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View Full Version : Cowon A2 as compared to Digital Cube iStation i2

CleanPauper
06-12-2005, 00:38
I've been waiting for the release of the A2 for awhile, and with no new news from Cown as of late, I've been a little disheartened. I really can't stand listening to 48 MBs of music on my cell phone daily. I've been browsing around for alternatives, and I found the Digital Vube iStation i2. From what I've read (Here (http://joel.burslem.ca/iStation-i2-Review-2.html)) , it's an excellent PMP.
What do you all think?



Here's a little specifications comparison:

Cowon A2

The A2 will be available in 20GB or 30GB sizes. Its measurements are 78 x 133 x 22 millimeters.

Moving video files supported are: DivX, DiVX DRM, XviD and WMV. Still files supported are: JPEG, GIF und BMP. USB OSG will make it possible to load pictures from digital cameras directly to the player.

Audio files supported are: WMA, WMA DRM 9, AC3 5.1, MP3, OGG, G.726, WAV and ASF. There is a radio.

Image display is a 4 inch screen(?) in 16:9 format. Resolution is 480 x 272 pixels. It can be connected to and record from TVs and DVD players in MPEG-4 (720 x 480 pixels resolution at 30 fps.)

iStation I2


76.8mm X 123mm X 21.5mm
TFT LCD with big size screen supporting 262,144 colors (18bit)
• Video files support : DivX, Xvid, MPEG1/4 without transcoding ASF, WMV via transcoding
• SMI subtitles in all languages (Unicode)
• Download and play. Easy to use
• Audio files support : MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3, OGG
• Displays JPEG photo files
• FM radio covering world wide with recording function
• Direct MP3 encoding from line-in input
• Digital voice recording with MP3 format
• Electronic dictionary (currently only English-English available)
• Touch screen interface similar to MS windows applications
• Detachable lithium - polymer rechargeable battery
• Built-in speaker with loud output
• Supports TV-out with NTSC and PAL format
• Supports CVBS and S-Video for high quality video output
• Big capacity removable HDD storage (20/30GB)
• Super fast USB 2.0 High speed downloading
• IR remote controller for using with TV


The only real pro I see on the side of the A2 at the moment is the bigger screen, but that also detracts from overall portability.
tridion
06-13-2005, 09:21
Going to be difficult to say until both units are out.

One of the advantages of the i2 is that it will be a second generation player (the successor to the PMP1000).

Views here will likely be slightly biased towards the A2. For comparison, it might be worth checking out http://www.istationhq.com
jukemaster
06-20-2005, 05:40
I know that the A2 will be available in america, but will the iStation i2 be available in the U.S. online? Since I live in the U.S, this is a big concern.
khbaur330162
06-28-2005, 15:04
I noticed this model too, the only thing i have against it is its lack of ability to record straight from the tv/dvd player as you said the A2 could in your post. It seems liek a great player, and I love the touch screen capability, but it doesn't even have a place to buy it. I
e-mail'ed digital cube and they told me it was for sale on ebay...ebay. Who launches a product on ebay??? REally. Any way if you can't wait for the A2 and the ability of video recording isn't a big thing for you, I say go for it.
JaMaki
06-29-2005, 17:40
I noticed this model too, the only thing i have against it is its lack of ability to record straight from the tv/dvd player as you said the A2 could in your post. It seems liek a great player, and I love the touch screen capability, but it doesn't even have a place to buy it. I
e-mail'ed digital cube and they told me it was for sale on ebay...ebay. Who launches a product on ebay??? REally. Any way if you can't wait for the A2 and the ability of video recording isn't a big thing for you, I say go for it.

I think you got it a bit confused. He is asking about the I2 not the old pmp1000. It is also the PMP1000 thats for sale on ebay not the I2. US reseller PeachTel is selling it on ebay to see if the demand is high enough. I'd wait till they sell them in their shop (if they decide to sell $369.99) Also there are many places to buy the pmp1000 in Europe and of course Asia. Thats the old gen. though the I2 is still not available in Europe or US.
khbaur330162
06-29-2005, 20:29
does the i2 have the ability to record video? i was aware of the two models, but from what i read it didn't seem there was much difference. also, that is odd that they would tell me that i could only buy it from ebay, why wouldn't they have told me that it would be for sale from a store at a later date?
mintcheerios
08-13-2005, 12:23
I just wished the Istation's screen was 16:9 ratio. It just seems that for such an advanced piece of equipment, they would have have opted for the coming standard. Also, a lot of movies I watch are in the cinemascope aspect ratio which creates way too much black space on a 4:3 screen. Everything else about it is incredible though and I'm hoping Digital Cube's next player in the station series comes in 16:9. The A2 is nice, but it's lacking a lot of features that I like on the I2. I like the vob support, touch screen, remote (both of them), subtitle options, playlist creation, and replaceable battery.

Does the A2 have TV out?