Review: Insignia 2GB Video MP3 Player NS-DV2G

Making movies mobile doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Insignia’s 2GB Video MP3 Player lets you take a pocketful of video just about anywhere for a price that’ll surprise you. At just $120, this portable entertainer can keep you amused even when you’re miles from the nearest big screen.

Weighing in at a scant 2.4 ounces and measuring just 4 inches in length, the Insignia 2GB Video MP3 Player is mighty little. It’s only half an inch longer and a quarter of an inch thicker than the iPod Nano, which costs $30 more and doesn’t even play video. The Insignia’s 2.2-inch screen is far more pleasing than the Nano’s comparatively small 1.5-incher. And if you need more storage for media files, you can expand your capacity with miniSD cards via the Insignia’s miniSD port.

What the Insignia lacks, however, is the clean, intuitive interface of its smaller competitor. While this player does include a scrolling wheel, the system software gets a little too cutesy for its own good, rolling around with each turn of the wheel, making menus hard to navigate and your media difficult to find in a hurry. Even after a couple of weeks of use, we still found it confounding.

Fortunately, the low $120 price tag wins back most of the points this device’s interface lost in our tests, earning a tepid recommendation. If you’re looking for an entry-level mobile video viewer that works seamlessly with Windows Media Player 11, this little player is worth a closer look.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

$120, www.insignia-products.com