Samsung PMP Adds Vongo Compatibility

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 1/3/2008

Ridgefield Park, N.J. – Samsung has added Vongo’s subscription-download service to the list of authorized video-download sites compatible with the touchscreen-equipped YP-P2 portable media player (PMP).

The player, available in 4GB and 8GB versions, is already compatible with authorized-video download services CinemaNow and Amazon’s UnBox, the company said. All three sites offer downloads in the protected Windows Media Video (WMV) format. The P2’s native 700kbps datarate is sufficient to play back 500kbps Amazon files without transcoding. CinemaNow’s 1.5Mbps video files are transcoded to 700kbps or less for P2 playback. And Vongo’s software transcodes Vongo’s 800kbps files, intended for PMP playback, to 700kbps or less for P2 playback.

The P2 is one of only 17 SKUs that consumers can register with Vongo to download the service’s subscription-download titles, which now comprise more than 2,500 movies and videos. Vongo does not allow PMP playback of its pay-per-view downloads.

For its part, CinemaNow allows PMP playback of its paid-for downloads, not its 24-hour rental titles. Amazon UnBox offers only paid-for downloads.

Both YP-P2 versions are currently available at MAPs of $249 and $199. The YP-P2 is Samsung’s only portable A/V device with iPhone-style motion user interface (UI), first PMP with widescreen display, and first with the ability to reorient video for horizontal or vertical viewing.

Consumers who purchase a P2 get a trial Vongo membership, and existing P2 owners can download a firmware update to ensure seamless compatibility with Vongo. Details are available at Samsung’s MPfreedom.com site.

P2 users who go to www.vongo.com can use the $9.99 per month subscription-based download service to view as many movies from the library as they want as often as they want, the company said.