Finally! Sony releases a real MP3 player…well, it’s a MPEG-4/2/1 player but also has the ability to play MP3s (and WAVs) and display JPEG images on a 3.5” screen.

Oddly enough, Sony has released a new product which i think is the “real” iPod killer. Enter the Sony HMP-A1 Hard Disk Multiplayer . I am baffled by this as it basically competes against their VAIO Pocket device even though it’s considerably more expensive. It’s classic Sony…different companies within the company competing against each other. If it’s not an iPod killer it certainly seems like a VAIO Pocket killer.

To be fair, it’s marketed more of a video player as it has the following specifications:

- 20GB Hard Disk
- 3.5” Color LCD @ 320x240 resolution
- MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, MP3, WAV, JPEG (Stills)
- 129.6 x 75.6 x 22 mm (L x W x D) or (5.1 x 3 x 0.86 inches)
- 250g (8.8 oz)

The unit can be charged via an AC Adapter (2.5 hours charge time) AND it can be charged via USB bus power (7 hours charge time). The battery life depends on what type of media your using. The following shows the approximate battery life when viewing different kinds of media:

- MPEG-2 content : 4 hours
- MPEG-4 content : 6 hours
- MP3 (128kbps)  : 8 hours

So, it’s actually comparable to the iPod in terms of MP3 playback time but it has the snazzy color screen. It also has AV output so you can share the movies on a TV. The device comes with an AC adapter, a 1.5m AV cable and USB2 cable, headphone, remote control, hand strap, carrying case, manual and software disk.

The device is scheduled to be released June 27th, 2004 in Japan and will retail for 62,790 YEN (~$566).

It’s pricey and much more expensive than the VAIO Pocket unit but at least it supports known standards and it’s a competent video player. The 4-6 hour life for watching video is more than adequate. At half a pound, it is a little on the big side but it’s a decent size for a portable media unit.

I compressed all of my CDs to WMA format.  Is WMA still a viable format?

Nope, from what I’ve read, it only natively plays WAV and MP3. Any other type of audio file needs to be converted. Hey, this is Sony afterall…the fact that they’re supporting MP3 playback is a miracle in itself… :wink:

Wow. No ATRAC3? Is the Sony Copyright Gestapo slipping?

Perhaps…whoa! Was there a flying pig outside my window!? 

Actually, they almost have no choice but to support mp3 since it supports MPEG1/2/4. MP3 is inherently supported. So, these portable media players are a good thing if they force big companies like Sony to support mp3. At any rate, this item is from Sony’s AV group and not from the VAIO group so they have no vested interest in ATRAC technology.

Is the Minidisc group separate from the AV group? I’d think they would have a vested interest in ATRAC3.

IS there an MS port or did I miss something?

Erik

[quote author=“Drachen”]Is the Minidisc group separate from the AV group? I’d think they would have a vested interest in ATRAC3.

Well, maybe not. But perhaps the “Video” part of the AV group doesn’t care about ATRAC since they’re only focused on video playback. Since MP3 is natively supported because of the MPEG video codecs it probably made sense for them to add the feature.

At any rate, it’s hilarious because of the disconnect Sony has within it’s various departments. PSP, VAIO Pocket and Hard Disk Multiplayer all competing with each other…

There isn’t a MS slot…but that’s understandable…at least you can directly connect it to your computer(s) and just drag and drop stuff onto it.

Sony finally does something right, eschewing proprietary interfaces and codecs and using common ones… and all we do is make fun of them.

No…I wanted to use something like this to remove my pictures from my camera in between shots.

Erik

Yeah, it’s all the nervous disbelief we have…like it’s some cruel April Fool’s joke (or some quirky Japanese May 27th joke)...

I can’t wait to see this thing in action…

No…I wanted to use something like this to remove my pictures from my camera in between shots.

Erik

Ah ok, and you don’t want to directly connect it (via cable). Fair enough. Perhaps, Sony will come out with yet another device to do that. Well, they have…it’s the HDPS-M1. The only problem is that this device doesn’t play music. It’s just a portable hard disk.

gr00vy, will you be testing the new U70?

haha…maybe. i don’t know about that yet. i’m still waiting for them to continue to refine the Windows XP Tablet Edition. Maybe version 2005 will be the version when I decide to delve into tablets.