Epson P-2000 observations

[SimonBl]

Hi all,

I bought an Epson P-2000 yesterday and just thought some people may be interested in my thoughts....

I absolutely love the screen, can't believe it's as good as it is when it's only 640x480. Amazingly good resolution. "The best LCD I have ever seen" has been the regular comment as I have been showing it off.

It's a little fatter than I'd figured (aren't we all), but not overly large.

It's fast downloading images from the CF card or via the USB cable.

The case sucks. I've got to buy a replacement. Anyone bought any of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Deluxe-Leather-Case-for-Epson-P-2000-P2000_W0QQitemZ7543066721QQcategoryZ18872QQcmdZVie wItem

As I have seen in some reviews, it takes a reasonable time to build the thumbnails of the images. However, it doesn't seem to create an index, as subsequent views are far quicker. In addition to this, the first time you view an image it takes some time, but once done once is quicker.

Did I mention the great screen?

Trying to get video files from a PC to play is something I have yet been able to achieve. Any assistance would be appreciated! The sample is brilliant, but I am getting a sneaking feeling it was especially created.


The simple stand is great, nothing pretentious, but it looks good on your desk! ;)

Oh, the screen is brilliant!

One major thing that gets me, when you copy files to an album, the files are renamed (BTW: Doesn't understand long file names, truncates to 8.3) and it doesn't seem to put them in any significant order (yes, I have played with the options) which is annoying.

It's a shame .RAW files can't be magnified or the histogram display for them, but so be it.

All in all, I am happy. Anyone in Perth wants one, I will let you know the store that has 2 left.

Oh, my first one had 2 stuck pixels. 1 (pale blue) of them I could live with, was in the middle of the screen, but the bright green one in the RHS was a visual pain as it was almost always visible, especially with portrait format images. However, my friendly dealer that got 3 in on my request replaced it for another one. Woohoo.

Simon....

[Ian Parkin]

I bought one of those cases for mine
still using the original
Nuff said

Ian

[EOSAddict]

The files are not actually renamed unless you make an album - any files you transfer keep the original names but show as truncated. Yes the apparent random file listings can be a pain! IF you turn off the auto-rotate function it displays much quicker too - and you get bigger images of your rotated files!

Yes the screen is brilliant

No, I think the case is fine (it always stays in my bag unless I'm using it...

[SimonBl]

I bought one of those cases for mine
still using the original
Nuff said

Interesting, Ian, thanks. Quality? I figured I couldn't go wrong for the price, but perhaps I can? Interested in your followup.

Simon....

[SimonBl]

The files are not actually renamed unless you make an album - any files you transfer keep the original names but show as truncated. Yes the apparent random file listings can be a pain! IF you turn off the auto-rotate function it displays much quicker too - and you get bigger images of your rotated files!

Cool, will try that, thanks (BTW: I love P.O.T.N, 2 responses in seconds)

No, I think the case is fine (it always stays in my bag unless I'm using it...

Hmmm, 2 out of 2... Thanks, won't push the "Buy Now" button just yet then!

Simon....

[EOSAddict]

;)

[Ian Parkin]

Well the case
Its hardish leather very hard to place the p2000 in to start with, lots of stretching of the case to get it to fit well so all the ports line up
the catch is magnetic....not very strong
it looks a little cheap ( it was cheap)
it has flaps to hold what i assume to be for CF cards...cant get one in never mind three and close the flap.
All in all a bit of a white elephant...
Ian

[yenoram]

Can you insert a microdrive into the P-2000 or just CF cards?

[EOSAddict]

If MDs are same thickness as CF cards then I guess yes!

[blackviolet]

i use a crumpler john thursday (i forget the size off the top of my head - take the p2k with you). the one i have fits it snugly, yet not too tight. i've been using it almost daily since december and it hasn't scratched the screen at all, so it's soft enough on the inside. it has nice strong velcro holding it in.

as has been suggested, don't make an album. the files are still viewable in their folders. you can always make one later by copying, etc.

[SimonBl]

All in all a bit of a white elephant...


Thanks Ian, appreciated. I was hoping to find a Vaja case, but it doesn't appear that they make one yet. I had one for my Sony Clie and it was a work of art itself.

Simon....

[SimonBl]

i use a crumpler john thursday (i forget the size off the top of my head - take the p2k with you). the one i have fits it snugly, yet not too tight. i've been using it almost daily since december and it hasn't scratched the screen at all, so it's soft enough on the inside. it has nice strong velcro holding it in

Thanks Blackviolet, will have a wander around the local places in Perth and see what I can find. Unfortunately, though, the range here isn't huge :rolleyes: .

Simon....

[lcoleman]

Converting video -

I bought the DivX Converter from the DivX website for $29. It is very easy and works well. The movies look great on the P-2000. The one thing you have to do is change the name of the converted movie files from xxx.divx to xxx.avi and the P-2000 will recognize them. There are probably other ways to do this, ever for free, but I came across this and it works for me. I wish Epson would post more info about converting movies instead of letting consumers stumble around for solutions.

Enjoy your new P-2000

P.S. - did you notice how nice the screen is?

[blackviolet]

oh... movies. when you convert your movies to divx, make sure the bit rate is over 900bits/sec. they need to be less than about 1.1 gigs in size including audio. i encode my movies using mp3 audio and 1k divx video and they play great. there are free tools like dvd2divx and a few others that work well.

[EOSAddict]

Converting video -

I bought the DivX Converter from the DivX website for $29. It is very easy and works well. The movies look great on the P-2000. The one thing you have to do is change the name of the converted movie files from xxx.divx to xxx.avi and the P-2000 will recognize them. There are probably other ways to do this, ever for free, but I came across this and it works for me. I wish Epson would post more info about converting movies instead of letting consumers stumble around for solutions.

Enjoy your new P-2000

P.S. - did you notice how nice the screen is?

When I first got it I spent ages trying various (free) methods trying to get working video and gave up in frustration (some hints on dpreview forums). I am thinking of splashing out on buying divx converter - glad to hear it works!

[lomond]

When I first got it I spent ages trying various (free) methods trying to get working video


Me too.
I finally got some decent video using the above dvd2divx .
Then I thought, " why am I watching a movie on a 4 inch screen ?"
The main reason I bought it was to transfer my CF cards and review the images.
It does that very well.

The upshot is;
Storing and viewing images- Excellent.
Playing MP3 - OK.
Video - OK, once you figure it out.

[EOSAddict]

Cameron,

I agree - prime reason for buying was image download, backup and review. I do use the MP3 aspect if going away but the interface is awful - maybe they will upgrade it via firm ware! I was just curious to see how movies looked but have given up on that.

DId I say it has a great screen? ;)

[MDJAK]

I am obviously in the minority around here, or at least willing to criticize something on which I've spent a lot of money.

I don't think the screen is as good as people say. Especially outdoors. If there's any sun shining, the screen is washed out. If the pictures are not either perfectly exposed, they seem dark on the screen. And lord knows my pics are not always perfect, in fact often underexposed.

The interface, while maybe better than what's available, is slow. The minimum of three seconds for the slide show is waaaay tooo long.

It takes a very long time to download a 1gb card and create an album, perhaps as long as five or ten minutes.

Here's the new model:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0509/05092202epson_p4000.asp

[EOSAddict]

MDJAK,

I think the 'great screen' comments have degenerated into a running joke! I tend to agree that performance in the sun is pretty poor - but you cannot deny the basic quality of the screen and the kit itself - build quality etc. Yes, the interface could do with a complete redesign for both pic review, slide shows and music.

I have never had aproblem with the download times personally, but then I never create an album which doubles the time i guess.

THere are faults with it, but I still love it! And when you use it to show friends pictures, it creates a great impression.

[SimonBl]

All, thanks for the comments. I found the Crumpler cases here in Perth, but they don't have a colour I like and they ain't cheap. So, maybe next month :)

As for copying files, if I use ImTOO's MPEG Encoder to convert MPG's or AVI's to MOV format, this works the best, as long as images are under 640x480.

I also have finally managed to convert my widescreen TV recordings off my Topfield PVR into images suitable for transferring to the P2000. Took a lot of effort and some not-free tools, but at least I now know how to do it if I need to!

As for CF card transfer times, I am happy with the speed and think it's pretty good actually. I use SanDisk Ultra II cards.

Typical though, I see the P-4000's been announced now, only a few days after I have bought mine :)

Simon....

[MegaTron]

I just got mine today, this is what I think so far:

I think the whole point in all of us buying the p2k was to store pictures. Thats a given. But we couldve easily spent a lot less money for a photo storing device. What had me sold was the fact that the device also played mp3s, and videos. Well, it is an ok mp3 player, but its a pain in the a:evil::evil: to get the videos working on this thing. I would expect more from something thats this expensive. Hopefully someone hacks it soon.

The screen is great, the pictures look great on it, BUT, I am a control freak, when I press a button, I want to see results right away. This thing can hold about 36 gigs worth of pictures, but I could barely get through 1 album without getting frustrated. When viewing an album, when you press the arrow for the next picture to come up, it lags big time, before the next picture comes up. To me, its a waste, I have a nice screen, plenty of memory, but since the thing is so slow, I cant even take advantage of these great features.

Im going on a trip in a few weeks, ill see how I feel about it after my trip. If the lag continues to annoy me, then this puppy will be for sale in the marketplace forum before you know it. I regret ordering an extra batter for it now.

[blackviolet]

turn off auto-rotate. it speeds things up quite a bit.

[EOSAddict]

I just got mine today, this is what I think so far:

I think the whole point in all of us buying the p2k was to store pictures. Thats a given. But we couldve easily spent a lot less money for a photo storing device. What had me sold was the fact that the device also played mp3s, and videos. Well, it is an ok mp3 player, but its a pain in the a:evil::evil: to get the videos working on this thing. I would expect more from something thats this expensive. Hopefully someone hacks it soon.

The screen is great, the pictures look great on it, BUT, I am a control freak, when I press a button, I want to see results right away. This thing can hold about 36 gigs worth of pictures, but I could barely get through 1 album without getting frustrated. When viewing an album, when you press the arrow for the next picture to come up, it lags big time, before the next picture comes up. To me, its a waste, I have a nice screen, plenty of memory, but since the thing is so slow, I cant even take advantage of these great features.

Im going on a trip in a few weeks, ill see how I feel about it after my trip. If the lag continues to annoy me, then this puppy will be for sale in the marketplace forum before you know it. I regret ordering an extra batter for it now.

There is plenty out there (and here) about its limitations so none of that should have been a surprise ;) By ther way, if you have indexed an album once, it is much quicker the next time you go into it. Have you got the updated firmware that displays JPEG histos?

[MegaTron]

Thanks for the tips guys.

My version is 02.02 ??? I am able to view jpg histos. I believe there is a 02.04 version out, but no updates that would apply to me anyway.

Any other suggestions?

[W2005vz]

Hi

I also own a Epson p2000 :)

I use some favorite (full) mp3 albums to play as background music on a slide show. Some are over 100Mb, Anybody notice that there is a limit in the size of playing these mp3 files. I got a message on my sreen that the mp3 file is not recognized when its over 100Mb in Size.

Also some Avi files don't play when they are over 100Mb.

Also i got this from another forum to play DVD. I didn''t try it yet

Posted Sep 24, 2005, 9:25 AM ET by gertd

I found out how to convert your DVD's to AVI for the Epson P-2000 in a single step under Windows. Free software needed:
1. DVDx 2.3 (http://addict3d.org/index.php?page=autodownload&ID=3939)
2. DivX 5.2.1 codec (Don't upgrade DivX, version 6 doesn't give me very good results.)

Use the following settings in DVDx 2.3:
INPUT:
- Program Chain: select the main film-track and Angle 1 (default)
- DCSS: only check DeMacrovision and select Each VOB/Cell key search
- Audio: select an appropriate track and 48Khz no conversion
- Audio: fill in Volume 6 (but you maybe have to play around with it)
- Subtitle: select your language and offset 128 (is my preference)
- Misc: select SSE2 (if you have a P4), otherwise MMX
- Output frame rate: select 25.0 PAL and check detect progr 24 Hz
- Save your DVD drive: fill in 100MB (improves performance conv.)
- Deinterlace filter: none
OUTPUT:
- Select AVI
- AVI specific: Use Lame and select 128 Kb/s 48Khz 16 bits Q3
- AVI specific: Select the DivX 5.2.1 codec, single pass!
- Pass 1 settings: (DivX settings) Home theatre, standard, 1000 kpbs
- Expert settings: select RGB32 (RGB24 gave me a more blocky image)
- Export settings: resoultion 640x480 and e.g. Medium 16:9->4:3
- Resize setting: Bilinear SSE2 (for a P4), otherwise MMX

Now select your output file via 'File/Select destination'. Sometimes you need to start and stop the DVD in a player for DVDx to find it. Press DECODE and wait! Take care the resulting file isn't larger than 2GB (P-2000 limit). A two hour movie took me about 3.5 hours te decode. Enjoy!

Regards

Wim

from the Netherlands

[gamecubez]

Just Bought a P-2000 and really pissed off that it does not read 2GB SD Cards

How pathetic is that a high end device like this and wont read anything from my 2GB Kingston SD Card

So i cant use it unless

1: They release a new firmware (why this has not been done already is anyones guess)

2: I spend even more money and get 2 X 1GB Cards which i dont want anyway .

Very Annoying