The iRiver PMP-120 is a Linux-based portable media player aimed in part at the in-car entertainment device market. iRiver plans to pursue the in-car entertainment device market aggressively, and is building a large factory in China, according to the DigiTimes.

(Click for larger view of iRiver PMP-120)

According to an article in the DigiTimes, iRiver projects revenues topping $500 million for 2004, up from $208 million in 2003. iRiver's growth is consistent with market growth figures from In-Stat/MDR, which in August projected a 179 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) for portable media players through 2008. The overall market for portable multimedia players grew 700 percent in 2004, according to In-Stat/MDR.

According to the DigiTimes, iRiver is currently constructing a plant in China that will have the capacity to product more than 700,000 units. The plant will enable iRiver to operate as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer), OBM (original brand manufacturer), and ODM (original design manufacturer), DigiTimes says, and iRiver is reportedly negotiating with South Korean and Chinese car stereo makers.

In addition to portable movie players, iRiver makes iPod-like portable audio players that, while not based on Linux, are popular among Linux users because they generally support Ogg Vorbis, an audio compression standard unencumbered by patents (unlike MP3) and said to offer better quality, especially for classical and other acoustically recorded audio.

The PMP-120

The PMP-120 is a portable, Linux-based media player with a 20GB internal hard drive. It is designed for use as a portable media player, including in-car applications.

The PMP-120 comes with a 5V 2A power supply, as well as a detachable, rechareable 2400mA lithium-ion battery with a claimed life of four hours when playing 640 x 480 video at 24fps, or five hours playing 320 x 240 at 24fps. Claimed audio playback time is 10 hours, with 128kbps/44.1kHz audio.

The PMP-120 includes a 3.5-inch TFT LCD supporting 320×240 resolution with 260K colors. It also includes NTSC/PAL TV out. The sound system supports a claimed frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz, with 90db of A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio. Power output is 20mW at 16 Ohms.

The player also includes an FM tuner, and can record music from “any audio source,” iRiver says. With it's 20GB internal drive, the device can store a claimed 80 hours of 320 x 240 video in AVI format, or 600 hours of music using Windows Media format at 64kbps.

Supported file types include:

• Audio
  • MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer3
  • WMA
  • WAV
  • ASF
  • Ogg Vorbis
  • ID3 V1 tag, ID3 V2 2.0, ID3 V2 3.0
• Video
  • AVI, ASF
  • DivX 3.11, 4.0, 5.x, XviD, ISO MPEG-4
• Photo
  • non-progressive JPEGs up to 3100 x 2100
  • BMP (Mono, 4,8,24-bit) up to 800 x 600

The device measures 5.5 x 3.3 x 1.2 inchdes (139 x 84 x 31.7mm) and weighs 10 ounces (280 grams) with battery.

Additional features include:

• Voice recorder
• Built-in speaker
• USB 2.0 with “On the Go” to attach to digital cameras
• User-replaceable battery
• Earphones, case, and cables for USB, A/V i/o included

The PMP-120 is available now at street prices below $500.

 
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