The evolving MP3 market

The market for portable MP3 players continues to grow very strongly.

iSuppli predicts that portable audio player shipments (HDD and solid state) will reach more than 230 million by 2009 (from 128.7 million in 2005), but increasing competition is forcing vendors to differentiate their products.

MP3 users are familiar with wireless headsets for handsets, and are demanding the same kind of facilities for players. Wireless connectivity is set to be the biggest differentiator in these product areas for 2008 and beyond.  Compatibility with the global Bluetooth standard allows manufacturers to add a stereo headphone capability at very low cost, and open up many new usage scenarios.

Easier listening whilst exercising or on the move are just two examples. Bluetooth capability also opens up possibilities including seamlessly switching from listening to music to taking a call from a handset, and 'sharing music' output from a player by streaming it to two or more headsets*.  Stereo Bluetooth headsets are already available (and CSR also offers a free example design for manufacturers who would like to enter this market).

Further application possibilities are made possible by the design's built in DSP (the design is based on BlueCore5-Multimedia, CSR's single chip Bluetooth solution with integrated high-quality CODEC and Kalimba DSP core).  One possibility is audible menu navigation, using text-to-speech software available from one of CSR's partners on the open DSP developers program: eXtension. Other software utilities are available such as Bass Boost.

*forthcoming feature, click for details