Imagine a world where you can watch your DVD movie, play a video game, or enjoy your Apple iPod without disturbing anyone, having someone see what you are watching or bothering you, and all in your own private world.  The Vuzix iWear AV920 Video Eyewear allows you see a virtual 62” big screen while wearing the AV920 like a pair of big eyeglasses.  The AV920 is compatible to almost any type of audio/video device such as an Apple iPod, DVD Player, or Video Game Console and using a built-in lithium ion battery, which provide for up to five hours of use, the AV920 can be completely portable.

If you are like me, there are many times where a personal video screen can be very useful.  There are times when I want to play a video game, but my wife does not want to see or hear the game.  There are the occasional nights where she wants to sleep undisturbed and I want to watch a movie.  I have even used the AV920 to watch a movie on an airplane when there was nothing good to watch on the in-flight system.  And each time, I was able to privately enjoy the simulated 62” big screen.  Using two high-resolution displays, the AV920 creates the feeling of viewing video on a big screen display “floating” in front of you.  The AV920 can even display 3D movies and games giving you a true 3D experience, although there are only a handful of 3D movies on DVD and 3D games available.

Let’s start by taking a look at the basic features of the AV920:

The iWear AV920 is designed to connect to almost any NTSC or PAL audio/video device with video out capabilities.
It can be used with:

Package Contents:
iWear AV920
Lens cleaning carrying pouch
Headstrap
Composite AV Cable for iPod
Composite audio/video cable
Manual with warranty and safety instructions

The AV 920 comes packaged with an instruction manual, USB charging cable, carrying pouch, and three cables for Video iPod, portable DVD player, and standard video/stereo audio.  Additional cables, such as for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, can be purchased separately.  A four foot cable permanently connects the rechargeable battery box, which also has the headphone and AV connectors, to the AV920.  For storage and traveling, it would have been easier if the Battery Box and Cable disconnected from the AV920.

Although not as light as a pair of glasses, the AV920 is still easy to wear.  The AV920 does take some time to get used to, both physically and viewing the screens.  The arms are not adjustable and the speakers can be adjusted left/right and up/down, but cannot be extended if you have a greater than average distance from the front of your face to the ears.  The nose bridge uses two stiff wires to hold the nose pads, so you can adjust it for your nose size.  If you have a larger than average sized head, I would suggest that you try to wear the AV920 before purchasing one.  The V920 seems to be sized for an average person and has limited comfort adjustments.  For those of you who wear glasses, like me, you can use the AV920 over your prescription eyeglasses as long as they are not over-sized.

So how about the performance?  The video is clear and sharp enough to read the tiny subtitle on movies or the text in a video game.  Keeping in mind that the native resolution is 640 by 480, I found the quality very good for watching DVDs, movies from my iPod, and playing video games on the PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360.  I do not use the AV920 with the Nintendo Wii due to the physical motion controllers and the difficulty in keeping the AV920 on my head as I am jumping around the room.  Obviously the AV920 is not an HD level device, so your HD games or Blu-ray movies will not look as good as your HD TV, but you will still get good enough quality to enjoy them.  The video quality is good for VGA resolution display and the simulated 62” picture is a real plus.

The audio speakers on the AV920 are a little disappointing.  You can adjust the position due to the soft, flexible arms, but you cannot extend the length of the arms.  So for me, they could not reach far enough to sit comfortably on my ears.  Vuzix calls them Speakers even though they look like Earphones, so I am not sure if they were designed to fit into the ear or just rest on top of the ear.  Fortunately the volume levels of the speakers are loud enough that I could rest them near my ears and hear everything clearly.  Unfortunately, anyone sitting next to me could also hear the audio and they are not as comfortable as they could be if they fit into the ear.  My preferred choice is to remove the built-in speakers (yes, you can remove them by simply pulling the speakers out of the connection sockets on the AV920 arms) and using a pair of my favorite earphones or headphones plugged into the battery box.

The AV920 is very easy to use.  There is only one control which is a jog dial below the right eye-screen.  Pushing in on the dial turns on the power.  Another push brings up the on-screen menu where you can select and adjust the brightness, contract, and 3D Aspect.  Turning the dial without pushing allows you to adjust the speaker volume.  And a three second push will turn the power off.  That’s it.  Simple and easy to use.

The AV920 is mostly made of plastic and rubber, so the quality may seem a little on the cheap side, but they work and perform well.  The video and audio quality is very good for its specifications.  While the retail price might seem high to some people, anything in the $300 price range is reasonable for video eyewear.  The first video eyewear device I ever tried was $1,500 twelve years ago.  Vuzix offers a range of different video eyewear products designed for different uses.  From their professional eyewear, the basic AV230 ($200), Widescreen AV310 ($250), to the PC Gaming VR920 ($400), Vuzix has a range of product to fit almost any video eyewear need.

I enjoyed using the Vuzix AV920.  Although not exactly the same as watching a big screen TV, it has good display quality for DVDs and Video Games.  While it takes a little time to get used to wearing and watching video on the AV920, it is easy to use and can be really useful when you need a personal and private video viewing experience.

Pros
Good performance
Removable Speakers
Good battery life
Good VGA Screen quality

Cons
Non-removable Battery Box Cable
Limited adjustments for comfort

Reviewed by

Fang-Chun Yeh
- Asia Correspondent

Harvey Lee
- Senior Editor