Nextar MC3007 40GB Multimedia Machine

• mp3

This device is a total waste of money. I'd give it ZERO stars if I could but since one star is the lowest allowable, I give it one star (while holding my nose!). It took two weeks for delivery to begin with (I'd forgive that if it was worth waiting for), specifications don't list the screen resolution (I've seen better QVGA displays), very slow recharge rate, sluggish controls (non-intuitive), poorly written on-screen instructions, unit locks up repeatedly, shiney plastic bezel shows smudges and finger prints.... I could go on, but I'll wrap it up by saying that the unit doesn't work. I didn't even get to the part of trying videos because just viewing 6 megapixel JPEGs was tedious enough and the photos looked crappy. If this junk is any measure of Nextar's other products PASS as quickly as possible (I know I will). I'm returning it ASAP.

Buy Nextar MC3007 40GB Multimedia Machine Now

This is a fairly unique product given its screen size. Majority of similar HD based media players come with very compact screens, impractical for watching movies while traveling or outdoors. This full 7" display is very good quality and more than adequate for the purpose.

Unit is fairly light and compact given the screen size (7.75" x 4.5" x 1.25") easy to operate and with decent battery life (over 3hrs). Operation is very quiet. The unit gets a bit warm after some 20 minutes of playback, but not terrible.

You can also use it to display photos and mp3 files. It can record sound and TV broadcast(!), but haven't tried that feature. There is a slot for SD card, and a very easy simple way to load files onto its HD (40GB) from your PC. No extra software or drivers needed.

With the included AV out cable, you can hook it up to a larger screen, such as a TV in your hotel room. Very convenient. The unit also comes with a nice set of tiny headphones. The built in speaker is fine in an environment with the low level of noise, otherwise headphones are needed. Naturally, a charger is also part of the kit, as well as a USB cable.

Quite annoying, however, is the unit's difficulty to properly display aspect ratio of wide screen movies. Anything that is wider than the units 1.73 ratio is flattened more than it should be, regardless of the original settings (you can manually chose aspect ratio). If you opt for manually changing aspect ratio during playback, the display switches to either 4:3 or 4:3 pan/scan, but won't revert back to "wide screen" unless you restart the video.

There is also issue with fast forward/rewind which seems to be media/encoder related. Some videos f.forward without problem, while others just won't.

Overall, very decent device while traveling, but for longer trips you would also need a spare battery (over $30 from the manufacturer, otherwise extremely hard to find). The unit seems to be on its way out, harder and harder to find, being over two years old. It's a shame, since very few similar products on the market offer similar features for the price. Probably the strongest feature and what sold it to me is the screen size, hard to beat. When it comes to screen size, no iPod or other similar player comes close. The only similar product I found is a Korean made portable DVD player also offered by amazon, for similar price, similar or larger display size (comes in two different sizes), but no internal HD. That other unit, however, offers USB access to hook up a flash drive. See it here: