on trips with the Archos av340 and they always look great, If archos had their act together they would rule the PVP market. The Av300 camera just came out today, months late, when I've recieve it??, I will post a review. I am still trying to decide if I will get the Archos for my girl.
NOTE TO THE PEOPLE AT ARCHOS: LETS GET OUR ACT TOGETHER. YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF A GOOD PRODUCT, BUT YOU NEED TO SUPPORT MORE VIDEO AND AUDIO FORMATS (WMA WOULD BE A GREAT START SO I CAN PURCHASE SONGS FROM NAPSTER, BUYMUSIC, ETC. I HOPE TO SEE SOME NEW FEATURES I FUTURE FIRMWARE UPGRADES.