| Toys and Gadgets |
| These New Multimedia Players |
| by Tom Hanson |
| Do we really need another electronic device in the house? |
Let’s face it, when we see a new electronic device on the market we start to wonder if this is really an upgrade or simply the electronics industry repackaging itself in order to sell us yet another product.
Such is the case with the new multimedia players, the MviX MV-4000U or the Modix HD-3510, now emerging on the market. We start to wonder if we really need such a device especially since we have purchased a new DVD player to go with our big screen television. The idea of yet another media player seems almost preposterous, especially since we have already bought at least a third generation PC complete with DVD burning capabilities and the ability to do everything these multimedia players could do.
Therefore, when we first heard about these new players, we thought we were getting nothing more than a sales pitch. But, then something dawned on us. We began to realize that these items have at least one important aspect beyond what we currently have in the house, the ability to move all items on our computer onto another electronics device that is portable and that communicates with other technology items.
Given the amount of money we had invested in that new big screen television technology, we decided it would be great to be able to use that big screen to view some of the movies we had downloaded onto our computer. Indeed, anything we could previously view on our computer monitor could now be viewed on that big screen television, complete with the full access to the sound capabilities that come with our system. This included virtually every form of movie that could be downloaded from the net and even JPEG photos that had been stored on our computer.
In addition, these units have the ability to mix all forms of technology liberally, allowing the user to switch from audio to video within the same device. These portable players are easily connected to either a computer, audio system, or a television set, making those electronic devices now thoroughly interchangeable. Therefore, these multimedia players, no larger than about half of a ream of paper, could accept any item you had previously downloaded to your computer, store it, then play it on a device more conducive to its ideal form of media, either on a surround sound audio system or a big screen or plasma television.
Ultimately, there are folks who still want to keep their various forms of technology separate. But those concerned that this is just repackaging should think again. Because for just $200 to $250 you can have the ability to watch downloaded computer movies or photos on that big screen TV instead of that tiny monitor on your desk, and listen to all downloaded music on the high quality sound system in your living room. |
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