Introduction

Are you in the market for a relatively inexpensive Ipod alternative? With the success of the Ipod, and all its incarnations, it seems like many companies are trying to cash in on its popularity by coming out with similar devices. Today for review I have one such device from Handheld Entertainment, the Zvue Media Player. It is a full function player that can play movies, music and much more.

Quick Specs

Here are some basic specs and features worth listing, there are lots more details on the Zvue website.

General Dimensions: 4.33 x 2.91 x 1.1 inches
Weight: about 5 ounces without batteries
USB 1.1 self-powered device
Stores media files on SD and MMC cards formatted as FAT or FAT-32.
Screen Backlit, active matrix TFT display
- Measures 2.5-inch diagonally
Resolution: 24-bit, RGB full-color:
- 160(h) x 240(v) (2:1 pixel aspect ratio)
- 15 fps (frames per second)
Backlighting: Five integral LEDs
- Brightness and display quality makes viewing possible even in direct sunlight

Video Plays video files in the following image formats:

Normal aspect ratio:
- 120 x 80 to 176 x 120 (3:4)
2:1 anamorphic aspect ratio:
- 120 x 160 to 176 x 240 (3:8 anamorphic***)

12 fps to 15 fps
- Fast-Forward and Rewind features depend on key frames; optimum key frame interval is every 15 frames or 1 per second

Plays back MP3 (MPEG-2 Layer 3) and Ogg Vorbis audio files:
- Two-channel stereo
- 16 bits per channel
- 44.1 kHz (CD-quality) or 22.05 kHz sample rate
- 256 Mb/sec bit rate

JPEG Photos Displays JPEG files.
- Maximum size: 1024 x 768 pixels.

Power:
- Uses four "AA" alkaline batteries for up to 8 hours of normal use.
- AC Adapter: 4.5V to 6V DC

Basic Features

- Full-featured MP3 Player. Works with Wal-Mart Music, Rhapsody and Windows Media Player.
- Comes with two standard stereo headphone jacks so you and a friend can view the same videos and hear music tracks
- Motorola DragonballT i.MXL 200MHz processor processes full-color, full-motion video, plus plenty of power for MP3 audio and JPEG photos
- Plays WMV, MPEG-4/AVI videos; MP3 and OGG audio files and displays JPEG pictures
- Plays up to 8 hours of video on one set of standard 4 AA alkaline batteries. (We recommend Duracell, and provide a free set of 4 in your ZVUE package.)
- Includes easy-to-use ZOrg software to download, transfer and create your own videos from ZVUE.com, video Web sites, DVDs, DVD recorders, VCRs, and camcorders
- 90-day Limited Manufacturer's Warranty

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