Busting Out The Old Samsung PMC

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.samsung.com/Products/MP3Player/ArchivedMP3Players/YH_999GSXAA.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.samsung.com/Products/MP3Player/ArchivedMP3Players/YH_999GSXAA.asp</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/samsung-YH-999_m.jpg" /><br /><br />I busted out the old <a href="http://www.samsung.com/Products/MP3Player/ArchivedMP3Players/YH_999GSXAA.asp">Samsung YH-999 Portable Media Center</a> yesterday, because I'm comparing the Zune to previous generations of Microsoft-powered devices. You know what? This thing 'aint half bad: the screen isn't super high-contrast, but it's pretty big and 20 GB will carry a decent amount of video. More impressively, I can connect it to WMP11 and transcode all my TV shows from my Media Center PC - something that <a href="http://www.zunethoughts.com/news/show/322/zune-ugly-truth-1-media-center-video-synchronization.html">the Zune can't do at all</a>. Was it worth the $499 or whatever it was selling for initially? Nope. But if you can find one for $200 or under, it's a decent way of doing the mobile video mambo. I just wish it was faster to transcode video!

[Vincent Ferrari]

Great device and the only reason it wasn't more popular was that it was way ahead of its time when it came out.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Creative is now selling its version for slightly over US$100, and bundling it with a spare battery, a FM remote, the docking station, and the IR remote.

What's the catch?

It's only available in Singapore this weekend. MUHAHAHAH!

:P

[priesmeyer]

I have one of these, too. I just bought it last year though and it was still at full retail ($500!) price. So it saddens me that I don't use it as much. I really got a lot of use out of it when I was riding the bus to work and back but those days have been over for about 7 months.

It seems to me that the battery isn't holding the charge as long as it used to.

But, I am planning on loading it up with some movies for the next car ride and letting the kiddos watch it with headphones and a headphone splitter I have lying around.

It just makes me sad that the Zune won't replace this device. I'm holding my breath that this Spring update we're hearing about might include DVR-MS support.