MP3 chipset for set-top boxes.

Will Johnston sent us a link to a wired story about a new mp3 chipset that manufacturers can slap into cases and use to sell set top MP3 players. It's only a matter of time now.

MP3 Stereo Component

[Andy Dodd]

Look back in /. articles and you'll find a mailing list dedicated to creation of just such equipment.

So far it's mostly DIY stuff, but there will probably be commercial spinoffs of the ideas here. There's already a car version of what you describe near completion at www.empeg.com, I believe.

Essentially, they're headless Linux boxes with player control through a simplified LCD display and often with a remote control based on a lirc-compatible reciever.

Good for an add-in card...

[red_dragon]

I'd like to see a soundboard that features one of those thingies. That would reduce the load on the processor, and let computers that don't have enough oomph to play perfect MP3. Too bad manufacturers want to make other things like this a software feature (wavetable synthesis, MPEG video playback, etc).

Not exactly the first MP3 chip...

[altman]

...seeing as the Micronas Intermetall part (the 3507) is the one in the MPMAN and the Rio. But, it looks like MP3 decoding appearing in the sound chip itself (if it's like other ESS chips): the thing is, most STB's have enough CPU to do mp3 decoding in software anyway...

Yes, an ENCODER card would make a lot of people happy. Remember the $25 licence for use of the encoder to Frauhofer IIS though, and that to do MP3 encoding at a decent speed requires a fairly hefty DSP. Ideally, you want one with a IDE/SCSI bus, so it can rip & compress itself, to alleviate the CPU having to throw data around for no good reason (and hopefully, with a fast enough DSP, being able to rip and compress at say 10x).

MP3 based pci/isa cards

[doomy]

Now that's something I'd like to see. Not only should it be able to decode mp3' but it should also be able to encode mp3 files on hardware. Such hardware with proper open standards sell like hotcakes!

I know mpeg boards have been out for almost a decade and most of them can (with slight modifications) do mp3 decoding..

And these would be cheap! Would you rather spend 20-50 bucks on a hardware based mp3 solution than waste 20-30% of your precious cpu cycles? Not to mention the added speed of encoding if you had a hardware solution. I saw a mp3 based chip a few months ago.. why hasnt this been put on addon cards? ... hmm


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MP4 is FUD!

[eshefer]

I don't think anyone should worry about mp3 becommig outdated.

Mp3 is so wide spread, and has so much original (and unoriginal) music alwredy encoded, that no MPx is likely to take it's place, in the near future

Handheld players

[Rayban]

So, does this open the handheld player market further by providing pre-built MP3 chipsets?

I'm guessing that with a bit more development, the chipset could possibly be merged with a portable CD player and become a *very* big player in the market.

I'd love to drop all the CDs I own onto a half-dozer or so CD-R's. You can't argue with convenience like that. Any comments? POKEY NOW [yellow5.com]

Set top this..

[Stax]

What else are we going to see in a set top box? BTW- i'd rather have a console style stereo piece, like a CD Player...