Manage updates with the Download AppToshiba Gigabeat MES30VW (30GB, white)
Manufacturer: Toshiba Part number: MES30VW
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Many prospective MP3/PVP buyers have been waiting patiently for this compact, easy-to-use, one-stop shop for media files--looks like the Toshiba Gigabeat S was worth the wait.
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CNET editors' review
Toshiba Gigabeat MES30VW (30GB, white) price range: $229.95 - $369.38
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Edited by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 06/02/2006
The good: The Toshiba Gigabeat S makes its mark as a supercompact 30GB or 60GB portable video player. It supports many music, video, and photo file types, including subscription services, and it has a bevy of features, such as an FM tuner and support for digital camera transfers. Best of all, the device is completely intuitive, thanks in part to an improved Portable Media Center operating system, and it boasts excellent sound performance.
The bad: Unlike many portable video players, the Toshiba Gigabeat S does not record audio or video. There is no voice or FM recording, and the two-cable AC adapter is cumbersome. Also, the Gigabeat S is an MTP device and requires Windows XP. Finally, rated battery life for video is weaker than Toshiba had originally suggested.
The bottom line: Many prospective MP3/PVP buyers have been waiting patiently for this compact, easy-to-use, one-stop shop for media files--looks like the Toshiba Gigabeat S was worth the wait.
User reviews
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First big leap in portable MP3 player since the original iPod
by Steve9975bb on June 3, 2006
Pros: Small formfactor, plays video, looks good, sync with MCPC
Cons: Doesn't support all file formats, WMP11 not out yet.
Summary: I had this thing on pre-order for over two months, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've owned several iPods over my life (including the 30GB iPod ...
Summary: I had this thing on pre-order for over two months, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've owned several iPods over my life (including the 30GB iPod video, nano, mini). But this is the first mp3 player that has really made me feel like it was a big leap since my orignal iPod.
The video syncing feature works a lot better than Apple's, being that Media Center converts the file for you (which means that the movie is at the proper resolution for the PMP)and it syncs with the recorded shows from my Windows Media Center. Don't have to search for the H.264 encoded files like Apple Video, and converting my Xvid/Divx when syncing is very easy (wouldn't want to play the Divx file in its original size on the small screen anyway).
The interface is also fantastic and intuituive, I really like Apple's scrool wheel (which I miss), but the Toshiba is more colorful and full of options. I also LOVE the FM Tuner built in, I hated carrying around the attachment that I have for my iPod that made the iPod a tad bigger.
AAC support would have been nice, but most of my CDs are ripped to MP3 rather than AAC so its not that big a deal. iPod can't play WMA, Toshiba can't play AAC, whatever. . .
I've only had the player for a couple days now, but battery life is very decent. I haven't timed it but its generally equivalent to my iPod. Overall, IMO, this is the best portable media player on the market.47 out of 51 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Cnet caught in the act
by ssjmichael on June 4, 2006
Pros: Uses PMC, Built in Camera connector, viewed horizontally or vertically
Cons: Bad battery life, doesn't support divx, only has 65k colors, little extras
Summary: My comments are not about this player, but about cnet's review and how misleading it is:
Cnet initially made a mistake and thought the battery life was 20hrs for ...Summary: My comments are not about this player, but about cnet's review and how misleading it is:
Cnet initially made a mistake and thought the battery life was 20hrs for audio and 6 for video. This is how they rated it then:
Design: 9
Features: 8
Performance: 9
Mean: 8.7
After they realized their mistake (its really 12/2.5 hours) they dropped the performance score. BUT, although they realized it doesnt support divx natively, the INCREASED the score for features:
Design: 9
Features: 9
Performance: 8
Mean score: 8.7
Talk about horrible. They would intentionally alter their score just to keep the 8.7.
The score should technically be a 8.3, if not lower since they should also deduct a point for the lack of divx.63 out of 112 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Best Player you can Choose
by ipod5500 on June 5, 2006
Pros: It's small and it has so many more features than the iPod. Worth the $300!
Cons: Have to convert xvids.
Summary: I have always been a huge iPod fan (as my SN has iPod in it even), but now I am thrilled to leave mine behind. Apple keeps wanting to charge ...
Summary: I have always been a huge iPod fan (as my SN has iPod in it even), but now I am thrilled to leave mine behind. Apple keeps wanting to charge customers for things like radio abilities, but Toshiba got it right! Give the people what they want, and this is defeninetly what we want! Everyone I know is so envious of it, and several people in my office are going to buy one too. The screen is also bigger than an iPod, so you can enjoy your videos in pristine-clear quality without having to squint.
And don't forget, you can you use any music service with it (excluding iTunes), so you aren't forced to do what Apple wants. The iPod and iTunes seem almost dated, and not nearly as useful and exciting as rivals.
I am a very skeptical person, but I am confident in saying go out and get one now, you will never regret it!20 out of 24 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Way better than 30 GB Ipod w/video
by Philr420 on June 13, 2006
Pros: Great video, easy to use, versatile
Cons: No cradle, no record feature
Summary: Got my Toshiba S30 (30 GB w/video) on friday and it is awesome! (They also have a 60GB version) Retail - $299 and $399 respectively.
Very small - i ...Summary: Got my Toshiba S30 (30 GB w/video) on friday and it is awesome! (They also have a 60GB version) Retail - $299 and $399 respectively.
Very small - i think it is a tad smaller and lighter than the Ipod counterpart.
Video looks great. I believe when my brother bought his Ipod he was searching for a way to convert to .M4V (only video Ipod will take as far as I know). The S30 uses Windows Media Player 10/11beta to transfer all music and video - and it automatically converted .mpg and .wmv files right before it made the transfer. Transferred a full length movie and it looks great! (Be prepared to wait a while to do this)
Toshiba's own software ofr the last model was awful. But I learned to tag, organize, and convert my library pretty easily with WMP. Transfers are really fast (USB 2.0 speed) and you can transfer and set up the next tranfer at the same time.
Menus are pretty easy to navigate in both the S30 and WMP 11.
I chcked out the VIDEO OUT option. It comes with a cable that plugs into the player's mic jack on one end and has RCA jacks (vid, audio L, and audio R) on the other. Not hi-res on the TV, but definitely watchable. It probably outputs the same resolution that the player has - 340X270 or so. I think that's roughly VHS quality.
1 small feature that was not on my Toshiba 10 GB. When you load a playlist (or create one on the player), you can listen to it in order or on random.
S30 comes with a USB cable that allows you to hook up a USB device (meant for digital cameras) which backs up the content of the device on to the S30. This way if you fill up your camera on vacation, you can dump it and save it.
EQ settings - there are 6 or 8 (rock, pop, jazz, etc). No individual settings for bass/treble.
Here's a big one - the songs seem to be residing on the player as MP3's (the old model converted them into some unusable, encrypted, proprietary format). I have not tested it, but I believe that I can dump the contents of the player on to any machine. None of the modern hard drive based MP3 players can do this as far as I know.
And then there's little things - you can actually partition the drive to set aside space for backups.
Some reviews have dubbed this thing an Ipod killer. Apple has a death grip on the market, so I doubt that will happen. But I think the S30 honestly blows away the Ipod 30. It's just so much more versatile and has so many extras.16 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
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from someone who actually owns this...
by sucatpque on July 20, 2006
Pros: build quality, excellent display and sound, easy and intuitive controls, fantastic interface, Ipod killer potential
Cons: buggy, WMPx sucks, clueless Toshiba tech support, lack of accessories
Summary: I'm sure you've read through all the raves and I agree with most of them. However I do have some rants. I've had this unit for several ...
Summary: I'm sure you've read through all the raves and I agree with most of them. However I do have some rants. I've had this unit for several days now and here are some of the bugs to worry about.
1. Tendency to automatically purge files: After a hard reset (battery switch from on>off>on) my unit automatically deleted all the media files. Same thing happened when my battery was completely drained. I didn't have my charger and hooked it up to a USB port to charge. It did the same thing and purged my files. Thankfully I have all my files backed up on my PC.
2. Static noises when switching between songs. Also noticable lag between songs.
3. HD a little noisy at times when accessing songs.
I've called Toshiba's technical support and they're clueless to what's happening. Hopefully they'll get their act straight and release a new firmware to get rid of the bugs.15 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Review From Gibabeat S and Ipod Video Owner
by dwogs on August 23, 2006
Pros: Nice features, easy to use, great interface, movie service support, size
Cons: Sound quality, popping noise between songs, lack of some common video formats, no seemless and integrated podcast system
Summary: I was upgrading from an Ipod Nano and I really wanted to get away from the Ipod/Itunes system. I heard such great things about the Gigabeat S and decided ...
Summary: I was upgrading from an Ipod Nano and I really wanted to get away from the Ipod/Itunes system. I heard such great things about the Gigabeat S and decided to pick one up. It is a good player, but the "popping" noises in between tracks really killed this player for me. I called Toshiba service, and they told me this was normal and could not be fixed.
I then exchanged the Toshiba for a 30gb Ipod and was blown away by how much better the Ipod sounded. There are not many features with the Ipod, but the build quality and sound quality are much better than the Gigabeat.
I really wanted to like the Gigabeat, but the unusual sounds coming through the headphones and average sound quality was a deal breaker.13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Overall Player - Worth the Money!!
by Gators300 on June 11, 2006
Pros: Great WMP11 Integration, Sleek, Stylish, Plays Videos, Pictures, Music Very Well!
Cons: Average Video Playback, No Mac Support, Packaging
Summary: I have had my Gigabeat S30 for nearly a week now, (purchased at my local Marine Corps Exchange as I am a Marine in NC) and I am for the ...
Summary: I have had my Gigabeat S30 for nearly a week now, (purchased at my local Marine Corps Exchange as I am a Marine in NC) and I am for the most part, in love with it.
I would have purchased the S60, but it wasn't in stock here, so S30 it is for me! The first thing you notice about the S30 is the uninspired packaging, which unfortunately, does very little to compliment the sleekness of the player. It is very drab and seems like it's washed out, (think a blue box that was sitting on your car dash over the summer and is now bleached to a light blue by the sun). This, despite what many may think, is a major issue. Looking at an iPod box side by side you would think the Gigabeat S was a third tier product. Those who purchase things on looks will pick iPod everytime. There is very little in the way of documentation and accessories. Everything is just wrapped in plastic and seems like it is just thrown in there.
Packaging: 5.0/10
Now to the player itself. The design is very straightforward with a back button, windows button, and the 4 way dpad on the front, (with a select button in the middle). On the right side is the power button, volume, and play/pause, track forward and track backward buttons. These are a welcome addition for anyone who has used a player with no dedicated playback buttons. On the top there is also a hold button. I have already received compliments about the "cool" factor of the Gigabeat S. It is unique looking, but not extreme. The back is a nice neutral colored metal, and the front, a glossy and (!!!) scratch resistent white plastic. Very trendy.
Design: 9.2/10
The bread and butter of the player is GUI, (the on screen interface) and it does not disappoint. It is flashy and quick. Everything is easy to find and there are lots of viewing options. Just playing music there are 5 different ways to view playback, and when switching between them you get subtle, but cool graphic transitions. When selecting Artists you go into a Album screen, which shows you all of the Album Art for each particular album, and as you click from one to another it highlights that particular album, making the Album Art slightly larger than the other albums surrounding it, a nice effect. The player has never locked up on me, and rarely ever lags. There is no manual bookmark feature though, a problem for some users. Any video you watch will give you the option to resume or start over, that's it. You can't set specific bookmarks. Overall great implementation and convergence between Microsoft and Toshiba.
Interface: 9.0/10
Music playback is the main reason I got the S. After owning two iPods I realized I wanted more out of my player, (and I hate iTunes) and the S provided me that opportunity. The first time I listened to the S I immediately noticed its audio superiority over the iPod 5G. Hands down it is better sounding. Bass is clearer, and the player seems to have higher treble on default settings, which combined with the deeper bass gives a much more full audio experience.
Audio: 9.0/10
Video playback is a bit of a mixed bag, but it all depends on what you expect from a player. If you think that anything that plays videos should have xvid/divx/mpeg4 support, you will be upset to know that the Gigabeat S supports none of those. Fortunately the WMP11 integration is so good that it automatically converts, (and you can set conversion settings) all of your videos. What you get is generally a very nice looking video on your Gigabeat S. Things of note: lack of colors, (only 65,000) rears its ugly head during videos. Any videos, especially movies, converted you will notice small artifacts and in low light situations, (dark movies, think the second half of Batman Begins) don't look too hot on the S. This may sound critical, but if you are expecting pristine video playback you should look elsewhere. Now, if you bought this to play music and occasionally watch some TV shows or movies, then I think that the video is just great on the device. It looks better than I am sure I just made it sound, but I also own an Archos AV500, so that's my point of reference here. Overall the video on the Gigabeat S is very capable, but not stunning.
Video: 7.0/10
Pictures are automatically converted in WMP11 to show nicely on the screen. They are generally pretty good looking and it's nice to see the thumbnails. Nothing too special here, just make sure you have your pictures sorted by folder in My Pictures in XP, otherwise you won't be able to find any of them, (if you have a lot that is). Overall picture viewing on the Gigabeat S par for the course. I haven't had a chance to try out the USB host feature, so I can't comment on it, though it is nice to have. Note that only up to 2 GB's can be used for host mode, a potential pitfall for those looking to use the S as a way to dump memory cards on the go.
Pictures: 8.5/10
WMP11 integration is one of the best parts of owning the Gigabeat S. WMP is usually a love it or hate it program, and before this latest version I used WinAmp. Now, with WMP11, I have fallen in love. It sorts everything how ever you want it, and makes nice use of Album Art at every turn. Even better, when you encode a CD, (in one of about 5 formats available) it automatically pulls all CD information including the Album Art. All of this seamlessly transfers over to the Gigabeat S, no hitches at all. I just love how easy it is, just drag and drop, and then you Sync when you are ready, (not as soon as you drag it over, ala iTunes). At first it is a little confusing when you plug in your S. However, once you set up sync the way you prefer, it is a breeze from that point on.
WMP11 + Gigabeat S Integration: 9.5/10
Now this is by no means a completely comprehensive review. I just touched on what were major points for me. Some people may take offense to the Gigabeat charger, (which is freakin huge) but at least they included one. Overall this is by far the best DAP I've owned. It's small and light, plays all of my music and looks great doing it. Video and picture playback is all icing on the cake for me. If you are looking for a video-first player, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Same goes with a dedicated picture viewer. Basically the Gigabeat does music great, and everything else, it does well. I highly recommend it.
Overall: 57.2/70 = 82%11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is the finest PVP i have ever come across.
by benchase on June 8, 2006
Pros: The screen is gorgeous and very useable. it easily switches from landscape to portrait. The interface is a breeze-functional and attractive. it mates seamlessly with WMP11, its small, feels nice.
Cons: What cons? I guess you could say it doesn't play some of the most obscure file formats.
Summary: This product is the best PVP or mp3 player i have ever used or owned. I've used iPods, Creative's Vision line, Cowon's iAudio X5, Archos's Gmini ...
Summary: This product is the best PVP or mp3 player i have ever used or owned. I've used iPods, Creative's Vision line, Cowon's iAudio X5, Archos's Gmini line, and numerous others-- and this is far and away the best. The battery life has proved exceptional, the screen is bright and beautiful, the interface is effective and has many sorting options, as well as displaying album art in full color. The button placement is good, and it has a very elegant look and feel.
11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Better than iPod
by tech90210 on June 5, 2006
Pros: Allows users options in which type of music service they choose, rather than forcing iTunes (which is quite pathetic when compared to rival subscription services) upon the user.
Cons: Difficult to find
Summary: I recently got a hold of a unit from Toshiba, and have had only great experiences with it. It has everything you would want. It's small, simple, and most ...
Summary: I recently got a hold of a unit from Toshiba, and have had only great experiences with it. It has everything you would want. It's small, simple, and most of all powerful. Plus buying from a company so well known for its outstanding customer support, the new Gigabeat is sure to change the way we think about portable digital devices. Oh yea, don't forget to check out their website, it is so easy to use and you can learn so much more about it, see for yourself, www.gigabeat.com.
8 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Almost Loved It...
by eventis on December 2, 2006
Pros: Size, Intuitive Interface, Sound Quality, FM radio, WMP Ease
Cons: Battery...Battery
Summary: When I received this handsome player about a month ago, I had high hopes. A CNET "editors choice" right...? Well, I actually did more research than that...but...
PRO'S ...Summary: When I received this handsome player about a month ago, I had high hopes. A CNET "editors choice" right...? Well, I actually did more research than that...but...
PRO'S -
- Looks - Best looking player I've ever seen.
- Compact Design - Smaller than Ipod (30g) and Creative, and only a tad bigger than my daughters old Ipod Mini. Very light-weight as well.
- Build Quality - Not the most rough-and-tumble unit out there, but durable none-the-less. Could easily last a long time.
- Intuitive - Windows interface is a breeze. Very user friendly. Better than Apple, Creative, Sony, Etc. It's beautiful. Anything, whether it be Artist, Playlist, Song, Etc., is a click away.
I like the "crosshair" navigator button MORE than the Apple "touchwheel". Nice feel and function.
Some have cited that the side controls, meaning; volume, FF, RW, Pause, Etc., aren't their favorite. I actually enjoy the seperate controlls and their placement.
- No 3rd Party Software - Windows Media Player (10+) is all that you need. Downloading, Syncing, ID Tags, Playlists, Etc. are effortless. It's like falling out of bed and sticking a toothbrush in your mouth...it just happens. Interacts seemlessly with Rhapsody, Napster, etc.
- Sound Quality - All factory provided earbuds lack. After sticking in a pair of V-Moda Vibes, this unit sounded great. Better than others I compared.
- Video/Picture - Although I only use my Digital Player for music, the provided "sample" pics and vids looked and flowed seemlessly.
CON'S -
- Battery - Charge it up, play it for 8-10-12 hours, turn it off, and the next morning the unit will be dead, even though the battery meter reads 1/2 full. So dead, infact, USB charging won't take. I must do AC charging. This after taking precautions with high-energy sapping features. eg: brightness, back-light-time, "Harmonics", etc.
- Peculiar Battery "on/off" Switch - This button, (on bottom of unit (battery will not charge if not swithed to "on")) that requires something the size of a pinhead or narrow pen to regulate, is supposed to save battery. Not only is it difficult to maneuver, it seems senseless. It seemingly did not save my "half-full" battery till the next day.
I give it a 7. Good, but with room for improvement. Aside from battery issues, I wouldn't have returned the unit. Could be better.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Toshiba
- Part number: MES30VW
- Description: The new Toshiba gigabeat S series utilize 1.8" hard disk drives for storing audio, video, photos and even recorded television programs. With an easy-to-use interface, superb multimedia capabilities and a large, vivid 2.4" LCD display, you can now effortlessly select, download, manage and enjoy multimedia content from anywhere at anytime. Content management is made easy through the use of Microsoft Windows Mobile based Portable Media Center software, which lets you download and transfer your favorite videos, music, photos, and even TV Shows. It's capable of holding an incredible 30GB of digital media: MP3 and WMA compressed audio and even uncompressed, full-resolution WAV files. That's about 7.500 songs at 128 kbps MP3, or 15.000 songs at 64 kbps WMA. Its bright, crystal-clear, 2.4-inch LCD screen offers 320 x 240 resolution and the ability to render over 65.000 colors to ensure elite video and picture quality of your videos, photos and even movies come to life!
General
- Device Type Portable media center
- Key Features Digital photo viewer ,
Digital audio player ,
Digital video player ,
FM tuner - Width 2.4 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 3.9 in
- Weight 5.3 oz
- Color Piano white
- External Control Devices Remote control
- PC Interfaces Hi-Speed USB
- Features Microsoft Windows Mobile based
Display
- Display Type LCD 2.4 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
Memory / Storage
- HDD Capacity 30 GB
- HDD Form Factor 1.8" - Built-in
Digital Audio
- Supported audio formats MP3 ,
WMA ,
WAV Still Images
- Supported Still Images Formats JPEG
Radio
- FM station preset qty 30
Connectivity
- Connections Headphones,
Hi-Speed USB Battery
- Required Qty 1
- Rechargeable Battery Rechargeable
- Included Qty 1
- Technology Lithium ion
- Battery Life Details Audio playback - up to 12 hour(s),
Video playback - up to 2.5 hour(s) Software
- Software Included Drivers
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Cradle , Power adapter,
USB cable,
AC adapter,
Stereo headphones
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Toshiba products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Toshiba
- Address:
1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 - Phone: 1-800-316-0920
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