S1 MP3 player

S1 MP3 Player
A typical S1 MP3 player.
Manufacturer:	This product is what is referred to as a 'common mold' which means many different suppliers can produce this same model. The manufacturers are almost exclusively located in China.
Type:	Portable MP3/WMA Player
Connectivity:	USB 2.0/1.1
Range:	64 MB to 4 GB
CPU:	Z80 compatible + 24-bit DSP
Screen:	128 x 32 pixel
Frequency Response:	20 Hz to 20 kHz
Power	AAA battery/Rechargeable battery on some models

S1 MP3 players are a type of digital audio players based on many different kinds of chipsets. The popular ones include Actions and ALI chipsets. They are sold under dozens of different other brand names and in a variety of case designs. The players were very widespread around 2005–2006 and have since been superseded by more advanced models.

Capabilities

• MP1, MP2, MP3 and WMA playback
• WMA DRM support on a small number of models
• Ogg Vorbis support on a small number of models (mostly models made after 2005)
• USB Mass Storage device – works with Windows, Linux and OS X, acts as USB key drive
• Can work without a battery when connected to a computer or another USB host (the player requires changing the active setting from 'file transfer' to 'player')
• Memory capacities of 64 MB to 32 GB. 4–32 GB versions usually have a smaller Flash memory chip hacked to appear four times higher in capacity than it really is.

Common specifications

Note that the below information varies by chipset version and manufacturer.

• 24-bit DSP with on-chip DSU
• 8-bit Z80 CPU core^[1] with on-chip DSU (runs at 24.576 MHz (TYP), up to 60 MHz — software-controlled)
• USB 2.0 Full speed (not Hi-Speed), with transfer rates up to 8 Mbit/s, or 1 MB/s
• Works as a generic USB storage disk (USB Mass Storage)
• Supports MPEG1/2/2.5 Audio Layer 1, 2, 3 (MP3) and WMA. Ogg Vorbis also supported since at least 2006, though this is not typically listed on the player's packaging.
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Earphone impedance 32 Ω (wasn't tested yet)
• Output power: 5 mW × 5 mW (16 Ω) (wasn't tested yet)
• S/N (signal to noise ratio) around 70 dB [quoted as up to 85 dB by some vendors, known to be noisier at low volumes]
• FM radio (depends on the presence of the Philips TEA5756 radio chip; this chip can handle the FM frequencies of both the US and Japanese commercial FM bands).
• Graphic equalizer presets
• Recording via built-in microphone or FM radio in ADPCM WAV (32 kbit/s mono or 64k bps stereo; using FFmpeg codec named adpcm_ima_wav), ACT (8 kbit/s) or VOR (32 or 8 kbit/s) formats, and ability to play back these files locally or via Windows Media Player when connected as an MSC device.
• Basic telephone number list viewer
• ID3 tag display

Software

• Supports most operating systems that have USB Mass Storage support.
• Firmware upgrade tool for Windows.
• Logo customization via Chinese-language software or firmware hacks.

Hardware

• Built using Hynix or Samsung solid-state NAND flash memory.
• Philips TEA5756 low-power FM tuner chip.
• ATJ2085 as the processor, RAM and the ROM.
• Some newer players have a slot for SD/MMC cards of capacities from 32 MB to 4 GB.

Models

There are also several models which carry no brand name or model number on the device or packaging, and a few sold under counterfeit trademarks such as Sony, Samsung, iPod, and others that use the same spelling in their brand name yet different brand styling, with inverse effect to established brands that offer similar or unrelated products.

Generic name

• MP4 — Typically denotes a more advanced player

Linked brands
The following are brand names in alphabetical order that have related relevant articles in Wikipedia

• Centon^[2] — As of at least 2013 does not offer MP3 players in its product lineup
• Coby
• Daewoo International MP3 Players
• LG UP3# (also styled as UP3-SHARP^[3]) — Uses the FAT32 filesystem, supports MP3, WMA (including MS-DRM), ASF and OGG audio formats. Has a built-in USB-rechargeable battery. The detailed FAQ also refers to firmware updates from the LG website.^[4]
• Medion

• TEVION 1GB Sports MP3 player - (Smart Group) Identifies as "Productor Wilson Co. Ltd." - Version 3.5.35. (Supports Ogg Vorbis)
• TEVION 1GB/2GB MP4 player - (fascin8) - Firmware Version 9.1.51.0005

• MPMan MP-F62, MP-F63 and many other models^[5]
• Mustek (Taiwan) (model V100C) — While various areas of Mustek's website do show that Mustek has had MP3 players in its lineup,^[6][7][8] then the V100C model cannot be found there.
• SanDisk

Others

Due to common mold specifications of the player type, this list will never be complete.

Battery life

Around 8 hours on models using a AAA battery (Alkaline or NiMH).

Others have a rechargeable battery which charges via USB host connection.

Many turn off automatically when idle for even 30 seconds.

Note also that charge duration varies widely between playback and recording modes.

Software utilities

Available utilities for Microsoft Windows include an ACT to WAV file converter (for files recorded on the device), a basic desktop editor to enter contact details for the device's phone book function and device drivers for Windows 98. An 8 cm CD-ROM containing some or all of these is included with some versions of the device.

Firmware update issues

The firmware used in various S1 MP3 players differs significantly, but this is not widely understood. Problems have arisen as consumers have attempted to upgrade their players using incompatible firmware with a higher version number. This can damage the players almost permanently. However, a 'dead' player can sometimes be recovered by opening it, shorting some pins and uploading a full firmware from the PC.^[9]

References

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to S1MP3.

• MP4 player