Portable media player
A
portable multimedia player, or
PMP is a
hard disk or
flash memory based electronic device, such as an "
MP3 player", which is capable of storing and playing files in one or more
media formats.
The main attractant of portable media players is often their versatility: being able to load and play different formats of
video (including
MPEG,
DivX, and
XviD),
audio (including
MP3,
WAV, and
Ogg Vorbis), or
digital images, (including
BMP,
JPEG, and
GIF). Some even count some
Handheld game consoles like sony's
PSP and
GamePark Holdings' GP2X as being a pmp, for their media playing capabilities.
Portable media players capable of displaying video and/or images typically feature a color
LCD or
OLED screen.Other capabilities seen on various portable media players include the ability to record video and audio, and include card readers (
SD,
MMC, etc.) which makes it convenient to store audio, video, and photos on the road.
A portable video player is a type of portable media player which focuses on the playback of
digital video. Some portable media players can store and display digital images. In this instance the
Apple 5th-generation
iPod could be considered a portable media player- as it is capable of playing back audio as well as displaying digital pictures and video. Also the
Creative Zen Vision:M is another player that can play both audio and video, picks up FM Radio and records voice as well as the larger screened (2.5" to 4" respectively) Zen Vision. The
Sony HMP-A1, released only in Japan and Europe, had these same capabilities as well as longer battery life. The
Samsung Yepp YP-T8 also provided these capabilities, as well as voice, FM radio, and line recording. It also included a USB host capability for link up to other portable devices without the use of a PC. Some other examples of portable media players with these capabilities include the Archos Gmini series,
aigo E-858, X2 MegaView series, the Neuros 442, the
iriver series of media players, the Olympus m:robe, the acclaimed iStation v43,
MP4 Star by Intechip Corp. and the Cowon A2.
MSI developed and showcased the first solar powered player, the
MSI MEGA 540, at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany [
1]]. Other portable media players combine a focus on recording capability with playback features, for example the
Neuros Recorder 2 by
Neuros Technology records as well as plays back several audio and video formats.
Often downsides of portable media players are their size, cost and battery life. Some may be the size and thickness of a large paperback, enormous compared to other miniaturized players. In addition, the cost of these players can be prohibitive, often in the 400-800 dollar price range.
Now, however, companies such as Apple and Creative are pushing the price mark lower, with their additions (Apple iPod 5G 30GB- $299.99 and Creative Zen Vision:M 30GB- $299.99).
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Digital audio player*
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting
