MMC cards vs. CD's for storing and playing MP3 music files.
On a serious note. I know just about everyone here is really stoked about MP3 players that use MMC cards. Many of you think that MP3 players will create the market for MMC memory cards that digital cameras created for the CF card market.
It won't. Here is why.
First, a MMC MP3 player cost more than twice as much as a CD mp3 player.
Check out this MPTrip player below for only $115.
chanson.forez.com
zdtv.com
I ordered one of these puppies myself.
Second, one CD costs a buck and holds a few hundred MP3 files which is about 5 hours of music. A 64 MB MMC memory card costs about $150 and holds only 1 hour of music. So if you are going on a trip for the weekend, 5 hours of recorded music will set you back about $750 just for the MMC cards! Very Nice for those who have money coming out the wahzoo! But for those of us with tight wahzoos, and a MPTrip player, that same 5 hours of recorded music will cost us a whole dollar (and our wahzoo can relax). If I loose or break the CD, it costs me a dollar to replace. Small children can't swallow them.
Third, of all the new car MP3 players that have come to market to date, NOT ONE of them use any kind of flash memory card!
formen.ign.com
Rather surprisingly they come in only 2 distinct flavors. Those which play and decode CD'S with MP3 files. And those which have a self-contained hard disk. For the second type, this means you have to plug your car player into your computer to download the MP3 files. This is great for those of you that keep your computer in your garage. Park, Plug and Play.
Of course if you had a car player that used your $150 MMC card, how much would you have to spend to upgrade your auto security system?
Finally, we have the same situation with home stereo MP3 players. None use any type of MMC card, secure or non secure.
music4free.com
So what does that tell you? It tells me that MP3 players using MMC cards are just a rich man's toy, for those with overactive prolific wahzoos. The only advantage is that they are a little smaller, so small children can swallow them. Furthermore to use a SECURE digital MMC with all the copyright hassle makes even less sense. Who wants to bother with all that nonsense, when you can just play a CD with 5 hours of MP3 files with no restrictions for a buck? And you can also play that same CD in your car, and your home stereo, and your underwater ghetto blaster. And when you get tired of the music, just give the CD to a friend. Not only that, but they can double as coasters. All that for only a dollar!
Flash memory cards make sense for digital cameras, handheld computers, camcorders, cell phones and eventually replacements for hard drives. But in a few years, MP3 players that use MMC cards will be as abundant as the 8 track tape player and Betamax.
Steve 667 |
