16R players, in particular TA5-16R

[Fallingwater]

I've had a look at various eBay auctions about these players, and I particularly like the TA5-16R (I'd buy it here though, since that seller seems better; the product seems the same). I want a player that can read Ogg Vorbis, but the format isn't listed in that auction, or in any of the others I can find for this product.
The FA5-16R has ogg support, but it is not touchscreen.

Now, the fact that the supported formats change depending on which auction you're reading, and my experience with generic players, lead me to believe that all the ***-16R players are based around the same chipset with firmware that differs mainly in aesthetics and various other tidbits; based on this, all 16R players, including the TA5, should have ogg support.
This is, of course, merely my idea, which means I could be completely wrong. And since I'd hate to spend the money and end up with a player that doesn't satisfy my requirements, I'm turning to you guys. What do you say? Does the TA5-16R read ogg files?

Also, what's the maximum TransFlash size I can use? The picture on the auction I'd get it from has a big "SDHC" logo on it, so I assume they can read up to at least 8GB, right?

And while we're at it, what kind of battery life can I expect with audio playing alone?

Thanks.

[lolita]

Those seem to be Rockchip-based players, and should support OGG.

Most players with Actions chipsets will support OGG.

[Fallingwater]

Dunno about the Rockchip, other auctions for different players state clearly that they are Rockchip-based.
I think I'm going to take the risk and get it anyway, 16GB is plenty even if it can only read mp3s, and then the TF can increase it.
On this subject, do you know what TF sizes they support? I understand Rockchips are limited to 4GB... what about the others?

[lolita]

Cards 4 GB and larger are only available in the newer SDHC format.

[Fallingwater]

I'm aware of that, I just need to know if the player supports SDHC (and thus 4+GB cards) or if those pictures with the "SDHC" logo on them are just photoshopped silliness. I don't trust eBay dealers not to do this sort of thing...

[mrben]

Hi

I just got one of these models and so far it seems and does what i want.

I like it so far, i not come across any probs yet.

I will test mine with a 4 gig card and diff sizes and report back bit later on this.

So far, my videos work, plays avi, flv ok, not tested others yet. I did find it does not play m4a extension.

Photos are ok.

Did not come with software CD, and manual says i should use upgrade tool consumer.exe for firmware etc, so don't know what all that is about.

Thats why i came here :P

[Fallingwater]

Originally Posted by mrben";p=&quot

I just got one of these models and so far it seems and does what i want.

Did you get the 16GB version? Can you confirm the memory is genuine (i.e. can you test it with the format application as per the sticky)? You should probably do that anyway...
If it is genuine, please tell us which seller you got it from, so we can buy from them too

I will test mine with a 4 gig card and diff sizes and report back bit later on this.

Thanks a lot, I'm very curious about this. If it doesn't support cards higher than 4gb... well, 20gb is still better than 16, and at this price you can't really complain. But if it does... *drools*

So far, my videos work, plays avi, flv ok, not tested others yet. I did find it does not play m4a extension.
Photos are ok.

I'm personally not at all interested in the video capabilities of the player, as I plan on only using it for music. Good to know that it works fine in those areas too, though.

If you can, can you try uploading this file (it's the "Itchy and Scratchy" theme from the Simpsons; I chose it from my collection because I'm pretty sure I'm breaking no copyrights by posting it in public)? It's in Ogg Vorbis format, and determining whether it plays it or not will make or break the deal for me...

Edit: oh, one last question that's extremely important for me... can you build a playlist on the go? Or, in other words, can you select different songs by different artists and queue them up so they play one after the other according to the order you choose?
Thanks again.

[mrben]

Hi All

I can confirm mine is a 16 gig model, because it has a gold sticker on the back. I also confirmed this by pluging it into my computer as a removable drive and it is 16 gig.

I can also confirm, 2 gig, 4 gig card works but make sure its a class 4 card as some players dont like the class 6.

Battery life can drain if you keep having the backlight on and playing with it etc.

All albums can be in their own seperate folders, so its like a C: drive on a pc. Artist name, track name etc all comes up if the tags are correct. Some tracks, may come under others list if not in a folder.

You can make a playlist, also

I will continue my testing and give a second report with other tests i am curious about e.g formats, hidden features etc.. :P

I am in process of making a video demo of this model taking you through every bit of this device so ppl can see for themselves.

Hope this helps you for the time being.

Laterz!

Happy New Year!

[mrben]

Hi Again

Just back to confirm the player does support ogg files

If you are still deciding to buy or not buy, i would say buy it as you are not going to get this much function from normal Brands such as sansa, ipods etc and also not this amount of storage for the price you would pay in the shops. You can buy 2 of these for same price as you would pay for ipod, or others.

Oh yes, i have ordered 4 more of these babies for gifts for people for my Chinese New Year in a few weeks!!!

Go get one now.

from good-day-up on that aution site? :roll: starts with E and ends with Y :wink:

[Fallingwater]

Originally Posted by mrben";p=&quot

I can confirm mine is a 16 gig model, because it has a gold sticker on the back. I also confirmed this by pluging it into my computer as a removable drive and it is 16 gig.

The sticker means nothing, as does just plugging it in. If the firmware is hacked your computer will think it's a 16GB model, because the player itself thinks that. You'll only notice when the memory fills up and stuff starts getting overwritten, or you get access errors.

You need to run the special format program and see what that reports. You can find the instructions and download links here.

I can also confirm, 2 gig, 4 gig card works but make sure its a class 4 card as some players dont like the class 6.

That they support 4 gb cards is known, but bigger sizes are still a question mark. If you ever happen across a 8+gb MicroSD/TF card you could try and see if it reads that as well, though I'm not sure if there are 8+GB cards that are lower than class 6.
Or I might try it myself if I buy it...

You can make a playlist, also

the player does support ogg files

Yay! This is great! It's starting to look like the player of my dreams

Oh yes, i have ordered 4 more of these babies for gifts for people for my Chinese New Year in a few weeks!!!

You should run the format utility as soon as you can, so you can stop the order before it ships if it turns out they're hacked.