Digital media centers

	The NS-700 from mainland China's Eastern Times features an embedded FTP server and TCP/IP support.

Basic and advanced models target compatibility with various home electronics. Connectivity options include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The increase in digital content and advancements in wireless technology, Internet connection and download speed keep mainland China and Taiwan manufacturers optimistic about the digital media center industry in the region. In Taiwan, this prospect for growth is attracting new entrants from the industrial PC (IPC), photo frame, telecom and PC peripheral markets.

Product offerings have a range of features, including HDD support of up to 1TB; expandable capacity via memory cards, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity; and compatibility with audio, video and image formats, as well as with various A/V devices such as TVs, digital cameras, mobile phones and USB flash drives.

With home media and online entertainment as key driver, suppliers in both regions are focusing their development efforts on digital media centers that support high definition (HD) playback, various network protocols and wireless technology. Multifunctionality, higher storage capacity, smaller form factors and wider compatibility with A/V devices are also important development areas.

New features will drive the pricing trend for upcoming models of digital media centers. Prices of existing models, however, have remained stable despite increasing costs. Some manufacturers from the mainland even foresee a possible price reduction.

Production and export volume levels are still low because the industry is still in its infancy. This is coupled with the challenges faced by its manufacturers, which include chipset supply shortage and rising production cost.

Other key issues that the industry is faced with are intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement, format standardization and product acceptance.

	Mainland China-based The Long Industrial has the MSP202P, which supports IDE, SATA or IDE/SATA dual mode and is compatible with SD, MMC, MS, SDHC and CF memory cards.

The NS700 from Eastern Times Technology Co. Ltd—said to be mainland China’s first homegrown digital media center—supports TCP/IP and NetBEUI and Apple Talk protocols. The unit has a built-in Web browser, FTP server and power management system. It supports wireless audio, video and photo streaming to compatible players. It complies with IEEE 802.11b/g and delivers high-performance P2P downloading. Besides HTTP and FTP, eMule and BitTorrent downloads are supported. This digital media center integrates a 3.5in SATA I/II HDD providing up to 1TB storage capacity. It is compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Linux.

Eastern Times’ R&D focus is on network support and HD features. Upcoming models will support mobile connectivity and 1080p resolution. An ODM version of the cover is also available.

Shenzhen Goldmate Technology Ltd is working on digital media centers that offer large storage capacity, support various memory card formats and are compatible with other devices such as TVs and PCs, said Neptune Zhang, Shenzhen Goldmate’s overseas sales manager.

Its HVR-930 has a built-in 3.5in IDE PATA HDD, which offers 80GB to 1TB storage capacity that is expandable via SD, MMC, MS, xD and CF memory cards. The unit supports UPnP and Samba protocols. Another model from Shenzhen Goldmate, the HVR-935, supports DVD recording in MPEG-2 format.

Recognizing flat-panel TVs as the standard home appliance of the future, The Long Industrial Ltd has combined network function (LAN/Wi-Fi) and Internet connectivity with HD outputs such as HDMI into its new products. These models support 1080i/1080p resolution.

Its latest MSP202P can connect to the TV set via HDMI. It plays movies directly from a digital camcorder or displays photos from a digital camera. It supports various types of HDDs such as IDE, SATA and IDE/SATA dual mode. It is compatible with SD, MMC, MS, SDHC and CF memory cards. Another model, the MSL131R, is targeted at mobile users.

The Long Industrial will be releasing an all-in-one media center that combines HD decoding/recording functions; LAN, Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity; network-attached storage (NAS) capability; and an FTP server. NAS will soon be standard in The Long Industrial’s high-end offerings, said marketing director Ben Beng. The company boasts of having produced the smallest personal video recorder, which records TV programs directly into memory cards or USB storage devices.

In Taiwan, models that support wireless connectivity such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth comprise the mainstream product line.

Yosin Electronics Co. Ltd has been devoted to this line for at least two years. Its latest model, the Omni-Mplayer, is a digital multimedia player targeted at the home media center and commercial digital signage markets. The product can display multimedia files without a PC connection, enabling users to share and view various A/V files such as family photos and one’s favorite music.

The Omni-Mplayer has I/O interfaces, including YPbPr, HDMI, USB, D-Sub (VGA) and MMC/CF/SD memory card slots. It supports an HD resolution of up to 1080i/720p. Among its compatible formats are JPEG, MP3, MPEG-4 and WMA. All the supported formats/interfaces are licensed. The embedded IC and software support auto play to benefit non-PC users. The model is compatible with LCD monitors, TVs and other displays.

FriendTech Computer Co. Ltd has introduced a series of digital media players—also considered switching devices—that can share A/V files between personal and home digital equipment, including digital cameras, HDTVs and mobile phones. Equipped with built-in scaler technology, the products support enhanced video quality up to 1080i HD resolution. These feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

FriendTech’s TV-Mate is a basic media center model that connects to TVs, HDTVs and digital cameras, and supports memory cards and USB stick data storage. The Bluetooth-enabled PhoneTV connects to mobile phones, while the Wi-Fi-enabled RMVB-Player supports RMVB formats for Internet movie playback. All supported formats and wireless technologies are customizable according to customer’s request.

XIT Ltd’s MBC/MB series supports NTSC and PAL TV standards and various multimedia formats, as well as SATA HDD, HDMI and networking. It supports audio and HD video streaming over Ethernet LAN, and displays high-resolution photos. The series can upscale video quality to NTSC/PAL progressive scan at 720p or 1080i resolution. It comes with SATA HDD storage that is expandable via a USB 2.0 host port. It has one-touch recording with time-shifting capability.

	The HVR-930 from Shenzhen Goldmate of mainland China has a built-in 3.5in IDE PATA HDD, which offers 80GB to 1TB storage capacity and is expandable via SD, MMC, MS, xD and CF memory cards.

New features will determine the pricing trend for upcoming digital media centers. Although this means increased production costs, mainland China suppliers believe that prices will eventually stabilize once mass production is achieved for new models.

On the other hand, some mainland China manufacturers are optimistic that with effective QC and improved manufacturing processes, prices of their current offerings can go down by as much as 20 percent and remain competitive in the global market.

Basic models from mainland China are priced from $30 to $60. Multimedia players with more advanced features and functions are priced from $120 to about $150. Shenzhen Goldmates’ digital media centers are offered at about $60, excluding HDDs, while Eastern Times’ NS700 is quoted at about $150.

In Taiwan, add-on features and multimedia formats supported are key pricing factors. HDTV- and TV-compatible models, which display photo, music, movie files from memory cards, USB drives, PCs and HDDs, are between $30 and $60. These media centers support an HD resolution of up to 1080i. SATA HDD-compatible models that support HDMI, WMA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless technologies are priced from $60 to $150.

Models that are designed as mini PCs—complete with CPUs and OS—fetch as much as $200 and above.

As a relatively new line, digital media centers are exported in smaller volume compared with popular consumer electronic products. Additionally, the supply shortage of chipset for the core technologies used in this product line, coupled with the increasing material and manufacturing costs, contributes to suppliers’ low output.

There are about 15 to 20 active suppliers of digital media centers in mainland China—most of which are new entrants—with Shenzhen as the only production center. Their monthly production capacity ranges from a few thousand units to about 20,000 units.

Banking on its R&D strength, Eastern Times is among the leaders in the product line with a monthly capacity of 100,000 units. The company has a 2,200sqm factory in Shenzhen and is planning to move to a new factory in Dongguan.

The Long Industrial produces 60,000 units at its in-house production facilities. The company is targeting its products at upscale main markets in Western Europe.

Shenzhen Goldmate’s 7,600sqm factory, which is certified under the ISO 9001 standard, rolls out an average of 10,000 units per month. It has about 400 production workers and 40 QC workers. It is equipped with Suzuki- and Juki-brand SMT machines, lead-free hot air reflow oven, semiautomated silkscreen printing machines, lead-free automatic dual wave soldering system and final assembly lines.

	Taiwan-based Yosin's Omni-Mplayer enables users to share and display various A/V files without a PC connection.

The young industry still faces challenges ahead, among which are IPR infringement on supported formats and interfaces, as well as format standardization and market acceptance. Despite this, the more than 30 suppliers in Taiwan continue to increase in number as optimistic projections draw makers from the IPC, photo frame, telecom and PC peripheral sectors to the line.

Yosin specializes in the design and manufacture of telecom products, especially related to PABX systems. It started to develop multimedia players about two years ago. The company regards IPR as an important issue, which is why it offers only products with licensed formats and interfaces.

FriendTech considers multimedia players a high-end product line and manufactures these products in Taiwan, not at its factory in mainland China. Besides compatibility with mainstream A/V files, the company emphasizes cosmetic and ID designs.

Taipei-based XIT is an R&D-centric company and cooperates with leading IPC makers. It has a sister company in Spain, named Electronics Devices Manufacturer S.A.