Update, gadgets, mp4 watch, peripherals, pmp, portable media, watch

MP4 Watch Strikes Again...No Longer Plays MP4

We've seen this "MP4 Watch" before...though it looked a little different. We noticed the original about a year ago, and then an update not so long after. Now here is the latest version of the wristwatch PMP—the stuff Chinese OEM dreams are made of. An $89, 4GB multimedia super watch, it can play back pictures (JPEG, BMP), music (MP3, WMA), and movies (~~MPEG4~~)...wait...what? This newest MP4 Watch doesn't play sweet, modern MPEG4 compressed movies like its predecessors? No, actually it plays a file extension called MTV. And no, it has nothing to do with that MTV.

MTV or .mtv is an MPEG video derivative that manufacturers have implemented to avoid licensing fees associated with MPEG4. And just swapping the extension won't do the trick—you have to send all your video through their conversion program.

So while this watch can read ebooks, record voice, and even display your song lyrics, the older iterations could at least handle the real codecs. What can we say? They sure don't make 'em like they used to. [product via 7gadgets]

8:41 AM on Mon Dec 17 2007
By Mark Wilson
3,112 views
8 comments

Comments

strider_mt2k at 08:50 AM on 12/17/07
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Awww.
It was fun while it lasted I guess.
RainyDayInterns at 09:00 AM on 12/17/07
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The Brando one we tried played MP4 directly. It also required that you run your file through their conversion program.

Definitely works, but you do have to use the headphones to get any reasonable audio....unless you like the "chipmunk" filter effect.

[www.rainydaymagazine.com]

The picture is surprisingly bright. Definitely a novelty piece of gear and "fun" in certain circles.
GOKOR at 09:52 AM on 12/17/07
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Why does it have to be orange, plastic, and cheap looking?
slingblade at 10:17 AM on 12/17/07
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Least it doesn't look like complete uber shit - design wise.
ANoel at 10:20 AM on 12/17/07
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@gokor:
Truth in packaging my friend!
Toy fit for Buck Roujeaay.
Guizzy at 11:50 AM on 12/17/07
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...

Since when do the Chinese care about licensing?
halloweenjack at 01:45 PM on 12/17/07
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@gokor: I've seen a couple of other prototypes that used that color scheme. Must be some sort of Asian creamsicle fetish, I dunno.
Cliff_Dangers at 10:06 PM on 12/17/07
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Actually I own one of the wide screen originals and you also had to convert to the mtv format for those as well. This is nothing new. This may sound shitty but the software also resizes the video for the watch so a standard 700MB movie gets downsized to around 380MB. So you can fit a lot more of them in the watch. It also lets you remove the sound from the video and add your own sound tracks though I've not yet found a use for that yet.