Archive for January 5th, 2010

We’ve reviewed a number of media players from the Sony Walkman range in the past and have always been impressed with them for their sheer sound quality. I was intrigued to see the following press release today where Sony have announced a new model in the Walkman range that’s just 7.2mm thick (or thin).

High-spec WALKMAN® A845 is just 7.2mm thin

• Ultra-slim (only 7.2mm) and easy to carry
• Big, bright 7.1cm (2.8″) wide OLED display
• High quality listening with S-Master Digital Amplifier and Digital Clear Audio technologies
• Digital Noise cancelling with supplied NC headphones cancels 98.0% (approx.) of ambient noise
• Enjoy SD video playback on connected Televisions
• Long audio playback time up to 29 hours
• New Battery Care mode for extended battery lifespan

 

Just 7.2mm slim and weighing only 62g (without headphones), the WALKMAN® A845 Video MP3 Player by Sony proves that less really is more. Slipping easily into a back pocket or bag, it’s a great way to keep your favourite music tracks, podcasts and videos with you to enjoy any time.

Despite its chic, slender lines, the thinnest WALKMAN® yet is a true heavyweight when it comes to legendary sound and video quality by Sony. 

The player’s front panel is dominated by a big, bright 7.1cm (2.8″) OLED screen. Delivering superb colours, high contrast ratio, wide viewing angle and super-fast response time, it’s a great way to enjoy online movie store downloads, clips from sharing sites, album artwork and digital photos. A new Scene Scroll view lets you browse quickly through longer videos that are displayed as a series of thumbnail images. Find the scene you want, press play and the action picks up at the moment you’re looking for. You can also scroll through cover art images to effortlessly track down the album you want to hear.

Want an even bigger picture? Connect the WALKMAN® A845 to your television via the optional A/V output cable (WMC-NWV10) and enjoy videos on the big screen. Pictures are delivered to your TV set in SD format (720 x 480) at a silk-smooth 30fps frame rate (excludes some DRM content).

As you’d expect from Sony, it’s sheer audio quality that sets the WALKMAN® A845 apart from other MP3 players. S-Master Digital Amplifier technology assures rich, lifelike ultra-low distortion sound. Already featured on Sony hi-fi and home theatre products, S-Master amplification puts you centre-stage in the studio or concert hall while maintaining crisp, clear sound.

Listening is further enhanced with unique Clear Audio technologies from Sony for a dynamic, detail-packed soundstage. Clear Stereo reduces leakage between left and right channels, while Clear Bass delivers powerful, controlled low-end frequencies without distortion. In addition, DSEE Sound Enhancement  Technology ensures smooth, detailed reproduction of high-frequency information that’s typically lost when the original CD-quality music source is compressed as an MP3 file.

Plug in the high-quality 13.5mm EX vertical in-ear headphones and immerse yourself in a blissful world of beautiful WALKMAN® sound without intrusions. Digital Noise Cancelling cuts approximately 98.0%^*1 of ambient sound, using advanced processing to detect and filter external noise without impairing audio quality. Three different profile settings let you enjoy optimised noise reduction, whether you’re onboard a plane, bus/train or in the office. With the supplied adaptor, air travellers can connect WALKMAN® directly to the plane’s AV system and enjoy their in-flight entertainment with digital noise cancelling provided by WALKMAN®.

Importing music, video, photos and playlists is quick and fuss-free, with simple drag-and-drop transfer from your PC’s media folder or via iTunes 9.0 using supplied Content Transfer software.  Certain MPEG1 and other downloaded files can be played back on WALKMAN® when converted via Content Transfer. A wide range of major music and video formats are supported, including rights-managed WMA and WMV files.

The WALKMAN® A845 lets you listen for longer, with a generous 29 hours^*3 listening time from a single charge. Battery life with video playback is 9 hours^*4 – more than enough to keep you entertained on those long journeys. There’s also a new optional Battery Care function that optimises overall battery lifespan by limiting charging levels to 90% of maximum. The home menu can be personalised with a choice of pre-installed wallpaper designs. Alternatively, add an individual touch by choosing your own favourite photo as wallpaper.

The WALKMAN® NWZ-A845 Video MP3 Player with 16GB storage capacity is available from February 2010.

A range of co-ordinated accessories includes the Sony SRS-NWGU50 speaker system: dock your WALKMAN® to enjoy rich, powerful sound at home with deep bass. There’s also a choice of leather (CKL-NWA840) and silicon cases (CKM-NWA840) to protect WALKMAN® from dust and scratches.

Let see if we can get our hands on one of these for review soon!

Posted by: Matt