Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sansa View Pocket Video Player Q&A With SanDisk's Le Tran
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 07:30 AM
When I travel, I really enjoy watching videos: TV shows, ripped DVDs, etc. Unfortunately I'm still seeking the ultimate device for portable video: something that combines a big, bright screen with a reasonable amount of storage, and most importantly, isn't too big and bulky. I've tried all sorts of devices over the years and none have fit the bill. When I saw the Sansa View Pocket Video Player, SanDisk's forthcoming digital video player, I was very intrigued because it has everything I'm looking for: a big, four inch wide angle screen, support for a variety of video formats, 8 GB of Flash-based storage that's expandable via SD cards, and is only 0.66 inches thick. I would have preferred to have 30+ GB of storage of course, but to get a thin device I can put up with "only" 16 GB of storage. The Sansa View is scheduled for release in late May 2007 and will sell for $299 USD.
I wanted to learn more about this new device, so I submitted my questions directly to SanDisk and Le Tran, one of the people directly involved with the Sansa View, was kind enough to answer them.
DMT: What's your history at SanDisk and what's your involvement with the Sansa View Pocket Video Player?
TRAN: I joined the Audio Video Group at SanDisk last year as a product marketing manager. Along with my Sansa View team, I help define, develop, and launch the Sansa View globally into the retail market.
DMT: SanDisk's entry into the digital audio player market has been interesting to watch - from low-cost, entry level blister-pack players to high-end devices featuring integrated wireless and video players. How would you describe SanDisk's evolution in this market - has it gone as expected? Was the intention always to start on the low end and work your way up to more high-end devices?
TRAN: Our original intent a few years back was to develop music players that embodied Flash memory, since Flash memory has always been SanDisk’s line of business. Since then we have grown beyond price and Flash and are very focused on becoming a consumer electronics company with solid products including audio and video players that compete well in the marketplace. SanDisk has held a firm #2 in market share in the US for a while now, and we intend to continue to develop products that are interesting, useful and cutting edge. We’re excited about how we’ve evolved in this space.
DMT: The Sansa View is fairly unique in that it's one of the only players I'm aware of that combines a large screen with Flash memory - most large-screen devices use hard drives, which then drives up the thickness and weight. What were some of the hardware design goals when SanDisk set out to design the Sansa View?
TRAN: The over-arching design goal was to create something as simple as the portable DVD player, but pocketable. This can be broken down into 3 major design goals:
1. Pocketability: We wanted the Sansa View to be slim, sleek, and lightweight, so that you could put it in your pocket and take it with you on your travels. When you’re on a plane or while you’re commuting is a great time to catch up on your movies or TV shows, so the Sansa View needed to be something very easy to carry around with you.
2. Simplicity: Many portable media players out there have a lot of bells and whistles that aren’t really used and complicate the product. We wanted to make the Sansa View easy enough that the whole family can use it (whether it be gadget Dad to busy Mom to the next American Idol kid). So we streamlined the device to be able to do the 3 most important functions very very well, which are to run videos, show photos, and play songs.
3. Video Support: We wanted to take the guesswork out of video support. It’s a very frustrating experience when users have different types of videos and aren’t able to play it back on their portable device. By supporting a wide array of video formats at resolutions as high as D1 [editor: D1 is DVD and TV resolution, 720 x 480 in North America], users will not encounter so many problems with video playback. In addition, users can also view their videos on their hi-def TVs from the Sansa View with an optional docking station that scales up their videos to 720p or 1080i.
I wanted to learn more about this new device, so I submitted my questions directly to SanDisk and Le Tran, one of the people directly involved with the Sansa View, was kind enough to answer them.
DMT: What's your history at SanDisk and what's your involvement with the Sansa View Pocket Video Player?
TRAN: I joined the Audio Video Group at SanDisk last year as a product marketing manager. Along with my Sansa View team, I help define, develop, and launch the Sansa View globally into the retail market.
DMT: SanDisk's entry into the digital audio player market has been interesting to watch - from low-cost, entry level blister-pack players to high-end devices featuring integrated wireless and video players. How would you describe SanDisk's evolution in this market - has it gone as expected? Was the intention always to start on the low end and work your way up to more high-end devices?
TRAN: Our original intent a few years back was to develop music players that embodied Flash memory, since Flash memory has always been SanDisk’s line of business. Since then we have grown beyond price and Flash and are very focused on becoming a consumer electronics company with solid products including audio and video players that compete well in the marketplace. SanDisk has held a firm #2 in market share in the US for a while now, and we intend to continue to develop products that are interesting, useful and cutting edge. We’re excited about how we’ve evolved in this space.
DMT: The Sansa View is fairly unique in that it's one of the only players I'm aware of that combines a large screen with Flash memory - most large-screen devices use hard drives, which then drives up the thickness and weight. What were some of the hardware design goals when SanDisk set out to design the Sansa View?
TRAN: The over-arching design goal was to create something as simple as the portable DVD player, but pocketable. This can be broken down into 3 major design goals:
1. Pocketability: We wanted the Sansa View to be slim, sleek, and lightweight, so that you could put it in your pocket and take it with you on your travels. When you’re on a plane or while you’re commuting is a great time to catch up on your movies or TV shows, so the Sansa View needed to be something very easy to carry around with you.
2. Simplicity: Many portable media players out there have a lot of bells and whistles that aren’t really used and complicate the product. We wanted to make the Sansa View easy enough that the whole family can use it (whether it be gadget Dad to busy Mom to the next American Idol kid). So we streamlined the device to be able to do the 3 most important functions very very well, which are to run videos, show photos, and play songs.
3. Video Support: We wanted to take the guesswork out of video support. It’s a very frustrating experience when users have different types of videos and aren’t able to play it back on their portable device. By supporting a wide array of video formats at resolutions as high as D1 [editor: D1 is DVD and TV resolution, 720 x 480 in North America], users will not encounter so many problems with video playback. In addition, users can also view their videos on their hi-def TVs from the Sansa View with an optional docking station that scales up their videos to 720p or 1080i.
