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diff --git a/review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player.html b/review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f3a01d5 --- /dev/null +++ b/review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player.html @@ -0,0 +1,143 @@ +<!doctype html> +<html lang="en"> +<meta charset="utf-8"> +<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> +<meta name="author" content="aki"> +<meta name="tags" content="hyundai, mp3 player, MPF825"> +<meta name="published-on" content="2024-01-05T21:55:00+01:00"> +<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="favicon.png"> +<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css"> +<style> +video, audio { display: block; margin: 1em auto; max-width: 600px; width: 100%; } +</style> + +<title>Review of Hyundai MPF825 MP3 Player</title> + +<header> +<nav><a href="https://ignore.pl">ignore.pl</a></nav> +<time>5 January 2024</time> +<h1>Review of Hyundai MPF825 MP3 Player</h1> +</header> + +<article> +<p>I have something slightly different for you today. In one of my totally-not-garbage-electronics storage trash bins I +found a somewhat old MP3 Player labelled as "Hyundai" "Digital MP3 Player" "HD-MPF-825/12". I put a new battery in it, +connected headphones and turned it on. A welcome screen. Music started playing and of course it had to be a piece that +thrown me into nostalgia.</p> +<video controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-1.webm" type="video/webm"> +<p>Out of focus video of Hyundai MPF825 starting up.</p> +</video> +<p>I didn't find certain production date or any related documentation. I probably didn't dig deep enough and I'm not +very good at finding things through Wayback Machine. Model identifier, specs and files stored suggest that this device +was produced sometime between 1998 and 2002. I compared it to several models that I found manuals for and it seems close +to MP566, MP1281, MP567FM, MP755FM, MP1190R, and MP1220. Naming scheme doesn't seem consistent as MPF825 doesn't really +fit between the MP755FM and MP828 FM Sport very well functionally and especially aesthetically. Label on the device is +different, too, "MPF-825/12" despite probably fitting more as "MP825 FM" to the rest of the names I found. +<p>Unless they just didn't have any sense of direction. +<p>It has three major functions: playback, recording and FM receiver. User may play music or any of the recordings. +Music playback supports MP3 and WMA formats and LRC lyrics. Recordings are done in WAV format. Playback supports A-B +mode, pausing, seeking and volume control. FM receiver stores 30 channels that can be set between 87.5 MHz and 108.0 +Mhz. FM mode has awkward controls. +<p>The rest of menus are, let's say, OK. You can choose equalizer settings from presets, change playback mode (e.g., +repeat all), change screen contrast and backlight colour, choose between power saving (I assume, it's "powerset") modes, +change interface language, and change recording settings (e.g., sampling rate).</p> +<video controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-2.webm" type="video/webm"> +<p>Out of focus video of changing through backlight colour settings.</p> +</video> +<p>Some other menus are as awkward as FM. The primary reason is inconsistency for what certain buttons do in what menu. +The other reasons are: intuitive actions are not a thing and other settings making fun of your choices. The best example +of this is "About" menu/page that displays version information and storage statistics.</p> +<video controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-3.webm" type="video/webm"> +<p>I must scream and I have no audio recorded. Still out of focus.</p> +</video> +<p>Storage is around 496 MiB. Advertised as "512 MB" I suppose. +<p>Sound quality is comparable (if not equal) to my audio card and phone. However, unlike some audiophiles I know claim +they have, I can't tell difference between 32 bit and 64 bit processors running Foobar2000. I can't run Foobar to begin +with, since I use Linux. +<p>As for what was stored on it. The oldest file is a voice recording seemingly from the 27th of December 2002:</p> +<audio controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-4.ogg" type="audio/ogg"> +<p>The first audio recording on the device.</p> +</audio> +<p>I'm not sure whether this actually is from 2002 nor do I remember the situation. I mean, I remember countless cases +in which I personally created similar sounds but not when I held this MP3 player in my hands and around the date. An +easy way to verify it would be to record new thing and check the date. +<p>Today is also 27th of December 2002. It's exactly 19:44:58 all day, too. +<p>Weirdly specific. For a moment I was thinking about disassembling it to check how exactly it is built and if there +are any obvious shortcomings in the design that could result in this. It could be a date and time related to the +lifetime of this device. Or a simple bug in the firmware. All speculations. +<p>There's a "SETTINGS.DAT" 492 bytes file that I assume holds selected settings. It is also marked with the same date. +I opened it with <b>hexdump</b>(1) trying to make sense out of it at first glance. There are some patterns to it. +Changing settings and diffing proved that it hold settings and better shows the structure than just stupidly looking at +it: +<style> +.bl { color: blue; } +.cy { color: cyan; } +.gr { color: green; } +.pu { color: purple; } +.re { color: red; } +.wh { color: white; } +.ye { color: yellow; } +.diff { outline: 1px solid; padding: 1px 2px; margin: 0 -2px; } +</style> +<pre> +<span class="wh">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">00</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="pu">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">01</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="ye">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">02</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="re">< 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">03</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="cy">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">04</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="bl">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">05</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="gr">> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">06</span> 00 00</span> +</pre> +<p>This is the difference between colours of the backlight. Don't worry, you don't really need to see them. There's also +a "auto" mode that should be called "disco". It switches colour when you press buttons: +<pre> +<span class="re">< 00000020 00 b6 49 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">35</span> 00 00 b7 49 40 03 00 00</span> +<span class="re">< 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">03</span> 00 00</span> +<span class="re">< 00000150 7a 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">01</span> 00 00 94 47 40 03 00 00 00</span> +<span class="re">< 000001c0 00 00 94 49 40 09 00 00 <span class="diff">35</span> 00 00 00 00 00 00 00</span> +> 00000020 00 b6 49 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">36</span> 00 00 b7 49 40 03 00 00 +> 00000140 40 03 00 00 00 00 00 79 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">06</span> 00 00 +> 00000150 7a 47 40 03 00 00 <span class="diff">00</span> 00 00 94 47 40 03 00 00 00 +> 000001c0 00 00 94 49 40 09 00 00 <span class="diff">36</span> 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 +</pre> +<p>It was compared to red and green was last colour before I connected it to the PC. +<p>I did not disassembly it because it looks like I would need to or easily break certain pieces. I didn't want that. +<p>Graphical interfaces between MPF825 and other models from the manuals I found is similar. "About" view contains +version number but I sadly do not own any other devices from this series and can't use version to try to project it into +timeline. Even then, it would be under assumption that version incremented over selected period and not, let's say, went +down. +<p>Back to the content. What music did I find there? +<p>Most of the pieces were from 2011, 2012 and 2013. Luckily, it seems that it did not contain anything that I would +scream in pain seeing now. On contrary, to prove my beliefs, it seems I have mostly consistent and matured music taste. +Other than couple of artists and/or songs that I simply forgotten there wasn't really any surprises. I mean, there +shouldn't be. +<p>What's consistent is presence of <a href="https://www.arjenlucassen.com/">Arjen Anthony Lucassen</a>'s work. In this +case it was <a href="https://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/the-human-equation/">The Human Equation</a>. If you never +listened to anything from Arjen, do it right now. Next, <a href="https://hevydevy.com/">Devin Townsend</a>'s Epicloud. +Some Gamma Ray and Axxis. Of course, I had to have some odd things, too. Like anime soundtracks. Tasogare Otome x +Amnesia, which surprised me, because I most likely didn't hear anything from it since 2012. I tried lyrics function on +these and it seems to work nicely, too!</p> +<video controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-5.webm" type="video/webm"> +<p>Better now. Video of lyrics showing up on time on screen and being too long.</p> +</video> +<p>Most nostalgic ones were Spice and Wolf and Tytania. I just remembered that I have been mentoring an intern a year or +so ago and he had Holo poster visible in his work area. +<p>Couple of songs from Katie Melua and Norah Jones that I did not listen to since around that time, too. It seems +Loreena Mckennitt lasted the longest for me. +<p>That sums most of it. If won't research more and/or disassembly it, what's next? Is there anything? Yep. I want to +select some things that I listen to often now, some things that I liked from recent anime, and maybe something more. +Then put it in this little MP3 player along most of the things it already had in it. +<p>Then I'll hope it'll last another 10 years.</p> +<video controls> +<source src="review_of_hyundai_mpf825_mp3_player-6.webm" type="video/webm"> +<p>Device is saying: "Bye, bye!"</p> +</video> +<p>Despite all the flaws, I think there are nice touches that we can bring back from the not so far past. +<p>But why 27 December 2002? What does it mean!? +</article> +<script src="https://stats.ignore.pl/track.js"></script> |