This just in - maybe the first major MP3 player using CF.
RCA LYRA Arrives at www.LyraZone.com to Revolutionize Personal Digital Audio
- Miniature RCA Audio Device Offers Upgradable, Flexible, and Portable
Platform for the Latest Digital Downloads in MP3 & G2 -
NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most eagerly anticipated electronics products of the year, the RCA LYRA personal digital audio player, is now available for consumers to purchase through Thomson Direct, Inc. at the LyraZone website. The RCA LYRA is the first truly flexible, upgradable, and portable digital audio player, and can play over two hours of music (with 64MB card) on a tiny, removable, Skip-Free(TM) solid-state memory card.
Two unique features of the RCA LYRA include its ability to decode both the popular MP3 and G2 music compression formats and the unit's upgrade-from-home capability to handle future audio formats downloaded from the LyraZone website (downloads sold separately.) A lightweight marvel of miniature electronics, the RCA LYRA weighs only 3.3 ounces and comes with a belt clip for digital music to go.
"Initial demand and interest in the RCA LYRA has been incredible, spurred by its unique features and versatility," remarked Mark Redmond, Vice President, Worldwide Audio, Thomson Consumer Electronics. "With the ability to be upgraded by software downloads, RCA LYRA owners will enjoy unmatched flexibility. We expect the RCA LYRA to support several additional audio encoders/decoders, providing even more value for consumers," he added.
The RCA LYRA includes the RCA Music Management software enabled by RealJukebox. This software takes selected music tracks from an audio CD and compresses them into MP3 or G2 files. It then transfers the compressed tracks to the Skip Free(TM) removable solid state CompactFlash Memory card. The RCA Music Management software also accesses the CDDB song title database from the Internet to obtain CD and track titling text data and links to selected Internet music sites.
The LYRA, a personal digital audio player that fits easily in your palm, plays digital-quality music from CDs and the Internet. Two models are available now through Thomson Direct on the LyraZone website: the LYRA Model RD2201 (32MB memory card) which has a suggested retail price of $199.99; and the LYRA Model RD2204 (64MB memory card) which has a suggested retail price of $249.99. A wide variety of LYRA accessories are also available, including RCA-brand CompactFlash memory cards.
The RCA LYRA supports both Type I and Type II CompactFlash memory cards, which means consumers can purchase additional or higher density memory cards that offer more playback time. By the end of the year, a 300MB card is expected to be available that will give LYRA listeners over ten hours of music on one CompactFlash card. CompactFlash card media are also widely used in other consumer products like digital still cameras and allow for Skip-Free(TM) performance with the RCA LYRA.
"We are extremely pleased and honored to have been selected by Thomson as their exclusive supplier of flash memory CompactFlash(TM) cards for the exciting RCA LYRA player," said Eli Harari, president and CEO of SanDisk Corporation. "CompactFlash cards will bring many hours of listening enjoyment to anyone who buys a new RCA LYRA. Music can be added or erased from the card millions of times so CompactFlash is, in effect, a lifetime product for any LYRA owner. One measure of CompactFlash's popularity: already it is being used as a storage device in more than 200 digital cameras, handheld computers, internet music players and other electronic products and is widely available in computer stores, consumer electronics outlets and camera and photographic chains," Harari said. CompactFlash is a trademark of Sandisk Corp.
Music files can quickly be transferred from the computer to the cards using a PC parallel port, taking only four minutes to transfer an hour of music from the PC to the LYRA's memory card. The file management utility sorts by Artist, Album and Genre and allows users to create custom playlists and select files for transfer to the RCA LYRA.
Four songs available from RollingStone.com come pre-loaded on the LYRA -- "Livin' It Up!" from Pharoahe Monch; "World Wide Funk," from Expansion Union; "When Worlds Collide," from Powerman 5000; and "Get Some Go Again!," from Henry Rollins. The music is supplied by Tunes.com, an online music network that operates RollingStone.com in collaboration with Rolling Stone magazine. LYRA users searching for more downloadable music for their players can link to RollingStone.com's digital download section via LyraZone.com.
The LYRA player offers six play modes -- Shuffle, Shuffle Repeat, Repeat (one), Repeat (all), Program and Play. Listeners can also choose from five preset digital signal processor (DSP) audio modes -- Flat, Bass, Rock, Pop, Jazz, or Custom Equalization using the five-band equalizer to customize bass and treble levels. A multi-function jog dial controls volume and allows for easy navigation of the DSP and mode functions.
Another unique feature of the RCA LYRA is the unit's multi-line backlit alphanumeric display. Displaying the Song Title, Artist, and Album of songs stored on the CompactFlash memory card, the display also shows elapsed time when in playback mode. The five-band equalizer can also be viewed on the display.
Other key features of RCA LYRA include:
-- Forward/Reverse Track Search, which allows audible high speed scanning
to a specific portion of a selected track;
-- Auto Resume, which remembers the track location and volume when power
is shut off and starts at the beginning of that song when the unit is
turned on; and,
-- Auto Power Down, which automatically shuts off the LYRA power after
60 seconds when "pause" or "stop" have been activated (in order to
prolong battery life.)
The RCA LYRA is 4.5 inches long by 2.5 inches wide, and only seven-eighths of an inch thick. The lightweight LYRA player weighs just 3.3 ounces without batteries (about the same as a pager), which is far less than a CD or MiniDisc player.
In addition to the LyraZone website, consumers will also be able to purchase the RCA LYRA this fall at a wide variety of retail locations, including such well-known stores as RadioShack, Best Buy, Circuit City, SEARS, COMPUSA, Ultimate Electronics, the good guys!, and TransWorld music retailers such as Coconuts, Strawberries, and Record Town.
SOURCE Thomson Consumer Electronics |
