Audio, Video and Digital Photo Features:
The RCA Lyra X3000, when plugged into the included home theater docking base, gives its owner the ability to record audio or video directly from an external source such as a television, DVD player or CD player. These audio and video recordings can be time shifted, which means the X3000 can be set to record programming at a later date when used in conjunction with an included IR blaster.
For those preferring to transfer video or audio from a computer to the RCA Lyra X3000, a variety of compatibility options exist. The player is capable of playing back or displaying audio (MP3 and WMA), video (MPEG-4, DivX) and digital image (JPEG) files. It is also Microsoft PlaysForSure compatible, which means it can support downloaded music or videos from online services like Yahoo! Music Unlimited and CinemaNow (no iTunes support unfortunately). Finally, RCA’s portable video player is also Audible friendly, meaning it can playback audio books downloaded from online audio book service Audible’s Web site.
All of this content can be stored and accessed on the X3000’s 20GB hard drive, which holds up to 80 hours of video, 300 hours of MP3 music or 10,000 JPEG digital photos. Memory storage can also be expanded and digital photos viewed off of an optional Secure Digital memory card which is inserted into a slot in the player. Videos and photos can be looked at through the built-in 3.6-inch color TFT display and the X3000, which weighs around eight ounces, can get up to four hours of video playback via its rechargeable, removable lithium ion battery.
If viewing videos or photos on the X3000’s screen isn’t too your liking, a built in composite video output port allows you to display items on a television. Photos in particular can benefit from this feature, as the player allows not only display on a larger screen but also the ability to create slide shows set to music and/or accompanied by voice notes describing each slide which are recorded into the built-in microphone. This microphone also allows the X3000 to serve as a voice recorder for note taking.
The Rest:
Amongst the myriad of other features included in the X3000 are nine audio playback modes including shuffle and repeat, playlist support, transfer of photos directly from compatible digital cameras without a computer through a USB 2.0 port on the player, a .75 inch thickness and a headphone jack for private listening.
Accessories included with the Lyra X3000, besides the docking base, are a thick plastic cover case for protecting the player’s display screen, two RCA input/output cables, a car DC adapter, ear bud style headphones and a three device universal remote control.
