MP4 Digital Player

Every now and then we bump into a product of Chinese ingenuity, but being the perfectionists we are, seldom are we satisfied. This time around nothing’s changed. While this one’s simply called MP4, the packaging is devoid of any additional information. I rest my case!

The player not only looks good, but also comes with a proper finish. This isn’t strange, for most players are made to look good even if the performance falls short. It’s slim and light enough to be carried without any noticeable bulge in your pocket.

Functions are restricted to face of the player, beside the screen, while only the power on/off slider (also doubling as the hold key) occupies space on the right side, beside the 3.5mm earphone jack.

There are no buttons, just touch sensitive keys that light up every time you touch the surface. It’s a good move, even if the keys aren’t too responsive. The problem with such non-responsive keys is you can never get anywhere without some needless jabbing. Then the player seems to work on its whims and fancies. The on/off slider doesn’t always function, so a little prayer may help. Putting the player on hold is easy, but taking the hold off is a hit-or-miss affair.
You will need to play around the device to get a fair idea about the working of the keys, for each key has more than one function. For instance, the ‘V’ key takes you back to the menu, but while listening to music it also acts as the volume key. The ‘M’ key allows you to access and choose music files, although while the music player is on, the same key will take you back. Not strange, just different!

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The screen is a 2.4-inch color TFT LCD display that can show up to 65K colors. The player theme has been kept very vibrant to make it look upbeat. The video player can support MP4 and AVI. You cannot, however, just dump movies in. You need a heavy-duty conversion tool that brings the frame rate down to 20fps.

Videos are fun if a bit of mosaic compression is okay with you. Watching a full-length feature film is different story. The player can’t handle fast movie scenes; there are a lot of clipping issues.

Apart from watching movies, you can also read TXT files and view pictures in JPEG format. An FM radio is included, but it’s not anything special. A recorder is there too, and that’s appreciated.

The music player is good. The quality is brilliant, although the player can’t handle lows effectively. The best thing to do in this case is to flatten the EQ settings and you will never face any problems. It has 7 EQ modes with an option to manually configure the EQ. All said, I feel the player puts out some decent sound. Can’t say anything charitable about the earphones though.

The player costs Rs 3000 for the 2GB version that we had for review, while we’ve been told the 4GB costs around Rs 4,000. Also the battery is nothing great; it lasts only about 3 hours. If you ignore the quirks and invest in a good pair of headphones, you’re all set. Of course, the fact that it comes from China could be a deterrent…