Crave

The Cowon iAudio 9 is an overdue replacement for our favorite do-everything budget MP3 player, the iAudio 7.

(Credit: Cowon Korea)

For years, the Korean brand Cowon has steadily churned out some of the best sounding, most format-friendly media players on the planet. And if the latest round of iPod and Zune coverage had you asking "Where's the XviD support for all my torrents of 'Rock of Love'?" then Cowon may have a new player that's perfect for you (actually, it already does).

The Korean version of Cowon's Web site is showing some teaser images and specs for a new media player called the iAudio 9. Presumably a radical makeover of the iAudio 7 (winner of a 2007 Editors' Choice), the iAudio 9 looks to have the same unique diagonal scroll navigation, along with music, videos, voice recording, photos, FM radio, text, Flash, and TV-out capabilities. Specifically, the iAudio 9 boasts MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, and APE audio format support, along with a truckload of video formats, such as AVI, WMV, XviD, and ASF. Which is not to say you're going to want to watch a ton of videos on the iAudio 9's 2-inch screen--but that's where the TV output may come in handy.

Now for the bad news. Cowon offers no indication of pricing, capacity, or release date. We can't even be certain it's coming to the U.S., so don't get your FLAC-listening, XviD- watching hopes up just yet.

(ViaAnythingButiPod)

We'll admit it, we've got a soft spot for DivX. The much-used video codec started as a hack of Microsoft's proprietary MPEG-4 codec, and was born out of frustration with Microsoft's video-playback lameness. DivX quickly became an important ingredient of Internet video, but in an HD era, something with a little more power is needed. Oh look, here's DivX 7. Just the ticket.

Although the origins of DivX are as a codec, the future is likely to be very different, and revolves around device certification. For example, you might notice that virtually every DVD player on the market now supports DivX playback. Well, the DivX chaps want to do the same with Blu-ray players, but extend the support to HD material too.

DivX 7 has, at its heart, an H.264 video codec and AAC sound. That means video encoded in 1080p will happily play, and if you want to get into the business of making your own video, the encoder tools will allow you to turn your footage into something you'll be able to play on any DivX Plus HD device too.

Hopefully Blu-ray player manufacturers will include the DivX Plus HD certification in future players, which will enable them to play MKV-encoded video. That would allow you to take advantage of downloaded video on your Blu-ray player. It's about time we got some MKV lovin' in the Blu-ray house, and although it's sure to upset movie studios, we're pretty sure the geeks will rush out and buy any player that can pull off such a trick.

Interestingly, MKV support will enable us to play 720p video on our D-Link DSM-330. Although this has been possible for some time with a series of complicated hacks, it's not been something most people would bother with. Our main irritation when we reviewed it revolved around the lack of MKV support, so this makes the 330 an even better buy.

(Source: Crave UK)

(Credit: Sony)

So it looks like the PlayStation 3 is about a couple years away from becoming self-aware, taking over the world, and making us all its human slaves--if a few of us aren't already.

Sony announced that the v2.60 firmware update for the PS3, released Wednesday, will include many enhancements to the system's media capabilities.

The key feature, according to Sony, is the new photo gallery app, which allows your digital pictures to be organized by criteria including the camera used; event date and time; colors in the photos; and the number, ages, or facial expressions of the people pictured.

Yep, that's right. According to the video, the PS3 will be able to determine the relative age of the people in the photo and whether or not they are smiling.

Also included in the release is guest access to the PlayStation store for non-PlayStation Network members. With this access, they'll be able to check out demos, video, and so on. Sony will also be adding DivX 3.11 support to the system.

I guess in a few more releases we'll be seeing an update that reads our minds, fulfills our deepest desires, and then, when it's gained our trust completely, drops the other shoe, takes over the world, and we're done. Until that inevitable day, we might as well enjoy what we have now.

Check out the video for a walkthrough of the new features.

Click to see the Cowon O2 photo gallery.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

Our official rated review for the Cowon O2 portable video player is now up on CNET Reviews, along with a full photo gallery and a First Look video.

We've been putting the O2 through its paces all week and it's held up remarkably well. It's still not the sexiest piece of tech we've laid eyes on, but it's got more muscle than any other portable video player in its price range.

Audio enthusiasts will also want to give the O2 a look, considering it supports desirable lossless music formats such as FLAC, Apple Lossless, and WMA Lossless, and offers a killer 10-band graphic EQ.

In spite of some great features, however, there are a few omissions on the O2 that could be deal-breakers for some users.

Read the full review for the Cowon O2 portable video player.

Video fanatics rejoice! The Cowon O2 is powerful, flexible, and surprisingly affordable.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

It hasn't been a terribly exciting year for portable video players. Despite its relatively small screen, the iPod Touch is one of the few PVPs we've been giving an unqualified recommendation for in 2008. The Archos 5 is ambitious, but the battery life just isn't there; the Q5W is overpriced and bulky; and the A3 left us feeling kinda "meh." Thankfully, the Cowon O2 looks like it's going to close-out our year of PVP reviews on an upnote.

First off, let me mention the official U.S. MSRP for the O2, because I know there have been a few guesstimates floating around. The Cowon O2 will retail for $219 (8GB), $249 (16GB), and $299 (32GB), which you can pick up in either black or white. If 32GB isn't enough storage for you, keep in mind that the O2 includes a SDHC card slot for quickly swapping out content and increasing storage as you need it.

The second thing to notice about the O2 is its stupefying amount of file support. On the video end the O2 can play back AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MKV, OGM, DAT, MTV, DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, and MPEG 1. The O2 is also agnostic when it comes to video resolution, accepting files all the way up to 1,280x720 at 30fps. For me, native format and resolution support is huge deal, because my home media collection is all over the place and few things test my patience more than re-encoding batches of video files.

Another huge deal for me is battery life, and Cowon is claiming that the O2 will get up to 8 hours of video playback (under "optimal" conditions) before surrendering. If Cowon's right, 8 hours of video playback would put the O2 far beyond the 4 hours of video life on the Archos 5, and ahead of the 6 hours of video on the iPod Touch and even the iPod Classic. Audio battery life isn't as impressive, with only 18 hours, but it's still ahead of the 12 hours of playback time on the Archos 5. Another thing to bear in mind is that all of the O2's competitors require a proprietary cable to recharge the battery, which can be a huge pain if you lose the cable while traveling. The O2 charges best when using the included AC adapter, but you can charge over its mini-USB connection, as well.

Read the full JVC KW-NX7000 review.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

The JVC KW-NX7000 isn't cleverly named like its sibling, the El Kameleon, but it is just as cleverly designed. With its smart features, such as the proximity-based interface or the flash-memory-based navigation data, we found the KW-NX7000 extremely easy to use. We didn't like the sluggish iPod navigation or the omission of Bluetooth technology. However, the solid performance and fun little touches, like the custom greeting messages, ultimately made us fall in love with this receiver.

Read the full JVC KW-NX7000 navigation/DVD receiver review.

(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)

The simple, blank faceplate of the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44 belies a plethora of features, including in-dash DVD/DivX playback, Bluetooth connectivity, and USB digital-audio playback, and that's just the beginning of this receiver's abilities.

Read the full review of the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44.

Peace in our time

They're all born with the best of intentions, but only the strong survive.

Formats come and go. Some are barely noticed, and some die a slow, painful death. So now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD was comparatively brief--unless you're on the losing side, stuck with a slowpoke player and a collection of HD DVD discs. I've already heard from some angry HD DVD supporters. War is tough.

If you're over 35, you probably remember the Betamax vs. VHS wars, which raged from 1975 to the late 1980s, when Sony finally surrendered and started marketing VHS machines.

Like the HD DVD-Blu-ray debacle, manufacturers divided into two camps: Beta had Sony, Toshiba, Sanyo, NEC, Aiwa, and Pioneer. An impressive lineup, but JVC, Matsushita (Panasonic), Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Akai sided with VHS. Even when everyone said Beta was dead as a doornail in the early 1990s (long before the introduction of DVD), the format soldiered on in Japan until 2002.

Pioneer still makes Laserdisc players like this DVL-919

(Credit: Pioneer Electronics)

Some formats wither and die on their own--the Laserdisc wasn't competing against anything but a lack of interest. The LD was a 12-inch optical analog disc alternative to Beta and VHS. It looked like an LP-size CD. Yes, it was a better, higher-quality format than tape, and it still garnered only a small yet fanatical market base among videophiles.

The LD fared better than RCA's crippled-from-the-start CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) that came out in 1981. Marketed as "SelectaVision," the grooved, LP-like discs were fragile, and they never stood a chance against VHS tape. Still, RCA stuck to its guns for five long years before snuffing the CED in 1986. Ten years later, the Laserdisc was on its last legs when the DVD finally killed it off--the software, that is. Pioneer still sells new DVD-LD players. How's that for customer support?

DVD was unchallenged but for a brief skirmish with Divx (Digital Video Express, not to be confused with DivX). Divx was a DVD rental variant, but cheaper (a disc sold for about $5) and could be viewed only for 48 hours after its first use. Divx players could play DVDs, but standard DVD players couldn't play Divx discs. Disney, Twentieth Century Fox Film, and Paramount Pictures released their movies in the Divx format.

The Audiophiliac poses with an 8-track cartridge.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Audio has had its own share of format wars, but it also had some remarkably stable formats. The LP has been around for 50-plus years, and you can still play the oldest LPs on a brand-new turntable.

It's starting to look like the LP will outlast the CD. But CDs are a long-running success and likewise universally playable, and most surviving cassettes are serviceable.

Analog tape formats like reel-to-reel, 8-track, and 4-track cartridges still have tiny outposts of devout followers, but the Elcaset came and went so fast, I never even heard it. Digital-tape formats like DAT and the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) barely made a dent in the public's awareness.

So how will the HD DVD fare in the format history time line? What do you think: a mere blip or an interesting diversion?