Works on Windows 98 only
Written: Dec 24 '02
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Pros: Excellent sound quality, good controls, size
Cons: File transfer limited
The Bottom Line: This would be a great mp3 player however file transfer is limited to the included Jukebox app, running only on Win98.
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| imreasztar's Full Review: Panasonic SV-SD75 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
Panasonic shops offered here a great deal for SV SD75 mp3 player, sold out only for 60%.
The sound quality is excellent, one of the bests of the mp3 players I have tried. The buttons are well placed, easy to reach, especially the turn-around knobs are really good.
There is a wrist adapter included in the package. This is not that comfortable to wear, and the SD75 is hard to insert in. It feels like wanting to break apart during insert. Then the cable is waving around with your hand movements, unless you attach the cable to your shoulders.
The Panasonic SV SD75 is extendable using secure digital (SD) cards (similar to MMC, but a bit more thick). SD cards were quite expensive when released; now they are more affordable. The included 64 MB SD card is somewhat small, I can only store music for 1 - 1.5 hours. Transferring files via USB is quite sluggish for 64 MB, and so for 128 MB. It takes a couple of minutes. If you change your mind in-between, you loose a serious amount of time. So consider a FireWire, USB 2.0 or a PCMCIA SD card adapter. Note that some notebooks also contain SD card slots, like the Toshiba Portégé range. This are usually mounted on the PCMCIA interface and are quite fast.
The battery is standard AAA, I think rechargeable ones should be ok for long term use. Digital mp3 players are not so power hungry, because they do not contain moving parts, only the screen limits the battery life.
So, it seems as the perfect mp3 player. But it isn’t. In the rush for copyrights and such, Panasonic limited the way of transferring file to the included Jukebox software. This means, you cannot transfer files to the SV SD75 via Windows Explorer, dBPoweramp or Windows Commander, only via the Jukebox stuff. I don't like this software to organize my music, I prefer WinAmp. But ok, I have to use it to transfer files, older digital cameras were the same, needing their proprietary utilities for file transfer. However, this poorly designed Jukebox application works only on Windows 98. It does not work on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows 95. Just Windows 98. I currently use w2k, so I have sold it quite soon. Windows XP has a compatibility feature, simulating earlier Windows environments, maybe one can give a try, but I don't think it worth the time and energy. Apple Macintosh users are also excluded from the use of the Panasonic SV SD75 mp3 player.
Should you buy it or not? If you use Windows 98, and you plan to stick on it for years, you may consider the SV SD75, as it is an excellent player. However, everybody else should avoid this technological dead-end design.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
imreasztar
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Location: Budapest, Hungary
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Bio/chemical engineer who loves mobile tech
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