Portable Media, 720p, divx, iogear, pmp, portable media player, upconverting, upscaling, xvid

IOGEAR's Portable Media Player Upscales Video to 720P, Bears World's Most Generic Name

IOGEAR's portable media player, actually named Portable Media Player, may look as generic as its name on the outside, but actually has some good features on the inside (but no screen). There's the most unique one, the ability to upscale video files to 720P for display on an HDTV, but there's also XviD, DivX, MPEG1/2, and full DVD menu support as well as a bunch of audio support. With a 120GB drive on board, the $349.95 price tag doesn't seem all that steep, but there's probably little to no chance that most people will have the use of playing back 720P video on the go, on other people's screens. Maybe if you traveled a lot and wanted to watch your own movies in hotel rooms? [IOGEAR]

3:00 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Jason Chen
1,716 views
15 comments

Comments

badbob001 at 03:15 PM on 04/08/08
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This would be great to replace the DVD-only players in miniva... oh gawd, I'm a parent.
Darrone at 03:18 PM on 04/08/08
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@badbob001: Do kids really need Dora in HD? Is that necessary? I want Sci-Fi and Comedy Central in HD way before that happens.
MisterSleep at 03:19 PM on 04/08/08
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I guess... well... huh. I mean, I can't really say there's anything specifically wrong with the product, except maybe the design, or the fact that it doesn't have a screen, but what kind of demographic are they going for here? Who's going to be taking around videos who doesn't have a laptop AND doesn't need a screen?
MisterSleep at 03:21 PM on 04/08/08
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@badbob001: well I guess that answers my question!
innout3x3 at 03:29 PM on 04/08/08
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@MisterSleep: Yeah, but for a minivan 720p on a 10 inch screen? Very small market indeed.
Jordan Lund at 03:34 PM on 04/08/08
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They should have added a 7" LCD and bumped up the price to $500 or $600...

Oh, wait...

[www.circuitcity.com]
berribrand at 03:34 PM on 04/08/08
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Uhm, the PSP is cheaper and does more.
Jordan Lund at 03:35 PM on 04/08/08
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They should have added a 7" screen and bumped up the price to $500 or $600...

Oh, wait...

Archos 705 160 GB $469.99 at Circuit City...
klave7 at 04:09 PM on 04/08/08
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I have an older version of this product. It takes the 3.5" sata drive and I love it. I can store most of my movies and tv series on it without having to bother with disks. I have a 500 GB hdd in it which for now is more than ample. My only complaint is that it doesn't support mp4... otherwise a great product.
pandemic at 04:12 PM on 04/08/08
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Nothing new here, move along. Had these for sale for more than a year now made by some Chinese manufacturer. Exactly the same but cheaper.
cyborgtroy at 04:31 PM on 04/08/08
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Shoulda been called the Portable Interesting Media Player.
Darrone at 04:55 PM on 04/08/08
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Clearly its going to be shortened to "PMP" or simple "Pimp"
whiteknight89 at 05:18 PM on 04/08/08
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@berribrand:

Uhm, the PSP doesn't have a harddrive and doesn't support upscaling... you are wrong. There are no 120GB memory sticks.
ripfire4 at 05:40 PM on 04/08/08
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I can just imagine the brainstorming session for this device.

"Sir, we have finished finalizing our specs for the portable media player. We were able to put in all the specs we talked about including 720p, XviD, DivX, MPEG1/2, full DVD, 120GB hard drive, and a 4.5" screen."

"How much?"

"We project a break even at $250 a piece"

"Ssss.. Mmm Hmmm.... How much without the LCD screen?"
Helter at 10:41 PM on 04/14/08
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This is perfect for me. I download *all* of my movies, but hate having to cart my laptop to someone elses house if I want to bring a movie over, or to plan 6 hours ahead in order to transcode/burn a DVD. I can't imagine wanting to watch a movie on a tiny LCD screen, so that's just another thing to get broken on most of these PMP's, and another useless feature I have to pay for. I'll probably even use this for watching movies on my projector.