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Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Model number: NS-4V24 | SKU: 8452863

This Bluetooth-enabled 4GB MP3 video player delivers powerful sound without the wires. Compatible Bluetooth headphones (not included) let you listen to music anywhere you go.

Average Customer Rating:

3.8 out of 5 (96 Reviews)

77 of 96 (80%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Review 41 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Linux Friendly 03/24/2008
By Marinkus

What's great about it: Many good-quality features
What's not so great: Does not excel at any one feature

"As a Linux user (Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon), I'm happy to report that the Pilot works well with the many free software that comes with Linux. This is important since the software that comes with the Pilot is incompatible with Linux. To manage music, I use Easytag with ID3 settings set to version 2.3 to fix incorrect tags (artist name, cover art, etc.), and I use Amarok to transfer and arrange my music. Keep in mind that for now Ubuntu will only recognize the Pilot in UMS mode (drag and drop file transfer) as opposed to MTP mode (requires a media manager to transfer files), but Amarok can be configured to connect to the Pilot in UMS mode anyway. I prefer to use Amarok instead of drag and drop since Amarok by default automatically organizes music files into folders depending on artist and album. I also download songs from Amazon since Amazon sells high quality, drm-free mp3's (245 kb/s vs the usual 128). As good as Rhapsody's unlimited download plan is, I'm still turned off by drm's.
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For videos, I use Iriverter to format most videos into playable form for the Pilot. Any videos that Iriverter can't format I use VLC Media Player's wizard to transcode into formats that Iriverter can then transcode.
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The only thing that can't be done under Linux as far as I know is creating playlists, which isn't too much trouble for me since I browse by tags or folders anyway. Also, I have only been able to get the Pilot to display album art for mp3 files, not ogg files.
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As far as the Pilot's hardware and functions go, they're pretty above average. The large screen is gorgeous but videos often go out of sync with audio, and due to the usually good 262k color display capability, the Pilot has trouble properly rendering different but subtle variations of the same color. This is only significant in scenes where there are a lot of shadows such as outdoor night scenes.
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Sound is good with the stock earphones, but I'm no audiophile. I can vouch for Insignia's own bluetooth headphones, though, and I'm thoroughly impressed by the warm basses, the fullness of the reverb, and the relatively distortion-free highs. However, I don't know how well the Pilot can drive demanding headphones such as Bose or Sennheisser. Lastly, there is also a VERY low but noticeable static hiss in the background during quiet music segments, and bluetooth really sucks the life out of the batteries.
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Overall, I'm in love with the Pilot, even though it isn't the top in its class. Creative's Zen, Sandisk's View, and Cowon's D2 have similar functions such as sdhc card expandability (micro for the View), and both reportedly deliver superior sound and video. However, the Zen doesn't fully integrate memory cards and is an MTP device while the View and D2 carry hefty pricetag (plus the View is huge for a flash-based player). When it comes to price, features, and quality, the Pilot can't be beat."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 42 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

AWESOME!!! 03/22/2008
By goodeyesniper from milwaukee

What's great about it: sound, screen, capacity, crystal clear videos, everything
What's not so great: nothing

"this thing is awesome!!! huge screen for videos and pics. cool scroll wheel. it works great with wma. this is over all probably the best mp3 player ive ever seen."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 43 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Ultimate Product Review 03/17/2008
By rabbitears

What's great about it: Plays the radio and the "add to playing now" feature is cool.
What's not so great: No wall or car charger included. Headphones make it appear as if you're wearing earrings.

"My wife "accidentally" washed it in the laundry. A week later, it had dried out and is working perfectly. The coordination between Rhapsody and this player is awesome. I love being able to add music to it and be out the door in minutes. I do wish it came with a carrying case though."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 44 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Buy 03/15/2008
By tmello

What's great about it: love the bluetooth!

"Good quality item for the money compared to some mp3 players. Bluetooth is great for those who work out. No fumbling with wires."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 45 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Awesome Mp3 player 03/13/2008
By Eliza1133 from Memphis, TN

What's great about it: Bluetooth
What's not so great: battery life only so-so

"This is an awesome player with room for tons of songs, audio books and video. I mainly use it for music, and have been really pleased. I LOVE the bluetooth feature."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 46 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

2.0 5

Insignia is horrible 03/12/2008
By ATXMAN from Austin, TX

What's great about it: Sleek look, quick scroll wheel
What's not so great: Battery-life sucks, keeps freezing, resets itself

"I have had 2 insignia MP3 players. The first was the 2 GB insignia sport and the last one is the Pilot. They both had the same kind of issues. The specs say 25-hour battery life, I have not come close 12 hours. I am not sure what is really sucking the battery life out. It has gotten to the point where after 6 -8 hours of use I will need to recharge. The Pilot tends to freeze, so when that happens you have to let the battery die out. At least with the sport you could pull the battery out and put it back in. I have dropped it a few times, but I have only had it for 6 months and it seems a bit qwerky. Sometimes when I hit the menu button, it resets itself back to track 1. All in all for $120 you could get a better quality mp3 player elsewhere. I am going to switch to a better quality mp3 player."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 47 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

1.0 5

2 in less than a month 03/09/2008
By crazyviolinist

What's great about it: good quality sound, easy to see
What's not so great: freezes and dies

"I went through 2 of these in less than a month. I was just listening to it and it froze. Both times I could not do anything, but let it die. I have stopped using this product, and would not recommend it."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 48 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Really good player 03/04/2008
By Scoobydoobydoo from Ohio

What's great about it: Easy to use and actually works
What's not so great: Haven't found one yet

"I have really enjoyed this player. We are running and antique os (ME), but i can still drag and drop music from my music. It will be really cool to see how well it works when we replace the computer. But for now, I love it!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 49 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Charging 02/28/2008
By Darenger

"I do wish the battery lasted longer but you can use any mini usb charger for this, whether it's one that plugs into the wall or you cigarette lighter and it will play while it's charging.

Another thing I've found is that sometimes while my headphones are also paired to my cell phone the Pilot will cut out in high traffic areas. Disconnecting from the phone cures that problem (and it's possible to still be only a click away from a phone call).

I can't live without my Insignia Pilot!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 50 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Love it. 02/27/2008
By JJBB from Atlanta GA

What's great about it: Easy to use, rhapsody to go, bluetooth,
What's not so great: None so far.

"Rhapsody is really what makes this MP3 better than any IPOD. $15 a month and i can load as much music as I want and reload anytime I want. Also rhapsody channels are great radio stations. Plus SD cards are so cheap its easy to expand and affordable. Haven't had any issues two days after getting it my girlfriend sold her ipod and got one too."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 51 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great player for a great price 02/24/2008
By Electron2002

What's great about it: Great bluetooth functionality, light, great screen
What's not so great: ???

"I've been using this player for a couple months now and really enjoy using it. I got the Insignia Bluetooth headphones with it and while I was very impressed with the sound quality over Bluetooth, the wrap around style of the headphones doesn't fit me well.

Overall though I am very happy with the player. The sound quality is great. It is easy to use, and its very inexpensive."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 52 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

BEST MP3 PLAYER w/ BLUETOOTH OUT THERE!!! :):):) 02/22/2008
By MCR1973 from Kansas City (North)

What's great about it: Expandable memory, YES YOU CAN listen/watch music/video while charging, Easy to use, great video screen
What's not so great: Does use the battery a little quick than I like, but you can choose to have it dim or turn off the screen to last longer

"First, I am glad I bought this...I never wrote a review before, but this player is worth it...I watch my Divx TV shows on it...
Ok, alot of you said that you can't use this while charging. I'm am charging this device using a powered USB hub and listening to music at the same time. Just don't connect the Hub to the PC, you will be fine. I can even charge it when the device is off. The dial will blink it's blue lights while charging. Solid blue lights when it's done. The only reason to hook it to a PC is to sync...
It charges faster when it's powered off. (Plug it in, it turns on...turn it off, blue lights start blinking)
This is a must buy, the "best buy" for an MP3 player that does video, bluetooth photos and FM Radio.
You can even record what is playing on the radio...how awesome is that!?!?!?!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 53 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Good piece of equipment 02/19/2008
By btowndad from Washington State

What's great about it: Nice full screen, good playback, easy to use
What's not so great: the screen is a bit on the delicate side

"I liked the easy to use plug and play format. I did however put a quick scratch on the screen, it didn't take much to mark it up, the protective case is a must have. All in all I have no complaints about this product, plus I got a free Bluetooth speaker with mine, so the player was practically free."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 54 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

2.0 5

not sooooo good 02/15/2008
By notsatisfiedcustomer from california

What's great about it: not expensive, nice sound, perfect size, very light, easy to operate
What's not so great: battery dies out sooooo quickly, cannot use the player while recharging, recharge time is very long

"this item would have been a good buy if not for the following bad experiences i had with this mp3 player:
even though the manual states that the battery(fully charged) lasts up to 25 hrs, in reality, it only lasts for about 2-3 hrs. the battery just dies sooooo fast even after following the tips/recommendations in the manual on how to conserve the battery power.
i noticed that turning the player on and off, accelerates the battery power loss.
another bad part is, you cannot use the player while you're recharging it and again, you will have to wait for a long time to fully recharge it.
when recharging, you need to FULLY recharge it i.e. wait until the green battery icon appears; otherwise, your battery will just die MORE quickly.
when recharging, you will have to turn your computer on and to avoid this - - -
ANYONE knows what specific type of usb ac recharger/adapter that i can buy for this mp3 player so i don't have to go to a computer every time to recharge it??? i have read some reviews on mp3 adapters that they are not compatible with just any mp3 players."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 55 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

4.0 5

insignia pilot 02/14/2008
By mrcartman1 from columbus, ga

What's great about it: small portable and very simple to set up
What's not so great: wish the portective case was cheeper

"i picked this pilot up yesterday and i havent put it down yet it has internat and external storage which is new to me good mp3 player to buy much better than the ipod"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 56 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

1.0 5

Do not buy 02/13/2008
By chevy14 from Smithfield UT

What's great about it: Good picture
What's not so great: Everything it stinks

"I got this for x-mas and today i got home and the screen went white just all of a sudden full bat. and everything it sucks but good thing i have the 2 year warrinty do not buy one"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 57 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Mp3 player 02/10/2008
By audiodude from Midland, MI

What's great about it: SD card for expansion, and easy to use
What's not so great: none

"This is a wonderfull multimedia player for the money. I realy like how simple it is to use and the size of it. It is small enough to fit in your poket comfortably, yet big enough that you will not loose it."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 58 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Awesome MP3 Player 02/04/2008
By DonnyD from East Alton, IL

What's great about it: SD Card slot. Bluetooth ready. Easy to use
What's not so great: None at all.

"This is by far the best MP3 Player I've ever had. It's so easy to use. It sounds great with the Bluetooth headphones."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 59 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Quite honestly, the best thing I've EVER purchase. 02/03/2008
By JacobF

What's great about it: The amount of storage, the file formats supported, SD card slot, good quality, fool-proof design, nice weight/size, etc.
What's not so great: None that any other review has mentioned. No problems with me, whatsoever. Except, maybe, the included headphones.

"Alright, I ran out of room in the "Pros" category, so I'll finish up here.

First off, I am completely, 100% serious when I state "Best purchase I've made". Quite honestly, this thing does it all. To call it simply an "MP3 player" is a HUGE understatement. This thing plays videos with one of the BEST portable resolutions ever, plays a ton of songs, transfers both of them to and from the device simply and easily (quite foolproof, even if you don't know what you're doing)... and a whole bunch of other positive things. The convenient portable size/weight make it extremely efficient to carry around. The standard-size SD card slot allows you to expand the already large memory. The picture capability is great as an alternative to the "wallet picture accordion". The included video conversion program makes it so there is no guessing with "how do I convert to a compatible format". There's a convenient rating toggle on the top, and the intuitive button layout and function is brilliant.

Plus, one of the greatest things that isn't mentioned in the description (AFAIK, I could be wrong) - This thing allows you to view stock .txt files, made with Notepad or a program that saves in that format. This means you can look at a speech or notes easily - it's really awesome.
There are only a few complaints I have- One is with the headphones: they just aren't up to snuff, compared to the rest of the unit. However, I'm almost positive everyone has a spare pair of headphones lying about, and it's not hard to find a pair you like on the cheap (I got my current ones for 5 bucks). Second, the wheel can grate at times; a quick spin while the unit is off fixes this. Finally, the price may seem high, which was a slight problem for me, but it's definitely worth it - especially compared with other comparable units (usually selling at $200+ dollars).

And for those that think that an off-brand (and by off-brand, I mean non-Apple, non-Microsoft, etc.) will not work, completely strike that notion. Insignia is not an off brand, and the unit's so good, it wouldn't matter if it were.

I would ABSOLUTELY suggest this to a friend... I even did a week after I got it."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Review 60 for Insignia® Pilot 4GB* Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth Technology - Black

Customer Rating

1.0 5

Not good at all 01/28/2008
By stephy10 from New Bedford, MA

What's great about it: It was cheap
What's not so great: It freezes and battery dies quickly

"I bought these for my teenager kids and one started freezing within the first hour and the other started 2 weeks later. I took one back to bestbuy and they replaced it ( but it doesn't work anymore after 2 wks) but the second one we are stuck with because it was past 14 days ....so needless to say I spent close to 300.00 to have 2 MP3 players that don't work. I would not recommend this item to anyone."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

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