Microsoft's Portable Media Center Devices: Exposed
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 27, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
Final Words
Now that we're at the end, what's the final call on the Portable Media Center? Unfortunately, it's not as clear cut as we would have liked it to be. On the one side, many have dismissed PMCs as being useless, overpriced MP3 players with video functionality. Then there are those who have cast unfathomable praise upon the devices, citing the beginning of a revolution that the rest of us can't seem to see. Our take on it is a little more middle of the road.The PMC interface is pretty, nice to use and look at. It does make searching for your music a lot more appeasing to the eye than scrolling quickly through a bunch of text. As an MP3 player, the Portable Media Center does just as good, from a functionality standpoint, as an iPod - there's no question about that. Add in the fact that the currently available units have built-in speakers and there is even additional functionality beyond what an iPod can currently do. But the size and price of a PMC demands that it be much more than just an MP3 player; if a truly portable MP3 player is all you want, then a PMC would be overkill, and an overburden.
As a video content player, the PMC concept is interesting - the ability to take your TV with you wherever you go is something that hasn't really been done in the past, and the PMC enables that. It also really enables you to get more use out of your PVR, since now you have even more opportunities to watch your recorded shows throughout the day when you're not at home. The PMC could even replace the single bachelor's stack of magazines in the bathroom. But a replacement for a portable DVD player, the PMC is not. For watching movies, you're much better off with a different device, preferably one with a larger screen. Put some widescreen content on the tiny 4:3 3.8" screen on the Creative Labs Zen and you'll be squinting to make out details. The PMC can play movies, but it seems far better suited for watching shorter 4:3 programming throughout your day or on trips.
Coming from someone who originally didn't see a use for the product, if you're a heavy user of a PC-based PVR, then the Portable Media Center is something that you will get use out of.
There are some very valid complaints that have to be made, however. For starters, the choice of Windows Media Player 10 as the only method of getting content onto your PMC is an issue. Frankly, Windows Media Player isn't strong enough of an application to make it the clear choice for media management. Microsoft could (at least in the past) push Internet Explorer on everyone because it was the best browser, or Office because it was the best productivity suite, but Windows Media Player is quite far from being another IE or a Microsoft Office. Media Center Edition is a much more suitable companion for the PMC, but not everyone has MCE.
Currently, the hardware is also not without flaws. The Creative Labs Zen PMC is good for a first generation device, but it is in dire need of revision. The device itself is bulky and shows fingerprints entirely too well, coupled with slow transfer rates and far from the best navigation buttons - you have a tough sell at $499. Despite the complaints, if you're a heavy Windows PVR user (e.g. MCE, SageTV, etc.), then the Zen PMC is still quite attractive.
Much like with their Tablet PC efforts, at this point, Microsoft is still selling to a very niche market. Since set-top PVRs can't really be used with a PMC, the target market of these little devices are all Windows PVR users, or people who download a lot of TV/video content from other sources online. Thankfully, unlike other niche products that Microsoft has ventured into (e.g. Tablet PC), the Portable Media Center is already much more affordable and much more usable. What Microsoft and the rest of us need now are more manufacturers to begin shipping their devices; once MCE 2005 comes out, the Portable Media Center may become a nice accessory.
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val - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Pjotr: no you cannot use it as VCR, because you must anyway have it on computer available (TV, video out, not counting the quality,...)val - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
this is again some discovering of the wheel. Can anybody explain me what this single purpose device can offer me when i have e800 PDA (USB + VGA output)? Wouldnt be better to work on making PDAs yet more cheaper? I can play DivX, WMA, WMV, MP3, XviD and i have usefull computer and gaming console with screen ten times better than this one. HDD i have 1 GB (more than 5 movies in XVID) and i can connect USB HDD to it too. Maybe if price will compete with MD player or MP3 player and not be compareable to notebooks or top line PDAsPjotr - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Well, you can basically replace your VCR with one of these. It has scheduled recordings and you can view them on your TV instantly. Also, you don't need to manage cassettes, DVDs etc, only files on a HD. It is also a lot smaller than your typical VCR/DVD-recorder.icarus4586 - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Portable video players seem to me to be of limited usefulness. Definitely would be handy for long trips, but otherwise it seems like the only function you'd use would be the audio player. And there are smaller, less expensive, more battery efficient music players.Pjotr - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Oh, forgot, the AV400 also acts like a regular USB 2.0 hard disk, no special software needed to transfer files.Pjotr - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Sorry, Anand, but you make it sound like Microsoft invented a new type of product. There is no mention at all of non-Windows portable media centers. Archos ( http://www.archos.com/ ) have had this kind of device available for almost a year now. Their second generation model (AV400) seems a lot more attractive than the Creative device: Video input for recording, longer battery life, remote control, docking cradle for easy hookup to your TV, online scheduling of recordings via Yahoo, support for various codecs including DivX. (BTW, why wouldn't you want support for varying codecs on a portable device?)Reflex - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Windows Media Player 10 was not a 'choice' Microsoft made to get data to the devices. These devices, and virtually all future MP3 players, digital cameras, and other 'media' peripherals are now using a protocol known as 'MTP' which stands for Media Transport Protocol. It is an attempt to standardize the method of transmitting and recieving data to media devices of all types, so that you do not need to have a custom driver for every little doodad you plug into your PC.Furthermore, down the line it could allow devices to communicate with each other, and it makes it so that any MTP aware application should be able to sync and send/recieve data from any MTP compatible device, ending the days when you are stuck with a custom app that a company wrote for their particiliar device.
Right now the only application that is MTP aware is WMP10, however that is to be expected since the protocol is brand new and was developed by Microsoft. However there is an API and any other application can become MTP aware and sync with such devices, and I am certain that Real, MusicMatch, and virtually everyone else is working on it right now.
So my point is that while currently WMP10 is the only way to sync with such devices, this is not by design, its merely a byproduct of the introduction of MTP as the new standardized interface for portable devices. It won't be the case for long and is not a true drawback. Its also not exclusive to PMC's, as MP3 players and other devices are all going to soon be using this standard.
Novaoblivion - Monday, September 27, 2004 - link
Very interesting read as I was looking at this earlier. I might get one since I do have plenty of video content to take with me on vacation. However does anyone know if it has problems displaying languages other then english? A lot of things seem to display other languages as squares which I find really annoyying. Thanks!