Personal video players: The next ‘small’ big things

The boom in personal productivity and entertainment devices has seen makers of Palm and PocketPC organizers, MP3 players, digital cameras and personal DVD players cram as much technology into smaller, more portable gadgets. One of the more popular devices in the market is Apple’s iPod MP3 player, whose high-end model stores MP3 and other files in a high-capacity 20GB hard drive. The device is no larger than a deck of cards and synchs with Macs and PCs via high-speed FireWire ports.

A device that can store 20GB of music files can ideally store video files. Digital video can be compressed into a tenth of its volume while maintaining VCD quality visuals and stereo output. The only additional component needed to change a portable audio player into a portable video player would be the addition of a reasonable TFT VGA screen as well as output capabilities to external monitors or TV sets. Eventually, the ability to record TV programs directly into a portable device to allow "viewing on the go" would also be an added feature that would appeal to busy technophiles wishing to record their favorite shows to view in transit or in multiple locations.

View to a thrill

A number of manufacturers are betting big that personal video players (PVPs) will be the next "small" big things that consumers will want to carry around in their pockets. Already, a few have readied their opening salvos in this new niche market.

Processor giant Intel has started developing such a device, which it hopes can make use of emerging technologies to penetrate the mainstream market much like Sony’s venerable Walkman audio devices did in the past. Intel is looking to manufacturers like MP3 player veteran SonicBlue to produce variants of the PVP.

Intel envisions the device as a personal multimedia player, able to view pictures or video, but apparently lacking the capability to play video games or serve as an organizer. The device, designed to include a small 20GB hard drive, would download pictures or video from a PC via a USB cable or 802.11 wireless connection. Digital video recording similar to the TiVo system can also be considered as a future feature to make the devices more appealing to the mass market. Intel, which ended its own consumer-electronics group in a restructuring last year, said this initiative is part of its "concept platforms" program to seed consumer electronics companies with products incorporating the latest Intel technologies.

The Xscale factor

Intel’s Xscale processor technology, used widely in PocketPC and some tablet computers and which generates high performance but consumes less power, is expected to power these PVPs. Key PVP features would include the capability to store up to 70 hours of high-quality video using MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 codecs, as well as the ability to play over four hours worth of audio or video without recharging. Intel would also like the device to be able to transfer that amount of video from PC to PVP in just under three minutes. More efficient lithium ion batteries can be used to power such a device. It is expected that other low-drain, high-performance PDA and notebook microprocessor manufacturers such as Transmeta may consider entering the PVP field as well.

Archos advantage

Intel already has competition in Archos’ Technology Multimedia Jukebox already out in the market. The Archos Jukebox Multimedia 20 is kindred to the Intel PVP in size and feature set. It measures 4.3 by 3.1 by 1.1 inches (HWD), and weighs 10.2 ounces.

Similar to Intel’s PVP, the Jukebox has a 20GB hard drive storage capacity. Seven hours of digitized video can be played without recharging the battery. This can be credited to the machine’s small screen, which measures just 1.5 inches diagonally and offers only 237-by-234 resolution. This may be tiny for many consumers who are used to larger screens on their PDAs.

The Jukebox Multimedia is also the first handheld MP4 video player in the market, boasting 40 hours of near-DVD quality MP4 video with MP3 sound. The advantage of Archos, aside from having been the first to produce such a device, is its unit’s pocketability and ease of transport. At around $400, the Jukebox is aggressively priced against high-end MP3 audio players.

Content conundrum

One area that still needs further development is the actual source of the video content that will be carried and viewed over PVP units. Unlike MP3 audio, compressed digital video is not too common and the process of "ripping" content from DVDs or VHS cassettes is time-consuming and cumbersome. Making a digital copy of a three-minute song from a CD is a lot easier than digitizing a three-hour blockbuster movie from a DVD.

Moreover, the touchy subject of intellectual property rights and distribution of videos and films will undoubtedly cause a stir of the same magnitude that affected the emergence of MP3 and resulted in the closure of Web-based, peer-to-peer sharing services like Napster. Should enough legal content providers emerge which would make it easier for people to source video content on a pay-per-download or subscription-based scheme, then it is certain that PVPs and similar devices will gain public acceptance. We expect to see these gizmos turning up everywhere, in homes, offices and schools. Like MP3 players, the more manufacturers there are competing in the market should bring prices down.