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MP3 music players have been all the rage for a few years now and as manufacturers look for new markets, the MP3 player has evolved into the Portable Media Center (PMC). Portable Media Centers, based on different operating systems including Microsoft, can play audio and video, record audio, display photos, and function as a storage drive. Some can even record video. Most feature 20GB hard drives and 3.5"-3.8" screens. They are small and compact enough to fit in a coat pocket, but with a small screen and limited resolution, do they do justice to your favorite DVD movies or digital home video?

AMA Technologies has introduced the DVX-POD, Model DP7010. The Pod is the world's first 7 inch (6.5 inch viewable) PMC. It combines an MPEG-4 media player, MP3 audio player, voice recorder, and photo display into one device and even has a built-in digital video recorder (PVR) function that records MPEG-4 video programs directly from television, DVD, or any regular video source. The Pod features a 20GB hard drive that stores a vast amount of MPEG-4 video, MP3 music, JPEG/GIF/BMP images, or any supported types of data file. The 7-inch, high resolution display is capable of 720x480 pixels resolution, plays video up to 30 frames per second, and supports up to "D1" video quality. So is the Pod the ultimate PMC? Let take a look.

Developed by MobiNote of Taiwan and sold through AMA Technologies, the Pod is the largest PMC available. Let's look at the basic features.

20 GB 1.8" HDD (about 30 MPEG-4 films, 5,000 MP3 music files, or 20,000 pictures)
High Speed Mini USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 compatible) computer interface
Video playback of: MPEG-4 (*.avi)
Microsoft WMV (*.wmv)
Apple QuickTime 6 (*.mov)
DivX 3.11/4.x/5.x (*.avi)

Video recording of: MPEG-4 (direct PVR)
Audio playback of: Stereo MP3 and WMA
Audio recording of: MP3 (built-in microphone)
Image Display of: JPEG, BMP, GIF
6.5" (viewable) / 7" (actual) color, LTPS, 16:9 wide-screen display with 720 x 480 resolution
Video input on AV-In connector with left/right stereo audio
Video output on AV-Out connector with left/right stereo audio for PAL or NTSC format
Battery life of up to 12 hours audio only or 4 hours video on built-in screen
Connectors: AV-in & microphone in, AV-out: headphones, line out
Power: Built-in Li-polymer battery, External Universal AC Adapter
Size: 7-3/8" W x 4-3/8" H x 15/16" D
Weight: 21 oz.

Included Accessories: Earphones
Mini USB 2.0 Cable
Power Adapter
User Manual
Carrying Case
AV-In Cable
AV-Out Cable
Kickstand
Screen Cleaning Cloth

The Pod features the largest screen on a PMC. At 7" diagonal, it is bigger than any other comparable product. Most PMCs are 3.5" – 3.8" diagonal. In addition, the 720x480 resolution of the Pod screen makes it the highest resolution product. Its resolution is 4 times greater than most PMCs which have a 320x240 resolution display. The screen is also 16:9 widescreen aspect capable which makes it a premium among PMCs. This makes the Pod the only hard drive based media player available that can show the full quality of a DVD movie. The display is clear, sharp, and has 170 degrees of viewing angle which is more than TFT screens. The brightness level can be adjusted in the setup to conserve power and the display is easy to view in most lighting condition, but not in bright sunlight. A battery level indicator is shown in the lower left corner of the screen along with a USB indicator when the USB cable is connected.

The Pod support MP4, WMV, QuickTime 6, and DivX video. QuickTime files must be QuickTime 6 or higher compatible while WMV files must be compressed using Window Media Player 9 or higher and using a standard video codec. There are many video codec's available for video compression, but only the standard codec's included with Windows Media Player and QuickTime are compatible with the Pod. So some files that you might download from the internet may not run on the Pod. When compressing your own videos and movies for the Pod, I recommended that you use DivX version 3.11 / 4.x / 5.x for the best results.

MP3 and WMA music files are support by the Pod as well as GIF, BMP, and JPG photos. The Photo Viewer has a Slide Show feature with selectable time delay. The built-in microphone allows you to record MP3 audio files at any time. Unfortunately the Pod does not have a built-in speaker so that you can listen to audio without a headphone or external speaker. Audio playback on a good set of headphones is excellent.

A great feature of the Pod is its PVR or Personal Video Recorder function. This allows you to connect the Pod to any standard video/audio source and record to an MP4 file. I have tried this with a video tape, DVD, and TV shows. The recording is easy to use and the playback is excellent. As with Voice Recording, you can stop the recording at any time, but you must select a time limit before the recording starts. The choices are 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, or 240 minutes. Make sure to select a number higher than you are sure you need, because once recording starts you cannot increase the time limit. Unfortunately, 240 minutes is the maximum limit for one recording. When playing back a DVD recorded using the PVR function, I got occasional "jitters" and "jumping" in the program. This is mainly due to the PVR function being an analog recorder. I would suggest using the PVR function when you want to record TV shows or camcorder footage. For DVDs, you should use a "ripping" program to copy the movie to your computer and then a compression program to convert it to WMV, QuickTime, or DivX and reduce the file size. This will give you the best quality and file size while eliminating any "jitters" or "jumping". The same goes for transferring your DV home movies.

On a fully charged battery and using the screen at full brightness, the Pod can run 3-4 hours with the screen turned on. If you are displaying the video on an external monitor, you can turn the screen off to save power. You can also lower the screen brightness to extend the battery life. The battery life is lower than other PMCs, but they have much smaller screens. The screen and hard drive are the biggest power users, so reducing the drain from those two components will increase your battery life. Playing movies will always give you the shortest battery life since it is constantly using both. Listening to MP3s with the display off will give you significantly longer life from a full charge (up to 12 hours).

The DVX-POD has an elegant, clean design and styling which won the 2005 CES Innovation and 2005 iF Design Awards. The Pod has all the controls and connectors on the outer sides and is finished in a glossy white plastic similar to the Apple Ipod. The back of the Pod features 4 rubber strips to prevent it from sliding on a table while also providing a good gripping area for your fingers when holding it your hands. The physical features of the Pod are:

1. 7" Screen (the display on this photo is not the final design. See the previous photo)
2. Chapter Reverse (hold down for stepping through the fast-reverse speeds)
3. Stop (also used for moving up/back through the menus)
4. Play / Pause
5. Chapter Forward (hold down for stepping through the fast-forward speeds)
6. Power On / Off
7. Display Screen On / Off
8. Audio / Video In (requires included multi-connector cable)
9. Audio / Video Out (requires included multi-connector cable)
10. Headphone Jack
11. Mini-USB 2.0 Port
12. AC Adapter Connection
13. Microphone
14. Menu Scroll Wheel (roll up and down to move through menus and push to select)
15. Reset hole (use to pin to rest Pod)
16. Hold Switch (to prevent accidental power on)

The Pod come with a complete set of accessories including a USB cable, AC Adapter, snap-on "kick stand" for viewing on a table, and a very nice zippered, neoprene carrying case. The Pod recently began shipping with its own "transcoder" software which was co-developed by ULead and designed for the DVX-POD's specifications. The "transcoder" will convert any MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or MPEG-4 video file into a DivX MPEG-4 video file. Users can select the resolution (720x480, 640x480, 320x240) and even do simple video editing. While you may still need to obtain a different compression, codec, or "ripping" program, some available as "freeware", this is really convenient considering that most PMCs do not contain any compression software at all. Files can be easily transferred to the Pod with the USB cable as the Pod's hard drive shows up as a standard hard drive when connected to a computer. The Pod come with a CD containing different language versions of the instruction manual and the Pod's Multimedia Manager software for organizing and transferring your media to the Pod. One thing to keep in mind is that the Pod only supports 2 levels of folders in the directory structure. As an example, do not make more than one level of folders inside the Music folder. MP3s in the Music/Rock folder will appear in the menu, but MP3s in the Music/Rock/Eagles folder will not.

The DVX-POD is "BIOS Flash" upgradeable, so new features and options can be easily downloaded and added when available. A new version of the firmware should be available in summer 2005 and contain a wide variety of improvements such as:

File Delete function
Unlimited File System with multiple folder levels
Video Bookmarks
Photo Preview
Selectable Wallpaper
Multiple Language Menus
Improved PVR Quality
Audio Equalizer and Sound Effects
Brightness Adjustments during playback
Music Playlists
DivX Subtitle support
Photo Thumbnails
Audio Recorder for recording from CD or Sound System

Since all the new features are still under development and testing, some of the proposed changes may not make it into the next version. Check the web site this summer for the latest list of changes and the release date.

If you do not mind the size and want to have the best display available, the DVX-POD is a great choice for carrying your videos, music, and photos with you while also having the option of recording video and audio. I have been very happy traveling with many DVD quality movies and hours of MP3 music in a unit that easily fits in my briefcase or backpack. If you are looking for great video quality with lots of features, this is a product worth checking out. Especially since you can buy it for the same price or a little more (check the web site for the latest price) than a "lesser" PMC with a much smaller screen, lower resolution, and fewer features.

Pros
Great quality
High resolution
Large display
PVR Function
NTSC and PAL support
Complete set of accessories

Cons
Short battery life
No Speaker
Size and weight

Manufacturer: MobiNote

Web Site: http://www.amatechnologies.com

Retail Price: $499.95
Availability: Now

Rating: 8.75 out of 10 Stars.

Reviewed by:

Harvey Lee
--Technology Editor

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