Epson P2000 - P4000 viewer

[andrewcollier]

I am thinking of purchasing an Epson P2000 - P4000 viewer primarily for storing and viewing RAW files, but also using as an mp3 player.

I have 2 questions, if anybody can help me please.

1. I know on the P2000 you cannot use the zoom function on RAW files. Can you on the P4000? Are there any significant advantages on the P4000 except the 80gig capacity?

2. I know little of the operations of mp3 players, but the P2000 sounds like it has a reasonable audio quality, but does not support playlists. Has anybody any experience using on as a mp3 player.

Thanks

Andrew Collier

 

[andrewcollier]

MY QUERY ANSWERED FROM dpreview FORUM PASTED BELOW.
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Forum Storage and Media
Subject Epson P-4000: a lousy mp3-player?
Posted by pexa [CLICK FOR PROFILE]
Date/Time 9:08:46 AM, Sunday, February 05, 2006 (GMT)


I know this may be a bit off-topic here, but I just got the Epson P-4000, and though Im very satisfied with some other features so far, there one thing that nearly makes me want to return the thing.

It seems to me, that this so-called "state-of-the-art", 600 euro device does not have an idea how to be an mp3-player. The only way I´ve managed to play mp3´s so far is to pick them, one by one, and play them the same way. There seems to be a total lack of managing any kind of playlists whatsoever, and you cannot even reverse back to "home" menu or any other menu, and leave the music to play on background, because the only way to do it is via "cancel"-button... which stops the music! Whats even more worrying, dpreview.com review of P-2000 confirmed this (I read it before but didnt really pay attention to mp3 side of things, maybe because I thought music playback could never be a problem at this level).

Is this really the case, or have I missed something?? Ive read the manual as well, but it has nothing more on this.

Can it be, that they´ve totally forgotten what you need to use this device as an mp3-player? I have an older Creative Zen 30GB player, which is really good as an mp3-player, but very bad as a photo/data back-up device. When I´ll be going on a longer trip, I will already have a laptop, two digital cameras, a cellphone, the Epson, and chargers and extra batteries for each one; this is almost too much to carry. I DO NOT want to have a separate photo/data back-up device and an mp3-player, because they could easily be one today.

IF Epson really have left this mp3-playback into such low level on the P-4000, thats really hard for me to understand. I think the system already occupies some 6-7 GB on the disk, adding a few simple possibilities to make it work as a player cannot be too much of a task! Do you expect a 600 euro machine to be at least as capable as a musicplayer, as a 250 euro machine (though the Epson of course has a lot more to it), YES YOU DO, and after a quick glance, it seems it is a hundred times worse. You practically cannot use it as a musicplayer, if what I´ve found out is correct.

Anyone have any experience, or more info about this? I find this very hard to believe.
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HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE WITH MY QUERY