SECAUCUS, N.J. — Panasonic announces its first combination CD/MP3 player/receiver for cars. New model CQ-DP171U combines a high quality AM/FM receiver with a CD player that will accommodate both commercially produced CDs and home-recorded discs. The CQ-DP171U can play back MP3 music files that are recorded on 5-inch (12 cm) CD media: CD-ROM, CD-R or CD-RW discs. Engineered with MOS-FET circuitry and Panasonic's one-chip LSI, the new unit delivers audiophile-grade sound at 45W x 4 watts. The CQ-DP171U is scheduled to debut in September, with a suggested manufacturer's retail price* (MSRP) of US$299.99.
"The CQ-DP171U lets you take all your music on the road, whether it's on commercially produced CDs or ones you've burned yourself," said Rob Lopez, National Marketing Manager for Panasonic car audio products. "The MP3 format's huge storage capability means that you can create a portable, personal music library containing hundreds of your favorite songs on one CD. You'll probably run out of miles before you run out of music!"
The MP3 format (audio format designation MPEG1, Audio Layer 3) gave rise to the widely popular new phenomenon of home-recorded music — music downloaded to a computer from the Internet or from personal CD collections and then recorded or "burned" onto a CD-R or CD-RW disc. MP3 files can hold huge amounts of compressed audio data without compromising sound quality. The files can be organized into folders which users can name according to titles, artists, types of music, etc. The CQ-DP171U can read and display this text information on its large LCD panel, enabling users to scroll through and easily access selections.