Interesting clip.

Actually, most of the information in that clip was probably reasonably up to date and accurate.

Hey if you want a mp3 based hard drive player in your car, then yes, the iPod with a tape adapter *is* currently, probably the cheapest way to go [unless you got a firesale empeg].

Of course, thats like saying if you want the cheapest way to to get from London to Sydney, Australia, then why fly, why not just walk there?
[Yeah right!].

The TechTV comments of course overlooks lots of relevant points, like "now I have my iPod hooked up to my car stereo via a tape adatper, what does the music actually sound like"?
Is it any better than the AM/FM radio stations available on the same car stereo?
[I doubt it very much].

or
"How do I navigate to my songs on my iPod, while driving without crashing into someone or something else, or do I simply put my iPod in play and just listen"?

These little things become important very quickly, once the initial pleasure of having lots of songs in your car fades into oblivion, and the sheer impracticality of trying to use a portable mp3 player device in a car audio environment its not designed to be used in [i.e. by the driver, while driving].

And also comparing the 2nd or 3rd generation car audio mp3 devices for price and features to the 1st generation [as represented in the empeg] was a bit uncool - but shows that those 2nd and 3rd generation devices still have yet to climb the same heights as the empeg did - some 4 years on.

Certainly as the commentator said, back in 1999 when the Empeg Mark1 was announced, being able to have 18GB of mp3 music in any hard disk player in your car for ANY price near $2000 was pretty amazing and a "gotta have".

Back then, the largest cost component in the unit was probably the laptop drives being used.
[Ignoring the hardware/software development cost, which was probably a close second].

Thats nearly 4 years ago now - thats a long time in both computers and car audio.
Now you buy 60GB laptop drives for the price of a iPod.

If the Empeg was still being made now, it would be a mk3 model, it would cost a darn sight less than the original mark 1 (or mark 2's) did, come with at least 10 times the storage of the orginal Mark 1 could have and probably cost about 1/4 of the $2000 price tag quoted.

Still even now, there is no in-car mp3 or otherwsie unit available for under $2000 that I know of that even comes close to the empeg for features, usability and all sorts of other reasons - and Puh-lease, do not say that those Sony or whatever hard disks units come close - they sucked, anyone could see that, even the reviewers on the clip could see that [and said it].

The empeg in the clip was mostly used a "brackdrop" to the story, much like the 1967 muscle car the presenter drove at the end.