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Cowon A3
By: Laiq Qureshi   |   Apr 07, 2008
  • 4
Good sound
High-quality video recording
Line-in recording can be done in FLAC
Joystick use can be a hit-or-miss affair
FAT32 doesn't allow transfer of 4GB+ HD movies
Reflective screen

Video
The screen supports 16 million colors with a pixel pitch of 0.108mm. Unlike most PVPs, the A3 offers a simple drag and drop interface. Natively, the player supports almost every format except MOV. The list includes AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA (MKV), OGM, MPG/MPEG, VOB, DAT and MTV. This pretty much covers everything, for whatever is left out; there's a conversion software bundled with the player.

The player supports HD playback of a resolution up to 1280 x 720 pixels without any decoding. The catch is that only the FAT32 file system is supported, which makes transferring movies over 4GB (most HD movies exceed that) impossible. We checked with Cowon, and we're sorry to say there's no solution to this problem yet.


The Cowon A3 plays video better than most video players can, and without conversion too. The blacks were better accentuated than in the Creative Vision:W. Being a video player, the A3 also comes with a host of features like pan and scan that allows you to zoom into the movie and pan to the portion you wish to see. Aspect ratio can be changed on the fly without accessing setup from the menu. You can even save a snapshot of your favorite scene.

Music
The music player is one of the best in the business. Except DRM-protected WMA files, it can take on anything, even FLAC. It supports MP3/2/1, WMA, ASF, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA (MKA), AC3, TTA, APE, MPC, WV and WAV. Another good thing is that the files are arranged into folders, so you can arrange your music the way you want, just as on the computer.

You can choose from a host of EQ presets, and a 10-band manual is also at your service. The jetEffect package includes BBE, Mach3Bass, MP3 Enhance, 3D Surround, but I'd suggest that you stay away from all this. Not because they suck, but you can't possibly use jetEffect and ignore the over-amplification.

The earphones could have been better, but they aren’t too bad either. Honestly I liked the music player, but then I tested the A3 with my Sennheiser HD415!!


The sound is very well-balanced, which means all the frequencies are leveled properly. Those looking to turn deaf can rejoice in the knowledge that cranking up the volume can get you there in just a few months – it’s really loud. The bass is very unobtrusive (for a lack of a better word), and the trebles well restrained, but clear nevertheless.

Overall, this is a great-sounding music player, if you manage to ditch those earphones. The player also comes with an FM radio that's audible via the speakers. You can save up to 20 frequencies. The reception was good, even indoors.


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Post a Comment on “Cowon A3”
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wheres the code dear??????????
shwetabh @ Sep 19, 2008
what we have to do in these contest ?

Can you explain me a little bit about it ?
vineet @ Sep 17, 2008
where is the unscrambled codein the page?
hello @ Jul 28, 2008
I like the video being played on page 2!!
Oh and if you think this is tough to use while drunk, you've never had to fiddle with an iPod click wheel in the same state!!
Angad @ Jul 22, 2008
were is the code
arunkumar @ Jul 11, 2008
do the letters rearrange or do the words???i jus cant figure it out...
RVD @ Jul 11, 2008
I try to send my answer and i keep getting error" oops error call 911"
Huh?? what am i supposed to do
Dhaval Bhawani @ Jul 09, 2008
i think they 've limited da filesystem to fat32 cuz macs dun support writin on NTFS files system macs can only read NTFS
Kashif @ Jul 07, 2008
Where is the contest question???
Manav @ Jul 07, 2008
how do we unscramble the code.can somebody give an example...m not asking the ans???
vaibhav @ Jul 06, 2008
hey,when will the prize be announced?
sooraj @ Jul 05, 2008
hehehe... the answer was super easy!! and am not kiddin :P
Abhishek Gupta @ Jul 05, 2008
where's the freakin scramblled code????
Prashant Karan @ Jul 05, 2008
luks lik ull havent highlitd all reqd words guys..
Arjun Sood @ Jul 05, 2008
its jus an hoax... so u read the entire article...:P
abyi @ Jul 05, 2008
where is the scrambled code
techiekaran @ Jul 05, 2008
Where is the scrambled code / question?
Mahesh @ Jul 05, 2008
Where is the scramble or contest question in this article...?

Acer
Acer @ Jul 05, 2008
I believe one can directly transfer the contents of one's digicam SD card to the A3, without requiring a laptop to be lugged around. If this is true, it should be emphasised, as it is really useful for a photographer on the move who runs out of SD cards.
Phiroze B. Javeri @ Apr 08, 2008
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