Portable Multimedia devices have hit the market, but consumers aren’t quite sure what to make of them. Like, MP3 players these devices play music but they also come with LCD screens for viewing television, movies, and photos. Manufacturers are gambling that the never-ending quest for entertainment on demand will lead to success in this new product category. A number of new devices have hit the market, each claiming to be the first of its kind. Currently, there are 5 models to choose from:
iRiver PMP-120, 20 Gig Portable Multimedia
Archos AV320
Creative Labs Zen PMC 20 GB
Samsung YH 999 20 GB
RCA Lyra RD2780 20 GB
Each of them is remarkably similar and there is little difference in their specs. The 20 GB hard drive won’t hold as much video content as the companies claim. Touting devices that can hold up to 80 hours of video is more than a bit misleading. The only way to accomplish this is to lower the resolution and encoding to a laughable level. Still, they should be able to accomplish their goal, downloading last night’s episode of The Apprentice to watch on the subway commute into work or during a lunch break.
At this point, price is a major concern. With so many handheld devices competing for attention and a place in our lives, adding this $400-$500 video player will be a stretch for many consumers. I don’t doubt that in the near future we will have some good personal entertainment devices that can do it all. This is just the beginning for personal video players and if they catch on, we’ll see better models soon. At this point, these devices are for early adopters with money to burn, and those who want to give this thing a try and don’t already own an iPod or PDA.
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