Specifications

Chapter 3 – Specifications
The main requirement for the player to be implemented is the ability to able provide
similar functionality to the AudioTron but at a fraction of the cost. Both the AudioTron
and Motorola SimpleFi provide good solutions to the problem described but their cost is
far too high. They are even more expensive than most of the MP3 players available that
use large hard drive as local storage. The reason for there high cost appears to be the
complexity of the internal design of the products. To solve the networking problem they
are basically running a smaller version of a PC in the player. With most users of MP3s
very sensitive to cost it would be a much better solution to make the player a much
greater cost with similar functionality. To do this the cost of the internal hardware and
software needs to be kept at a minimum.
The ideal specifications of the player for this project are shown in table 2.
Specification The Player
Supported Formats All MP3 bit rates and sample frequencies. MP3s are the main
focus of interest, other formats such as WMA may be
considered in future products.
Internet Formats Internet radio streamed as MP3
Network interface Ethernet 10BaseT (10 Mb/s Ethernet) or 10/100BaseT running
TCP/IP.
Audio outputs Either RCA or headphone stereo.
User controls Buttons on the player.
Song selection Create a song play list on the player itself using the buttons
and display on an LCD screen.
Cost Below $400 AUD (much lower if in mass production)
Table 2 The ideal player specifications
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