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Hard disk drive-enabled (HDD) MP3 players are now being introduced to the Korean market that is dominated by digital music players reliant on flash memory sticks. Most of the HDD models are portable multimedia players (PMP), rich in video features such as movie and music video playback.
"PMPs will take up more than 20 percent of the market share by the first half of next year," said an official at Seoul's Technomart.
iRiver, the leading player in the industry, released its 20-gigabyte PMP-120 and 40GB PMP-140, both of which use HDD. Users can download movies from their desktops and have virtually unlimited access to the service, with a portable 3.5-inch LCD. The product can play continuously for four to five hours, and the price range is between W500,000 and W700,000.
Samsung's new YH-999 also comes equipped with a 3.5-inch color LCD and a 20GB HDD.
Apple's mini I-Pod can store up to 1000 music files in its 4GB HDD. It comes with features such as high speed recharging (which can recharge 80 percent of the battery in an hour), address managing, gaming and text viewing and is priced at around W340,000.
Meanwhile, flash memory players are improving in terms of memory span and playback time. The companies have cut the prices of their larger memory products such as the 512-megabyte models by 20 to 30 percent, which has spurred greater sales.
Cowon's iAudio5 is powered by 512MB flash memory, auto lyric function, equalizer and FM radio. Sony has struck back with its NW-E70 (256MB) model that doesn't require batteries when connected to a PC for downloading. Sony says that the product can run for up to 70 hours with a single AAA battery. It will retail for around W200,000.
Meanwhile, the SV-MP510 from Panasonic won the 2004 Japan Design Award. It can receive and record FM radio and supports various languages. It can play continuously for 10 hours on a single charge, and the 256MB model costs about W220,000
Buyers must also consider features such as design, weight and color. The weight of an MP3 player mostly depends on the bulk of its battery. Models with smaller batteries might be lighter, but they tend to have shorter playback time. When is comes to PMPs, playback time is even more critical. To properly enjoy movies on one of these devices, it must play for at least five hours uninterrupted.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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