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Topic: Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source (Read 4931 times) previous topic - next topic
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Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

I'm wondering if there are any cheap digital audio players that have no onboard memory at all and made to read audio data from USB source? It's seems great for me to have the completly separate storage media and playing unit, but I still haven't found such players in e-stores. Do they exist?

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #1 –
Closest I can think of is a modded Xbox, which with recent versions of XBMC can play MP3/Ogg/FLAC/etc off of USB devices.

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #2 –
Sorry, I've forgot to mention I'm looking for a portable DAP.

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #3 –
How would that work?  USB disks are generally large and not very portable (at least unless you turn them off and dissassemble them).

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #4 –
Closest I've ever seen to this was a player which plugged into a car cigarette lighter for power, had a memory stick slot to hold the music, and an FM transmitter to blast the sound up to the radio.  Really a cute idea and it was cheap, too, like $25-30.

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #5 –
Quote from: ksa242 on
I'm wondering if there are any cheap digital audio players that have no onboard memory at all and made to read audio data from USB source?
You, sir, have just found a niche.  I'm not joking, this idea is pretty cool because portable USB hdd are cheap and easy to load up. You would just need a mp3 decoding unit which would perfetly fit in a slim remote control.
portable: 128 kbps cbr AAC
local: -7 FLAC

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #6 –
Quote from: ksa242 on
Do they exist?
Nope.

The problem is that USB is quite asymmetrical. USB slave devices are cheap and easy; USB host controllers are rather more expensive and complicated. Most usb devices require software. So even if you restricted the controller to just generic mass storage devices it would need some cpu power and microcode. It would be possible to put a usb controller into a small package (maybe not ipod small though). But it would be difficult and raise the price enough that there would be no market.

I think the smallest thing you're going to find is a small laptop or mini-itx system. Maybe some of the custom car HD-based music players do it, I don't follow that area. But as for a pocketable DAP, you're out of luck.

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #7 –
I'll just mention two things:

1. Yes, the USB host chipsets tend to be more expensive than the client chipsets, but really, not *that* much more expensive.  And on top of that, there are the USB2GO chipsets, that allow a device to be either one.

2. IIRC, the Neuros music players were supposed to use a modular format that separated the storage (and power too) from the player hardware.  There were both flash and 2.5" drive shells available.  Granted, the connection was not USB but proprietary (presumably: PATA + a few additional lines for power and identification).  This player is several years old, but the display, interface, board and shell were pretty darned small...it was the shells (w/ drive + battery) that made the unit bulky.

So, it's quite conceivable someone could come up with a product.

And a search returns one!  Well, for cars at least, and it appears to only have FM output, not line, but still.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp...duct_id=3579125

-brendan

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Klyith on
Quote from: ksa242 on
Do they exist?
Nope.

The problem is that USB is quite asymmetrical. USB slave devices are cheap and easy; USB host controllers are rather more expensive and complicated. Most usb devices require software. So even if you restricted the controller to just generic mass storage devices it would need some cpu power and microcode. It would be possible to put a usb controller into a small package (maybe not ipod small though). But it would be difficult and raise the price enough that there would be no market.



I don't think this is really true anymore.  USBOTG seems to be showing up on a lot of DAPs anyway, so it can't be that expensive.

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #9 –
Quote
I think the smallest thing you're going to find is a small laptop or mini-itx system. Maybe some of the custom car HD-based music players do it, I don't follow that area. But as for a pocketable DAP, you're out of luck.

Take a look at this portable audio/video player (page in Russian):
http://www.pleer.ru/_11191.html
Specs:
-- 2" TFT screen w/ 256K colors;
-- built-in stereo 1000mW speakers;
-- supported formats: MP3 / WMA /OGG / ASF / WAV / JPG / BMP / MPEG / AVI / WMV / TXT;
-- FM-tuner;
-- built-in mic/line-in recorder;
-- dimensions: 82mm x 43 mm x 12.2 mm;
-- with built-in Li-Polymer battery can play audio up to 15 hours;
-- weight 55 g.
-- FINALLY! USB host.
Sure pocketable and quite cheap -- about $230. But I want a cheeper one without any on-board storage unit since I'm about to buy a T.one 12Gb USB Flash Drive…

And check this one: http://www.pleer.ru/_11188.html
Specs are the same except 1gb for the built-in flash drive. Made by Koren company RitMix (http://www.ritmixrussia.ru/, can't find their English site).

Looking for an MP3 player that reads data from USB source

Reply #11 –
I may be misunderstanding either the question or USBOTG, but I was under the impression that USBOTG did more or less do this, and there are Cowon players with this ability.