In-sourced writes about a new digital video recorder from Malata called the DIVA that records in the Windows Media Video 9, meaning that it can squeeze three times as much video into a gigabyte as a TiVo, which uses MPEG2. The DIVA comes in two versions, the DIVA-1, which has a DVD/CD-RW combination drive, and the DIVA-2, which has DVD-R drive.

Mobilemag.com writes about the Mpavio DDP-1000, a 20GB portable media player. On the tiny 2.5" LCD you can watch MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and DviX 4.X, or 5.X movie files. You can also listen to MPEG-1, 2, MP3, and WMA audio files.

Alotta ... new personal video players on the CES!
Check out Gizmodo's article about the various new products.

Review of the TAZ media player on MobileMag.com.

Sony has launched a new very nice portable device"which will "RE-DEFINE VIDEO ON-THE-GO ENTERTAINMENT"
Innovative Dual Band Wireless Transmission Technology Enables Video Viewing, Web Surfing and E-Mail In a Lightweight Touch Screen LCD Monitor.

Interesting article about Apple and Microsoft, and about the question whether portable video players are going to be booming...

Samsung has introduced portable media centers based on Microsoft's Portable Media Center platform. The Samsung YH-999 sports a 3.5" LCD, 20GB 1.8" drive, USB 2.0 interface, and lithuim-ion battery. Available options are an IR remote, docking cradle, and external battery pack.

It has been a long time since i posted something on this blog... almost two months, sorry about that. First of all i want to wish you all a happy new year, i wil try to bring you more news and updates on portable video in 2004!

Another portable Sony player, the Sony Giga Pocket PCVA-HVP20 Personal Video Player is coming out! It has a 3.5-inch LCD screen, a 20GB hard drive, and play Windows Media, MPEG1, and MPEG2 video files (why isnt there support for MPEG4 and DivX?). It will come out in Japan on the 22nd of november, but htere is no word yet on a possible US or European release...

http://www.i4u.com/article821.html

Yesterday Sony was showing off a concept design for its new PlayStation Portable, and it looks like it is going to put everything that's come before it to shame. It will have a 4.5-inch, 480x272 pixel widescreen display, built-in 802.11b, 7.1 channel Dolby surround sound, and maybe even cellphone capabilities, play video and MP3 files, and will use special 2.4-inch, 1.8GB "Universal Media Discs." Sony exec Ken Kutargi emphasizes that the final product will look different than the concept image, and that the PSP won't be just one device, but a system of related devices depending on what consumers want to do with theirs. Rumors are that the devbice will cost $80 !

Also, Sony claims they'll be coming out with a $60 competitor to the iPod next year, which we'll have to see to believe.

News.com - Sony details new handheld, iPod rival
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/68/33790.html
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/457/457952p1.html