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August 30, 2004
iUbi PMP2020 Wireless 20GB Portable Video Player
Korean iUbi offers a Portable Video Player with wireless access (optional) and touch screen.
The iUbi PMP2020 features a 20GB hard-drive and a 3.5 inch TFT color screen. The iUbi also sports a touchscreen for PDA-like operation. It measures 128x26.7x29mm. Video playback works for 3 hours and audio blayback for 5hours with a fully charged battery.
More details on DAPreview and on iUbi (korean).
Posted by i4u at 10:08 AM | TrackBack
August 27, 2004
DM-Tech DM-AV10 Portable Video Player
DM-Tech offers a slick flash-based portable Video Player and Recorder(PVP). The DM-AV10 features a 3.5" screen with 160x240px. The portable video player supports WMV, AVI, MPEG, MPG and VOB video formats. It features USB 2.0 and can direct encode from a video source.
The DM-Tech DM-AV10 has a SD-Card slot to extend the onboard 128MB RAM up to 1GB. The DM-AV10 can be switched between NTSC and PAL. It measures 96.0 x 79 x18.0 mm and weighs 133g.
It is already available. In Europe it has also the name NTP DM-AV10. Amazon UK sells the DMTECH AV-10 for £244.99. In the US GoVideo has branded the DM-Tech DM-AV10 as GoVideo PVP4040. It sells on Amazon.com for $258.34.
Korean MPMate has a great Video demonstrating the DM-Tech DM-AV10. See also DMTech site.
Posted by i4u at 10:21 AM | TrackBack
August 26, 2004
New Photos of Archos Gmini 400
Archos officially announced the new Gmini 400 August 16th.
Soroban Geeks has now a set of first hand photos of the Gmini 400 from a user who just bought it.
Some shops already offer the Archos Gmini 400 via Schopping.com for $349.00.
More details on Archos Product Page.
Posted by i4u at 12:39 PM | TrackBack
August 24, 2004
LG MF-HE700 Portable Media Player
The 20GB LG MF-HE700 media player was spotted at a show in Korea by korean PCBee. Korean Naver also has a story about the LG-MF-HE700. The LG PMP features a 2.2" color screen. The media player supports audio and video formats including OGG and DivX. The battery holds 20hours playing music.
I am not a friend of this iPod type design for Video players. The big input wheel leaves to less space for the screen. Video Players should be almost all screen and have the UI either on the touchscreen or on the side of the gadget.
Posted by i4u at 7:50 AM | TrackBack
August 21, 2004
Portable Video Player with HDTV Output
The Portable Video Player from Canadian Distributor Microtronics is a bit of a different animal than the PVPs we reported about. This portable device does not have its own display but provides Video Outputs including HDTV to connect to TVs and Monitors in Cars and elsewhere.
The MG-25 is supprts DivX and MP4 playback and comes with an internal 2.5” HDD (priced extra). Music and Video can be transferred via USB 2.0 to the box. Once connected to a TV, with a button on the remote control the media playback can be started.
The Portable Video Storage/Player measures 80x148x24mm and weighs 150g. The supported output resolutions are: 720x480p 1280x720p, and 1920x1080i (HDTV).
More details on Microtronics product page. The pricing starts at $160 Canadian i think.
Posted by i4u at 7:03 AM | TrackBack
August 20, 2004
PuMP PMP1000 Portable Video Player
Korean PuMP offers a 20GB Portable Media player dubbed PMP1000.
The PuMP PMP1000 supports USB 2.0 and has a 3.5" TFT screen. The video player can play DivX, MP4, MP3, WMA, OGG and AAC. Battery life is 4-5 hours. Specifications from a french site. Story via DAPReview. See Also PuMP Corporate Site.
Posted by i4u at 9:22 AM | TrackBack
I-O Data Portable Video Player
Japanese I-O Data announces 20GB Portable Video Player.
The I-O Data video player supports DivX and MP3. Not much more details available, besides that it has a CF Card slot.It supposed to work together also with the new AVel Link Player (product page - japanese), which allows access to media on the net via 802.11g via a TV.
See story on PC Watch Impress (Japanese).
Posted by i4u at 9:14 AM | TrackBack
August 17, 2004
More OEM Portable Video Players from Asia
We reported about a couple of OEM PVPs (Arlink, EASTECH, NeoSol and e.Digital).
SorobanGeeks found three more OEMable PVPs from small manufacturers in asia. The Aquee (photo) Portable media player resembles the MobiNote quite a bit. It has a 20GB HD, USB 2.0 and also a 7" screen. More details.
The 2nd PVP is from taiwanese Hostnet featuring a small 2.2GB hard-drive and a 2.5" screen. More details.
The 3rd is from taiwanese Lope featuring a 20, 30 or 40GB Hard-drive, USB 2.0 and a 3.5" screen. More details.
Posted by i4u at 7:04 AM | TrackBack
MobiNote DVX-POD 7010 on Sale
The MobiNote DVX-POD 7010 we reported about is selling now in a Taiwanese online shop. The price for the 7" screen portable video player is about 582USD.(info via Gizmodo)
Posted by i4u at 6:54 AM | TrackBack
August 16, 2004
Archos Gmini 400 officially announced
Archos officially announces the new Gmini 400. We reported about the first rumors from a french e-commerce site about 2 weeks ago.
The 20GB Gmini 400 ads the ability to play video, making it a small portable video player.
The Gmini 400 has a 2,2" LCD screen with 220x176 pixels displaying 262k colors. The Gmini supports MP3, WAV and WMA file formats. The new Archos comes with USB 2.0 and Compact Flash Card interface. It measures 106 x 60,3 x 17 mm and weighs 160g. It features a TV-Out connector for viewing Video on TVs.
The little portable media player also features Mophun™ game engine. Archos actually offers Games for download for a price of 4.99Euros.
Price in Europe will be 399 Euros. One shop already offers the Archos Gmini 400 via Schopping.com for $349.00.
More details on Archos Product Page.
Specification:
| Capacity: | 20GB 1.8" Hard Disk – Store up to 300 hours of music, 200,000 photos or 80 hours of MPEG-4 videos*. |
| Interfaces: | USB 2.0 high-speed, compatible USB 1.1, PC & Mac . Built-in CompactFlash™ Type I slot to accept CompactFlash™ memory cards or optional 4-in-1 CF adapter. |
| Music playback: | Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 kb/s CBR & VBR, WMA (Including copy protected files with Microsoft PD DRM), WAV (PCM & ADPCM). |
| Music recording: | Stereo sound in WAV (PCM & ADPCM) format. |
| Game engine: | Mophun game engine – Playback on TV. |
| Photo viewer: | JPEG (except progressives) or BMP – Download JPEG images through CompactFlash™ slot. |
| Video playback: | MPEG-4 SP with MP3 or ADPCM stereo sound, near DVD quality up to 640 x 400 @ 30 f/s, AVI file format. Reads XviD and DivX"* 4.0 & 5.0. Play Music Video in MPEG-4. |
| Display: | 2.2" LCD 220x176 pixels, 262 000 colours and TV output. |
| AV connections: | Stereo analog Line In (via adapter included). Composite Video/ Earphone / Analog Line Out jack, SCART for European version. Built-in microphone. |
| Playback autonomy: | Up to 10 hours for music or 5 hours for video on built-in LCD. |
| Scalability: | Download firmware updates from www.archos.com |
| Power Source: | Internal: Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries. External: AC charger/adaptor. |
| Dimensions: | Approx. 106 x 60,3 x 17,4 mm 4.17" x 2.37" x 0.69'' |
| Weight: | 160 g (5.64 oz). |
| Package Includes: | Stereo headphones, AC adapter/charger, USB cable, Audio/video cable + Multi-connect adapter, user guide. |
|
*On average.
(1) 1GB = 1 billion bytes, formatted capacity is less. |
Posted by i4u at 6:06 AM | TrackBack
August 15, 2004
Apex MP-2000 20GB Portable Media Player coming in September
Apex Digital known for their low-cost DVD player has the Apex MP-2000 Portable Media Player in their product portfolio.
Apex Digital states on its site the that MP-2000 is coming in September.
The MP-2000 has video encoding on board and can record from VCR, DVD player and camcorder. It features USB 2.0. The Apex PVP has a 3.5" TFT color screen and also provides a TV-out plug to watch Videos on the Television. The battery life of the MP-2000 is up to 8 hours playing MP3's (no info on Video Play-back, my guess 3hours). The Video Player supports the following formats: MP3, WAV, unprotected-WMA and PCM formats, MP4, DivX, motion JPEG and WMV9 formats, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP. The 20GB hard drive can be used also as a external portable hard-drive for any file type. The Apex MP-2000 measures 4.69"(W) x 2.99"(H) x 0.83"(D) and weighs 0.5lbs.
Apex Digital could stir up the market with competitive pricing. A story on Twice mentions the price for the MP-2000 to be $399. This price would be to high though compared to for instance the Archos av320.
See Apex MP-2000 product page.
See also our story on the Quest for the Cheapest HDD PVP.
Posted by i4u at 9:00 AM | TrackBack
August 13, 2004
The Cheapest Portable Video Player
So more and more Portable Video Players are coming on the market, but it seems one of the first PVPs is still the cheapest in the 20GB HDD segment. The RCA Lyra RD2780 can be bought for as low as $299.00 (08/13/04).The recently released iRiver PMP-120 is selling for $469.00, the Archos av320 sells at the lowest for $335.00, the new Archos av420 sells for $446.00.
Please send us an email if you find a 20GB PVP that is selling for less than the RCA Lyra RD2870. We will continue to keep you updated with the best deals for portable video players.
Posted by i4u at 1:46 PM | TrackBack
Arlink PMP 400 Portable Video Player
Taiwanese OEM manufacturer Arlink offers the Arlink PMP 400 Portable Video Player.
The PMP 400 features a large 5.8” TFT monitor and a 20GB hard-drive. The Video Player supports DVD, VCD, Mpeg4, MP3, WMA, WMV, JPEG file formats. It features a USB and a CF card interface.
More details on Arlink PMP product page.
The availablity of a number of PVPs in the asian OEM market is a good sign for more low-cost Portable video player to hit the markets soon.
Posted by i4u at 8:04 AM | TrackBack
August 12, 2004
EASTECH ET920 Portable A/V Jukebox
Searching through OEM offers in Asia I found the EASTECH ET920 Portable Video Player.
The ET920 features a 20GB hard-drive and a 3.6" (320 x 240 pixels) TFT screen. The video player has USB2.0. The Video player supports NTSC/PAL Playback of MPEG4/DivX/WMV9. MP3/ADPCM/WMA formats are supported for audio playback. The ET920 measures 136.1x78x25.5mm and weighs 311g. It also provides a SD/MMC slot. EASTECH only has a brief PDF (chinese pdf module necessary) of the ET920 on their site.
What is also interesting EASTECH is offering the ZVUE video player to OEMs. Which first of all means EASTECH manufactures for Handheld Entertainement their ZVUE MP4 Player, but also that anybody could go in and OEM the ZVUE and distribute it. I dont know why Handheld Entertainment has not a contract in place to block this.
Posted by i4u at 8:51 PM | TrackBack
August 10, 2004
NeoSol OLED Portable Video Player and TV
NeoSol has a interesting Portable Video Player with a 2.5GB hard-drive.
The NeoSol Cliod (TN-A1002) features a 2.2 inch color OLED screen and a TV receiver. The Video Player supports DivX (3.0,4.0,5.x), MP4, XVId and WMV9 decoding. Data can be transferred with a USB 2.0 interface. It measures 63x102x19mm. When this player will hit the stores is unclear. Looks like NeoSol is a OEM kit provider and is not marketing the PVP themselves.
Besides the TN-A1002 Neosol has three other portable Video players on their site: The TN-A2002, TN-A3002 and TN has the same feature set but a different design. The TN-A3002 and TN-A4/A5002 have all OLED displays but different designs.
More details on NeoSol product page.
Chinese site EasyDigi has several hi-res images of the player. News via Engadget and DAPReview.
Posted by i4u at 2:46 PM | TrackBack
August 8, 2004
MagicEyes MkiVki Portable Multimedia Player
Korean SOC (system on a Chip) provider MagicEyes Digital Co. has a flash based portable Multimedia Player reference design available.
The MagicEyes MkiVki features a 2.5" TFT display with 480x234px. The MkiVki PVP measures 94.3x71x23.4mm and weighs 158g. The Multimedia player supports Music, video and photo playback. Additionally it features voice recording and a digital camera. The MagicEyes Player has 32MB ROM and 128MB Flash memory on board.
More details on MagicEyes product page.
Posted by i4u at 2:54 PM | TrackBack
August 5, 2004
e.Digital Kino PVR
We reported about Alaska Air offering Portable Video Player on flights for passengers to view and listen to media freely.
The company making this PVR/PVPs for Alaska is APS, which in turn OEMs those from a Company in San Diego called e.Digital Corporation.
e.Digital also has its own branded Portable video player/recorder called Kino PVR. Not much information is available on their site besides the picture and that the Video Player has a 7" screen. The seem to focus though on video and media distribution to those players, like in the Alaska Airlines Application.
Posted by i4u at 6:54 AM | TrackBack
August 4, 2004
New Archos Gmini 400 also a PVP
Archos plans to offer the Gmini 400. The Gmini 220 currently on the market is a hard-drive based MP3 player. The 20GB Gmini 400 ads the ability to play video, making it a small portable video player.
The Gmini 400 has a 2,2" LCD screen with 220x176 pixels displaying 262k colors. The Gmini supports MP3, WAV and WMA file formats. The new Archos comes with USB 2.0 and Compact Flash Card interface. It measures 106 x 60,3 x 17 mm and weighs 160g.
Price in Europe will be 399 Euros.
Info via a posting on DAPreview, see also french retailer site Magma.
Posted by i4u at 5:53 PM | TrackBack
iRiver PMP-100 series officially announced in the US
iRiver announced the PMP-100 (Portable Media Player) series with a press-release in the USA on August 3rd. I4U reported about the PMP-100 portable video players in April.
The PMP-100 series supports widely used video, audio, and picture formats (AVI, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, WAV, ASF and JPEG) and features video conversion application to further ensure video compatibility. Featuring a a 3.5-inch color display, the PMP-100 series is available in 20GB* and 40GB sizes and is compatible with both PC and Mac computers. The PMP-100 series looks like to be a very promising portable media player of the second generation. iRiver also has a Microsoft Portable Media Center version coming out soon.
The PMP-100 series will be available at the iRiver eStore and at other stores in August 2004. Suggested retail price for PMP-120 is USD $499.99 and PMP-140 is USD $599.99.
More details in the iRiver Press-Release and on the iRiver PMP-100 Product Page
Posted by i4u at 5:19 PM | TrackBack
August 2, 2004
Creative Labs 20 GB Zen Portable Media Center
The Creative Labs 20GB Zen Portable Media Center is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $499.99.The Samsung YEPP YH-999 is also available for pre-order on the Portable Media Center Portal Amazon and Microsoft established. Obviously there will be a big fight between Microsoft and the rest (incl. Linux) on domination of OS on the portable video players.
The Creative Labs Zen PMC measures 144x 80.7x27mm and features a 3.8" screen with 320x240 resolution. Data can be transferred with USB2.0 onto the 20GB hard-drive. It supports Windows Media Video (WMV) 7, 8 and 9, MPEG and DVR-MS. The Creative PMC also supports audio formats: Windows Media Audio (WMA), MP3 and WAV. The PVP has up to 22 hours continuous audio playtime or up to 7 hours of continuous video playtime.
Refer to the Amazon PMC Center for a Portable Media Center FAQ.
Posted by i4u at 9:24 AM | TrackBack
TooDis MPal 400F Tiny Multimedia Player
The TooDis MPal 400F is a ultra small flash based portable video player from Korea. It features a 1.8" 64k color TFT screen.
The playback time is 12hours on a single AA battery. It features a windows style interface. It is of course also a music player supporting SRS and WOW and plays MP3, OGG and WMA.
It needs to convert MPEG/AVI/WMF/MP4 file to MMF to play the movies on the MPal 400F. (MMF compresses up to 1/3 of the original MPEG/AVI files).
The MPal 400F measures 44mm x 87mm x23.7mm and weighs 42g. The MPal 40xF comes in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB versions.
More details and lots of photos on MPsale (korean). See also Toodis.com.