A media player can offer a person a great way to view video and listen to audio at the same time. After the introduction of Apple's fifth generation iPod with video playback capabilities, companies that make the various types of such a player have taken notice of Apple's sales and jumped on the bandwagon.

These devices have become more popular than their previous counterparts that were only digital audio only. The audio mp3 player may becoming a thing of the past as quick as it was ushered into the market.

When a person chooses a media player they must first know what they are looking for, and with a little investigating, an individual can quickly decide what is best for them.

One thing that a person looks for when buying electronic equipment is the brand name. A media player is one type of device that also can be graded on the brand name.

One of the top brands of electronics is Toshiba. Toshiba was the first electronics giant to debut a portable audio player capable of expanded video playback.

They have two hard drive models, the 30GB MES30V and the 60 GB MES60V, that range in price from $299.99 to $399.99. These provide users the ability to use audio, video, and photo digital media files.

The video that consumers use with these products can come from a variety of sources including recorded television, online video rentals, and downloads from subscription services. These products will offer a consumer more range of use than a portable mp3 player can.

Another giant of the electronics market that offers a variety of a media player for consumers to purchase is Samsung. In 2006 they had two new portable media player offerings for the public.

One was the YP-D1 for $249. It has a 1 GB storage capacity, and for a little more, $299 to be exact, a person can upgrade to 2 GB. Samsung advertised this one as the first flash mp3 player with one of the best digital cameras built right in.

With this device, a person can listen to music and take pictures at the same time. The battery has up to twenty hours if fully charged.

Although several brands of a media player are on the retail market today, a person should look for quality and proven performance from the company they are purchasing the media player from.

Both Samsung and Toshiba are great companies that a person can get quality products at a reasonable price. Cheap mp3 and media players are numerous, but cheap is not always the best answer for a long term solution.