Customer Reviews

Sansa TakeTV 8 GB Video Player

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a great item, especially for the people out there that download a lot of video content online. It's small and very easy to set up. The quality of the video obviously depends on the quality of the files, but they seem to be generally in line with the comparable quality of burning a file onto a DVD and playing it through a DVD player. It does exactly what it advertises at a reasonable price.

A few nitpicks: 1) the resolution of the menus looked absolutely terribly on a hi-def set (the borders were not straight and the text was very jaggy, 2) the remote is very awkward -- buttons are not terribly responsive and it seems like the IR signal is pretty weak, 3)the power plug connector is bundled with the A/V plugs and not part of the base unit, so if you use a front inputs on your tv, you need to run the power cord right up to the tv, 4) the dowloadable content on fanfare.com was not of great video quality.

It is believed that some of these issues will be rectified by firmware updates moving forward.

Got the 8 gig unit and am using it to view DIVX and HVID files. Works well with good resolution (I am not using it on a hi def TV). Haven't tried it with mov or mpeg2 files, but I assume it won't work. The remote has a button to cycle between original, letterbox, pan and scan, fill, etc. which is nice.

A few limitations: It takes a long time (2 minutes) to load a full length movie. The fast forward is only 16x. It does not accept any other flash drive (even if you manage to get the USB connector to fit), so get the 8 gig unit.

I use it for when I am on the road, plugging in to hotel TVs to catch up with my favorite programs, and its great for that. At home I use the Philips DVD player with USB input that also works well with the Sansa flash drive part of the unit. Haven't used the download service that is bundled with it.

Regarding the above comments on the power cord - the power line is on the outside of a flat ribbon - just strip the cord back away from the ribbon down to the connector (see the picture of the unit) and you have another 3 feet of power cord down to the floor.

My Sansa TakeTV arrived today. As a piece of hardware, it seems to deliver what it promises although I have not checked out file types other than Divx. I agree with the observation another reviewer made on the location of the power cord connector - very awkward placement. However, the Fanfare video service associated with the TakeTV is dead-on-arrival for me. Very, very, very slow download speeds. Admittedly, it is in beta and perhaps they are having technical problems tonight but I would not advise buying a TakeTV with the intent of using it with the Fanfare service. Fanfare gets zero stars - I'll give the TakeTV hardware a four.

These further comments are added after I have owned and played with the unit for a day. If I could change the rating I made earlier, I would reduce my rating to 2 stars. This unit is just not ready for prime time - wait until they get the software/firmware updated which hopefully they will do.

It does work well on DivX files and if you are willing to convert everything to DivX, you may be satisfied.

I haven't tried Xvid files but would expect it to work well there since these are well specified file types.

But, it does not work with AVI files created by the two digital cameras I use (both Canon digital Elphs). It does video but not the audio of files created on an Archos Gmini. I have tried a wide variety of settings to try to find some combination which would allow conversion to runnable AVI or MPG or MPEG-4 files with no success. The literature for the TakeTV is totally devoid of technical detail so there are no hints as to what will make an acceptable AVI or MPG file. I have communicated with Sandisk customer service and am awaiting a reply.

Sandisk does not claim that the unit works with a Mac. I can confirm that you can connect it to an iMac and drag files onto the unit. The unit "ejects" as expected and the icon disappears from the screen but when you physically remove the USB unit, it crashes the Mac requiring a restart. It is the only device I have ever tried which "blue screens" OS X. Similarly, the "safely remove hardware" command in Windows XP never produces a "safe to remove" message. Fortunately, physically removing the unit does not upset XP.

Perhaps this device was rushed to the market for the Christmas shopping season and has arrived a bit prematurely. I suggest you wait for improvements before you buy.

Performs as advertised. Just plug in to USB, copy .avi / .divx files over, plug into interface unit and use remote to open and play videos. Couldn't be easier. No DVD's to burn which is great. Mode allows wide-screen to pan-n-scan for ease of viewing. Selectable soundtracks and subtitles if available. Also much easier than "divx certified" dvd player to "take with you" to freinds and family to view vids. Can be used to transfer vid files to dvd-r or vhs. Suggested use; convert digital camera .mov files to .divx (.avi) using free program Dr-Divx, use Sansa Take-TV to transfer these .divx files to dvd-r or vhs to keep or pass on to family. A bit pricey, but VERY convenient. Just note that this does not play HD files.

I am so happy that I finally got my TakeTv. I can believe how easy this is to use. It really is easy as easy as 1 2 3. Just plug it in to the computer put what ever video you want on it and connect it to your tv. The picture is great and its fast to load the movies on it. While I was loading the moves on it I started to fill my sink with water to do some dishes, but right after the sink was filled the movies were already loaded. I put 4 full length movies on in about 5 min. I really cant say enough about Taketv. I will be using this everyday, and I am going to encourge everyone I know to buy one.

Didn't use the manual, just plugged it in to my stereo and let her rip. Only reason it didn't get 5 stars is it doesn't support HD and is only 8 gb.

Sansa TakeTV 8 GB Video Player
excellent display of AVI type files and subtitles. The file name must be identical for the .AVI and .SRT files to properly link on the screen.

Mode selection enables default viewing, letterbox, pan, and fill to width.

Transfer of files from your computer USB port ( don't know if that's only usb2 ) to your Sansa Flash is a simple copy file.

This is apparently first version of the product. I would like to see the remote control more user friendly. You have to play with it to see what the various buttons actually perform. When you go into pause, you press the blue triangle at the top of the control to resume. What the various buttons do was not explained anywhere. Since the blue triangle was not part of the main button panel it was days before I realized that the run button was the triangle.

This does not burn DVD's. It's a sophisicated flash stick.

Sansa TakeTV 8 GB Video Player
I have no idea how we lived without this before we bought it. It has brought us together as a family to watch and enjoy whatever videos we put on it and we can even take it overseas as it can be used in PAL mode. Only downside is all videos have to be in xvid/avi/divx format which can involve some tiresome conversions.

I would love to give this thing 4 or 5 stars and would if it wasn't for the fact that the remote only works if I take the battery out and put it back in every 10 seconds. The plastic holder is so delicate that every slight movement knocks my battery off alignment and won't send a signal. When the battery did work it would only have a working range of 10 feet. I went out and go three different batteries and all wouldn't stay still.

Right now I'm trying to find a way to get a replacement and not a refund only. I would love to give this product a second chance with another remote since it just might have been a bad form. This product is a great idea and I was tracking it everyday for two months waiting for it to come out. If I ever get a second remote I'll repost to see if I just got one bad remote, or if this is a possible problem that needs correction if they want this player taken seriously.

If it wasn't for the battery problem I would give it 4 stars. It would get 5 if it weren't for the fact that I have to get up and stand in front of the sensor to play a video.

EDIT: After one week I found that swapping over to a larger battery, a 2025, it now has better signal strength and no issues with battery movement. The only downside is the larger battery has pushed on the remote board and the last row of buttons now has a different sound when pressed due to the added force from the battery. This most likely will shorten the lifespan of the remote. But when I dies I hope they will have a solution for the problem.

Easy to install. Plug into USB port on computer, download videos (DivX and
xVid files only) then transfer card to the TV video player and play using remote. Very easy to do. Video is better than VHS and maybe slightly worse than DVD but still very watchable. An upgrade to HD for the next version of the Sansa Take TV would be nice. Highly recommended.