MP3 Insider Lounge: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ?
- 4/27/06 4:53 PM
Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ?
by jameskim - 4/27/06 4:53 PM
This compact 30GB or 60GB player is coming out soon (was slated for March). People are raving about its small size and the fact that it runs Windows Portable Media Center software version 2, which is much more flexible than the original OS. FM tuner, compatibility with the upcoming Starz Vongo service, and DivX compatibility are just a few of its cool features. Would you buy one?
(NT) My treo does too-tiny video fine. I'll Pass
by scott_wilder - 4/27/06 8:36 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
feature laden but pricey
by decjr - 5/11/06 7:36 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
Hi James, it is feature packed but (severely) windows-centric and a little pricey but actually, I'm waiting for CNET/James Kim to review it!
My problem is since all this is tied to the PC, Windows Media Center and DRM-9/10, will the content that I purchased today run 5-7 years from now? If my gigabeat unit dies, can I transfer my purchased media to another vendor's Windows Media Center player? DRM, errrr.
I'm leary/weary of Windows Media Center. Maybe, you can do a piece on Media Center, Play4Sure, Windows DRM-9 and 10; what it is and how they interact...
Unofficial news:
http://www.mygigabeat.com/
On the web page, there's some confusion over battery life specs (12 vs 20 hrs)...
cheers, g
Will wait for first reviews
by andboo1 - 5/16/06 2:36 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
I'm tempted to preorder one now, cause it looks incredible. If the first reviews reveal it is as good as it appears my video ipod will be on eBay and I'll have one on order.
Maybe at the end of the year..
by Wilf_Brim - 6/4/06 2:51 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
I saw your first look review (heads up from Engadget) and it looks like this has lived up to the pre release kudos it had at E3.
I would consider the 60Gb version, but I do have some drawbacks that I consider. I am curious as to how well it is going to handle video. I have an iRiver T10 20GB that pretty much keeps me happy for now. I would only get something new for video, but I'm want to see how well the it handles large video files. Also, the loss of Divx support (grrr) makes it much less useful.
Maybe, by the end of the year, maybe Apple will have released something new and the some of the shine will have come off the Gigabeat S. At that point the price will have come down some, and the video questions should have been answered. I'll look again at it then.
No Divx.
by jaw04005 - 6/4/06 7:51 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
James,
Can you quit stating that the Gigabeat S series plays DIVX! It does not. The device uses WMP to transcode the DIVX file into WMV. You should also consider adjusting your editor's ratings on the device's page.
Thanks.
i don't see direct divx support
by decjr - 6/4/06 10:00 PM In reply to: No Divx. by jaw04005http://www.gigabeat.com/
I don't see it referenced in their (pdf) manual. On specs page, p.99, it states ''Video Format: WMV'':
http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/gigabeat/downloads/gigabeat_owners_manual.pdf
So if you have the DivX codecs loaded on the PC end, I guess its safe to assume WMP10 would convert it to WMV.
http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/download/
Windows Media Player 10 is mandatory to use this player -- too Windows-centric...
cheers,g
I don't think so...
by Fdevriendt - 6/5/06 7:49 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
I'm pretty happy with my iPod. Although the Gigabeat does have a few more features than the iPod, the iPod's fireware is more user-friendly. I have friends who use the Gigabeat and they say that it is not as easy to use as the iPod. From time to time, I am tempted to switch mp3 players, but I have resisted so far. It's not that I can't take the time to rip my music into another format, it's just I am not willing to switch players until one comes out that is as stable as the iPod.
would i buy a toshiba gigabeat s
by Prakash Puranik - 6/8/06 12:22 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
if the interface is anything like the gigabeat f10s, then definitely not.
I was thinking about it
by limburger2001 - 6/10/06 8:46 PM In reply to: Would you buy a Toshiba Gigabeat S ? by jameskim
But I don't think I will, since there seems to require a lot of converting of videos - so it has the same problem that I have with the video ipod. And like scott_wilder said, my pda can do "too-tiny video' quite well too, though having the gig's of space to be able to hold a bunch of videos does tempt me every now and then. Think I'll just wait for the Creative Zen Vision M to get cheaper (currently $20AUD more expensive than the video iPod)
I guess to sum up, the Gigabeat S is like the windows Doppelganger of the iPod, with some of the same restrictive file format issues.
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