Empeg is the original name of the premier in-car
MP3 player. Unlike most such devices, it does not keep its music on burned
CD-ROMs, but, rather, in one or two
hard drives within the unit itself. It is a fully contained single-
DIN unit, requiring only an external
amplifier. It does not come with a
tuner, but an external module is available. It runs a small
Linux operating system on an
ARM processor and features a (relatively) large
VFD display.
The Empeg started life as Hugo Fiennes (hfiennes)'s Intel-based mp3mobile in 1998. By late 1999, there was enough interest that he had started a company to produce a commercialized version. This version had four front-panel buttons, an RS232 serial port, and a 10Mbps Ethernet port. In June 2000, the first Mark 2 Empegs were shipped. This version added a USB port and a front-panel rotary knob. In November 2000, SonicBLUE purchased Empeg and renamed the product RioCar to coincide with their Rio line of MP3 players. In September 2001, SonicBLUE discontinued the RioCar product.