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C|net reviews the v5 pod: 8.3/10
comment: 3 | Friday, October 21 (2005) 07:32AM | Posted by Robert Sinke
It's quite entertaining to read all the conspiracy theories, these days... C|net has been bribed by Apple, DAPreview puts up news items like these all the time to piss off X5 fanboys, the president of Mexico is an alien with his mind set on the total domination of the Southern hemisphere...

Meanwhile, down to earth, here's C|net's review of the iPod v5. For the proud of your sanity, start your engines and tell us what's wrong this time and who's to blame for it all!

The good: Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes, which boasts the world's biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.

The bad: No extras included, such as a dock, AV cables, or a power adapter; poor battery life for video; slight delay when playing video; no guarantee that your non-iTunes Music Store video will play on an iPod, even after using converted third-party software.

The bottom line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, poor video battery life and a relatively small screen hamper its appeal to video heads.

Verdict: 8.3/10

LINK

Comments

chicubs

Comments: 915
Oct 21 (2005) 07:38AM  

Pretty fair conclusion except they should include no FM radio in the cons as they do it for the majority of other players.

Its the nanos casing apparently which should also be listed in cons.

"A word of caution to prospective buyers: Scratches and smudges accumulate quickly, and they really show up on the black version. Blemishes are par for the course for all iPods, but they are much more noticeable on this big-screen iPod,"



stargazer

Comments: 27
Oct 21 (2005) 08:49AM  

This is predictable: 'Get...the iPod for its audio virtues' - So CNet makes excuse for the fact that iPod's video capabilities are underwhelming, when a few months ago X5 was pilloried for its 'difficult' video functions/conversion.

Also, oh yes. World clocks and stop watches are wonderful features that enhance iPod's inherent greatness, whereas radios, usbotg and integrated voice recording are only for pedantic losers. Right.

Nothing wrong with the new iPod itself; it's just that X5's worth when it was reviewed by CNet was greatly undervalued, and at the time (or still now) didn't deserve over a full point less than iPods, because different standards have clearly been applied to them.



undesign

Comments: 805
Oct 21 (2005) 09:07AM  

C|Net are a bunch of fucking liars.

"Get...the iPod for its audio virtues"

BULLSHIT. They had a blind test some time ago on the six best selling HD mp3 players, the iPod scored DEAD LAST in every category. What the fuck are these assholes boasting about? How much is apple paying them to promote their shitty products?



AFD
Location: Northeastern, U.S.
Comments: 166
Oct 21 (2005) 09:25AM  

It seems the iPod, Nano, and Shuffle are C|Net's benchmarks, by which all other digital audio players are judged - and therefore, cannot receive any rating less than excellent, less their entire ratings system becomes meaningless.

=)



Ricardo Dawkins

Comments: 383
Oct 21 (2005) 09:59AM  

that site really bother me...few day ago...the YP-U1 get cons on minus FM tuner...but with Apple they just forget about it...and this product cost twice as more as the Samsunp flash player...WTG..total BIAS



ralphb

Comments: 154
Oct 21 (2005) 09:59AM  

I don't wish to fan the flames, but if I read correctly, the iPod can do 30fps, but the X5 can manage only 15fps. Now, I thought 25fps was needed for the perception of natural movement, so doesn't that kinda make the iPod a bit better than the X5?



encosion

Comments: 4
Oct 21 (2005) 10:08AM  

What I REALLY want to know is more about the iPod's new recording capabilities... Anyone? Surely someone must've asked Apple already?

@ undesign : If that test was some months ago it doesn't include this new iPod now does it? As far as I'm aware the quality of audio on iPods have got better and better with each release...



jrosenbaum

Comments: 13
Oct 21 (2005) 10:17AM  

I think the problem we're having is that the number doesn't match up with their comments.

The pros are really pointing out the itunes features, which isn't really the ipod itself. That's stupid. And also they are acting as if they've never seen the design before... "Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD" umm... wasn't the last 4 ipods similar to this design or something.



encosion

Comments: 4
Oct 21 (2005) 10:18AM  

P.S. If "C|Net are a bunch of f#cking liars.", then how can you even believe what they said about audio quality? (They didn't exactly go into much detail either did they : [Linky])...

Just fanning flames people... Just fanning the flames...



Sebhelyesfarku

Comments: 400
Oct 21 (2005) 10:18AM  

I heard Dubya is a mutant chimp



Bento

Comments: 103
Oct 21 (2005) 10:37AM  

@ Seb
He does have an iPod



Intelli

Comments: 125
Oct 21 (2005) 10:40AM  

Cnet sucks



stargazer

Comments: 27
Oct 21 (2005) 10:54AM  

ralphb: You are right, the iPod has better video-playing capabilities, but X5 was released 5 months ago and was at the time one of the first DAPs to be able to play videos as well as it did (H300 series was 10fps, Archos Gmini was more of a mini-PMP).

I guess the angst largely stems from the fact that the X5 was (is) a very versatile and capable player but was nit-picked to within an inch of its life by CNet, while this new iPod does pretty much the same thing (done better thanks to half a year's worth of technology more than X5) actually minus a number of features and is eulogized, with its cons being glossed over.



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 21 (2005) 11:04AM  

stargazer, the x5 still does not have id3 tag browsing and is still not compatable with drm10 (according to people stating the new firmware doesnt perform as it should). i think its one point difference is warranted.

undesign, they say to get the ipod because of its audio because you should not buy it as a video player, not because its audio quality is any better than the competition.

ricardo, that was cnet asia.

ralph, i agree.

jrosenabum, the discription you quoted is a good summation of the new ipod. it is thinner, it still has an intuitive design, and it has a great screen. the older ipods were fatter and had worse screens. just because apple has simply improved on their product, doesn't mean the good features can't stay the same and still be considered pros. the only point where itunes in mentioned is with regards to the new videos, which is an integral part of the new ipod.

stargazer, i think cnet as well as the other reviews of the x5 point out problems the general public would encounter with the x5. the technology you're refering to is only the screen, the other cons of the x5 are still around. the cons for the ipod seem very well spelled out to me.



Shank

Comments: 2
Oct 21 (2005) 11:48AM  

Just to add, yesterday on CNBC's "Squawk Box," a CNet guy was on to talk about electronic gadgets, and while he only mentioned the Nano being a blockbuster and the new iPod being a solid music player with video added in just to keep Apple in the growing PMP segment, he spent most of the time showing off and talking about the MobiBLU DAH-1500i and the iRiver U10.

Well, he tried to show off the U10. He was sort of up staged by Becky Quick and David Faber tossing a pink MobiBLU back and forth across the set.



Bento

Comments: 103
Oct 21 (2005) 11:59AM  

It wouldn't be so bad if James Kim didn't end all his reviews with:
"All Praise Steve Jobs, Supreme Ruler of Me And My Pocketbook!"



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Oct 21 (2005) 12:09PM  

god zip you bug me.....talk about one sided arguements.....



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 21 (2005) 01:11PM  

but its the side no one on this site seems to consider.

for the more computer and tech savy, i think cnets ratings are indeed ipod skewed. the x5 should be at the same level as the ipod. it has its faults, but its also got some nice features.

for the general public, the ipod is just a better, more refined player. cnet is for these people. sites like dapreview are for the people who want more than that. theres no conspiracies, no BIAASS!!!!11111 OMG, and no steve jobs fellatio



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 21 (2005) 01:19PM  

unless he asks james kim really really nicely



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Oct 21 (2005) 01:29PM  

You say there's no biases, yet there is a skew towards ipod? That's a bit contradictory. Oh and I could've told anyone this score two years ago.



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 21 (2005) 01:51PM  

i was thinking of skew in this definition: "A data distribution that is not symmetric, or that shows distortion in a positive or negative direction." here, i made you a graph. it doesnt show a bias (which i define as "influence in an unfair way")





chicubs

Comments: 915
Oct 21 (2005) 02:09PM  

you're rating the audience score, i assume.



twinsdad

Comments: 129
Oct 21 (2005) 02:14PM  

Holy Cow I thought we were off this Cnet thing, but I see the obsesson continues. Michael and Dominic just need to step down and let Undesign lead the anti-ipod brigade. He is far more persuasive. Who would dare buy an ipod after his well thought out comments:

C|Net are a bunch of fucking liars.

"Get...the iPod for its audio virtues"

BULLSHIT. They had a blind test some time ago on the six best selling HD mp3 players, the iPod scored DEAD LAST in every category. What the fuck are these assholes boasting about? How much is apple paying them to promote their shitty products?


I have been playing with the 5G ipod for a couple days now and audio is really clean and balanced which I like (there is definitely more bass as reported by Ilounge but no overkill), photos and album look significantly better than the Photo pod, and it is amazingly light. But there are a couple negatives so far:

1. in the process of making the 5G paper thin they dropped the firewire chip. I know a lot of people will not care but I used the firewire cable exclusively on my 4G and already notice the drop in transfer speeds.

2. I appreciate the drop in price to make these things more affordable, but more accessories are getting dropped. The dock didn't bother me because I use a a portable line out setup, but now the wall charger has to go? What's next the ipod itself? Too bad I sold my 4G or I would have kept the charger from that one.

Amazingly, after two days there are no scratches on the front (some kind of record) but I'm sure that will change. Device came fully charged out of the box and is just below half after two days of listening including a four drive today to pick up my son (haven't done a battery test though). No video tests yet but I'll probably buy an episode of Lost just to try it. Don't want to post anything definitive yet until I have a lot more time to use it. One thing I can say for sure is the loudest Ipod I have heard.







enCORe_XTG

Comments: 317
Oct 21 (2005) 02:54PM  

bribe review

brough to you buy C-Pod



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 21 (2005) 03:17PM  

twinsdad, dropping the firewire and the accessories started with the second generation mini. the shuffle and the nano followed suit.



twinsdad

Comments: 129
Oct 21 (2005) 03:22PM  

Zip,

But the the firewire chip was still in the 4G photo and traqnsfers could be done via firewire port.. I know it wasn't an included accessory, but it was an option. Now firewire does not work at all.



Kovno

Comments: 110
Oct 21 (2005) 06:19PM  

People on this site value things like ogg support, user eq etc and will therefore rate the X5 highly.

People reading Cnet probably value ease of use, iTunes support, etc and will therefore rate the iPod highly.

It really is that simple.



Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
Oct 21 (2005) 07:43PM  

Hey, you managed to say that without insulting ppl or dragging emotions into it all. Bravo!



stargazer

Comments: 27
Oct 21 (2005) 11:09PM  

zip22: since when did id3 tag browsing become de facto yardstick for judging a player's GUI? Just because iPod does it? iPod does not support file-tree based GUI, which a significant amount of people find more convenient. So if X5 is marked down for not having id3 tag browsing, then should you (or CNet) not mark iPod down for not having file-tree system? (The Gigabeat actually supports both, which might be the ideal situtation here)

Also, I absolutely agree that X5 has problems that the general public would find inconvenient (I've been using it for nearly 6 months). I'm in no way saying that X5 is a superior player to iPod overall. What I'm peeved about is that CNet generally overlooks or makes excuse for iPod's faults, whereas with X5 it was bitching about radio not having autoscanning (at least it has one) and went on lengths to criticize it for having a video-playing feature that was not user-friendly (like iPod with its mammoth 2-hour playing time and the uncertainty about non-iTunes videos being playable are particularly friendly to users). It's the lack of consistency in CNet's reviews that gets me.



Allen
Location: Dub Vee Ooo
Comments: 1511
Oct 21 (2005) 11:10PM  

What happend to one of their complaints being lack of gapless or paramic eq?



SowndOfDeth

Comments: 417
Oct 22 (2005) 01:28AM  

I know I wouldn't buy an iPod anytime soon.

This site is getting to be hDapreview these days. I have to say you guys are warming up towards the ipod? True?


hDapreview - soon to be iDapreview



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Oct 22 (2005) 02:28AM  

lol twinsdad !D



Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
Oct 22 (2005) 07:24AM  

SowndOfDeth: we (crew, not speaking for individual users here) haven't changed our views, maybe changed our attitude a bit. That comes with the responsibility of maintaining a growing site (and DAPreview has grown over the past few months, I'll have you believe it). We used to scream "Murder, hell, fire" at C|Net's/Apple's quite often in the early stages... that made way for a more neutral approach. Above all, we just want to report news on DAPs, whether it's iPod-related or not. It happens to be that a new iPod results into a massive flow of iPod-grub, and we tend to pick a few pieces up here and there. Nothing to worry about.

And we do recognize the thing for what it is - a very useful player for those who don't need too many advanced features. That has rarely changed (ok, we kind of hated the iPod v3 for those lame buttons and sucky battery life) over time. It's just that we like to present the alternatives just as much, if not "better" .



Outkast

Comments: 1
Oct 22 (2005) 08:26AM  

If you don't like the iPod, don't buy it. The fact of the matter is, people don't need features such as radio support because people who buy iPods prefer to listen to their 5000+ song library instead of the same songs they play over and over and over again on the radio. Adding support for radio would add unnecessary bulk and price to the iPod. Some iPod bashers simply hate on the iPod for the sake of it. You have to realize that no review is going to put your X5 at 75+ percent marketshare. With the new nano and video iPod, i wouldn't be surprised if it goes to 80+ percent. Just be happy with what you buy...people simply love iPod's UI and ease of use. The clickwheel is by far the easiest to use UI in the market, period! The wide 3rd party support doesn't hurt either.



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 22 (2005) 09:11AM  

stargazer, the cnet review clearly states getting your own videos onto the ipod is a hassle. it doesn't gloss over that at all.

the file tree browsing, in my opinion, is on the geekier side of the graph. filetree browsing it not something the general consumer wants. sorting by album, genre, artist, or song is much more convenient in almost every way.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Oct 22 (2005) 02:27PM  

"It's the lack of consistency in CNet's reviews that gets me."

Same here Star



SowndOfDeth

Comments: 417
Oct 22 (2005) 11:55PM  

Rob: I too am feeling some iLove lately. But I think its because there isn't anything else good enough from the competition.



stargazer

Comments: 27
Oct 23 (2005) 02:42AM  

zip22: yes CNet does clearly state those difficulties concerning iPod, but they seem to me to be glossed over in the conclusion it reaches: video capabilities are a bit of a bother, so just look at the new iPod as an audio player, in which case it is great.

So why couldn't CNet have done that with X5? Sound quality is subjective but from experience and from the views of many people across the internet X5 has more exciting sound than iPod, and also gives you a far superior EQ and a wider range of codec support. With the click-wheel iPod will always have easier control and better GUI, but it's not like X5 is totally incomprehensible to the average user.


ssjmichael: Thanks Hopefully Cowon (or any other non-Apple company) will unveil a player so fine that CNet will have no choice other than to give it 8.0+ marks (I was expecting iRiver U10 to be it, but it was a shame it didn't come out with a bigger memory).



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Oct 23 (2005) 03:17AM  

hey zip....i'm not arguing with you, it a waste of time, but in reference to your comment
zip22 wrote ...
filetree browsing it not something the general consumer wants


but am well you cant really say that, how do you know, maybe it is, if i was to go and advertise it, maybe get a bit of a mob behind me who knows maybe ppl would just lap it all up



zip22

Comments: 1818
Oct 23 (2005) 11:01AM  

how is being forced to browse in the maner the files are on the player better in any way? hopefully, you would organize your folders by artist, then by album, then by song or something similar, which is almost the same as just using the id3 tags. but in addition, browsing by tags also allows you to mimic arranging the folders by album or by genre, or not have different folders at all. it gives you more options. filetree alows you a better feeling of control i suppose, but fail to see how it you could claim it was better overall.

stargazer, i see your point, but they did not reccomend the x5 as an audio player because of its faults in that department. sound quality is not a very deep issue with cnet (nor the general public i would assume), so as long as it does not have glaring inaccuracies, it gets a pass. since sound quality is a wash, and the x5 gets marked down for no id3 and no drm10, there is no reason to rate it above the other 3 hard drive players on the best-of list.



SowndOfDeth

Comments: 417
Oct 23 (2005) 10:36PM  

How can a review be impartial? You are reading the opinion of a person. Nothing-nothing in the world can be impartial




stargazer

Comments: 27
Oct 24 (2005) 07:49AM  

zip22: Yes I accept that CNet has no obligation to go deeper in its analysis than it currently does. I'm not necessarily agitating for X5 to be rated higher than iPod, but I do feel aggrieved that the lack of id3 tag support and lesser GUI (which is quite understandable since the clickwheel is patented ) would constitute a full point less than iPod. iPod is not that much better than X5, and to more discerning people (particularly audio-wise) X5 would constitute a better choice.



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Oct 24 (2005) 08:32AM  

zip i was just refering to how you said (as if you knew) what the general consumer wants....god who said you put up intelligent arguements....you have no idea what we want, i am a general consumer after all, i browse by file on my comp and thats all sweel, no problem, so i'd have no problem with files on a DAP.....OK i'll tell you what i, a general consumer, want,i want to be able to select a song/album etc, just by thinking about it, thats what i want, impossible?only if you lack the imagination to believe the world is through with development....have fun zip...



onelasttime

Comments: 35
Oct 24 (2005) 01:42PM  

"It seems the iPod, Nano, and Shuffle are C|Net's benchmarks, by which all other digital audio players are judged - and therefore, cannot receive any rating less than excellent, less their entire ratings system becomes meaningless."

Comparisons will obviously be made, but I'd hardly say that Cnet's scores are all against the iPod. If you don't believe that the iPod and iPod Nano set a benchmark then that's your opinion, but it's certainly not out of the realm of sanity. Also, the Shuffle hardly makes for a benchmark at cnet, they gave it 6.7 (marked down from 7.0).




sashamarks

Comments: 1
Oct 27 (2005) 02:33PM  

You're all a bunch of losers. Get a life.



XooM

Comments: 57
Oct 31 (2005) 06:56PM  

@ a comment above about how adding a radio would increase price:
Or, instead of boosting the price for a $0.50 feature, they could just cut in a little bit to their 100%+ profit margins.
C|Net needs to be more fair and unbiased; give the same gripes to everything.



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Lacene
The ZVM is pretty much the most "high-end" DAP I ever got....I got started on DAPs by getting a Dell Pocket DJ, lol. It was a re-branded Creative DAP. All others I got are Sandisk DAPs....

Saijin_Naib
Yeah, I used to remember when I was jealous of Creative DAPs. I couldn't afford to have the "top of the line" DAPs back then, and messed with no-name Chinese OEMs.

These days, you're almost better off taking that route.

Cowon still seems to put out quality. Samsung just makes Android players, same for Archos.

MPIO (my favorite) has become defunct.

These are dark times for DAPs

Lacene
I still have my ZVM that I got when they first came out....it still works and looks like new...I never abused it and put one of those clear protective shields on it and got a silicon case for it.

A shame that Creative put it out - their most highly-regarded DAP ever - and then seemed to go downhill immediately afterwards...

Saijin_Naib
Yeah, I played with one. Pretty slick, great interface. So great in fact, that Apple largely knocked it off and sued Creative to keep the rights. Bastards.

I have a Creative Zen Vision Micro 6gb I need to repair/swap drive out of.

LiQuiD_FuSioN
Anyone have experience with the Creative ZEN Vision:M? Now that was a cool looking player too, never got to try one out though.

Saijin_Naib
Yeah, my friend had the S9 and he really loved it, especially the custom GUIs people would cook up.

I noticed that Cowon recently released a D20 and an X9. They both look rather tempting. Availability looks spotty at the moment though :L

My favorite DAP probably would have been the Zune30, if it was slightly more customizable. The RIO players had great auto-playlisting & searching support.

Similarly, the Haier Ibiza (despite its other shortcomings) has a brilliant filter feature and related features during playback.

It, however, can't make a shuffle list to save its digital life so it gets on my nerves using it as my car player.

Yeah, people still seem to love convergence devices. I'm still of the mind that I'd rather have devices that are designed for a specific task, and execute that task properly. The biggest pet peeve I have is crappy tools, and convergence devices by definition, are crappy tools. By attempting to do everything, they do no single task well.

SarahV
@Saijin: The J3 is one of the best DAPs I've had. The GUI is way better than the S9. The hardware is pretty similar. I still have a special place in my heart for the iRiver Clix, though. Loved the interface on that so much...

The problem we have today is that hardly anyone actually uses a DAP and they don't want to carry more than one device. I probably carry my mp3 player more than my phone, but I realize most people are not like me

Saijin_Naib
This community was tops. I still think we could be.

LiQuiD_FuSioN
Good ol' DAP Review! I still remember when Engadget would rip your stories off.

Saijin_Naib
That sounds like a decent size for a music library. How are you finding the Cowon? They seem to be one of the few manufactures left that makes anything halfway decent. I'm not interested in Yet Another Android Slate (YAAS) like the Archos line have devolved into.

But Sarah, the iProducts are the bestest things ever! Their batteries last like, totally way longer than like, other players do!


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