ViewSonic VPD400 portable media player
This budget portable media player supports a wide range of file formats
Pros
- Many file types supported, simple to operate
Cons
- Spartan design and interface, no Wi-Fi, no touch screen, no AAC support
Bottom Line
ViewSonic's VPD400 is a portable media player aimed at anyone with a diverse media collection. It can play back many different music and video files and is easy to set up and operate. It doesn't have the same design quality or interface flair as Apple's iPod Touch, but it is much cheaper.
-
Price
$ 249.00 (AUD)
The ViewSonic VPD400 is a portable media player with a 4.3in LCD screen and 8GB of internal memory. The VPD400 is an easy way to view movies and listen to music while travelling, although it doesn't have the build quality or interface design of competitors' more polished products.
The ViewSonic VPD400's 4.3in LCD dominates its front face — apart from a small ViewSonic logo there's nothing else to look at. Buttons and ports are arranged around the edges — the left side has a power jack, USB port, mono speaker and Micro SD card slot for adding SDHC memory. The VPD400 feels reasonably sturdy though not as refined as products from Apple and Creative.
Navigating the on-screen menu is a little difficult thanks to a confusing button layout. With a four-way menu system (up, down, left and right) we expected a directional controller but were surprised to find individual buttons arranged in a line. The menu is reasonably easy to operate once you have gotten hang of the layout, but you'll usually need two hands to operate it and you may have trouble finding the correct button when the player is inside your pocket. The ViewSonic VPD400 lacks the integrated Wi-Fi and touch screen of more expensive players, but the inclusion of a 720p-capable HDMI output makes it useful for displaying video or photos on a larger screen at a pinch.
A wide range of audio file types are supported by the ViewSonic VPD400. MP3, WMA and WAV file support is par for the course, but support for the FLAC, APE and OGG formats was a pleasant surprise. No AAC support means you'll need to convert your iTunes music if you want to listen to it on the VPD400.
Video support is equally diverse. AVI, FLV, MOV and MPG files all played without any glitches — though 1080p files are not supported. More niche Real Media file formats are also supported according to ViewSonic. Photo playback was good — there was only a small amount of scaling jaggedness visible when we viewed 14.6-megapixel JPG files.
The ViewSonic VPD400's screen is good but not great. The 800x480 screen resolution is perfect for watching DVD-quality movie files, although colours are a little garish for our liking and low contrast steals detail in dark scenes. For casual movie-watching on the train or bus it will be acceptable.
If you're not interested in Web access, interactive applications or a touch screen, the ViewSonic VPD400 will do a good job as your portable media player. It's reasonably priced and includes core media player functionality with a few nifty extras like HDMI output and expandable memory.
Stay up to date with the latest reviews. Sign up to GoodGearGuide’s Gear Daily newsletters
Follow GoodGearGuide on Twitter: @Goodgearguide
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- An intrepid YouTuber made his own 5K Studio Display for just US$600
- Apple is finally fixing the Studio Display’s camera in macOS Monterey 12.4
- OOPS! Apple forgets Studio Display exists, discontinues latest firmware update
- Apple may shift AirPods strategy as demand for new models wanes
- iFixit’s Studio Display teardown answers a burning question: Why is it so thick?
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?