Portable Media Players Still Aren't Breaking Through

The popularity of the Sony PSP notwithstanding, portable media players have yet to experience that break-through moment that leads to ubiquity. Size, cost, complexity, lack of MPEG4 sources each may play a role. IDG raises another issue of note: the emphasis on preloading content instead of using a player spontaneously.
One solution: tap into digital terrestrial TV. Philips now supports DVB-T, the prevaliing format in Europe and most of Asia. Support for DVB-H, broadcasting to handheld devices, may be next. HD output could help, too.
Says a Taipei exec, “All the major brands are wondering when the boom will come. The fourth quarter this year may be the key point.”

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