MSI MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite

Evgenie Rudometov

rudometov@rudometov.com

Developing a direction of arrangements ConsumerElectronics, company Micro-Star International (MSI) has developed and has released the next model of rather cheap, compact audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite

Taiwan company MSI has been grounded in 1986 and in the first years specialised basically in production of motherboards. Company capitalisation has reached 605 million dollars, the quantity of employees has exceeded 15 thousand, and the revenue has made more than 2 billion US dollars (for 2004). The last years the company fast expands the production, mastering new segments of the market. Among them a considerable share products of consumer electronics (Consumer Electronics), in particular, make compact audioplayers.

Audioplayers take of the important position in the world of high technologies and digital products. These extremely popular products are widely presented in the computer market and use the deserved popularity. Their production which is carried out by the big number of the companies, is commensurable with release of computers and makes ten millions pieces a year. It brings to their implementators, manufacturers and sellers very big incomes that stimulates growth of appropriate sector of the market and increase in number of the companies occupied in given business.

Among them the visible place is occupied with company MSI. To domestic users well-known the various production released by the given company, including and audioplayers. These arrangements are known as MP3-players though, strictly speaking, formats supported by them are not limited only to standard MP3. Moreover, the majority of models carry out not only audioinformation playback, but also its writing. Thus writing is made, for example, from the audioplayers of a microphone built in a construction or FM a radio receiver, and also by means of the appropriate linear input terminal entering into the architecture of many arrangements.

The width of functionality of such arrangements, their small dimensions, weight and the comprehensible prices at high adaptability to manufacture of the given products provide high profitableness. It also explains that attention which is given by large manufacturers of the computer equipment whom company MSI concerns also. This company permanently increases the nomenclature of released audioplayers, including rather cheap models.

As an example of the compact, desksize digital audioplayers characterised in small weight and the price, it is possible to result model MEGA PLAYER 533.

This player conveniently is located in a hand and is controlled by means of miniature keys and the built in graphics display. It is supplied by functions of operation with FM radio. Besides, it provides playback and writing. This player possesses considerable size of the built in memory and supports interface USB. Concerning the big liquid crystal screen (LCD) with blue highlighting provides evident and fast access to all functions.

Together with model MEGA PLAYER 533 company MSI has released its simplified variant which has received name MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite. The given variant of an audioplayer unlike the high prototype is deprived some units, and, therefore, and of some functionality. Construction simplification has provided not only necessary for a number of users simplicity in usage of the given arrangement, but also was well mirrored in its price. Here it is expedient to mark, that the model of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite concerns products Low End.

In addition to it on official site MSI there is an information, that on the basis of MEGA PLAYER 533 vypushena the model differing only by absence FM of a radio receiver.

By the way, the specified models are released both in white, and in black plastic tanks. It provides in aggregate six variants of compact audioarrangements that forms, as a matter of fact, the set of models MEGA PLAYER 533.

Appearance of models MEGA PLAYER 533 and MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite, presented on a firm site of company MSI, is resulted in a Fig. 1, and their main parametres are resulted in Table 1.

Fig. 1. Digital audioplayers of MEGAPLAYER 533 set

Table 1. Key parametres of models of MEGA PLAYER 533 set

It is necessary to mark, that for acquaintance with base possibilities of the specified set of digital audioplayers the sample of model MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite (the technical name — MSI MS-5533), fulfilled in small plastic tank of black colour has been given . Appearance of the given sample is presented in a Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Appearance of a sample of model MEGAPLAYER 533 Lite

Handle of the audioplayer deprived of built in screen monitor LCD, is carried out by means of five miniature buttons: inclusions/pauses/turns off, back, "winds" forwards and two buttons (one key-rocking chair) handle of loudness by a principle it is "more/less" than "wind". First three mentioned buttons are allocated on a front panel of the considered audioplayer, following two — in the upper end face of the given arrangement.

Except the specified controls, in a construction of the given player there is still a key fixing a state of customisations and locking control buttons, and also the button releasing the lock of a back cover.

As to visual indication of functional modes in absence of the built in display it is limited exclusively to one two-colour light-emitting diode, allocated in the upper left corner of a front panel of the arrangement. This diode is not shone in an idle state of an audioplayer, however after inclusion of the given arrangement the diode is lighted also. The first to steam of seconds it is shone by yellow-orange colour and then passes in the continuous green. After audioplayer translation in a mode of playback the light-emitting diode luminescence becomes faltering and proceeds during all process of listening of an audio record.

The information capacity depends both on a mode of a compression of audiofiles, and from size of the built in flash-memory. By the way, for the given sample the given size — about 128 Mb, that, certainly, is not the big value. However it is not necessary to forget, that the given model concerns cheap models. Nevertheless, it is possible to assert, that sooner or later the user of the similar arrangement will be afflicted by small size of an internal storage.

Really, all the audioplayers created on the basis of the flash-memory are good. But the finite size of the flash-memory built in a MP3-player considerably limits possibilities of the arrangement, especially when there is a problem of fast changeover of the audioinformation. Solution of the given problem is appearance of the players equipped with expansion slots, calculated under removable maps of the flash-memory. It allows to forget about limitations of the fixed memory of these products. The described model is just one of such arrangements.

The extension of an information field of the given audioplayer is carried out by the unit of the flash-memory of standard SD, hooked up means of the appropriate plug which has been built in the architecture of the given arrangement. Access to this plug is carried out after removal of a back cover of the audioplayer opening, by the way, and access to the electric power supply.

As the given source can use as alkaline (Alkaline) a unit of format AAA, and Ni-MH the secondary generator of the same dimensions. By the way, in the course of operation with this audioplayer used Ni-MH secondary generator GP in size 950 mach.

Appearance of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite with the removed back cover, with Ni-MH the secondary generator and flash-memory SD unit is presented in a Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. Audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533 Lite with the removed back cover, with NiMH the secondary generator and flash-memory SD unit

Occupancy by the audioinformation of the built in and external flash-memory is carried out through traditional interface USB. In case of the widespread operating system (OS) of Windows XP, according to implementators MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite, any additional driver is not required. And it is real so. However at audioplayer hooking up to the computer there is a message presented in a Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. The message after hooking up of audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533 to the computer

According to the specified message of OS suggests to replace ports. It is interesting, how it probably to make in case of notebook usage? Besides, «as has shown opening», used in the architecture of an audioplayer chip SigmaTel STMP3502 according to the order bookings which is easy for finding in the Internet, works with a speed «USB 2.0 Full Speed», that corresponds USB 1.1. Nevertheless, despite a little strange guidelines of OS, the arrangement it is correctly identified. It shows a window fragment «the Manager of arrangements», resulted on a Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. A window fragment «the Manager of arrangements»

By the way, audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite can successfully use and for storage of computer files, that is as widespread USB-disk drives. However the basic purpose of the given arrangement is all the same playback of the sound information.

After transmission of sound files to memory of an audioplayer and its disconnecting from the computer (the PC or a notebook) MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite is completely ready to operation.

The operating time of the given arrangement depends first of all on size of the battery and loudness level. As has shown direct measurement of a current consumption at comfortable level of loudness, the size 950 mach Ni-MH has enough secondary generator for operation of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite within approximately 10-11 hours.

It is necessary to add, that quality of playback rather high, that, however, and followed expect from the arrangement created by the known manufacturer. As to boundedness of functionality MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite it is not necessary to forget that the given model concerns to Low End and it is oriented to the users constrained in financial assets.

In summary it is necessary to mark, that the specified models, of course, do not settle all diversity of audioplayers of company MSI. Their number, especially taking into account different variants of implementation, is great enough and permanently increases. However the resulted model can be considered as the typical modern arrangement of class Low End.

It is necessary to add, that many other things the companies, well-known in the computer market, are not gathered to stand aside of a perspective direction. As a result on the given segment of the market competitive struggle is expected hard and irreconcilable. New, more and more perfect models of audioplayers under the attractive price will be a consequence of this struggle.

The sample of digital audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite is given by the Moscow office of company Micro-Star International