The Portable Media Center (PMC) is a handheld device based on the Windows Mobile operating system designed to let you watch video, view digital photos, and listen to music wherever you are. The PMC is a battery-powered device with a color display that is about the same size and resolution as the Pocket PC’s, but with a horizontal orientation. Multimedia content is transferred to the PMC from your desktop PC via a cabled connection and stored on the PMC’s internal 20 gigabyte hard drive. This massive storage capacity should allow you to bring all the media you want with you, wherever you go. For example, the 20 GB version can hold over 80 hours of video, 5,000 songs, and 25,000 JPG photos. The PMC lets you view video recorded in Windows Media Video files (WMV) format, listen to Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MP3 music/audio files, and browse through digital images saved in JPG format.
Content is transferred to the Portable Media Center from Microsoft’s Windows Media Player 10 application, running on a Windows XP desktop, laptop, or tablet PC. If you have a Windows XP Media Center Edition with a TV connection, you will also be able to transfer any television shows you’ve recorded to the PMC.
All Portable Media Centers have a USB 2.0 port (backward compatible with USB 1.1), allowing you to connect to your PC using a cable that comes with the device. In addition, PMCs have a stereo headphone jack and an A/V output port. The latter lets you connect and stream content to a TV, stereo, or other device. PMCs are powered by a rechargeable battery. Microsoft requires that the battery provides at least three hours of continuous video playback and 12 hours of continuous audio playback. However, initial specifications indicate that at least one model exceeds this.
Initially, the Portable Media Center will be a closed system. You will be able to play/view media content with it, but won’t be able to install third-party games and applications as you can with the Pocket PC. The software that powers the PMC was developed by Microsoft, but the physical devices are designed and manufactured by “original equipment manufacturers” (OEMs). Currently, Creative Labs, Samsung, and iRiver have announced plans to introduce a PMC in 2004. The devices will be priced in the $500 range. For more information about the PMC, including links to OEMs and related sites, visit Pocket PC magazine’s Portable Media Center Web site http://www.portablemediacentermag.com).
Portable Media Centers from Creative Labs and Samsung are expected to be available in early fall of 2004. You can preorder either of these on Amazon.com. The iRiver PMC is slated for release sometime in the fall. As of our editorial deadline in early August, the following information was available about the Creative Labs and Samsung Portable Media Centers.
Creative Zen Portable Media Center
Samsung YEPP YH-999 Portable Media Center
iRiver PMC-100
The iRiver PMC-100 is expected to be released sometime in the fall. Finalized specifications were not available when editorial closed for this issue.
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