Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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178 of 186 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A product that will spark an explosion in portable A/V, August 23, 2004
I was present at a Microsoft Windows Portable Media Center introduction in San Jose this summer. After the presentation and Q&A had ended, I had the privelidge of taking one of the three WPMC devices for a spin, the Samsung YEPP YH-999, which will debut along with the Creative WPMC product between late September and early October.
Holding the YH-999 was a surprise for me; based on pictures, I had been expecting a device much larger. However, Samsung surprised me with the packaging efficiency of this device, I was easily able to wrap fingers around it, and would effortlessly fit into a small-normal sized pants pocket opening. I also appreciated the slenderness of the YH-999, however, there is a downside to this, addressed later on.
The actual O/S itself is quite similar in appearance and function to Microsoft's Media Center, albeit slightly less intricate. It isn't in any way less user friendly or adequate than MCE; it is simply less substantial, which many will appreciate. One feature that I particularly enjoyed on the WPMC was how well interweaved the music player and photo album features are. Playing a music-accompanied slideshow is a seamless procedure, one that I would find particularly useful at family get-togethers or business venues that demand an attractive, well executed result that the WPMC so effectively delivers. I was also impressed by the quality of the video playback, as I found almost no discernable quality differences between it and a portable DVD player; however, I am still skeptical if the YH-999 will deliver the same quality in a high-demands home theater environment. I found the buttons and controls were idiot-proof, the ham-fisted included. The single feature that was icing on the cake for me was the 5-band sound equalizer that Microsoft incorporates in the software. Anyone who owns an iPod can't ignore the lackluster sound quality the device delivers, especially on Audiophile level headphones. Microsoft appears to have taken note with the inclusion of this feature. One feature I think that few will have a use for is the TV playback feature. A Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition with DVR setup is required to capture the TV show format the WPMC will play. Most households don't own MCE PCs, which will render this feature almost pointless unless Microsoft adds a TVR feature to Windows Media Player 10.
Now I must address the negatives of the YH-999. Archos has a well designed A/V player out that has a whopping 80GB hard drive, the Samsung Yepp YH-999 is being introduced with a paltry 20GB of storage space, and costs 100$ more than an Archos 20GB A/V player. Another fault that almost all portable A/V players suffer from is miserable battery life. If I wanted to watch a movie on a flight from New York to L.A, I'd be left high and dry less than half way through the flight. I would sacrifice some space to get better battery life. Also, the YH-999 doesn't support any sort of audio or video recording, which should be a no-brainer on a device of this caliber. Finally, I was unimpressed with the lack of support for different file types. The ubiquitous DivX format, which is supported by the YH-999's various competitors, is conspicuously absent from the YH-999's list of supported file formats. Although I don't doubt that an enterprising third party software company will create a solution to this issue, Microsoft is only being self-defeating in its quest to universalize its own file formats and applying it to the WPMC.
For those that need the latest and greatest, I'd say look long and hard at this product, but don't ignore the competition. The YH-999 is very effective at performing a multitude of tasks; however, it isn't without drawbacks. Also, I'd be willing to bet that Samsung, Creative, iRiver, and any other company that will make WPMC based products aren't going to offer only 20GB storage capacity for long, if they want their products to be a success. That means the YH-999 will receive a dramatic price cut when these larger capacity models debut, and based on the current standards for portable A/V storage space, the larger capacity models can't be far off. Also, based on their past and hints given by the WPMC program director, they will do yearly overhauls of the WPMC software which will require updated hardware. I think the A/V market will experience an explosion in interest and sales once these products go on sale, which will result in a more rapid refinement of the products, along with price cuts. If you don't feel a burn to purchase a WPMC right now, wait. The battle among portable a/v player companies is just starting.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and Handy Portable TV, Photo and Music Player, June 4, 2005
I have used this now for over a month and I love it. It's stylish, easy to use and works well. I use it for music (I subscribe to an online music service) and I transfer TV shows to it (I have a media center PC) and watch them when I'm flying. Theoretically, you could rip your DVDs, transcode them to DivX and transfer them to this device and take them on the road or on vacation or whatever. This takes a bit of doing (you have to get the DVD Decrypter and Dr DivX programs), but if you do it this could hold about 20 movies. That'll keep the kids occupied for a while! And they could even watch the movies on the TV, not on the player, because the Yepp has normal TV outs just like a DVD player/VCR. I would definitely rather do this than buy for instance a Sony PSP and have to buy special discs that only work in the PSP...and then I guess have to buy a regular DVD to play it in my DVD player?? How about no to that.
The Yepp is too big for jogging, and is bigger for instance than an iPod, but it's not ungainly. In fact I would say it's pretty sleek. I do carry it in my pocket from time to time and it's no big deal. One nice feature by the way is the kickstand on the back that allows you to set it up when you're travelling or something and watch it without holding it up. Also, if you're just playing music it actually is kind of cool to have the screen because it shows the album art so if you're at a desk doing work you can set it up and it's a little more fun than an iPod or a screenless mp3 player.
The only problem I have had with the Yepp is that while songs transfer easily from my PC, playlists, so far, have not. Bummer for me. I blame Real's dumb Rhapsody to Go service. It's very buggy. So I blame Real. I wish I could review that >:()
This thing works great. I love it. It's really user friendly. I recommend it.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Portable Windows Media Center, October 15, 2004
The Windows XP Media Center Edition has launched Okt. 12 in the Netherlands and I was amazed by this device that was presented at the launch. I have been using it now for 1 week and it is amazing how slick the device is, it is relativly small (Very small compared to the Creative one!).
It has AV out so it's great to take it to family or friends and hook it to their TV and show you pictures or just listen to music you brought to the party!
In my opinion it respons quickly, the screen is bright and clear.
But the best thing is the synchronisation. Boy, this thing is integrating with Windows Media Player 10 so easy!
If I had to say one thing against it that would be that the TV shows take some time to convert but that's bearable. The shows are pretty big otherwise so.
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