COWON iAudio X5 20GB Portable Media Player

Reviews: Multimedia

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Nicholas Hart
Kurtis
COWON
Sep. 5, 2005

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Features & Testing

Display

The box, when held right so you can actually read it, says the display is a TFT LCD with a resolution of 160x128 pixels capable of displaying 260,000 colors. The screen is backlit so you can use the player in low light conditions.

Vertical viewing angles aren't so great on the X5. Just a slight tilt of the player up or down will cause the colors to distort. Horizontal viewing angles are much better with an acceptable range before colors begin to distort. The viewing angles are such that someone sitting next to you could watch a video with you, as long as they keep their eye level at the same height as yours.

Video Playback

With that display information in mind, let's talk about the video playback capability of the iAudio X5. JetAudio, the iAudio media player software, contains a video conversion feature so you can take your existing movies on the go with you. I couldn't find a help file for JetAudio and video conversion isn't covered in the instruction booklet, but the dropdown filter would suggest that you can convert ASF, WMV, AVI and MPG files only. I tried a QuickTime file (.mov) and got an error that it couldn't find an appropriate decoder. Any files that are supported are converted to XviD + MP3 at 15fps. MPEG2 files are mostly supported so those DVD rips, I mean backups, can go portable. I say "mostly' because one of my files was encoded as transport stream and JetAudio would not convert it. Transport stream files aren't your typical MPEG container so this is probably nothing to get too worried about.

Once you have your media files converted, you can simply copy them over to the X5, in any directory you like, and select to play them as you would any music file. I'm pleased to say that the video playback really surprised me with its quality. The display is sharp and I didn't notice any choppiness or stuttering. During the opening sequence of Moulin Rouge, where he is using the typewriter, I could read the text as he typed it. Im not sure this is an appropriate platform for long viewing sessions, the viewing angle and the small screen are hard on your eyes after long periods of time, but it certainly gets the job done for short clips or a half-hour trip on the train.

I need to mention a little problem I had with the X5 conversion software. The version that came on the bundled CD introduced some audio sync issues into converted videos. One video was so bad that the audio for a 30 minute video was compressed to two minutes of utter screeching. Luckily there is an upgrade for JetAudio that covers this issue and I no longer had any problems with any of the files and formats that I converted. If you buy this player, be sure to download an updated version from the COWON website.

Photo Viewing

Well I said above that the video quality surprised me so it should be no wonder that the photo viewing performance was satisfactory as well. Obviously the screen is a limiting factor, but it does rather well with what it has. I copied over a few color gradients, some tropical ocean scenes and of course pictures of my kids. The gradients displayed nicely with the colors transitioning evenly. The "normal' pictures came out clear and faces and such were easily recognizable. The X5 automatically resizes images to fit the screen, keeping aspect ratio intact so you don't have any conversion utility like you need for video. The resizing is done well and I didn't notice any adverse effects to image quality when displayed.

Another cool thing you can do with pictures is set them as your background image for the audio/video mode of the player. Previous iAudio players have let you set the background color, but setting your own full color background image is downright awesome. I suppose cell-phone users have had this option for a while, but most portable audio players are still stuck in monochrome. One note about the background image is that the player will not keep aspect ratio intact for background images so your image might be stretched a bit. A quick run through a photo editor to crop your image to 4:3 aspect ratio will help out.

Interface

Sorry if it seems like I'm jumping around, but viewing photos on the X5 brings me to a complaint about the interface. You see, to watch a video or play music, you simply navigate to the movie or music folder and select what you want to play. But you can't view pictures like that; the picture directory doesn't even appear in the directory list. Rather than have picture's accessible in the same way as music or video, you have to instead choose to view pictures from the options menu which loads a slideshow mode. I like the slideshow option, don't get me wrong, it definitely belongs as a feature, but I would rather be able to stop playback, show someone a picture real quick and then jump right back to the music. The current system adds a little time and complexity to the situation.

Aside from that minor irk, the rest of the navigation system suits me just fine. The interface should be familiar if you've used other iAudio "joystick' based products. On the main player screen, up and down adjusts volume and right and left skips ahead or back in the playlist. Push the button down and you are given a list hierarchy allowing you to choose directories or individual files to play or add to a playlist. If you hold the button down for two seconds, the options menu pops up and you can browse through the settings of the player or switch between photo and AV mode. If you ever need to get back to the main play screen, just push the left arrow until you get there. It takes a little getting used to at first, but is easy to pick up and the order of things is fairly logical.

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Page 3 of 6

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Features & Testing (Display, Video and Photo Playback, Interface)
Page 4: Features & Testing (USB Host, FM Radio, Voice and Line-In Recording)
Page 5: Features & Testing (Battery Life, Music Playback, Software)
Page 6: Conclusion

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10 User Comments

1 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 13, 2005 - 12:00 pm

Do you know or have you heard about how easy it will be to replace the Li-on battery? What is the expected lifetime? 2-3 years? How much will it cost, or will the company have to replace the device?

2 - Posted by Kurtis on October 13, 2005 - 12:15 pm

I honestly don't know. I haven't heard of any issues about battery life with the X5 though. I take it that you are worried the X5 will turn into an iPod? :-D

3 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 14, 2005 - 11:44 am

Not sure what you mean by the X5 turning into an ipod, can you explain? I currently own a iRiver Ifp-799t model, and for some reason or another it won't power on anymore. I had to send it back to iRiver and they are in the process of replacing it. I like the features that the iRiver devices have such as MP3, voice recorder, FM Rado, In-line recording etc., yet for the model I have you need to have the iRiver dedicated software loaded onto your PC in order to transfer files.

I came across the X5 from search engine, I was impress with all of the features and then decided to look some reviews and thankfully yours was pretty good.

Can you confirm for me if the X5 does not require software loaded onto a pc in order to transfer files to and from it? Can it also be used as mini usb drive?

When I do research on a device or anything, I try to get all of the Pros and Cons with it before buying. I think for me the worry is having the battery go bad, and is it expensive to replace, or will the company just say where are going to replace the whole thing. If it ever comes to that then, I hope I will have my music or info backed up to recover quickly. Sorry for rambling, but thanks for any info you can give on this device, I'm seriously considering buying this.

4 - Posted by Brian on October 14, 2005 - 11:58 am

There was a big problem with Apple, where they were charging around the price of a brand new iPod just to replace the battery. That is what he was referring to.

5 - Posted by Nick on October 14, 2005 - 12:02 pm

There is no easily accessible battery compartment, only screws. I don't recall the manual mentioning battery replacement, the iAudio website (cowonamerica.com) doesn't mention battery replacement and their online store doesn't sell a battery for the X5. That tells me that its off to the factory if the battery has problems. Unfortunately I don't have an extended amount of time with the player so can't comment on battery lifetime.

As far as needing software to transfer files, I know that for XP and 2k you shouldn't even need a driver. On my systems at home and work, I just plugged the player in and could immediately copy files. The X5 uses a folder hierarchy and you can copy files anywhere you like, although it is best to use the folder structure and put music files in the music folder for example. So yes, you can use it as a flash drive and I certainly did that on a few occasions while I had it.

6 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 17, 2005 - 11:29 am

I have another question. When recording from the radio, voice or In-line, does the X5 convert the recording automatically to MP3 format or do you record the file first, and then go to the X5 software package to convert the file to MP3?

7 - Posted by Kurtis on October 17, 2005 - 12:59 pm

it automatically converts it, you don't have to do anything in software.

8 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 25, 2005 - 10:05 am

Does the iAudio X5 allow you to upload copyrighted music files or copy protect music files to a PC? I know recently that IriverAmerica is adjusting their devices due to copyright guidelines, MP3 / WMA files cannot be uploaded to a PC.

9 - Posted by Nick on October 25, 2005 - 12:18 pm

Im not sure I understand the question. So ill just spew a little :0

The X5 does not support the 'plays for sure' standard (if its really a standard) so it may not work with music purchase sites that use DRM protection.

If you're asking if you can copy mp3s from the player to the PC, the answer is yes. You can copy anything from the player to the PC. However, if that music file has DRM protection, it may not play on the PC. This is a limitation of the file itself, not the player.

10 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 25, 2005 - 12:33 pm

I believe you answered my question. Basically what I asking is this: Does the iAudio allow you to upload MP3 files whether they are copyrighted or not to a PC? I believe that your answer was yes. Next, I was stating a comment that I had saw and experience with iRiver. Because of copyright laws they are no longer allowing you to upload copyrighted mp3(protected) files to a pc, which they had at one time. I'm wondering in the future will other or all mp3 players be affected by copyright laws to hinder users from copying or sharing music.

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