Sansa View Review

One of my new favorite toys is the Sansa(r) View – a video MP3 player with a vast array of features and generous capacity, at an unbeatable price.

The sleek-looking Sansa View marries the finest MP3 player attributes with full-motion video support (typically found in larger portable media players (PMPs)), a larger screen, long battery life and generous capacity-all in a thin, easy-to-carry package. The Sansa View will carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $199.99 MSRP for a 16GB flash-based player and $149.99 for the 8GB, far surpassing the competition with respect to value and price. A significant step-up from the company’s award-winning Sansa e200 music player series, the slim Sansa View features music, photos, FM radio and audio books, plus easy video transferring capabilities and hefty memory capabilities of up to 24GB (by using an optional 8GB microSD/microSDHC card).

SanDisk’s Sansa View video player innovates beyond the typical video loading procedure, making it easy for consumers to transfer videos natively using widely available software. Most popular formats are supported via embedded player functionality (H.264, WMV and MPEG4), or via a one-time software download of the Sansa Media Converter which quickly transcodes numerous video files, including DivX.

Consumers can use any compatible microSD cards or one of SanDisk’s microSD/microSDHC cards in order to play up to 24GB of music, video and photos on their Sansa View. In addition, the microSD card allows users to easily move their content to a cell phone or other mobile device.

A MP3 player at its core, the Sansa View device comes equipped with all the soup-to-nuts features typically found in the Sansa audio line. The smooth, backlit scroll wheel and vibrant 2.4′ widescreen display make it easy to navigate to: a music library; video collection; digital photos; digital FM radio with 20 pre-sets; an integrated microphone and voice recording, and Audible audiobooks.

The device supports many music download and subscription services, including Rhapsody To Go(r), Napster, eMusic and others.

The interface is attractive and works extremely well. It doesn’t attempt to imitate other players and stakes out it’s own style and ease of use that in many ways is better than market leaders such as iPod and others.

SANSA VIEW: SUMMARY OF FEATURES

In addition to holding thousands of songs, the Sansa View includes a plethora of features to enhance the listening and viewing experience

MUSIC

  • Supports most audio formats, including MP3, protected and unprotected WMA, WAV, DRM-free MP3 downloads
    • Gapless playback for smoother music transition
  • Digital FM radio with 20 pre-sets
  • Audible audiobook support

VIDEO

  • Video compatibility with MPEG4, WMV, H.264
    • Additionally, the Sansa Media Converter supports a large number of other video formats, including DivX
  • Smooth video playback at 30 frames per second (fps)

PHOTOS

  • Photo JPEG viewing capabilities – up to 16 megapixel

OTHER UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES

  • Slim, thin and lightweight design for easy portability – 8.8mm at the slimmest part
  • Vibrant, 2.4′ TFT color screen with 320×240 resolution
  • Rechargeable, long-lasting lithium polymer battery for 35 hours of audio4 and seven video5
  • Voice recorder with built-in microphone
  • MicroSD/SDHC(tm) expansion slot for additional memory capacity and content portability

Written by Kermit