The gap between MP3 players and portable video players is getting slimmer day by day, and thus most of these devices hitting the market include video playback as an added feature. Keeping this trend in mind, Transcend has launched its new digital music player in the Indian market?the MP 860. This device not only plays music, but also allows users to watch movies and photographs as well as read text on its high-contrast 2.4-inch (240 x 320 pixels) full-colour TFT display.
The digital music player is available in two variants?4 GB and 8 GB. The 4 GB player is in black colour while the 8 GB one is in white colour. You can extend its capacity with the help of a micro SD/micro SDHC expansion slot. The music player has a really solid design and carefully crafted shape and a smooth finish; it looks quite stylish and comfortable to hold. It comes with a silicone case which provides this music player an additional safety from dust and scratches. The control buttons are well placed in the front and additional buttons on the right hand side for recording and locking. Also on the back side of this player, it has a small built-in speaker which comes handy in some situations.
This Transcend MP 860 has every basic feature that you want in a music player. The highlighting features of this product include FM radio, a voice recorder, a page-by-page text file reader, and karaoke-style synchronised lyrics display with support for 13 different languages which allows you to sing along with your favourite song.
Another feature in this music player is A-B repeat which allows continuous replay of a designated section of a track. It also has an advanced 11 equaliser effects, including SRS WOW HD and user-customisable options, allowing sound output to be tailored to match specific music tastes and styles. With a high speed USB 2.0 port, you can easily connect it to a computer and enjoy fast file transfers. Most importantly it has a sleep timer, which can be set to automatically power-off after 10-180 minutes, so now it helps you to save the battery life when you doze off while listening to your music.
The most common format or codec that music players support is MP3, but there are now a variety of players in the market that supports multiple file formats. The MP860 supports newer file formats such as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and OGG, as well as MP3, WMA, WAV, and even WMA-DRM10 protected music files. In the video format MPEG4 SP (XVID) and FLV movies file formats allow users to enjoy movies, while TXT files are compatible for viewing text.
The MP860 has a small internal microphone for recording which works quite well. You may find it handy when you are going for documenting a lecture, a meeting, or a conversation but don?t expect a high-quality music recording.
With two years warranty and a price tag of R5,500 for the 4 GB and R6,500 for the 8GB, Transcend place this product intelligently in the market. So if you are looking for a music player with a video output you have to consider this.
SPECS
Dimesnsions: 94 x 50 x 12 mm (L x W x H)
Display type and size: 2.4-inch TFT LCD
Display resolution: 240 x 320
Music formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC and WMA-DRM10
Video formats: MPEG4 SP(Xvid) and FLV
Photo formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG
E-book format: TXT
Battery life: 22 hours
Estimated street price: Rs 5,500
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