New Microsoft Portable Media Center, Why Not a PPC?

[Brad Isaac]

In a commentary over at BargainPDA.com, abaxter asks a question that I've been asking myself for ever since I saw the Archos Portable Video Recorder. Why would you buy one of these portable media players if you have a Pocket PC? The Pocket PC lets you listen to music, play videos and games - plus gives you the benefit of running programs and keeping track of your schedule.
"Microsoft last week announced that its new consumer targeted device, the Windows CE OS based Portable Media Center (PMC), will become available in August and can be preordered exclusively through Amazon.com. The question I have, who’s going buy these things? If you have a Pocket PC or an ultra portable notebook you can already accomplish a lot of the things this device offers, plus a whole lot more with a device of similar size. So why would you ever bother buying something for $500 that has less functionality and can’t record TV or download content as a standalone device?"
So what's better? Portable Media center or Pocket PC?

[jkendrick]

I think it's a marketing thing- PDA consumers already have one. Media Players are aimed at attracting new buyers. First timers.

[noolly]

I think they look really ugly

[drunknmunkie]

My first venture into portable media was the first Rio mp3 player. I've bought various MP3 players in the following years. Last year i bought the Archos 320 PVP 20 gigger. I thought it was super cool for bought for 2 months. I liked the feature that you can hook it up to any media device (TV, DVD, VCR) and tape directly off it. IT has timers to set to tape at anytime. I used it as a TIVO for a while. It had its place, but it lacked features that a PDA could provide. So I graduated to a PDA. I'm currently a proud owner of a Dell Axim X30 high, Axim X3i, and HP 2215. My X30 never leaves my pocket. I take it everywhere. I think the PDA is the next step up for PVP owners. Owners of a PVP will soon get bored of just MP3, and movies and want more from their device. They would want more ang for their buck. The archos was and Expensive MP3/movie player ($500). My axim X30 way cheaper($300) and does a lot more. I am much happier with the my X30 than my Archos 320.

[Doug_Eldred]

For what it's worth, the main advantage of devices like the Archos, the upcoming portable media center products, and a variety of older simpler devices is storage. Most have many GB of hard drive storage for thousands of photos or hours of video. Most have larger power storage (batteries) as well. And most are much larger and heavier, especially if you include the power brick.
From a photography perspective, the most interesting feature/deficiency of the portable media center seems to be its PC-centric nature. First, I have a Mac. Second, I'd like to be able to upload pictures directly, either with a built-in N-in-1 card reader or through a something-to-CF adapter.
What I did a few months ago after agonizing over a lot of this was buy an iPAQ 2215. I already had an iPod (for music), and the Belkin Media Adapter (for uploading photos from media cards to the iPod), and the main thing I was missing was a decent-sized screen for in-the-field slideshows and previewing.
Basically, it comes down to your needs and intended uses. If all you want is MP3 and PPC-compatible movies, and if their PPC quality is okay for YOU, and if you have enough media cards for YOUR total-time needs, then a PPC is a great solution. If any of the above isn't true, then a portable storage device, possibly including a portable media center device, is probably a better answer. However, if your main motivation is storing digital photos in the field (for insurance or for reuse of the media cards) then a dedicated portable storage device - NOT a portable media center device - is probably "right".
In some cases it also depends on what devices you already have, and/or on how many (and what size/weight) devices you're willing to carry. For some people, one device that "does it all" is better than two or three separate devices; for others, especially those who already have some of the functions "covered" by existing devices, the answers will be different.
Doug

[sracer]

why buy this device instead of a PPC?
Hmmm, for $400 you get a device with a 20GB harddrive, 3.8" screen, operable with a remote control, ability to digitally record TV, video, music, and playback either on the device itself, or attach it to TV.
You can't do that with a Pocket PC for under $400. It would cost about $600 to come close to reproducing this capability in a PPC....and still not have the same functionality.
And let's face it... sometimes you can go a week or two without playing music or video. Leave a Pocket PC unplugged for a week or so and you'll find it wiped out and requiring a restore from a backup (if you have one. ) or recreate it. The Archos can sit in a bag or on a shelf unattended for weeks and be ready to go when needed.
With this device, there is no need to "rip" DVDs. Simply hook up your DVD player to the Archos, hit play on the DVD player, record on the Archos, and go! It doesn't get any easier than that. "Why get this when you have a PPC?" Let's see a PPC do that! Of course if ripping DVDs is a hobby, you can still do that and play them on the Archos. Plus, you can upload these captured movies to your PC for playback there.
The Archos definitely serves a purpose, and does it well. With dedicated devices like the iPOD and Archos, and SmartPhones, I believe that the window of opportunity is closing on the PPC.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that people look at the device first as the central point for the solution... when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you have a PPC, then you look at solutions in terms of what a PPC can do. Since a PPC cannot record video and cannot playback on a television (playback is only possible with an additional piece of hardware if your PPC supports it) these capabilities get ignored.
The light calendar and contacts functions provided by smartphones helps satisfy the needs of a majority PPC users. Dedicated music / video players are smaller, more durable, and more battery efficient than PPCs used for those purposes.
Each device has their own battery, in essence, distributing the power to the device that needs it.... when you use your cheapo PocketViewer for calendar... you're not using the battery in your cellphone, or MP3 player. If you are listening to music on a dedicated MP3 player, you're not taking away battery life from your cell phone or PDA.
With a Pocket PC, it is a zero-sum game. The more you use your PPC for music, the less time you can use it for PIM/ebooks, etc.
I know that I'm in the minority, but I've done the PPC thing and would now rather have dedicated devices (MP3, video, cellphone, PIM) than an all purpose one that doesn't do any one function as well.