D-link DMP-110 (32 MB) MP3 Player
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- Number of Songs: 8
- Usage: Music Recording
- Interface: USB
- Main Storage Type: Built-in Memory
- Expansion Slots: SmartMedia Card
- Storage Capacity: 32 MB
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Good product, could use firmware and software updates.
Pros
Nice price, good interface and display, USB, supports multiple bitrates.
Cons
Interface software could be improved.
Recommended it?
Yes
I received the D-Link DMP-110 MP3 player a few days a go as a gift, and have had the chance to put it through it?s paces.
Why I like the DMP-110:
As most people researching these products know, MP3 players have a few basic benefits that give them advantages over CD or MD players. A first obvious perk for the DMP-110 is the size and lightweight. It?s smaller than any CD or MD player I?ve seen on the market. Since it is solid state (and saves it?s songs on 32MB internal storage), it will not skip when jostled. Battery life is also great?I have been getting over 10 hours of usage from the pair of alkaline AAA batteries. This is the primary reason I wanted an MP3 player?I have been using it when running and working out in general and it beats anything I have tried before. I hardly know it?s there when I?m running, and it provides good quality music for a workout.
The USB connection has a distinct advantage over other entry-level MP3 players with parallel port connections; you can upload your music in a fraction of the time which is important if you want to prep the unit and get going quickly! The DMP-110 also has an integrated voice recorder that can digitize and store 1 hour of spoken word. I don?t know if I will ever use this, but I think some people may like this feature for recording lectures, meetings, and the like. The interface on the init is large and easy to read (but no backlight?) and the buttons are easy to locate and use while on the move.
Caveats?
While this unit works well for me, there are a few features that some readers may want that this unit does not have. First of all, the unit does not have a tuner. This is pretty much the way it is with MP3 players, but some do have tuners. If you want to tune in to a sporting event or radio show while you?re on the go, you are better served with another player that has an integrated tuner.
The unit comes from the factory with 32MB of RAM?good enough for a half hour of compressed audio, but if you?re looking for 1 hour of storage, you are going to have to shell out up to $79 for another 32MB flash card. (Yep, the flash memory is the big reason these things aren?t in vending machines!) I typically use this unit for 20-30 minutes at a time, but am planning on upgrading for plane trips, etc.
The ?30 Minutes? of audio storage also depends on what bitrate you encode at. I seem to get 30 minutes from 128 kbps, which is the de facto standard for encoding at this time. This seems to slowly be changing to 160 kpbs and even 192 kbps as disk space costs come down (and a 192 kbps file is closer to CD quality for many people) but I am very happy with the 128 kbps bitrate for traveling music.
Since this unit runs on USB and requires interface software, it is advertised as working on Win98, Win98se (which I have on one machine) and Windows 2000. I also use Linux and NT 4.0? I think its only a matter of time until some wizard cranks out a Linux driver, but NT 4.0 is out of the question unless you manage to kludge USB support into it.
Buggy firmware? Better software?
A few times while working out, the unit has not moved from one song to the next. I don?t know if this is a firmware issue, since it only happened during one particularly static-filled workout where I zapped myself on a treadmill a few times. This has not happened to me in the other occasions I have used the unit.
As I skip between songs, I do notice that the first ? - 1 second of audio is clipped off. I don?t know if this is a firmware or interface software issue, but it definitely is not from my MP3?s?I rip directly from my CD collection to my hard drive, and the cut audio is not a problem there. I have heard this isn?t a problem with 160 kbps and above files, but I?m not going to sacrifice precious DMP-110 memory on this issue right now.
The interface software could also be improved. After installation, even though it does not ask for it, shut down your machine and then reboot it. Failure to do that may cause the driver for the unit to reinstall every time you plug it in. I couldn?t get any MP3?s loaded to the unit until I did this. The user interface for the software could also use some work. For example, it would be nice to be able to set some preferences on the software, like your default MP3 folder (it always starts in My Documents? eech) and it would be nice to have better feedback on how much of the DMP-110?s memory is in use (like the ?fuel guage? interface of Adaptec?s EZ-CD Creator).
The above issues could be resolved with newer firmware and/or software for the unit, which I truly hope D-Link pursues. Currently, it?s no problem to get everything working, but a little refinement in this department would be nice.
Overall:
Are you tired of reading ?You get what you pay for? on entry-level products at Epinions? Well, stop reading then! It?s an appropriate statement here. You can shell out more money and pick up a RIO player, or over double the price of this unit and get the ultra-small Sony unit-- but I find it hard to beat the price-to-value ratio of the D-Link DMP-110. I have happily retired my old CD player and enjoy using the DMP-110 on my workouts.
Why I like the DMP-110:
As most people researching these products know, MP3 players have a few basic benefits that give them advantages over CD or MD players. A first obvious perk for the DMP-110 is the size and lightweight. It?s smaller than any CD or MD player I?ve seen on the market. Since it is solid state (and saves it?s songs on 32MB internal storage), it will not skip when jostled. Battery life is also great?I have been getting over 10 hours of usage from the pair of alkaline AAA batteries. This is the primary reason I wanted an MP3 player?I have been using it when running and working out in general and it beats anything I have tried before. I hardly know it?s there when I?m running, and it provides good quality music for a workout.
The USB connection has a distinct advantage over other entry-level MP3 players with parallel port connections; you can upload your music in a fraction of the time which is important if you want to prep the unit and get going quickly! The DMP-110 also has an integrated voice recorder that can digitize and store 1 hour of spoken word. I don?t know if I will ever use this, but I think some people may like this feature for recording lectures, meetings, and the like. The interface on the init is large and easy to read (but no backlight?) and the buttons are easy to locate and use while on the move.
Caveats?
While this unit works well for me, there are a few features that some readers may want that this unit does not have. First of all, the unit does not have a tuner. This is pretty much the way it is with MP3 players, but some do have tuners. If you want to tune in to a sporting event or radio show while you?re on the go, you are better served with another player that has an integrated tuner.
The unit comes from the factory with 32MB of RAM?good enough for a half hour of compressed audio, but if you?re looking for 1 hour of storage, you are going to have to shell out up to $79 for another 32MB flash card. (Yep, the flash memory is the big reason these things aren?t in vending machines!) I typically use this unit for 20-30 minutes at a time, but am planning on upgrading for plane trips, etc.
The ?30 Minutes? of audio storage also depends on what bitrate you encode at. I seem to get 30 minutes from 128 kbps, which is the de facto standard for encoding at this time. This seems to slowly be changing to 160 kpbs and even 192 kbps as disk space costs come down (and a 192 kbps file is closer to CD quality for many people) but I am very happy with the 128 kbps bitrate for traveling music.
Since this unit runs on USB and requires interface software, it is advertised as working on Win98, Win98se (which I have on one machine) and Windows 2000. I also use Linux and NT 4.0? I think its only a matter of time until some wizard cranks out a Linux driver, but NT 4.0 is out of the question unless you manage to kludge USB support into it.
Buggy firmware? Better software?
A few times while working out, the unit has not moved from one song to the next. I don?t know if this is a firmware issue, since it only happened during one particularly static-filled workout where I zapped myself on a treadmill a few times. This has not happened to me in the other occasions I have used the unit.
As I skip between songs, I do notice that the first ? - 1 second of audio is clipped off. I don?t know if this is a firmware or interface software issue, but it definitely is not from my MP3?s?I rip directly from my CD collection to my hard drive, and the cut audio is not a problem there. I have heard this isn?t a problem with 160 kbps and above files, but I?m not going to sacrifice precious DMP-110 memory on this issue right now.
The interface software could also be improved. After installation, even though it does not ask for it, shut down your machine and then reboot it. Failure to do that may cause the driver for the unit to reinstall every time you plug it in. I couldn?t get any MP3?s loaded to the unit until I did this. The user interface for the software could also use some work. For example, it would be nice to be able to set some preferences on the software, like your default MP3 folder (it always starts in My Documents? eech) and it would be nice to have better feedback on how much of the DMP-110?s memory is in use (like the ?fuel guage? interface of Adaptec?s EZ-CD Creator).
The above issues could be resolved with newer firmware and/or software for the unit, which I truly hope D-Link pursues. Currently, it?s no problem to get everything working, but a little refinement in this department would be nice.
Overall:
Are you tired of reading ?You get what you pay for? on entry-level products at Epinions? Well, stop reading then! It?s an appropriate statement here. You can shell out more money and pick up a RIO player, or over double the price of this unit and get the ultra-small Sony unit-- but I find it hard to beat the price-to-value ratio of the D-Link DMP-110. I have happily retired my old CD player and enjoy using the DMP-110 on my workouts.
