Customer Reviews

Toshiba MES30VW Gigabeat 30 GB Portable Media Player (White)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

After being introduced to the Gigabeat by a family friend, I read a lot of customer reviews since I did want to replace my 2 Gb Apple iPod with something a little larger, and decided to go for the MES30VW, which I've had for a little over a week now.

It literally does everything, although I haven't yet tried to download videos but will soon...anyway, on to the features...

I'm not a computer techie or particularly knowledgeable on electronics, but after a couple of perusals of the manual (the FULL manual - not the Quick Start Guide!) it all made a lot of sense. I like that it uses WMP 10, which I already had on my computer anyway (though it needs to be reinstalled for files specific to the Gigabeat) and the whole thing wasn't foreign to me.

Ripping songs from my rather large collection of CDs is easy, and synching them to my Gigabeat is just as easy.

For whatever albums where the information doesn't show up immediately, I can search and there it is...album cover, song titles, artists, everything. At first I didn't know this and spent a lot of time manually typing in that information, but most of the time now I can get the information with a couple of clicks of my mouse. Even ripping CDs I've compiled myself is pretty easy, as screen will come up asking for album name (whatever you want to call it) and the songs, artists, and composers...no more "Unknown Artists" or "Unknown Albums".

Setting the FM tuner was fun, if only because I'm thrilled to have something that not only plays downloaded music, videos, and displays photos, but also gets FM radio just in case having a couple of thousand of my favorite tunes isn't quite good enough - ha ha

At first I was a bit nervous about all those moving parts (not the same as the iPod) and afraid I would disconnect it at the wrong time, but as long as the "Connected" screen is visible, it can be safely disconnected from the PC. A couple of strange things happened while trying to charge on the adaptor, but I took a chance and turned off the internal battery for a few seconds, turned it back on, and all was fine.

While we're on the topic of the battery, I have to say that I wasn't all that happy with what seemed to be a rather paltry battery life...I was only getting a couple of hours of play/transfer before getting notice that it needed to be charged again, but I did go into my Settings and adjust the backlighting from one minute to 15 seconds, turned off the Sound Effects (clicking and dinging when scrolling) turned down the screen brightness, and turned off the Harmonics. I really believe that will help conserve battery life.

Even with reduced brightness, my photos look real good, and even without Harmonics the sound is decent for a portable music player, although I really hate earbuds, but the ones that came with the device aren't too horrible. If you want symphony hall sound, spend a couple of thousand bucks on a huge home system...

I hope my description has been helpful, and if I think of anything more as time goes on I'll give an update.

One rather interesting point here is that hubby got rather envious after a few days and bought a Gigabeat just like mine and plans on also using it in his truck with an adaptor instead of juggling CDs all over the place.

We're both well over 50 years old, and it's kind of funny to see us walking around the house hooked up to our own personal music...so if two "old farts" can understand how to run the thing, it can't be all that hard.

Refusing to let my son become a member of the iPod pod-heads I went looking for an alternative and found this incredible device. I'll be brief:
Software: Could not be easier to use
Sound quality: as good and better than expected - I'm not a fan of the plug-in headphones, but my son says they are excellent.
Video playback: stunning. This is the first video-mp3 machine I've toyed with and I cannot get over the vid and pic quality - even when pasted up on our TV!
Battery life: I've never heard a complaint of him running out of juice and he uses it for bus trips on a weekly basis.
Interface and controls: could not be better.
Grade: A+
Accessories: someone PLEASE get off the iPod kick and make accessories that work with other players. PLEASE.

I didn't want and Ipod cause everyone has one. I have been waitting for a Mp3/video player and when I saw this on CNET I bought it that very night.

I have the 60gb (black) and I'm writting this reveiw after owning it for about 2 weeks.

Pros.

IF it can play with windows media player it can play on this player!! Divx hint hint.
Connects perfict with windows media player and Media center Pc's.
The USB cable charges the unit so I leave this at the Pc all the time and the powercable I just leave at work.
Navigation is so simple you can hand the unit to anyone and they will figer out how to find what they want in seconds.
Small size for a unit that can hold tens of thousands of songs and pictures as well as a library of your favoret movies.
Screen resaloution is very good but not excelent.
Turning it on is practicly "instant on".
Connects with Xbox 360. Listen to your music while playing a game and navigate with x's controlers.
Album art can be displayed full screen.
Suports WMA lossless a very high quality audio codec that audiophiles love.
TV out.. Play your music and watch a slide show of your vaca on your TV. Watch movies.
Radio Turner.. extra bonus for when you want something differnt or hear a beasball game.
Unit comes with A/V cables.
Scratch resistant case.
TIVO and Media center Pc TV recordings compatable

I loaded many differnt Dvix formats AVIs on the player and they all work perfectly.


Cons.

Buttons on the right side seams to be silly placement.
Sreen color Res. and well as TV out is not at full capasity its good enough but not amazing.
No way to change screen format for widescreen movies.
Some pictures are misplaced even though they are all loaded on from the same folder.
Some files.. even though I rename them then load them on still retaine there original name.
Very limited accesories available.. Waiting for a good set of powered speakers.
No mass storage mode. (no dumping a file and transfering it to another pc)
Unit dosnt not come with a small Lanyard. (strap for your wrist)

Ok so theres a few things that are not perfict about this player.
*The most important is Video color resoultion. Its been stated that it's 65k for the units screen and for TV out. For the units screen this is perfictly fine and most people wont be able to see the color abnormalities. The TV out on the other hand you will see the graduation of color change in places like the sky and dark back grounds. People who dont know what I am talking about it when you see each color separate in the transtion from darker to lighter. Though you only see this 10 to 20 % of the time. Watching video on a larger screen will make this problem more annoying. The only thing to do about it is ignore it and pay attention to the movie.. Also an important factor is the quality of the video your watching.. If you download a movie and the party who "ripped" the movie did a crappy job well that what your going to get.. a crappy looking movie. So look for high res. movies when downloading.
I have to say when veiwing pictures through TV out isn't nearly as bad. Its Very good.
*This isn't a fully portable HD. Your not going to bring your library over to your freinds house and dump your files onto his PC. (theres other ways to share music anyhow) But anyhow putting work files and spread sheets wont happen.
*Video format. Ok so the movie I am watching is in widescreen mode. The player dosnt have the option to add black bars to the top and bottom so the video is out of perportion. Though if I play the movie on the wide screen TV this isnt a problem.

Inprovments.

*Gray background. For audio a gray back ground is drab. Custumization would be best.
*Infared port. This in conjuntion with a small remote (that and be stored in the player?!) with same face button config for easy control over the device from across the room.
*SD card slot. Mini or mico or standard SD slot would make dumping camera photos easy. And would make the unit a limited mass storge device.
*Remove buttons on the sides. This is silly. Volume should be intergreted with the cross hair control.. I cant see why anyone could see this during the design process.. while I am listening to music and watching movies pressing right or left has a perpose but pressing up or down on the cross hairs dose nothing.. instead I have to look for the volume on the side.
*Color res. Audiophiles will love the lossless codec but videophiles will literaly puke.
*Battery life. I didnt place this as a Con cause its not bad at all. But a longer life is what everyone seeks.
*Accessories. I know these wont develop without sales but I think and hope this player dose.
*Reserved space. So I can put work files and spreadsheets in a reserved folder. Files that wonts be converted to windows format. So the device can store other personal data.
*Power point/ document veiwer. Would take this unit ever farther down the road to success.
*Games. This device has a cross hair controler. Why not develop some games.


I bought this player cause I wanted to have a PVP (personal video player) to bring to a freinds house and play videos, show pictures, and play music.. also some of my own movie maker files.
This device is the answer to the wish for an easy way to share a video or movie with a freind with out having to burn a dvd (which isn't a quick process with divx files)
Everything you load on this PMP (personal Media Player) is converted to its own personal format... And thats everything.. Photos, Music and Video are all changed before being loaded on the player.. Photos are resized.. not the huge poster quality that my camera takes but downsized enough to still have great quality when vewing on a large TV screen. This is to save space on the HD.

All and all. I am Very please with the Toshiba Gigabeat S. I would recomend it to anyone who wants a video/mp3 player. I know if this thing takes off there will be upgraded units.

I received this product one monday and already by thursday I started the return process. The device is amazing displaying pictures, playing music and videos. Has a crystal clear and brightfull screen with a great size too. The software is great, you can find everything real quick. Everything seemed to be amazing until I found out that after four hours the battery just died and the product turned off all the sudden. I tried twice a full recharge and tested it with my MP3 Catalog. The first time with a USB connection to fully charge the device and the second time by using normal AC power. The result was both times the same, just a four hours playback time (for music). Considering that there are not many accesories to stay on the road with your device this was just too dissapointing. I decided to return the device. I wasn't able to try the other features such as downloading TV shows or buying online and storing the musing in the device. IPOD killer? I still have to wait more time to find such a device...

Very happy for the 1st 3 weeks and then problems started to occur.

I put it in my back pocket of my pants and I guess my walking around while listening to it caused some kinda of warping (but MP3 players are built to stand some warping, right?). First the screen died so I can only use the buttons to navigate to play the music. Then the battery would suddenly discharge for no obvious reasons. Now (3 months from the date I made the purchase) the whole player doesn't even work any more.

I am frusrated but I can't return it since I bought it in the US and relocated to Asia.

Don't buy it!

I purchased this p[layer after reading the CNET review which gave it high marks. It is indeed easy to use, small, attractive, and performs nicely. But, and this is a BIG but, the player has both a short battery cycle life, and to replace the battery, it must be returned to Toshiba. I called Toshiba to find out the price for battery replacement and I was told that the flat rate price is $140.00. I almost dropped the phone. As I recall, a big complaint with the the first generation I Pod was that the battery also had to be sent to the factory for replacement for $99.00. I Pod users revolted and so Apple changed the design. So how can Toshiba, five years later, make a player that does not allow for field replacement, and why should battery replacement cost so much??? Needless to say, I have returned the player to Amazon and I plan to purchase a Zen Vision instead.

As a standalone product, this MP3 player is top notch, I'd choose if over the new 5.5 iPods.

BUT: lack of accessories makes me almost wish I had gotten an iPod.

I really didn't want to buy an iPod because I use a subscription music service every day and wanted something that was compatible. Since I am paying a monthly fee for a subscription, I didn't want to also have to buy each song. The Gigabeat was one of the highly recommended devices for my subscription service. Not only does it play music very well, but as an additional bonus, I can download my Tivo recordings to it. So, I don't have to pay extra for either music or videos.

I recently went through some very long travel (to Russia from the US) and this thing was a life saver. The batteries lasted very well during 20+ hours of traveling (not playing it constantly, but pretty often) and I didn't feel like I was missing anything in the videos that I watched. Even though the viewing screen is fairly small, the picture was very clear. The only thing I really wished for was a way to set it down and prop it up so that I didn't have to hold on to it.

The 30 gig memory is way more than enough for every playlist of music I have and as many videos as I would ever have saved up to download to it. I tend to keep a short list of both, however, so if you have tons of either, you might want to invest in the larger memory card.

The Gigabeat has one overriding point in its favor: it allows the use of subscription music services. For those, like myself, who subscribe to such services because they offer an incredible variety of music for a much lower cost than that of purchasing a limited library of music, the Gigabeat's problems are troublesome but not overwhelming.

Most aggravating is the Gigabeat's poor battery life. Something in my Gigabeat causes its battery to run down completely, even when the power is off, after it has been used only a few times. This occurs even if the total actual "on time" has been as little as, say, a half hour. Toshiba support has offered to replace my battery for free, but I will have to ship it to them at my cost and then live without the device while they repair it. I've read on other websites that my battery problem is prevalent, so I'm preparing myself for a repeat of the issue once my Gigabeat returns home.

Listening to podcasts is problematic on the Gigabeat. NPR, as many know, provides an enormous selection of first rate podcasts on its website. My Gigabeat will not play any of them. Toshiba support has no solution.

The Gigabeat design is good but not great. The on-off button, for example is close to the hold switch. because of this configuration, one tends to put one's finger on the on-off button for leverage while moving the hold switch. This makes it too easy, unfortunately, to press the button while switching the switch.

Compounding this problem, the hold switch is difficult to operate, and it is hard to determine without a microscope whether it is on or off.

When the hold switch is on, one cannot adjust the volume. This is the one parameter that should continue to maintain its usability even when the hold switch is on.

It is difficult to read the performing artist's name on the Gigabeat monitor, because the name is shown in a dark color.

The fast-forward and fast-reverse buttons are quirky, making it difficult to rewind or fast forward to any predictable length.

This review may seem negative. But I applaud Toshiba for creating a device that will operate in the PC environment and that will permit someone like me to use a subscription service. I refuse to be a slave to iTunes and the iPod, where I would have to spend a dollar to purchase every song I want to hear. I believe that Toshiba and other manufacturers of PC friendly devices will adapt and evolve the design of their devices to address and eliminate the issues I have raised.

I love the S30. I'm currently in high school and literally nearly everyone that has seen it likes it better than the iPod. I personally did not want an iPod and went with the Gigabeat. The navigation is very good, closest competition possible to the scroll wheel.

Pros:
-Love the d-pad navigation
-Great look, stands out from the iPod
-Good quality audio
-Screen is better than the iPod (not sure about specs, but just from using it)
-Very small compared to the Zune
-Comes with independent charger, USB cable, and AV cables. Other players you have to spend $50 or more to get that

Cons:
-Biggest, battery life, but all you have to do is charge it nightly
-Up/Down on d-pad doesn't do much, would be better if it was volume or skip
-Fingerprints easily, but so does the iPod
-Metal casing dents pretty easily
-No accessories, but I don't buy accessories.

Overall I'm very happy with my choice. I highly suggest the Gigabeat, especially if you want to stand out from the enormous iPod group. I would give it a 5 out of 5 for my uses, but many people like accessories and other things that come with having the most popular MP3 player around (iPod).