I have been romancing the MyVu personal media player for some time.  I first learned of them when they came out with the original MyVu personal media player.  Back then, it would work only with the iPod, and was much clunkier than I would have preferred.  I liked it a lot.  It had a great personality.  But I was not in love with it.

Time passed, MyVu kept expanding upon their great idea.  They made it universal, and then they came out with the Shades, which were designed to allow maximum visibility while walking and watching.  I tried both of these models.  Like the original, though, while I liked what I saw, they just never quite took my breath away.

Then MyVu sent me the MyVu Crystals, and my knees buckled.  This was not the same MyVu I had seen before.  The once boxy viewer had been transformed.  What had been a flat, black eyepiece now looked sleek, almost stylish.  The amber eyepiece glowed as the video played behind it.  I had found the beauty queen hiding inside the loner (come on, who doesn’t love a John Hughes reference?)  I was in love.

Max loved watching SpongeBob SquarePants on the MyVu Crystal…

For those of you who are not familiar with the MyVu personal media player, let’s take a quick look at what it actually does.  Essentially, we are talking about a pair of glasses…with a video monitor inside.  Just hook your iPod (or other portable media device) up to the glasses, and the audio and video signals will be transferred to the MyVu personal media viewer.  Place the glasses over your eyes, and get ready to be dazzled.  What you are about to see is like having a 60 inch television in the palm of your hand.

(Yes, there really is a large screen TV in that tiny amber glass)

I have always been one of those people who questions buying a tiny screen for video.  I am much more of a large screen type person.  Even the enormous (3.5 inch) crystal clear screen on the iPod Touch still feels awkward to me for video.  But with the MyVu in hand, I can bypass that tiny screen, and go straight to collect my $200 from the seemingly enormous screen that floats just inches from my face.  Sure, you may end up looking a bit like Geordi La Forge, but in the end, I think that is a fair tradeoff for a device that puts a large-screen TV in the palm of your hand.

(An actual picture of the wackiness that lies within the MyVu lenses)

Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, the MyVu has been completely redesigned.  No longer is  it a long black rectangle, that makes you look like one of the witnesses in a real-life crime drama with their faces obscured.  Instead, these consist of a skinny strip of semi-translucent amber plastic, with slight bulges near your eyes (that would be the monitors).  They look a little buggy, which I thought added to the appeal.  The skinny design makes these viewers look sleek and stylish.  In fact, compared to the other MyVu offerings, I feel like I ordered a Fiat and was delivered a Ferrari.

(Before)                                                              (After)

I did find that the MyVu were a bit heavy to wear.  This meant the stems and noseclip had to be large and thick enough to bear the weight.  because, really, who wants to watch a movie when the screen is constantly falling over?  While the stems and nosepiece (which is flexible to fit all noses) did a good job of holding everything in place, I did notice some fatigue after I wore for any significant length of time.

Additionally, if you are a glasses wearer then you may have some problems.  It would be nice if MyVu had designed these to fit over a standard pair of glasses.  But that was not the case.  This leaves you with two options.  First, you can use the MyVu without the benefit of your corrective lenses (which may improve upon some movies considerably, but is otherwise less than ideal.)  Second, you may purchase the MyVu Clip On (above), which is an insert within the MyVu viewers.  The Clip On, “comes complete with three focus adjustment options to optimize your personal viewing needs, including a blank template that you can bring to your eye doctor for a custom prescription.” The Clip On will cost an additional $20 (which includes all three varieties), however, the cost of having your eye doctor custom grind the blank template to match your prescription is not included.

(Just a taste of the many cables you will encounter on your quest for better video)

The one problem MyVu has still not untangled, however, is the mess of cords which are required for the personal media viewer to work with your device. Of course, each stem has an earphone dangling off of it.  This is not terribly obtrusive, and I thought as fairly well designed.  The earphone is on a very short cord, meaning it tends to dangle just in front of my ear (right around the cheekbone).  So, it is pretty easy to find the earphones and plop them in my ears.

Also dangling from each stem is a thick cord.  These two cords are each about two feet long, and end in the power and control medallion.  A magnetic clip in the middle keeps them secure.  You will then need to use one of the included cables to connect your device to the power and control medallion.

Now, here is where things get interesting.  If you own an iPod (above) then you are in for a treat.  Any iPod that plays video is supported, including the iPod Touch (which I used to test the MyVu) and iPhone.  The included cable has an iPod plug on one end and a MyVu plug on the other.  Just plug the MyVu end into the appropriate jack on the control medallion and the other end into your iPod/iPhone.  That’s it.  Now, you can play any video on your iPod over the MyVu media player.

For the rest of you out there, I am afraid the news is not as good.  Although there is a universal edition, I found them to be somewhat less than universal.  The Universal Edition comes with several plugs that will fit Nokia devices, certain Samsung devices, Microsoft Zune, and Archos.  So, if you have one of those, then you are in luck again.  Otherwise, you will need to use the universal RCA jack.  Uh-oh.  Have you ever seen a device with an RCA jack?  Not many do these days.  Actually, I tried everything to make this work with a variety of corded combinations, but found that most of my devices simply do not offer the required video out.  My Sandisk Sansa View – not a chance.  My Sprint Mogul – nothing.  This was a disappointment as MyVu had originally stated that the Crystal would work with these devices.

I was finally able to get the universal cables going with my portable DVD player (above), which has a video out RCA jack.  But I have to say, the results were less than stellar.  The universal cable ends in a female RCA jack, and most portable electronics have a female RCA jack.  This means you will need yet another cable to connect the two (incidentally, as unfortunate as this is, it does make sense, because many portable electronics, in order to conserve space will have a hybrid jack with a 3.5 mm, proprietary, or other plug on one end and an RCA plug on the other.)  Still, this means yet another cable and yet another connection (if you are counting along, that is a total of three cables between the DVD and the MyVu…which leaves a lot of room for the signal to degrade.

While this is a significant improvement from the original MyVu, I was still disappointed by the cumbersome cords required, especially when using the Universal Edition.  I would love to see the double cables combined into a single cable leading from the medallion to the viewers.  I also thought there did not need to be nearly this much space between the MyVu and the medallion.  Put a clip on the back of the medallion so I can clip it onto my shirt and you could significantly cut the size of the cord leading to the medallion.  Likewise, I felt the iPod adaptor could have been much smaller.  Heck, I would have been perfectly happy if the medallion would just connect directly to my iPod, thus eliminating one cord entirely.  Cutting the cables necessary to control the MyVu really should be their next priority.

(Baby Sienna was disappointed by the Universal Edition, but loved watching video piped in from the iPod Touch)

Once you have the MyVu Crystal setup, that still leaves the important question of what you will see and hear,  Because, let’s be honest, this could be the most attractive, easiest to use accessory ever; but if the video quality or sound quality is not up to par, then they will be collecting dust in no time.

Let’s start with the sounds.  MyVu made an incredible decision here when they teamed up with Ultimate Ears.  Now, instead of trying to make their own earphones, every pair of MyVu Crystals includes a set of Ultimate Ears headphones dangling from the frame (it would be nice if those were detachable for those times you want to listen to audio only.)  I think it is no secret around here that Ultimate Ears is my absolute favorite headphone manufacturer.  So, I was thrilled to find them included in the MyVu Crystals.

(Ben loves the sound coming from those Ultimate Ears headphones)

Like most Ultimate Ears headphones, these come with several different pads, so you can ensure the best possible fit.  Just slip them into your ears and they will create a fantastic seal, muting almost all of the environmental noise, while projecting the audio from your movie directly into your ear canal.  This means you will find yourself completely immersed in the audio track from your movie.  This adds considerably to the experience, and enhances the illusion of watching in front of a much larger screen or movie theatre environment.  These headphones lead to a much better viewing experience, even than the original MyVu, which I reviewed before they partnered with Ultimate Ears.

(I get “Lost” in your eyes)

Of course, I saved the best part for last: video.  Really, this is the only part of the review that matters, because without high quality video, the MyVu Crystal will amount to nothing more than an expensive pair of funny looking headphones.  Fortunately, the video quality of the lenses in the MyVu Crystal did not just get the job done, they completely blew me away.

For starters, this was the first MyVu system to offer full VGA quality video.  All of the previous MyVu systems (including the Solo and Shades) offered only QVGA.  Looking at the difference in video quality between the Shades, for example, and the Crystal is stunning. The two are hardly even comparable.  This difference is only enhanced by the field of view offered by the Crystal, which is 33% wider than any other models.

(Even Sarah refused to give them back, saying, “But it was at the best part.”)

Although I have always been a fan of the MyVu system of personal media viewers, I have never been completely dazzled by any of them they way I was by the Crystal.  This is simply the best.  The combination of the wide VGA screen, Ultimate Ears headphones, and stylish, elegant design means that MyVu has arrived at a product which is significantly better than the sum of its individual parts.   In fact, not only did I fall in love with it, my whole family went crazy for the MyVu Crystals.  There is no better endorsement for technology than my wife the technophobe refusing to return them because she can’t tear her eyes away.

Where to Buy: MyVu

Price: $299.99

For more on the MyVu Crystal, check out Dan’s review over at Gear Diary.

Related posts:

1. Press Release: Myvu Crystal Ready for the iPhone
2. Review: MyVu Personal Media Viewer — A Private Media Room In The Palm Of Your Hand.
3. Review: myvu – personal media viewer
4. Review: Cowon S9 Portable Media Player
5. Preview: myvu – Personal Media Viewer