Mini CDR Madness – Evolution or Revolution? – THG.RU

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Mini CDR/CDRW Madness – Evolution or Revolution?

When we went to COMDEX late last year, the Mini CDR/ CDRW discs were all the rage. Although Mini CDRs have been around for some time now, it has taken a while for these little 8cm/ 80mm discs to enter the mainstream. We think that this has been due, in part, to the fact that the mini CDRs/ CDRWs only offer 185MB of storage, which isn’t too impressive when compared to regular CDRs/ CDRWs, which can offer as much as 700MB+ of storage. However, the reduced size of the mini CDR/ CDRW discs has led to the development of smaller products which are almost half the size of a normal portable CD audio player.

Right now, most companies that are marketing the mini write-able discs are concentrating on the mini CDR format. Although you can find the mini CDRW media, it currently takes some effort, as the vast majority of the big media manufacturers are not yet making them available for sale. The one exception to this trend is Memorex, a company that is producing mini CDRW discs that are appearing on the shelves of many local retailers. Some generics or lesser-known brands of mini CDRW media are also available.

Yes, mini CDR/ CDRW media is small. At 8cm/ 80mm, these little discs can hold about 185MB of data. Most of the mini CDR/ CDRW media are featured in the slim line jewel cases, which are already being marketed in a variety of colors other than the standard clear, as you can see. Right now, Memorex seems to have the market cornered on mini CDRW media, as it is the only major company to have the mini CDRW on local store shelves. We are not sure if this is due to a perceived lack of interest in mini CDRW media or some other factor.

Mini CDR/CDRW Madness – Evolution or Revolution?, Continued

When talking about the total capacity that a mini CDR/ CDRW can hold, it is important to qualify some of the claims that are bening made. Yes, it is possible for a mini CDR/ CDRW to hold six hours of music, but this is dependent on the sample rate that is used to encode the music. While a sample rate of 128kbps is close to CD-quality, it also makes the MP3 files larger in size. Reducing the sampling rate will allow for the greater compression that is required in order to meet the claim of six hours on a mini CDR/ CDRW. We found that a sampling rate of 128kbps will only yield about three hours and twenty minutes of music, on average.

When evaluating any portable music device, you must take a look at the available options and find out which device fits you and your lifestyle best. Portable music devices come in all shapes and sizes – a fact that has caused a large amount of confusion in this product arena. The mini CDR may or may not be a good product fit for you. This article does not attempt to look at all of the differences between varying formats and technologies; the focus is more a look at the new mini CDR technology than it is a look at portable music players in general.

Radically Different Approches To Using The Mini CDR Technology

As we explained above, portable music devices come in all shapes and sizes. The mini CDR players that we looked at were no exception. We took a look at two different devices: one from Imation, the other from Compaq. The Imation RipGO! and the Compaq PM-1 are radically different in both features and design. We don’t really think that either company is well-known for their efforts in portable music player technology yet, and we believe that this allowed each company to design its respective device from a fresh perspective.

The Imation RipGO! comes in a colorful box while the Compaq PM-1 comes in the cheaper “blister pack” packaging. We have never been fans of this type of packaging, because it makes it difficult to remove the product. We found more detail on the specifications and limitations of the unit on the RipGO!’s box, which is helpful for the consumer, but neither of the packages does a very good job of describing what the mini CD format is. This could lead to some confusion for the consumer, but, apparently, neither Imation nor Compaq gave this issue too much consideration.

A fresh perspective from which to design these new products does not necessarily equal success. During the use and testing of these devices, we found that their designs have both positive and negative implications. As the Mini CDR/ CDRW format matures, we feel sure that some of these issues will be addressed in the future development of these products.

Imation – RipGO!

The Imation RipGO! and included accessories. The package includes everything you need to get started, including two blank mini CDRs and a demo disc.

The RipGO! is a new product from Imation’s “GO!” product line, which features other “multimedia” -type products. Based on our discussion with Imation at Comdex, we believe that the company is undergoing a radical change in both product development and product marketing. By finding ways to put new spin on its products, Imation is starting to tap into new markets. Whether it be adding neon colors to CDR media or releasing new electronics products in the “GO!” product line, Imation is using the power of marketing in its attempt to build brand loyalty.

The Imation RipGO! is not the first storage product that Imation has released. Imation has marketed ATAPI and SCSI Internal/ External CDRW drives, as well as other electronic devices, in the past. The RipGO! represents an interesting and aggressive step toward anticipating the needs of the consumer. The RipGO! is not only an MP3, WMA, and CDDA player, but it is able to write (burn) the discs, as well as read them. The RipGO! can also double as a CDRW storage device to store data. This makes it a double-duty device, so you don’t have to burn the mini CDRs/ CDRWs on your computer-based writer for use in your player.

Imation – RipGO!, Continued

The RipGO! is powered by Cirrus Logic’s Maverick ARM processor. This is not the first device that we have looked at that is powered by the Maverick. The Maverick ARM processor was also used in the Turtle Beach AudioTron that we looked at in a recent Tom’s Hardware article: Music Across Your Home Network? – AudioTron.

As you can see in this close-up, the RipGO! is a little bit larger than you might have expected, but it is still smaller than most other portable CD players. The RipGO! has right-sized, large buttons and a big display, two features that a lot of other units lack.

When examining the RipGO! close-up, you’ll see that the unit is bigger than you might have expected. This is partly due to the fact that it is a double-duty device and it just simply takes more electronics in order to make it work. Measuring in at 5″ x 4″ x 1″, we didn’t find the unit large, but if you were lugging it around with you for a run, you might find that it weighs more and is more bulky than other devices. The RipGO!, in many ways, is better suited for use in a car or on an airplane than for fitness-related situations. The RipGO! has no belt clip or carrying case, so the mobile function of the device is somewhat limited.

The RipGO! has what we would consider large, right-sized buttons on the top, which are nice, but it doesn’t have any type of remote control on the headphone cord, so you have to control the unit using these buttons. The RipGO! has full MP3 ID tag support, and titles appear on the easy-to-read display located on the top of the unit. We found the display on the unit to be very helpful for providing feedback about the mode in which the RipGO! is being used.

The RipGO!’s user interface is very graphical and provides a lot of information. When a song is playing, for instance, you can see the track name, track time, sampling rate, volume level, equalizer setting, and battery life. We liked the amount of visual feedback on the display and found it to be better than a lot of other units that we have seen. The interface provides all of the features found in most player units, such as: Skip Track; Skip Forward; Skip Backward; Shuffle Play; and Repeat. Due in part to the large display, navigating directories and tagging songs for playback was easy to do and not as cumbersome as it has been with other units we have tested in the past. You can adjust the contrast of the display and, as a bonus, the display is back-lit.

The RipGO! includes seven factory equalizer presets: Normal; Techno; Rock; Jazz; Pop; Salsa; and Classic. You cannot define your own equalization settings for use with the RipGO!. We found that the defined presets do cover a wide variety of equalization; still, it would have been on our wish list to be able to define our own.

Imation – RipGO!, Continued

The RipGO! includes a 37-page users’ manual that is loaded with pictures and screen shots in order to help you get it up and running. Also included is a quick start guide, which covers the basics. We found the included documentation to be very helpful in obtaining a full understanding of the unit’s operation.

We found the sound quality of the RipGO! to be very good. The included headphones were comfortable and easy to wear for long periods of time. The unit had very good bass reproduction which, when enhanced with some of the equalizer presets, produced a very booming bass sound.

When running on battery power, we found the estimated battery life of three hours to be correct. In our testing, we were able to yield slightly more than three hours. We consider the three hours of battery life to be one of the RipGO!’s product weaknesses. We would have liked to see the battery life to be closer to the four or five hour range. You can purchase additional batteries for the RipGO!, but they are rather pricey. Batteries must be charged in the RipGO! Unit, and it takes about three hours to achieve a full charge.

A feature we really liked about the RipGO! was its ability to flash and upgrade the firmware of the device. Imation has continued the development of this product through these firmware upgrades. Although you can’t really expect Imation to add new features, the RipGO! does have the ability to correct any flaws or compatibility problems that might be found in the firmware. Imation has already released a couple of upgrades for the RipGO!, and it is easy to flash the firmware using the included USB cable.

As a 4X USB CD writer, the RipGO! performed well, and its test scores were on target with what you could expect from other USB CD writers. Although it is possible to burn CDs while in the battery mode, Imation does not suggest that you do this. The company recommends that you only write CDs while in AC mode. We could not find any evidence of buffer under-run technology on this unit. We didn’t encounter any buffer under-runs, but, of course, we would always like a larger buffer and support of buffer under-run technology.

Overall, we found the performance of the RipGO! to be very good. It was very skip-proof during our testing. The unit was easy to set up as well as to use. The battery life is a little below average, but the ability to burn discs as well as play them helped to offset this one minor point. We would not consider the RipGO! the most portable of units, but it does address a serious need for portable storage in the marketplace.

Compaq – iPAQ – PM-1

The Compaq iPaq PM-1 and included accessories. The package includes everything you need to get started, including three blank mini CDRs. The PM-1 didn’t include a sampler disc like RipGO! had, but for a suggested retail price of $99, some sacrifices have to be expected.

Compaq isn’t a name that you would normally associate with entertainment devices, but with the launch of the iPAQ product line, they are building a lot more than just handheld Windows CE devices. The iPAQ banner now has several music devices, including the new PM-1.

First of all, you have to take into consideration the fact that the PM-1 retails for only $99, which is a lot less than the $399 Imation will charge you for the RipGO! Of course, you do lose some of the features that are offered with the RipGO!, but the PM-1 has a few things to offer which the RipGO! does not.

The most important thing to note about the PM-1 is that it includes an inline LCD remote with a clip. This allows you to control the unit from the remote, as well as from the unit itself. The LCD display consists of two lines of text with a twelve-character maximum for each line. The unit does support scrolling, so the titles can scroll across the top line. With the PM-1’s ID3 tag support, it was able to read all of the tags for every MP3 file that we put into the unit. The LCD display itself isn’t back-lit, so working with the unit in the dark is tough until you learn where all of the buttons are located. For the most part, all of the buttons are duplicated on one of the two sides of the PM-1, so you can use the buttons on the unit, as well.

Compaq – iPAQ – PM-1, Continued

A close-up of the Compaq PM-1 does not show everything. Control buttons are located on both the front and the side of the unit. Since most folks will use the inline remote for control of the unit, this wasn’t a big deal. As you can see, the PM-1 is smaller than the RipGO!, but it also lacks any type of a case or belt clip, a helpful feature for those who are fitness-oriented.

As you might imagine, with only two twelve-character lines to work with, the interface and navigation on the unit are a bit more challenging than with the full graphical display on the RipGO! The interface is usable, but it took a little while to get the hang of it. When compared to the elegance and ease of the RipGO! interface, we felt like we had taken a step backward.

An area that we think Compaq’s PM-1 got right was their use of two AAA rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. These batteries are inserted into a battery access door that is on the inside of the unit. The unit will run on two regular AAA alkaline batteries when you can’t recharge the Ni-MH batteries that are included with it. You can purchase additional rechargeable AAA Ni-MH batteries, although they can be hard to find. We found the battery life of the included AAA Ni-MH batteries to be more than four and one-half hours, which we considered to be very good. Of course, using the electronic skip protection does reduce battery life. When using alkaline batteries rather than the rechargeable batteries, you can gain about twenty-plus minutes of playing time over the supplied rechargeable batteries.

The PM-1 is constructed of plastic and does feel a little flimsy when compared to the RipGO!, which seems to have a little more quality construction. We aren’t saying that the PM-1 isn’t durable, but, as with almost any portable electronics device, one accidental drop could spell disaster. The PM-1 does not offer a belt clip or carrying case, but the inline remote does have a clip.

Upon starting the PM-1, it scans the insterted media music files and reports back with the number of files that it has found. We tried to throw it a few curves and see how it handled files in sub-directories. Like the RipGO!, the PM-1 was able to traverse the various levels of sub-directories to find additional MP3 files. The PM-1 does not offer support for the Microsoft WMA format, so you can’t play those music files on it. The PM-1 does support regular CD digital audio, but, as the mini CDR/ CDRW format is only capable of holding twenty-one minutes of this type of music file, we are not sure that many people will take advantage of this feature.

The PM-1 has five factory equalizer presets: Normal; Classic; Pop; Jazz; and Rock. You are not able to define your own equalizer settings. These five settings do give you a good range of equalization, but we would still like the ability to fiddle with the settings.

The sound of the PM-1 was very good. The supplied headphones provided a full and rich sound. The PM-1 was good on the high end and was able to hit the low end with a boom, as well. In head-to-head testing, we still liked the sound of the RipGO! a little better, but we think that was due, in part, to the better headphones that Imation supplies with the RipGO! unit.

When looking at all of the value that Compaq has packed into the PM-1 for such a low price, we would highly recommend it. It has good sound and excellent battery life, which are two of the things that we think go into making a really good unit. Unlike some of the typical MiniDisc players using the MD format, the PM-1 has a very good form factor which isn’t too bulky. We found the PM-1 to be an impressive first outing for Compaq.

Testing Setup

We came up with a few tests and made each product jump through a few hoops in order to see what kind of performance you can expect from them. Due to the fact that they are different types of products, we were unable to complete all of the tests on each unit. The PM-1 is not able to write to CDR/ CDRW media, so, it was unable to be included in any of our writing tests.

Benchmarks

Write 180MB Of MP3s Test

We took three CDs from the rock band Soundgarden (Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and Down On The Upside), for a total of 186MB. The disc contained 43 MP3 files. These CDs were ripped at 160Kbps using MusicMatch Jukebox Version 6.10.0178. We chose to encode the audio at 160Kbps, because the sampling rate is a little higher than 128Kbps and we believe it yields audio quality that is a little bit better. We felt that the slightly higher audio quality was important to fully evaluate the sound of each unit during our testing process.

We then used Nero Burning ROM 5.5.6.4 and wrote the files to our three CDRW drives, all at 4X. The Iomega 4X/4X/6X USB drive is closest in function to the Imation RipGO! We also used the Asus CDRW-1210R, an IDE drive, and wrote the mini CDR at 4X using this drive as well, just to provide a reference for comparison between the performance of the USB and ATAPI for writing CDRs. Just to see if there was any difference, we burned the same test disc to mini CDRW media. Again, because the Compaq PM-1 is unable to write CDR media, it was not included in this test.

Battery Life Performance Test

In the battery life performance test, we took one of the mini CDRs that we burned in the test above and used the same disc in both players to get an idea of what kind of battery life we can expect from each of our sujbjects. We left each player plugged in for a 24-hour period prior to the the test to make sure that the batteries in each unit were fully charged. Both units indicated that the batteries had a full charge prior to testing. We then inserted our test mini CDR into the unit, selected all of the tracks and put the unit into a continuous repeat mode. We monitored the time it took until the player shut down or stopped because the battery was fully drained. The battery life could be reduced by movement of the player or other factors, so we consider this battery life value a “best-case” estimate. The time is reported in hours and minutes.

Conclusion

The Imation RipGO! and the Compaq PM-1 are radically different products, positioned to compete in different market segments.

We liked the flexibility of the RipGO! in that it is able to both read and write to the mini CDRs/ CDRWs. In addition to its uses with music, it was a plus that the unit can double as a data storage device. The RipGO! has a short battery life, clocking in at a little over three hours, which isn’t what we would consider ideal for a portable music device. With its bulkier design and lack of easy mobility, we think the RipGO! is best for road warriors who perhaps wish to carry it in addition to their laptop computers. At eight ounces, it doesn’t add that much weight, and it provides the flexibility to burn a large presentation on a mini CDR and listen to music on the plane. At a suggested retail price of $399, the price is a little steep, but there are applications for which the RipGO! will be just right.

The Compaq PM-1, on the other hand, is a portable music player that focuses on just that application. The PM-1 does lack support for the WMA, which is included with the RipGO!, but additional features, such as the headphone inline remote with display, make up for this omission. The PM-1’s suggested retail price of $99 will not break the bank. We found the PM-1 to be more mobile and user-friendly than many of the other devices on the market today. The biggest “down”-side is that you have to burn your mini CDs on your computer’s CD writer, but we didn’t really see that as a negative in our testing. If you are looking for a low cost mobile solution with ample battery life, the PM-1 is an impressive package that will have a larger audience than the RipGO!

The bottom line on these products is, unless you need the features that the RipGO! has, save your money and go with the PM-1, which we think is probably a better value for most users. The RipGO! will still have its place among some road warriors, but most people will feel satisfied with what the PM-1 offers, especially for the affordable price of $99.