The MP5 Myth Exposed

Here at Chinavasion, we carry a lot of the latest high tech gadgets, like RC helicopters, mobile phones, projectors and even a robot lawn mowers. Some people ask us why we don't sell MP5 players. The answer is simple…

There is no such thing as an MP5 player.

Sorry, but unless it shoots over 800 rounds of 9mm bullets per minute, it's not an MP5. Feeling confused? Don't worry, Chinavasion is here to clear things up.

We all know that MP3 is an audio file format and that MP3 players play audio files. Most of us also know that MP4 is a video format and that MP4 players play video files. So what exactly is an MP5 file? And what do MP5 players do?

First, try to find and download an ".mp5" file. You can't. There simply are no MP5 extension files. Not yet, anyway.

Second, hold an MP4 player next to an MP5 player and see if you can spot any differences.

Just like MP4 players, some MP5 players have video cameras, and some do not.

Some MP5 players have a decent 4 gigabytes of memory while others have a whopping 16 gigabytes. None of them display holograms, have virtual reality functionality, or shoot bullets.

So perhaps we need to look closer.

All MP4 devices play the AVI video format. They also play a number of other video formats, such as MPG, MP4, 3GP, RM, RMVB, WMV, FLV and DAT.

But usually these files must first be converted to AVI before an MP4 device can play them.

Newer, more advanced MP4s can play some of these formats without conversion. As a result some manufacturers have coined the phrase "MP5" as a marketing term to set them apart from the more 'limited' MP4 players.

However there is one file format which is said to seperate the MP5's from the MP4s. That is the real player video codec (RM).

MP5s will play this file directly, while other MP4 players must convert them to AVI format first.

So when you hear someone talking about an MP5 player, what they are talking about is simply a model of MP4 player that can recognize more files than other models of MP4 players.

Does this mean if you bought an MP5 player that you've been ripped off? As long as you paid a reasonable price for it and enjoy it, then no.

In fact, if you recently purchased an MP4 player that can play RM files from Chinavasion, there is a good chance that it is called an "MP5 player" by the manufacturer.

But until these gadgets start projecting 3-D images (or shooting bullets), we are still going to call them MP4s.

We are also going to continue to offer the best MP4 players (including some that play RM files) at the best prices.

And just because there is no such thing as an MP5 player doesn't mean you should stop buying MP4 players from Chinavasion and marketing them to your own customers as MP5s. After all, what's in a name?