M6 Mini Player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Meizu Mini Player | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Meizu |
| Type | Digital Audio Player |
| First available | 2006 |
| System storage | 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, internal flash memory |
| Screen | 2.4 in, 320x240 px |
| Connectivity | USB |
The M6 miniPlayer from Meizu, a Chinese company, is a Flash-based MP3 player that allows users to play MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC and OGG audio files. The player is also capable of AVI playback on a 2.4-inch QVGA screen. Also included is an FM tuner, voice recorder, calendar, stopwatch, USB On-The-Go support (in near future), and two games.
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[edit] Brief Background
The M6 is the most recent of Meizu's digital audio player productions. Accordingly, it is only emerging in certain parts of the world including the United States. Though the M6 supports many audio formats, the US release did not support MP3 format because of licensing issues. Apparently, there are work-arounds to the issue with specific firmware upgrades.
Recently, Dane-Elec has formed a deal with Meizu to provide distribution of the M6. Apparently, Dane-Elec has ironed out MP3 licensing issues. Many European models distributed by Dane-Elec have their FM tuner disabled because of EU import duties; this can also be remedied by a firmware update.
Amongst those who own or are aware of the M6 is a great deal of enthusiasm and support. The M6 has been touted as an "iPod Killer" because of its capabilities with respect to its aesthetics. One unique characteristic regarding the Meizu M6 is its ability to function without proprietary file formats and procedures.
[edit] Specifications
The following are some of the more important specifications regarding the Meizu M6:
| Capacity | 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB flash memory |
| Size | 79 x 48.2 x 10 mm |
| Display | 2.4" 260K-color QVGA (320x240) TFT-LCD screen |
| Weight | 55g |
| Audio | Supports MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC |
| Video | AVI format (XviD) at 20fps and 384 / 512kbps |
| Photo | BMP, JPG, GIF |
| Battery | Rechargeable Li-ion battery, rated at 20 hours |
[edit] Software Support
[edit] File Transfer
The M6 is connected to a computer via a USB 2.0 cable, upon which it is recognized as a mass storage device. Transferring media files and firmware upgrades is accomplished by simply dragging and dropping. Thus no proprietary software is ever used allowing it to be a real cross-platform media player.
[edit] Video Conversion
For converting videos to the required Xvid format VirtualDub. Another open-source program, Iriverter works just as well.
Video files can also be converted with MEncoder:
mencoder input.avi -o output.avi -ofps 18.000 -vf-add scale=320:-11 -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=256 -ffourcc DIVX -oac mp3lame -lameopts vbr=0:br=192 -af volnorm
[edit] Customisation and Variances
The Miniplayer officially allows the user to change a few display items such as the background image and font colour. Unofficially it is possible to modify the RESOURCE.BIN file to skin the player with different icons. A number of stick on covers are available which allow the front surface and thumb pad to be coloured.
Two versions of the Miniplayer were originally produced.
- The TP version has a Toshiba screen with better colour reproduction at the cost of lower brightness. It is also 2mm shallower. This model is no longer produced.
- The SP version has a brighter and slightly cheaper Samsung screen. This model is still in production.
The two versions have different firmware and the screen does not work if the wrong one is loaded. The RESOURCE.BIN files are the same, however.
[edit] See also
Resources:
