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10 years of MP3 players
Everybody knows the saying, Event mountains and rivers
change in ten years. 10 years in nature will change
mountains and rivers, and 10 years in the history of mankind
will change a lot of things, too. So what about 10 years in
the digital world? The world s first MP3 player was released
in 1997. 10 years have passed today, in 2007, and there have
actually been many changes to MP3 players.
MP3 players that no longer just play music but also video
clips and all flash files, are now expected to spill out as
touch screen products. The products that are starting this
trend are the Apple iPod Touch Samsung Yepp YP-P2 and LG
T54. They are all expected to be released at around the same
date, but we shall take a look first at the Yepp P2. Please
keep in mind that the product I am reviewing on this blog is
not a finished product for release, but a sample product.
Starting with the Gwangan-li, Busan event at the end of
August, 2007, the P2 met consumers of the future through
various methods, just like the T9. Like the release of the
T9, there were many new product revealing events for
bloggers and reviewers, but unlike the T9, products were not
handed out on the day, and we only received them on around
September 10th (though the reason for this is
unclear). The P2, which is currently being sold by
appointment, is expected to be delivered on September 27th,
and offline sales are expected to start around then, too.
Support color is just a number
The most sensitive issue for the P2 is probably the 260
thousand color LCD screen. At a point where most PMPs
support 16 million colors, 260 thousand is definitely
insufficient as a number. However, just like it cannot be
said that A 12 million resolution product always has better
screen quality than a 4 million resolution DSLR, the number
is not important. Once you insert photographs in the
product, you think, This does not feel like 260 thousand
colors.
Of course, since the standard of an MP3 player for me is not
what sound it has or whether it plays video clips, I could
be more generous about the P2 than other people. The LCD of
the P2 is 3 inches with a ratio of 16:9 with a
480*272(WQVGA) resolution, and expresses 260 thousand colors
with a 18 bit parallel cycle. The pixels per inch is 184ppi,
and it has more than 64% color gamut, meaning the screen
does not fall behind on specifics.
In between simple and bland
All the functions of the P2 are controllable using the touch
screen on the front. There is nothing on the front except
for the LED that shows status. The left side to the front
has a hold button and power/play/pause button, and the right
has a volume control button. The upper part of the volume
control is louder and the lower part is quieter. The lower
part of the product has an earphone connector, 24 pin
data/charger cable connector.
The problem is the volume key. When you wear the product
around your neck, the volume can be controlled by touch
because the upper is louder and the lower is quieter.
However, if you turn it upside down to prevent earphones
from cutting off, the volume controls function the opposite
way. Of course, it will probably get used to with time,
but if possible, it would be better if you could select the
function of the button through firmware update.
A product that works with the touch of a finger
The touch screen of the P2 is an electric capacity sensor
method not the resistance method sensor that was used on
existing PMPs. This method does not sense pressure, but the
minute electric waves that go through the body, and it does
not have the thin layer in front of the LCD screen, so the
product shows the original brightness of the LCD, which is
an advantage. Also, pens and other items do not make the
product function, so there is no need to use the hold button
when carrying the product in your pocket.
An Emo Ture interface, which functions when an icon is
pressed or the screen is swished from side to side or up or
down, was used together with the advantage of the touch
screen. It is direct and easy to use, but after using the
Back button many times after going to deep into a menu,
I desperately thought of a HOME button.
Considering that one button can mess up a design, I also
thought it would be better
if you could go back to the main menu if you drew an arrow
to the left or upwards with your finger.
(This is the all-in-one gestures or mouse gesture function,
which is one of the expanded functions of firefox).
3 colors & 3 menus
Since the P2 is a recent product, it provides an
individualization page. The number of menus the user can use
is 3. The cosmos, which shows the characteristics of EmoTure
most clearly, the matrix, which lays menu icons in a regular
manner like most cell phones, and the my menu, where the
user can select his or her own background image and line up
menus underneath.
The menu lineup order of the matrix is, video/music/photo/FM
radio/datacast/prime pack/file browser/Bluetooth/settings.
This order tells us the P2 has confidence in and focuses on
playing videos. The rest are easy to understand, but
datacast and prime pack will probably sound new. Datacast is
a sort of RSS function where if you simply register news,
blogs, UCC video clips and other various Internet contents,
you can automatically download new contents through my
cast in SMS (the Samsung Media Studio). Prime pack is a
part that bundles 4 menus – text viewer, alarm, calendar,
and time
Segadget
2007/12/07 04:36
2007/12/07 04:36
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Sound quality = Sound quality 2.0
MP3 players are definitely digital products for listening to
music. However, such functions have been converged with
technology development, and users are more sensitive to the
quality of the LCD screen, playing time and storage capacity
than the fundamental element of listening to music, and
manufacturers have also followed the demands of users with
new product trends. The DNSe 2.0 of the P2 is clearly one of
these trends.
The goal of DNSe(Digital Natural Sound Engine) 2.0, which is
a sound field technology that has been upgraded in many ways
from the existing DNSe, is to
Recreate sound effects that are closes to those of the
original sound source.
There could be many opinions on the original sound of the
source. It could be the moment of playing or singing, or the
sound at the scene of recording – the sound the recording
engineer hears. DNSe selects the latter.
The engineer controls sound with a console with many buttons
at the scene of recording, and the sound they year is
through the monitoring speaker on top of the console. The
position of this speaker is placed after thorough
calculation of where the engineer is going to sit. However,
after recording, mixing and mastering are over, most people
listen to the sound through earphones. Therefore, the sound
field technology DNSe exists to minimize this difference –
the differences that arise from the angle and height and
other factors of the sound source. It is a form of
technology that considers listening environment, and is more
than the simple sound field technology of many existing
products, such as Rock to boost low tones and high tones.
The DNSe approaches the physical environmental difference in
detail. As mentioned above, the stereo image the recording
engineer hears and the stereo image the listener hears are
different from each other. Therefore, sound exists not in
the field but in the head. The DNSe 2.0 brings out the space
for sound as far as it can, and expands the stereo image.
The second approach is that since the distance between
earphones is too close to give the effect of a 2 channel
stereo effect, the DNSe 2.0 improves on this part, too.
Third, the low tone support increases the sound energy of
the lowest tones, and simultaneously uses a psychological
sound effect through Bass Extension algorithm to lay low
tones that are lower than the lowest possible sound. Fourth,
in order to increase using time, it improves the clarity of
sound due to low power structure, and lastly, automatically
adjusts volume in environments with outside noise, so even
small sounds can be heard at an appropriate volume.
As a result of actually listening to music, the bundle
earphones give a good sound output, but I personally used
the Bang & Olufsen A8, which I am used to using for
listening to music. A shock came to me, similar to the one I
experienced a few years ago when I first heard the sound of
the YP-Z5. The Z5 was quite a product back then, and there
was the T9 after that, that reached a new level of sound
interpretation, and now, the P2 offered sound of a totally
new dimension.
In the T9 review, I said,
Details have improved, so the same music sounds
different. This is certainly a factor that makes it
different. I once called it, Detail enough to guess the
guitar brand. In comparison, the sound field of the T9 does
not have a space as big, but the P2 expands the sound field
of the T9. The sounds are not all together in one tight
space, but it feels like instruments are being played in a
very large space, with a high ceiling.
 The
first song I chose for the test was Alan Parson s Project s
Eye in the Sky. Since he was an engineer who recorded and
mixed other people s music before he was a musician, and
included Pink Floyd as one of his major clients, the sound
of his album is one of the mid 80s sounds that still does
not have a sense of belonging. When I listened to Eye in
the Sky through the T9, the steel drums of the 1980s sound
had a totally different sound – it was clear enough to know
how tight they were when being played. The P2 goes one more
step forward and improves a sense of location and space for
each instrument.
 The
second song I listened to was My Song from the MY SONG
album of Keith Jarrett, 1977. This album, which does not
make one think it was recorded 30 years ago, has outstanding
sound quality, and the trailing note of the piano is
generally long in the album. The P2 is the MP3 player that
properly plays the trailing notes of the piano. In addition,
the voice of Keith Jarrett that could not be heard through
other MP3 players (He was a unique performer who hummed as
he wished even in the recording studio, not to mention
concerts) could be heard quite clearly.
No dust to brush off?
The P2, which definitely thought hard about its user UI, and
has the advantage of good sound quality, also has some
points that can be improved. There were some differences
between the sample that was shown at the reviewer/blogger
event, and the sample I received. The product I have right
now is too sensitive. I use a laptop with a touch screen and
have reviewed many products with a touch screen, but I could
not adapt to the high sensitivity of this product.
Conclusion : A product worth buying
Some points can be worked on, but the P2 is a product worth
buying. It has the best sound quality out of all the Yepp
series products, and the interface is easy to use, too. It
also does not lean on any specific function, and has good
functions for people who use MP3 players for listening to
music, and people who watch video clips. However, it does
not have FM radio recording or voice recording, and since
playing speed cannot be controlled, it is not good enough
for language studies.
I mentioned the problem with the sample I have, but the
samples at the August 24th event had a good level
of sensitivity for use.
What is most important is the convenience of the user and
being able to control the sense of touch,
but in any case, I expect the released product to have an
appropriate sense of touch.
P.S. The sample product I have had a slight error with the
Bluetooth function so I could not write about this part. The
manufacturer plans to send me a new product and I will
review the Bluetooth part when I receive my new sample.
Segadget
2007/12/07 04:36
2007/12/07 04:36
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Convenience is not all
It is the golden age of Bluetooth related products. The
problem of power usage is still not solved, but the greatest
advantage of wireless connection is convenience. Bluetooth
earsets allow you to talk on the phone wireless, listen to
music and transfer files. If you have a cell phone that
supports both HSDPA and Bluetooth, and a laptop with a
module, you can use the cell phone as a wireless modem and
use the Internet anywhere. Of course, there is a problem
Bluetooth has to overcome, and that is speed of data related
function, and sound quality of music related parts.
There have been many sound devices that use Bluetooth, but
the common disadvantage of these devices was that the sound
was not good. Therefore, although people know how convenient
Bluetooth is, those who are sensitive to sound kept on using
earphones with cables. Since then, products that users say
are quite okay have continuously been released. The recently
released YA-BS300 is one of those devices.
The 300 is tolerant
BS300 is a small portable Bluetooth speaker. It uses all the
strong points of Samsung Electronics to support a variety of
products. First, it can connect wirelessly to Bluetooth
products to listen to music, and when connected to Bluetooth
cell phones, you can listen to music and talk on the phone
through speaker phone. Most Bluetooth speaker products are
not tolerant of products that do not have a Bluetooth
module, but the BS300 can be connected with a stereo cable.
Also, a stereo cable is included in the package.
What about design?
The BS300 does not follow the design of most small speakers.
It is true that the hard black color speaker does not offer
a good first impression of the thin thickness that is too
thin to be called a speaker. A lot of the times the low
tones of a speaker are proportionate to the overall size of
the speaker. Therefore, the smaller the speaker is, the
harder it is to expect low tones. The BS300 takes this point
into consideration and uses the 4 modes of the DNSe 2.0 to
support insufficient low tones.
The speakers are inside either side of the black net, and a
bass reflex hole is on the bottom, and helps support the low
tones which could be insufficient because of the thinness.
These details prevent the user from thinking there is a lack
of low tones when actually listening to music.
The upper part is the control part. In order from the very
left is power, previous/next song selection, volume, DNSe
activation and 4 selection buttons. Previous/next song
selection Yes. The BS300 has an AVRCP(Audio/Video Remote
Control Profile), like a true recent Bluetooth product.
There is a strap loop and USB charging port on the left, and
a stereo phone jack on the right which has a terminal that
receives line-in signals. In the front there is a status
mark, LED that shows charging status, phone related button
and mic for wireless chatting on the phone.
How good is it?
It is clearly too much as for a sound that binds the entire
body and touches the user with a universal feeling from a
speaker this small, but the BS300 offers better sound than
its size. In short, is good enough for people to be saying,
the small product has a good sound, or that s a good
sound. The output is 0.7w per channel, and it takes 3 hours
to recharge to the fullest, and it can be used for around 4
hours at maximum volume when fully charged.
The unique thing about sound quality is that it includes the
DNSe 2.0 that is included in the recent P2. It does not have
as many modes as those included in the P2, but has 4 modes
(normal, 3D, stress low tones, and 3D+stress low tones). The
bad part is you cannot use DNSe when using the line-in
cable. It is partly understandable because the BS300 itself
is a Bluetooth based product, but it is still a shame. Like
the DNSe 2.0 of the P2, the differences between each of the
modes are clear.
Various Bluetooth related functions
The BS300 is a product that is supposed to be connected with
Bluetooth. Therefore, it is important what kind of Bluetooth
profile it offers. It supports A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HPF
profiles based on Bluetooth 2.0, as a recent product should.
This profile allows cell phone connection, hands free
(talking on the phone and call rejection, dialing by voice),
music transfer, and music playing controls. You can also
connect to 2 products at once.
If you are listening to music through your cell phone,
connected to the BS300, you can press the call button of the
BS300 to talk on the speaker phone, and the reception tone
can be adjusted with the - + button, and calls can be dialed
by voice if the cell phone supports this function. To reject
a call, press the call button for 2 seconds, and press the
call button briefly to call the latest number dialed. You
can also select the number you want to call with your cell
phone and press the call button of the BS300 to connect the
call. It even includes a function where you can accept an
incoming call while you are on the phone. Of course all
these functions can be used when connected to 2 Bluetooth
products. In other words, you can connect the BS300 and P2
by stereo, and a cell phone and BS300 with headsets.
In order for this multi function, the BS300 includes an
echo-prevention and noise elimination function. The
appropriate range of talking on the phone is around 40cm
from the BS300 mic. If the distance gets farther than that,
surrounding noise enters or the volume of the call becomes
weaker.
Conclusion : A product worth buying
In conclusion, the BS300 is a product worth buying. It is
especially worth buying for consumers who know the
limitations of small speakers and frequently use Bluetooth
related functions. As I mentioned earlier, there is the
disadvantage of not being able to use for a long time
because it is supposed to be used in connection with
Bluetooth, but it is not such a big disadvantage to be a con
because it can be used with all products that have a
Bluetooth module.
Segadget
2007/12/07 04:34
2007/12/07 04:34
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Manual is only one of accessories
There are many conditions to become
a good product. Among them, the most important thing that I consider is the
performance (Not the ‘complex of different functions’ through convergence) and
the next is how easy the function can be studied and used without the user manual.
If even people like me who had many experiences with mobile digital devices
and MP3 players need to look at the product manual, then it is not a good product.
In real, T9 was very easy to operate and even people who I know who didn’t have
much experiences with MP3 player were be able to use it easily. Also before
checking for the specification, it was not necessary to have a look at the manual
in the box package of T9.
 If the power is on, a main menu appears
after some booting time (that could be considered as long time for different
people). The menu interface using flash icon is repeated in order of Icon ->
Menu -> Icon. When > button is pushed, it enters the lower menu and if
< is pushed, it returns to the previous menu. Also if Back button is pushed,
it does same operation like < button and if this button is pushed for long
time, it returns to the top menu. There are no complaints about the interface.
There is no case to move to wrong places since select and move buttons are different
in main menu and sub menu and T9 does what users think. Especially when it is
used in horizontal direction for video play, the functions of top and bottom
and left and right buttons are changed. So I get to play with it for long time
with interests and consideration.
Sound Quality : Re-analysis
of the music
 It
will be same for any maters in any field. If experiences are continuously accumulated
and reach at certain level, the mater enters to a new level. It is similar for
products and manufacturers also create better products with accumulated experiences.
I would like to say that the ‘Sound quality’ of Samsung Electronics already
has been completed from the previous model, YP-Z5F. And the sound quality of
new model, T9 has reached one higher level. In other words, it could be ‘Re-analysis
of the music’. The reason that Karajan, the conductor is respectable is that
he had an ability to analyze same music differently from other people. So does
T9.
T9 has used DNSe that has been used since T8. Of course the detailed explanation
is changed every time when new product is launched, but the overall sound was
similar. But compared to the previous model, the details are more improved,
so a same music is sounded little bit differently. This definitely is a factor
that gives differences.
Basic sound space is not very wide, so it is a style that sound is allocated
in a tight space. But the balance of each region is good, so it doesn’t feel
loosened. Solid sound at low pitch, sharpness at high pitch and the middle pitch.
The first song that I’ve selected for testing was ‘Eye in the Sky’ of Alan Parson’s
project. Since he was an engineer (One of his clients was Pink Floyd.) before
being a musician who records and mixes music of other people, his album is recognized
as one of sounds of mid 80’s that do not have a sense of incompatibility till
now. If the music is listened, the steel drum sound that is the key of sound
in 80’s is in totally different feel. It can be recognized not as ‘there is
a drum’, but ‘Drum is played tightly’, so as MP3 player, it has a superior resolving
power.
The second song was ‘Street that walk alone’ by Jeon, J. D. who is a harmonica
player. In this song, the lively feeling of rim shot of drum and harmonica sound
are played very clearly. Especially the expression of the thickness of harmonica
sound that changes depending on the high-low range changes of tone is superior.
MP3P Kill the PMP
For the video play of portable device, PMP is the one with the advantage. And
after the appearance of PMP, MP3 player also started to have video play function.
In fact the video is not the direction that MP3 player should follow after.
No matter what people say, MP3 player is a device to listen to the music and
therefore the most priority things are the function and performance related
to music rather than different kinds of other functions. T9 also supports video
as a latest product, but only MP4 format is supported. Detailed information
on video play is omitted. It is because that T9 is not PMP, but MP3P. For people
who want to play video with MP3 player should choose PMP.
Convenience or Inconvenience
Because T9 is using 24 pin connector same as mobile phones, it is convenient
to be able to use data/charging cable for mobile phone rather than exclusive
USB cable. The playback time is about 30 hours. But if Bluetooth function is
used, it can be used for only 6 hours(This is not disadvantage of T9 only, but
for all devices using Bluetooth module).
 Like other latest products, when
T9 is connected to USB of PC, required driver is automatically installed and
a folder is created like portable disk. There are two ways to put contents into
T9. One is using SMS(Samsung Media Studio) that is an exclusive program or using
same way to general USB portable disk. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages.
For using SMS, it takes some time to operate the program due to the big size
of SMS and when window is used, the play function(artist/album/track/genre)
of T9 cannot be used. When using portable disk, if songs in a folder are all
played, it does not move to a different folder. This is a part that should be
modified shortly through firmware upgrade.
The other thing is that when power is turned off after listening to the music
with a constant volume and power is turned back on again, the volume is fixed
to 20. It is sufficient for people using bundled earphone, impedance 16 ohm
earphone or headphone, but for people using headphone or earphone with more
than 32 ohm, it setting very inconvenient. I think there should be a function
to change this setting in a menu.
Wanna MP3P?
As I’ve mentioned before, the location of industry of MP3 player is weakening.
At such time when even ‘traditional’ MP3 player manufacture is concentrating
on other convergence devices, not MP3 player, Samsung has launched new YEPP
series after about 1 year of tough time. How should we accept such fact? Should
we think that MP3 player still has a charm as a single product? Or should we
think of the general fact that Samsung Electronics is a rich company?
MP3 player also is being influenced by other convergence devices. Also to be
free from such influence, unbelievably low price or prominence should be presented
different from other products. And YP-T9 belongs to the 2nd case.
Segadget
2007/11/02 09:01
2007/11/02 09:01
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YP-T9 : Alice in Digital
According to the opinion, outlook and even with my personal thoughts, the MP3 player market is over its limit and in saturation. Now not only things that can be used in MP3 player, but also all imaginable functions are all installed in MP3 and PMP, mobile phone and even digital camera can play MP3 files, so MP3 players are losing its location of industry. But similar products are keep appearing in the market and with low price Chinese products are combined, so the MP3 player has become a red ocean for long time.
The main issue in the analog period in the past was a performance (Spoken by sound quality or function), but in a digital period when performance is standized, the main issue has become a concept including design instead of the performance. Therefore Apple that has pushed on the design and concept rather than functions was able to achieve a market possession rate of 75% in worldwide.
 There was an informal gathering for discussion for celebrating the launching of T9 on 8th of September at Park Hyatt Seoul for reviewers. The main item was a MP3 player and it was the first time that reviewers are invited in such gathering. This event shows the confidence of engineers on T9. Then what made them to have such confidence?
Concept
As a project name for the very first Korean nuclear development project was ‘rose of Sharon is bloomed’, there was a project name for T9. Do you remember Alice (Not the Alice in Alice in Chains)? I mean the Alice in <Alice in Wonderland>. T9 development team has thought T9 as Alice – normally people think the girl travels with a rabbit is Alice, but actually the name of the rabbit is Alice – to show and play everything that users want. And this project has been worked on for more than 1 year and T9 is the result.
Normally the MP3 players are considered as products with lack of individuality and sometimes they are misunderstood as ‘They are just produced roughly from factory’, but when T9 is looked, various elements are well considered from the product development level. Therefore engineers of T9 wanted to show the results with confidence. The reason that they’ve invited only reviewers can be that reports normally are more interested in the expected sales or marketing strategy rather than appreciating the results to create details and concept.
Also if they didn’t complete the product until the announced date of launch or if they didn’t have confidence on products, it might have been difficult to present products in such event. You might wonder how good the product really is for me saying all these things. But if you look at the product in real, you will do the same. First of all, the firmware version starts from 1.09. It means that there were different kinds of changes before the launch.
Design, T8? No T9!
In fact, for people who know T8 will not have difficulties to find the appearance of T8 from T9. If a look of mobile phone was seen from T8, the next model, T9 also have an image of slim phone. The thickness of T9 on a specification is very thin, so people might think the grip is not very good, but it is comfortably held in hands.
Different from T8 in non-shining plastic material and Z5 in non-shining aluminum, T9 is made of shining plastic material. The shining material looks good, but there is a disadvantage that fingerprints is well shown. The external side has toughness, so it doesn’t have many scratches like products of I product of A company. On the front side, the silver color of 5-way buttons is a side point of a design and the material of atypical rectangle around this button is non-shining, so a harmony of thesis-antithesis-synthesis is occurred.
When the side of T9 is looked, it is very slim, so the buttons are emphasized. On the side that reflects the slim trend, there are hold button on the left and 4 operating buttons on right side (From the top, recording, Back, menu and play/pause and power). For YP-Z5F that was launched some time ago only had 2 buttons for volume control, so it was very simple, but about this button arrangement, I feel little bit disappointed. And T9 is a product of right hander.
When T9 is held in right hand, it is possible to operate with one hand, but when it is held in left hand, it is not convenient to operate with one hand. Functions could have been added by adding edges on control pad like Z5F that was easy to operate with one hand no matter which hand it is held with, but then the simple front design would not been achieved. So unfortunately, it might have been the best solution for developers.
Segadget
2007/11/02 08:30
2007/11/02 08:30
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