The Sony NW-HD5 20GB hard drive audio player is a solid competitor: It certainly has a leg up on its wheel-sporting white rival in the battery life department, and it has a couple of navigation features that should make Apple take note.
Sony has been struggling to keep pace with Apple's hugely successful iPod and iTunes, but it's been a losing battle.It lacks extras like an FM tuner or recording, but so does the iPod, and the lack of frills makes it very simple to use.
But despite the player's ease of use, very good sound quality, and (finally) native MP3 support, Sony's MP3 player is still held back by the required software and overzealous DRM.
The stylish-looking anodized-aluminum NW-HD5, available in red, silver, or black, measures 2.4 by 3.5 by 0.6 inches and weighs 4.8 ounces—significantly smaller and lighter than the fourth-generation 20GB iPod.
It has a very simple button layout on the front, below the 1.7-inch monochrome LCD, and a hold switch on top next to the headphone jack.
The removable lithium ion rechargeable battery is rated for 30 hours of continuous MP3 audio playback at 128 Kbps (or 40 hours for Sony's proprietary ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus formats).
When tested with a real-world mix of MP3 files encoded at 128 Kbps to 320 Kbps, the battery was found to last for nearly 24.5 hours—roughly twice the iPod's battery life. It also has adjustable screen orientation and shock protection, which senses when the player is dropped and releases the recording head to protect the hard disk.
The menus look very low-budget, but they are quite easy to navigate. Initials Search lets you jump to songs that begin with a specific letter—a handy feature that other vendors should consider implementing.
You can create standard playlists—Sony calls them Bookmarks—directly on the player, but they can't be edited in the bundled SonicStage software.
Likewise, playlists created in SonicStage cannot be edited on the player. And the Bookmarks have nothing to do with audiobooks, which aren't supported.
The NW-HD5's biggest drawbacks are the Windows-only SonicStage software and the strict DRM.
You can transfer tracks to the player only via SonicStage, much like with Apple's iPod and iTunes combination. The installation is a fairly long process and requires a restart, and the software isn't nearly as polished as iTunes.
But you also have to "authorize" the player via the Internet, which involves creating a Sony Connect account, letting you use the player with up to five computers—otherwise, the player is tied to a single computer.
SonicStage supports unprotected WMA files, but when transferred the same to the NW-HD5, they were automatically transcoded to Sony's proprietary ATRAC3 format. For online music services, you're limited to the mediocre Sony Connect.
Sony has taken a big step forward with native MP3 support, and the player looks and sounds very good. Its ease of use rivals even that of the iPod.
But we feel that the software and DRM present too many difficulties, and Sony still needs to figure out a better strategy to protect its vast catalog of music copyrights.
If you can live with the NW-HD5's DRM and software limitations, you'll find the player itself provides a very good combination of ease of use, sound quality, and battery life for the price.
About the Author
For more more information about mp3 players please visit http://www.i-pod-mp3-player.com
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
MP3 Music Technology
Earlier form of music players required moving parts to read enclosed data on a tape or CD whereas MP3 players use solid state memory. An MP3 player is more of a data storage device with an embedded software application that enables users to transfer MP3 files to that player. MP3 players include some utilities to copy music from CD or websites and then organize them and create custom list of songs in the order you want to hear them. Such list of songs is called a “play list”.
The MP3 player is the combination of various technologies and its components are not only revolutionary but also prove to be a great consumer product. If you wish to store music as well allow the user to hear the songs played and for this the player first pulls the song from its memory, then decompresses the MP3 encoding, runs the decompressed bytes through a digital to analog converter and amplifies the analog signal allowing the song to be heard.
There are different stuffs or components but these could vary as the basic parts of a typical MP3 player. This includes data port, memory, microprocessor, digital signal processor, display, playback controls, audio port, amplifier and power supply.
The player is plugged into the USB port of your computer or a parallel port to transfer data. USB based players transfer data much faster than those using the parallel port. Memory types include internal flash memory, compact flash cards, smart media cards, memory stick and internal micro drive.
Except the last one, all the above mentioned players are of solid state memory and the advantage of solid state memory is that there are no moving parts that mean better reliability and music without any skips. Mp3 players also contain tiny hard disk drives that could store 10 to 150times more than flash memory devices.
The microprocessor is the brain of any player and monitors user input through the playback controls and displays information about the current song on the LCD panel and then sends directions to the DSP chip that informs exactly how the audio is processed. The DSP pulls the song data from memory and apply any special effects and streams to the amplifier. The DSP runs a decompression algorithm that compresses MP3 files and then turns back the bytes into sound waves.
The amplifier also boosts the strength of the signal and then sends it to the audio port whereby you can attach the pair of headphones. Most of the MP3 players are powered by battery.
About the Author
Olivia Andrews, writing for Free Download MP3 Song is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, health, entertainment, music, gifts, crafts, travel, apparels and mobile phones.
The MP3 player is the combination of various technologies and its components are not only revolutionary but also prove to be a great consumer product. If you wish to store music as well allow the user to hear the songs played and for this the player first pulls the song from its memory, then decompresses the MP3 encoding, runs the decompressed bytes through a digital to analog converter and amplifies the analog signal allowing the song to be heard.
There are different stuffs or components but these could vary as the basic parts of a typical MP3 player. This includes data port, memory, microprocessor, digital signal processor, display, playback controls, audio port, amplifier and power supply.
The player is plugged into the USB port of your computer or a parallel port to transfer data. USB based players transfer data much faster than those using the parallel port. Memory types include internal flash memory, compact flash cards, smart media cards, memory stick and internal micro drive.
Except the last one, all the above mentioned players are of solid state memory and the advantage of solid state memory is that there are no moving parts that mean better reliability and music without any skips. Mp3 players also contain tiny hard disk drives that could store 10 to 150times more than flash memory devices.
The microprocessor is the brain of any player and monitors user input through the playback controls and displays information about the current song on the LCD panel and then sends directions to the DSP chip that informs exactly how the audio is processed. The DSP pulls the song data from memory and apply any special effects and streams to the amplifier. The DSP runs a decompression algorithm that compresses MP3 files and then turns back the bytes into sound waves.
The amplifier also boosts the strength of the signal and then sends it to the audio port whereby you can attach the pair of headphones. Most of the MP3 players are powered by battery.
About the Author
Olivia Andrews, writing for Free Download MP3 Song is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, health, entertainment, music, gifts, crafts, travel, apparels and mobile phones.
Sony Headset: Perfect For Your MP3 Player
MP3 players are continually becoming more and more popular with young and old alike. Everyone, it seems, has an MP3 player today. That’s because with an MP3 player, you can download all your favorite songs into it and then you can listen as long as you want to. MP3 players make the use of CD’s obsolete. There’s no need to carry your music with you, you can just put it in your MP3 player and then you have your entire music collection literally in the palm of your hand, ready to listen whenever you feel the urge. However, you want a good set of reliable headphones that allow you to listen to your MP3 player. Believe it or not, a good headset can make all the difference in the world. You want a headset you can trust and you want a brand that knows music. For this reason, you should choose a Sony headset as your earphones of choice for your MP3 player.
Hear Things You’ve Never Heard Before
If you’ve been listening to your MP3 player with another brand of headphones, give a Sony headset a try. A Sony headset will literally let you hear things you’ve never heard before. Sometimes, when listening to an MP3 player with inferior headphones, you can miss certain sounds, certain melodies, that can only be heard with a good set of headphones. There’s nothing like hearing your favorite song through a good, reliable set of headphones. That’s why there should be no other choice than to buy a Sony headset for your MP3 player.
You can find a Sony headset at the Sony website or at your favorite electronics store. You can even find them on the internet. Simply type Sony headset into the search bar of your favorite search engine and you’ll likely find many websites for online stores that have great deals on your future Sony headset. Or, you can try an internet auction site, such as Ebay, where you can bid on your favorite Sony headset. However you go about obtaining a Sony headset, you won’t be disappointed at the sound you hear coming through the earphones.
A Sony headset, while perfect for your MP3 player, can be used for other things, as well. You can use a headset for your computer, your TV or even your cell phone. Sony knows how to make a good headset and they offer many variations. Simply visit your local electronics store today to see all the varieties they offer. Get one or get them all. Sony is a name you can trust and, therefore, a Sony headset sounds like a great investment for your entertainment needs.
About the Author
John Ugoshowa. You are welcome to use this article on your website or
in your ezines
as long as you have a link back to
href="http://www.quickregister.net/partners/">http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
For more information on headsets see the headsets section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service
at:
href="http://www.quickregister.net/partners/">http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
Hear Things You’ve Never Heard Before
If you’ve been listening to your MP3 player with another brand of headphones, give a Sony headset a try. A Sony headset will literally let you hear things you’ve never heard before. Sometimes, when listening to an MP3 player with inferior headphones, you can miss certain sounds, certain melodies, that can only be heard with a good set of headphones. There’s nothing like hearing your favorite song through a good, reliable set of headphones. That’s why there should be no other choice than to buy a Sony headset for your MP3 player.
You can find a Sony headset at the Sony website or at your favorite electronics store. You can even find them on the internet. Simply type Sony headset into the search bar of your favorite search engine and you’ll likely find many websites for online stores that have great deals on your future Sony headset. Or, you can try an internet auction site, such as Ebay, where you can bid on your favorite Sony headset. However you go about obtaining a Sony headset, you won’t be disappointed at the sound you hear coming through the earphones.
A Sony headset, while perfect for your MP3 player, can be used for other things, as well. You can use a headset for your computer, your TV or even your cell phone. Sony knows how to make a good headset and they offer many variations. Simply visit your local electronics store today to see all the varieties they offer. Get one or get them all. Sony is a name you can trust and, therefore, a Sony headset sounds like a great investment for your entertainment needs.
About the Author
John Ugoshowa. You are welcome to use this article on your website or
in your ezines
as long as you have a link back to
href="http://www.quickregister.net/partners/">http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
For more information on headsets see the headsets section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service
at:
href="http://www.quickregister.net/partners/">http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
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