Questions to our Q5 owners

[StanRex]

I just thought we could start a thread to ask questions to our dear Q5 owners about the capabilities of their beasts ^^

So, I'll start :

_ does it support gapless playback?
_ does it support playlists?
_ is video playback perfectly fluid for the following codecs :
divx, xvid, mpg2, mpg?

_ can you play h264 encoded video fluidly with tcpmp?
_ can you play divx, xvid, mpg2, mpg videos fluidly with tcpmp?
_ how is the battery life?

_ do you think it can truely be used as a video and audio player? or is it primarily a video player?
_ what are the pda functions?

_ can you playback on tv without needing accessories?

_ how is sound quality? better than a d2 or x5? worse? similar?

reason I m asking this is :

I m mostly a music user. I probably listen to 20 hours of music for one hour of video played.

I used to own an Archos 604. It was great for movie playback, but sucked for audio (bad sound quality, no flac support)

I sold it to get a D2. I'm quite happy with it. But I have a few gripes :

the screen is just too small
no one should ever have to reencode videos, it s just a pain
storage capacity is a bit short when using flac


I'm considering different options here :

either I sell my D2 and get a Q5. I'll use it mostly for audio and sometimes for video.
Advantages : high capacity for my flac files, big screen, only one device

trade offs : hd based device (I sometimes run to catch a subway train, and have already killed a hd based player when falling down some stairs)
battery life for audio isnt that good
video capabilities are good, but not top notch



Or, I keep my D2 for the moment, buy a 30gb archos 605 which has excellent video capabilities (I'll only use it for video), better than the Q5 thanks to the davinci chip.

and in the future, either I keep my D2 or sell it to buy a 16gb one, hoping they ll also release 16 or 32gb shdc at a reasonable price (or a 16gb iaudio 7)

advantages of this solution : great devices for each use (the D2 is really portable and has great autononmy)
tradeoffs : two devices to carry around when I need both video and audio. I can run like crazy with my D2 without risking to damage anything. And the battery life is incredible
And probably a bit more costly than the Q5.
What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance to those who ll read this post and take the time to answer

[Q5yesOrno]

Hello guys,

I have a few questions to the owner or the people who know much of the Q5.

1.Could i install Icq on it?! Is there a version or something like a multimessenger with icq for win ce 5?

2.Could i sort my music after the following sections:

-artist
-album
-genre
-title
-most played
-favourite
-something else?!

3.Is there a good TV recording function also installed?
Like time-recording?, recording without adverts?, good quality?


ThX for all the answers sorry if i write for you dissunderstanding I'm German[thumbsup]


Greeets

[pepepaco]

I just thought we could start a thread to ask questions to our dear Q5 owners about the capabilities of their beasts ^^

So, I'll start :

_ does it support gapless playback?
_ does it support playlists?
_ is video playback perfectly fluid for the following codecs :
divx, xvid, mpg2, mpg?

_ can you play h264 encoded video fluidly with tcpmp?
_ can you play divx, xvid, mpg2, mpg videos fluidly with tcpmp?
_ how is the battery life?

_ do you think it can truely be used as a video and audio player? or is it primarily a video player?
_ what are the pda functions?

_ can you playback on tv without needing accessories?

_ how is sound quality? better than a d2 or x5? worse? similar?

reason I m asking this is :

I m mostly a music user. I probably listen to 20 hours of music for one hour of video played.

I used to own an Archos 604. It was great for movie playback, but sucked for audio (bad sound quality, no flac support)

I sold it to get a D2. I'm quite happy with it. But I have a few gripes :

the screen is just too small
no one should ever have to reencode videos, it s just a pain
storage capacity is a bit short when using flac


I'm considering different options here :

either I sell my D2 and get a Q5. I'll use it mostly for audio and sometimes for video.
Advantages : high capacity for my flac files, big screen, only one device

trade offs : hd based device (I sometimes run to catch a subway train, and have already killed a hd based player when falling down some stairs)
battery life for audio isnt that good
video capabilities are good, but not top notch



Or, I keep my D2 for the moment, buy a 30gb archos 605 which has excellent video capabilities (I'll only use it for video), better than the Q5 thanks to the davinci chip.

and in the future, either I keep my D2 or sell it to buy a 16gb one, hoping they ll also release 16 or 32gb shdc at a reasonable price (or a 16gb iaudio 7)

advantages of this solution : great devices for each use (the D2 is really portable and has great autononmy)
tradeoffs : two devices to carry around when I need both video and audio. I can run like crazy with my D2 without risking to damage anything. And the battery life is incredible
And probably a bit more costly than the Q5.
What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance to those who ll read this post and take the time to answer

I'll try and answer some of your questions - I've only had the Q5 for a few days ( I hope CALCHEESE will assist me with this, he has had the Q5 longer, and understands Korean).

- The Q5 has a similar menu structure to my Cowon D2. Obviously it is a lot chunkier (too chunky in my opinion if all you want is an audio player)
I find the sound quality MUCH better than the D2 - this of course could be a personal opinion - like many others on the D2 forum I find the D2 sound lacking a bit of sparkle, but the Q5 is very good (you don't get "tired" of the sound after half an hour).
- As far as I can see, Q5 only has the option for ONE playlist (DPL), the same as the D2. (it doesn't even have a "bookmark" option, like on the D2, although there are bookmarks for video playback).

- Video playback is truly outstanding, the screen is superb (this is really what you are paying for). I have tried several video formats (avi, mpeg, etc) and the playback quality is excellent and very smooth. You can format the screen as AUTO, FULL, 4:3 or 16:9.
- I am still testing battery life - first impressions: obviously not as long lasting as the D2 but seems to be good enough for 2 or 3 movies. Will update.
- I am having a bit of trouble with TCPMP (sound but blank screen) so will let you know when I sort it out. CALCHEESE has installed TCPMP and it seems to be OK.
- PDA functions are limited . Not many programs available for Win Ce 5.0 and MIPS processor.
- Don't know if it supports FLAC, I don't use this format myself.
- Haven't connected to TV yet, but Q5 comes with all necessary cables (component and composite) - should work without problems, but you cannot record DIRECTLY from A/V source (no DVR recording), only playback. (I believe this is because the Alchemy chip is not powerful enough for this feature, unlike Da Vinci).
Firmware update is very good, same as with the D2, with 3 updates which have already been made available.
Don't forget this is the Korean version, undoubtedly the US/European version will have different features.
Will post further news ASAP.

[StanRex]

Thanks a lot for the info!

[globex]

Hey pepe, you forgot the gapless music question :) Also, I would like to add a question:

Does it fit in your pocket? (very important for me, hehe)

Also:

"trade offs : hd based device (I sometimes run to catch a subway train, and have already killed a hd based player when falling down some stairs)"

I think running with a 5-inch PMP is... not a very good idea. haha.

[eric3a]

- I am still testing battery life - first impressions: obviously not as long lasting as the D2 but seems to be good enough for 2 or 3 movies. Will update.
Thanks for all your answers.
I hope it'll hold for a lot more than 2 to 3 movies!
I regularly do 5 or 6 on planes with my A2 and 2 or 3 is just not enough. (unless you mean 3 x Titanic?!!!)

When you have the time I'd love to know the real life autonomy of the Q5 in video mode.
Thanks
Eric

[pepepaco]

Hey pepe, you forgot the gapless music question :) Also, I would like to add a question:

Does it fit in your pocket? (very important for me, hehe)

Also:

"trade offs : hd based device (I sometimes run to catch a subway train, and have already killed a hd based player when falling down some stairs)"

I think running with a 5-inch PMP is... not a very good idea. haha.

- Sorry - I don't use gapless (I don't really even know what it is - pardon my ignorance) I normally use high bitrate mp3 (192kps) which I find is quite good quality without taking up too much space. If you post a link to a gapless file (and maybe a FLAC also) I will try it out and let you know.
- Yes, the Q5 fits in the pocket but you do feel the weight... I mean, it's definitely not an IPOD nano!
- Another important point: - the "WOW" factor... everyone that sees the Q5 playing a video says..."I want one!".

[addz]

^

gapless: is a feature, which allows a seamless playback of music files without gaps in between the songs. Most useful for live recordings which flow of each tune and other music.

I highly doubt Q5 is gapless.

[pepepaco]

Basically the audio feature pack is almost identical to the Cowon D2 with the important difference that in my opinion the sound quality is way better with the Q5 (I use Ultimate Ears earphones and I can really hear the improved quality with the Q5).
The only other difference I can see is that there is no "bookmark feature" in the audio playback like on the D2 (although you can save bookmarks with video playback).
As far as gapless is concerned, maybe CALCHEESE can answer if it is available, there are some options in the "settings" which are in Korean and which I don't yet understand (still looking for a Korean speaking person in my area!)

[globex]

pepe,

To test if its gapless should be pretty easy (if you don't have a gapless album). I'm sure you have a song somewhere which starts at 0:00 time. Just sent the player into "Repeat" mode and see if there are is any pause in between the repeats.

I know most of Pink Floyd's albums are gapless. DJ Remix albums are also usually gapless.

I lot of people really want this feature, that's why I'm asking.

But I am really excited about the "wow" factor :)

A few more questions (not sure if you have answered this before or not)

1. How is the durability of the player itself (not the screen)? Is it metal or plastic? Does it scratch easily?
2. Did ANY case come with the Q5? And if it did, do you find that it help protect the Q5 well from scratches?
3. Do you find that because of the touchscreen you have to clean the screen often to watch videos? Do finger marks make the screen really dirty?

[CharlieSpear]

- PDA functions are limited . Not many programs available for Win Ce 5.0 and MIPS processor.

Didn't someone say somewhere that they had WordPad running? I have decided that in the worst case I can use that to create and maintain a simple personal calendar, & that's all the PDA functionality I need.

BTW, if anyone has a PICTURE of Q5 running WordPad (or any text editor) could you post that? thx.

[roscomc]

BTW, if anyone has a PICTURE of Q5 running WordPad (or any text editor) could you post that? thx.

Wordpad running on the cowon q5 (last image):

http://download.cowon.com/review/iAUDIO7/wawoo/img/Q5_wawoo_39.jpg

Wordpad is very simple. If you need something better, check texmaker 2002. It is great and MIPS compatible!

http://www.rothberger.net/images/software/textmaker.gif

[CharlieSpear]

Great. Thanks for the pic.

[pepepaco]

pepe,

To test if its gapless should be pretty easy (if you don't have a gapless album). I'm sure you have a song somewhere which starts at 0:00 time. Just sent the player into "Repeat" mode and see if there are is any pause in between the repeats.

I know most of Pink Floyd's albums are gapless. DJ Remix albums are also usually gapless.

I lot of people really want this feature, that's why I'm asking.

But I am really excited about the "wow" factor :)

A few more questions (not sure if you have answered this before or not)

1. How is the durability of the player itself (not the screen)? Is it metal or plastic? Does it scratch easily?
2. Did ANY case come with the Q5? And if it did, do you find that it help protect the Q5 well from scratches?
3. Do you find that because of the touchscreen you have to clean the screen often to watch videos? Do finger marks make the screen really dirty?

1. The Q5 seems to be made of a mixture of plastic and metal parts. The overall feel is of a high quality and robust product.
2. The Korean version comes with a nice black leather case. A protective case such as the one supplied is a MUST for this player. The case is also handy since it includes a stand at the back so you can watch the screen at a comfortable viewing angle. It has a magnetic closing latch.
3. Yes you occasionally have to clean the screen if you use your fingers. A lot of the time you will be using the included stylus because of the small typeface (High def screen). The Q5 also came included with a very good screen protector.

[Q5yesOrno]

i have already asked but please could anyone say me if there are following featers in it

2.Could i sort my music after the following sections:

-artist
-album
-genre
-title
-most played
-favourite
-something else?!

[pepepaco]

i have already asked but please could anyone say me if there are following featers in it

2.Could i sort my music after the following sections:

-artist
-album
-genre
-title
-most played
-favourite
-something else?!

Doesn't seem to have these features I'm afraid. What you can do is create different folders, the same as with the D2.

[trancefxs]

My two questions:

is it possible to charge and read pdf files on the device?

Have you tried the wifi internet navigation? Does the Q5 support flash?

These are two features included in the Archos 605 that I would like to see in the Q5.

[Dominic]

Doesn't seem to have these features I'm afraid. What you can do is create different folders, the same as with the D2.

That's unfortunate as the D2 can sort by
-artist
-album
-genre
-title
As well as by folder, strange that cowon would leave that out of the Q5.

Can you tell me what the story is with regards to wi fi?

[Q5yesOrno]

Doesn't seem to have these features I'm afraid. What you can do is create different folders, the same as with the D2.
I think this is a verY big mistake of cowon because i will upload 1000or more songs with folders that is horrible....so cowon its a shame but so if cowon doesnt intigrate a few of these features i couldnt buy it.....

[pepepaco]

I think this is a verY big mistake of cowon because i will upload 1000or more songs with folders that is horrible....so cowon its a shame but so if cowon doesnt intigrate a few of these features i couldnt buy it.....

I think these issues will probably be sorted with software updates. Also I cannot see a graphic equalizer, which is not acceptable. Since these options are present in the D2, lets hope that they will eventually be included in the Q5 also.

[pepepaco]

My two questions:

is it possible to charge and read pdf files on the device?

Have you tried the wifi internet navigation? Does the Q5 support flash?

These are two features included in the Archos 605 that I would like to see in the Q5.

- I haven't tried reading PDF files yet.
- As far as WIFI goes, as you probably already know, it is not built in the Korean model - I am awaiting the wifi dongle, which I ordered but have not yet received.
- The Q5 does support flash, a lot better than the D2, not sure which version of flash it is, but I can load a lot more stuff than with the D2, and of course with the bigger screen things are a lot clearer!

[eyalben]

Hey,

Maybe some of you will know to answer my feq questions about the q5?

1. Is ScummVM will work under the Q5? Playing old quest games is very (very!) fun with a touch screen.

2. Is it gonna support multi-languages like the A2? (the A2 supports tons of languages among them russian and hebrew).


Hope for answers.

Eyal

[roscomc]

1. Is ScummVM will work under the Q5? Playing old quest games is very (very!) fun with a touch screen.


It should work...

http://arisme.free.fr/PocketScumm/downloadHPC-MIPS.php

[IdontexistM8]

I'd like to know about Subtitle support.

Ta.

[calcheese]

ok guys...most of the questions are futile to be honest...the Korean version of the Q5 is going to be drastically different from the European version...rumour has it that DMB will be replaced by Wifi/Bluetooth so there will already be a hardware difference. WinCE will probably be in English (hopefully with MUI) and same with the "Cowon Launcher" the program in which you can navigate to your media files etc. European versions will probably not have the e-book reader or the comic book reader and will definitely not have the dictionary nor the Britannica Encyclopedia.

Strangely, there is a MTP option available for the Q5 since that function was eliminated in teh korean D2 firmwares due to lincensing issues....? I guess we would be able to transfer playlists using MTP...

As yet the Q5 is still very new and , like the D2, will undergo several transformations before becoming the best featured PMP in the market...I'm expecting that they will soon add ID3 browsing with a subsequent firmware upgrade like they did with the D2. New firmwares are released more frequently than with the D2 so that in itself is good news.

.SMI subtitles are apparently supported, but I have yet to test the Q5 in most of its features, subtitles included.

Wifi function will be so different but at the moment with the Korean Q5, you require a USB wifi dongle that does not require any drivers...or you can port a driver to winCE. There are a few dongles available for WinCE but they are hard to come by...USRobotics makes one apparently....i have yet to try the wifi...i have a netgear wpn111 dongle and it won't work...

MSN messenger is already installed in teh device with IE. Programs must be made for MIPS processors...i have basic programs at teh moment such as office viewer, memo pad, paint and a few games...

you can view PDF files by downloading teh office viewer.

Stanrex...
I also have a D2 and I primarily use the D2 while i'm on the move...ie cycling, running, walking but use the Q5 for when I'm stationary ie on train or waiting somewhere. Teh Q5 is too large to be fully portable...the only way i see anyone using it as a portable audio player is if you get the inline remote (same remote for A2) and keep your Q5 in your bag...

im having trouble with TCPMP at the moment after getting it to work initially...will update later..

you get teh vdieo cables included with your Q5 to connect to your tv.

i think i've rambled enough...gotta scoot..hope some of this helps..

[globex]

"Teh Q5 is too large to be fully portable...the only way i see anyone using it as a portable audio player is if you get the inline remote (same remote for A2) and keep your Q5 in your bag..."

Are you serious about this? I was going to keep it in my pocket while on the bus... do you think that'll work at all? Cause if I have to carry it in my bag, I might as well get a laptop... The whole idea of a portable player is that you don't need a bag to carry it.

[mikey]

Are you serious about this? I was going to keep it in my pocket while on the bus... do you think that'll work at all? Cause if I have to carry it in my bag, I might as well get a laptop... The whole idea of a portable player is that you don't need a bag to carry it.

It should fit in your pocket.... maybe

[pachi]

here is some question for ya q5 owners..no one prob has asked.
1. Can you transfer pics , music etc from a phone to q5 thru bluetooth?
2. Hows the gps, does it lock on fast? is it free to navigate?
3. Can you play emulation?
4. It has wi-fi built in?
5. It is customisable like d2? change icon etc?

[Q5yesOrno]

4. It has wi-fi built in?
US/Europe Version YES!

[mikey]

US/Europe Version YES!

Well until its released or about to be thats still a Maybe

[globex]

US/Europe Version YES!

Yeah, we don't actually know this for sure. I'm still having doubts about it.

[totoro]

Hi mates :-)

thank you for answering to all these questions [thumbsup]

The ID3 tag for me is not really important, because I'd rather to explore my folders which is is well organised and sorted with cover art . . .

As soon you could run TCPMP, I would like to know if you could manage to play mkv movies : what about the flawless, the settings, the codec supported (aac, rv9 10,x264 . . . ) ? ? ?

Does the AMD Alchemy AU1200 500Mhz is a good processor for TCPMP ?

Wifi is also important but for the moment, we could not deal with this.

I admit I puchased nowadays an axim x51v 624Mhz dell from ebay . . .
That is the reason why I ask all these question about TCPMP : this software is amazing with this PDA, smi subtitle, mkv supportn wifi support so streaming works great . . .
The drawback : TCPMP could not handle RV9 10, subtitle included with Mkv container and in spite of being overclocked (724Mhz), my PDA do not play flawless mkv movies . . . but all avi vids are flawless with excellent display and framerate . . .

I had also an umpc asus r2h, but the processor was too slow with mkv movies, too much noise with its ventirad . . . Umpc is the future but many improvements have to be made : the factor power/energy,noise and ssd flash hd . . .

In advance, sorry for the off topic but I think you could more understand my expectations . . . and again sorry for my english :-)

TOTORO :jamming:

Hourra to dencowon.fr and denmultimedia.fr, a great french source for every pmp fans (cowon, maxian, istation, ... ) [biggrin]

[Heavybell]

Sorry, I've asked this question in a few places, but I think this is the right place for it.
Do you know if it supports the .Net 2.0 Compact Framework? Visual Studio thinks it can write programs for WinCE 5.0 or later using that framework, so unless it is wrong, it should support it.

EDIT: Oh, I've also heard you can get Windows Remote Desktop Client for WinCE 5.0. Anyone know if that works on the Q5?

[den]

hello,

Do you know if the q5 will have a dvr station in option?

[Hess]

Oh, I've also heard you can get Windows Remote Desktop Client for WinCE 5.0. Anyone know if that works on the Q5?

Even if it does work, I don't think the processor or memory will be man enough to handle it.

[roscomc]

EDIT: Oh, I've also heard you can get Windows Remote Desktop Client for WinCE 5.0. Anyone know if that works on the Q5?

VNC 3.3.2 (Virtual Network Computing) works on MIPS devices...

http://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/software/realvnc/vnc-3-3-7/

[Heavybell]

That would be just as good, though it looks like that version is out of date and hard to come by now.

My main question stands though. Unless I can use .Net Compact Framework to write my own applications for this device, I'm going to be a lot less interested in it. Which would be a shame, since it sounds awesome. :jamming:

[ariel123]

joining to the question about optional DVR station.. also: what are the DVR capabilities of the Q5?

[fornies]

joining to the question about optional DVR station.. also: what are the DVR capabilities of the Q5?
The Korean model does not have any

[calcheese]

i tried installing the net CF from the microsoft website...the Q5 came up with something about there being a more current version already installed and to uninstall it first to proceed with the installation...i will be using the q5 a lot more these days since i had to send my D2 back so i will try out a few stuff...any requests?

[globex]

calcheese,

When you're listening to music or watching movies, does the Q5 use Windows CE programs to run it (is there a windows bar on the bottom of the screen), or does the Q5 have it's own program/os/software for playing audio/video?

Thanks.

[eric3a]

Do you know if the power supplies for the A2 also work for the Q5? I have 3 power supplies and it would be nice to be able to use these with the Q5.

Thanks
Eric

[addz]

I would appreciate it if someone could point out any bugs/things wrong/irritations with the device. Its nice to hear about the good things, but better to know what may be wrong so we can expect them.

:)

[pepsi_max2k]

Its nice to hear about the good things, but better to know what may be wrong so we can expect them.

another vote for that [thumbsup] and especially stuff about the browser. when someone gets the wifi dongle...

1. does the browser have a habbit of resizing elements within a page when it shouldnt?
it does this in the win ce emulator but i figured it was just the emu, but this pic don't impress me much:
http://download.cowon.com/review/iAUDIO7/wawoo/img/Q5_wawoo_39.jpg
if you look at http://www.msn.com/ you can see the large index list has been moved down even though there's enough room for it, and it looks like all the content to the right of the add has been moved down the page aswell, just like the emulator does [no].
also it didn't like hidden menu lists like i have on my own site ( http://www.inaudible.co.uk/crimea/ ). you'll notice right away what the problem is if it's still broke on the cowon.
and another thing the emulator did was being recognized as a mobile browser on loads of sites (msn, google) and was then served horrible text only versions of stuff. again, i hope the cowon doesn't have that problem.

2. the other thing is flash. the cowon supports stand alone flash games / files, but does it also support sites like youtube?

[calcheese]

calcheese,

When you're listening to music or watching movies, does the Q5 use Windows CE programs to run it (is there a windows bar on the bottom of the screen), or does the Q5 have it's own program/os/software for playing audio/video?

Thanks.

all media access is done through a program "Cowon Launcher". From there you can access Movie, Music, DMB, text viewers and windows. You can change settings to allow the Q5 to automatically run the program from WinCE when it's switched on. Why do you ask? Is there an advantage to either way?





I would appreciate it if someone could point out any bugs/things wrong/irritations with the device. Its nice to hear about the good things, but better to know what may be wrong so we can expect them.
:)

There are a few bugs but teh Q5 developers seem a bit faster with their firmware updates than with the D2..in the past three weeks there have been 3 updates...1.25, 1.26 and 1.30. Of course this can only mean that there are a lot of bugs that have been reported. As far as I can see, my Q5 works very well with the 1.30 firmware..only thing is they seem to have messed up the little taskbar you get in the Cowon Launcher for quick access to already opened functions...ie if you listen to music and decide you want to change your settings and also look at pictures, you can have the music, settings and pictures windows on your cowon taskbar...but they messed up the icons for it..strange since it worked perfectly in .25 and 1.26.

they've included ogm support with 1.30 but they haven't yet put in support for different audio streams and embedded subtitles you can get in the ogm container..

movie support is very good.

i'd have to say they need to do something about navigation though...

firstly the wing-click is quite nice if you intend to use your hands on either side of the device while using your fingers to navigate to each menu but if you use the stylus, it becomes annoyng to move your stylus back and forth...the play, rw, ffw etc buttons are located on the right hand side but i think i would have preferred if they used a similar styling to D2's floating buttons.

my second gripe has to do with file trees...to find a file, you have to select file view which will show you all files and folders. once you click on a file, the view will automatically change to the current playling list ie folders will disappear and you will only see the appropriate files. so to change folder, you have to select file view again and then navigate through the folders.

thirdly, there is no finger scrolling thing (i forget the name) that you get in the D2...so you can't flick your finger to scroll through long lists...instead you have up/down buttons, previous, and a scroll bar. you must double click to enter a folder or play a file (but only single to click other controls) which is very good in my oipinion on a device with large buttons like the D2..but the Q5 have rather small icons and if you have don't have slim girly fingers, it's going to be a bit of a pain.

If i had to change the Q5, I'd probably have a interface a lot like the D2 with an icon menu taking up the whole screen with big icons, finger scrolling and just one click to navigate through folders and select files. Navigation is very important and i feel that the Q5 could be improved so much but i don't think it will change drastically. However having said all these, the Q5 works so well as a PMP and I keep getting stopped and asked about it...and it looks so niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccceeeeeeee!

[globex]

all media access is done through a program "Cowon Launcher". From there you can access Movie, Music, DMB, text viewers and windows. You can change settings to allow the Q5 to automatically run the program from WinCE when it's switched on. Why do you ask? Is there an advantage to either way?

Just wondering if it'll still work when I try to remove Win CE completely and install Linux on it.

[glory]

Hi everybody, I have been looking at the Archos 605 WiFi for quiet sometime but I almost knew nothing about this wonderful product until today [blush]. Now, I did a lot of reading on this form and I have some questions (it might be too early to ask them but i can't resist!)

1. Can the Q5 support/run skype, does anyone know if it is down the road?
(this might decide where i will spend my money on, 605WiFi/Q5)

2. I would like to bump its storage, so does anyone know if swapping the hard drive for a bigger one would work?

Thanks for all the info out here folks [thumbsup]

[globex]

1. Can the Q5 support/run skype, does anyone know if it is down the road?
(this might decide where i will spend my money on, 605WiFi/Q5)

2. I would like to bump its storage, so does anyone know if swapping the hard drive for a bigger one would work?


1. If there is a Win CE version of Skype - yes. Otherwise no. It's really up to the software developers. From what I know, at this time it doesn't support it. But something that like can be fixed with a Firmware update... So it's quite possible that it will be supported later.

2. Other Cowon players have always had successful storage replacements. The beauty of Cowon's players is that they're always built with screws, so you can open them up and look at what's inside. We still don't know what kind of HDD it's using, but depending on that, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do a replacement. It won't be super easy reinstalling all the WinCE crap though.

I really don't see why you'd need more than 60gb though. Unless you plan to store your entire music collection and entire video library on it. But that's not what players like this are for.

[eric3a]

2. I would like to bump its storage, so does anyone know if swapping the hard drive for a bigger one would work?
Wouldn't using an external USB drive be an option also? Seems with USB2 Host that would work. Unlimited capacity for cheap.
Eric

[mdarch]

Calcheese:
According to Cowon, the Q5 will have PDA functions in the US version. Does your version have contact and calendar functions, and can it sync with outlook?
Thanks...

[johnb41]

I'm also a potential Archos 605 user that just discovered the Q5!

Couple questions:

1) Can the Q5 stream video (via WiFi) stored on my PC? (i'd be on my home wireless network). The 605 can and that's what made me sold on it, as i don't have to physically send the video to the actual unit.

2) The OS is Win CE. Is it a special version of CE, for use w/ the Q5? Or is there only ONE Win CE. So if Win CE supports a feature, then i can be sure that the Q5 will support that feature? If so, then i can just research the features of Win CE on the MS site.

Thanks!
John

[GVera]

I really don't see why you'd need more than 60gb though. Unless you plan to store your entire music collection and entire video library on it. But that's not what players like this are for.

I would like greater capacity also for two reasons:

1) I have all my music in FLAC, over 500GB of 100% CD quality music, and I hate to replicate the music in mp3/ogg just to put them in my PMP.

2) I would like to put also some movies with good quality and take them with me when on vacations to see them in a TV (I rent a seashore house). If you want quality at a reasonable size screen (29 inches) you need space.

[omjeremy]

LOL: "Who in their right mind would ever need more than 640k of RAM?" - Bill Gates, 1981

C'mon, we've all heard that quote. I, for one, would like a larger HD. Movies take up a lot of space, especially if you want them encoded with a high bitrate. I would rather not have to worry about deleting any or keeping some on my HD at home. I could easily fill up 60gb and still be wanting more.

[globex]

I guess it's all about personal preference... I can't imagine why I would ever need to have all my music library on my PMP when I can't listen to all of it in between trips from/to my computer. And I can't imagine why I would need to have my music/movies be in such high quality when on the 5inch PMP screen it won't make a difference. If I'm going on vacation, and want to plug a movie into the TV, I'll put a file on the PMP before I leave specifically for that trip. I don't see why you'd need to keep all your files at full size, all the time.

[glory]

Well, we all have our own ideas [cool]. I would prefer to throw a bunch of movies at the best quality possible and not worry about moving them until i finish watching them all. I cant keep worrying about the space and keep moving stuff. Anyways, thats for that!

Here are some more questions in addition to johnb41's questions:
1. Does IE support streaming flash videos and/or any other formats?
2. How capable and efficient is the IE on Q5? Does it support AJAX? (a comparison with N800's Firefox and 605's Opera 9 browsers should awesome [wink])

Thanks for the replies in advance!

[fornies]

I guess it's all about personal preference... I can't imagine why I would ever need to have all my music library on my PMP when I can't listen to all of it in between trips from/to my computer. And I can't imagine why I would need to have my music/movies be in such high quality when on the 5inch PMP screen it won't make a difference. If I'm going on vacation, and want to plug a movie into the TV, I'll put a file on the PMP before I leave specifically for that trip. I don't see why you'd need to keep all your files at full size, all the time.

I with you you on the video part. I usually know what movies i want to watch or which season of a show i want to catch up on. As for music though i never know which songs i want to listen to and i almost always put my whole collection on random unless there is a new album i just got or an old one i have not listened to in a while. So i think the 60gb will suffice about cause i can put my 40gb compressed music collection on and the videos i want to watch. Beside its twice as big as my a2's drive which will only hold half of the stuff i use.

[omjeremy]

And I can't imagine why I would need to have my music/movies be in such high quality when on the 5inch PMP screen it won't make a difference.

It will make a difference, provided the quality is in the right specs. There is a difference between resolution and bitrate.

Sure, 1920x1080 won't look any better than the Q5's native resolution (800x400?). Regardless, if the Q5's screen (and processor) could support that resolution, if the movie is encoded at with a low bitrate, it'll look like crap.

The higher the bitrate, the better the video looks, the more space the file will take up. So, if you encode a video at Q5's native resolution, but with a high bitrate, the movie will look better. Also, if you want better sound quality than a 128kbps mp3, that takes up more space too, though not nearly as much as the video. With a high bitrate, movies can easily be over a gig each.

[Hess]

Not sure if this has been mentioned but I'm assuming the Q5 will be able to support Firefox's browser for mobiles, Minimo? It's apparently compatible with, and I quote, "Various Linux distributions and Windows CE".

[pepsi_max2k]

the minimo site only mentions windows mobile support. also, there doesn't seem to be any windows ce version of opera yet either. for now the only choice looks like ie [no]

[xentrox]

My Million Dollar Question, the one that destroyed my A2 Experience:

- Can you sort your music using ID3 Tag?

That's all i want to know, In my A2, it's a pain in the ass, to find a song as I have to cycle through folders and folders, chasing tunes. If this is going to be the same, That would make me really sad.

-Xent.

[Thriceberg]

Minimo should work on WinCE, I see some posts on Google about people building it on WinCE, which means it shouldn't be too hard to find someone hosting their builds online. Also, I found this link from the Minimo site:

http://www.meer.net/%7Edougt/minimo_ce/

I'm assuming the CE means the builds are for WinCE, I could be wrong. Anyone with WinCE want to give it a try?

[pepsi_max2k]

hmm.. the emulator would only install the .cab, and then says it's not a valid win ce program when run, but hey that's closer than anything else i've tried. any more ideas?

[Hess]

hmm.. the emulator would only install the .cab, and then says it's not a valid win ce program when run, but hey that's closer than anything else i've tried. any more ideas?

I get that message when I try and install anything on the emulator.

[Xenafor]

Is this the standard touchscreen technology that's been used for years, or is it the newer development seen in projects by Microsoft, Apple (iPhone), etc? If anyone owns it, the basic question is: can it comprehend more than one external stimuli at once? Will I be able to place two fingers in different locations and move from there to create an effect? That's the new rage in touchscreen technology, and was just wondering if the Q5 utilized it. I'll be getting it regardless, but am really interested in what the exact touchscreen workings are. Thanks!

Michael

[StanRex]

There are still two things that worry me (three in fact if you factor in the fact that we still dont know when it will be available...) :

_ How good is the "connected to TV" playback?

_ Will it support subtitles format other than SMI? I hope that Cowon would release firmwares updates to allow the use of SRT and other subtitles formats, but that doesnt seem too sure

[IdontexistM8]

Will it support subtitles format other than SMI? I hope that Cowon would release firmwares updates to allow the use of SRT and other subtitles formats, but that doesnt seem too sure

Yeah..surely that's easy? Is .smi the prevalent sub format in Korea/Asia?

[roscomc]

_ Will it support subtitles format other than SMI? I hope that Cowon would release firmwares updates to allow the use of SRT and other subtitles formats, but that doesnt seem too sure

Future versions of CorePlayer will support SRT/SMI/SMIL subtitles.

http://www.coreplayer.com/

Sadly, It doesn't support MIPS devices [cry]