Works With
iPod Video
The Good
Offers large virtual display
Includes rechargeable battery
Lightweight – just 2.9 ounces
The Bad
Grainy video quality
Awkward headphone fit
Not for use when walking
Ambient light interferes with picture
The Price
US$349.95
The 2.5-inch screen on the iPod video isn’t very large when compared to the 60-inch flat-panels that are common in many houses these days. But is a small screen the price we have to pay for portable video? No, says Vuzix, which makes personal video eyewear. Unfortunately, the Vuzix iWear AV920, which costs as much as a high-end iPod, has too many problems to be added to most people’s portable video kit.
The iWear AV920 looks like a pair of sunglasses from the future. But instead of looking through them, you look into them at the two embedded 640x480 LCD screens. The stems of the glasses offer built-in earphones on bendy arms to adjust for a better fit.
The glasses plug into the iPod’s headphone jack and display video from the iPod on the glasses’ screens. The AV920 can either be plugged into the wall or used wirelessly with an integrated battery for up to 5 hours, according to Vuzix.
The screens on the iWear AV920 are designed to simulate a 62-inch screen viewed from about 9 feet away. While the screen you look at in the glasses is certainly large and fills your field of view (after all, it’s all you’re looking at), it doesn’t give quite the same sense of scale as an actual 62-inch screen.
Though the set up and use of the iWear AV920 is pretty simple, the quality of the video and sound produced by it is lacking. The image in the glasses isn’t as sharp as a flat-panel TV or quality LCD computer monitor.
First off, the image shows visible scan lines moving across the image throughout a movie or TV show. This is distracting.
Secondly, the AV920’s color fidelity is poor. I watched two videos to test the glasses: an episode of Showtime’s TV version of This American Life and the suspense film The Machinist.
While This American Life’s richer, vibrant color palette looked a little washed out on the glasses, The Machinist had bigger problems. The film is done in a muted, dampened palette that is dark, dim, and far from vibrant. Still, on my computer monitor, it’s clearly in color. On the iWear AV920, even after adjusting the display controls, the film looked practically like it was shot in black and white.
The glasses don’t fully cover your eyes, letting in distracting ambient light. Unless you’re in a dark room when using them, you’re likely to experience some dissonance between your surroundings and your video. A fully immersive eyeshield is available from Vuzix, but not included.
The included headphones are also a problem. Their sound is acceptable if a little hissy, but despite being mounted on bendy arms, they don’t fit easily or well into the ears. Luckily, they’re removable, so you can use your own preferred set of headphones when watching a movie.
Because the iWear AV920 fills your full field of vision, it's not the kind of iPod accessory you can use just anywhere. You need to use it in a secure place, like your home or on a plane. You wouldn’t want to wear it on the subway, for instance.
Despite its problems, the Vuzix iWear AV920 isn’t a bad device. If it were cheaper, in fact, it would get a better rating from me, since it’s innovative and fairly cool. However, since it costs $350, the same amount as a high-end iPod Classic, the display problems just aren’t acceptable.
Still, it will be interesting to see if Vuzix can correct the display problems or adjust its pricing to help move us into the future of portable video.
