Video Player hardware question...

[5-90]

Actually, I end up finding something fairly close - Creative now makes a ZiiO, which is a "tablet" sort of video player.

Plays from memory, accepts up to a 32GB SD card, and is suitable for portable use.

Only big catch - the only real video output it has is HDMI - while I have no specific plans to purchase a Hi-Def TV anytime soon, and haven't found a HDMI to component converter as of yet (damn...) it's a possible. I saw it when I was going to ask Creative about it and offer a new idea.

The primary problem I keep running into is the "feature creep" that's infesting everything - not everybody wants all of those "features." I'm not necessarily a Luddite - I just think things should be simple.

And, three of the four variations are still sub-$300, so that's not bad.

No, I don't want anything by Apple - they've overcomplicated so much stuff I got tired of fighting with it years ago. Maybe they're better now (hard to tell from their cult following,) but they've left enough of a bad taste in my mouth that I don't want to buy anything from them ever again (I've owned several Apple computers - from an Apple ][+ to a Mac PowerBook. The only thing they really did right was using a native SCSI interface - beyond that, it took them forever to embrace open architecture and the software support lagged seriously. I know MacOS X runs a Linux core - so they've got that fixed - but there's just too damned much DRM and specialised file formatting to figure out. I don't even run QuickTime anymore - I got tired if it trying to foist iTunes on me with every damned update...

(Creative was actually my first choice for something like this anyhow - their hardware has always been simple, rugged, and reliable for me.)

 

[menos]

I looked at the specs on the ZiiO. It's got a resistive touch screen. Run away..... There are other Android tablets that have those specs and are at or near that price point.

I would go with the Archos 70. Much better kit.

HDMI to composite/s-video at Amazon

 

[XJLI]

dude you need to come out of the 90s. apple's hardware is nearly identical to everyone else's... motorola's powerpc is dead. apple's stuff is so insanely integrated and seamless it hurts. their update process is by far much simpler and easier than window's too. no plans to purchase a HDTV? i could agree with you if it was 4 years ago and the price was still high, programming not available, etc. but you can buy a 720p 32" lcd tv for 300 bucks. hell, 480p standard def units aren't even being made anymore.

300 bucks and its not a tablet? insane. creative has been behind the game for a long time now, they cant keep up. the junk you're looking by them is basically an archos 5 which a touchscreen and i had one of those in high school 6 years ago. actually, thats pretty much all you want. an archos 5. go on ebay and get one for 40 bucks shipped. hdmi outs on a portable device was unheard of back then too; it comes with RCA outs. that'll fit your needs.

not trying to be a douche but what your looking for is old hat.

 

[ert01]

I think an htpc is your best bet to be honest. Or a hacked xbox. I used a hacked xbox with a 500gb hdd for years and loved it. I still have it in fact and will probably put it in my garage soon.

You an get a cheap xbox (the earlier the model the better) at a pawn shop or on eBay. Then get a modchip and a hdd. Load up a program called XBMC on it and there ya go. Storage for all your shows, optical drive too as a backup or to help you rip your DVDs to the hdd, and its cheap and easy.

 

[87manche]

roku XD/s

$100
supports playback from USB drive
supports streaming over wifi direct from your PC
is internet "aware" so it can be upgraded and will do netflix/hulu apps.
Has ancient composite video output, also does HDMi for when you decide to join the rest of us.

http://shop.roku.com/

For the portable thing, google "portable MP4 player"
find one with an SD slot that's cheap and buy it. These are commodity items from China anymore. You're probably not going to find any with composite video, as analog video has been deleted from most of the popular decoding chips, it's simply gone by the wayside.

 

[5-90]

I think an htpc is your best bet to be honest. Or a hacked xbox. I used a hacked xbox with a 500gb hdd for years and loved it. I still have it in fact and will probably put it in my garage soon.

You an get a cheap xbox (the earlier the model the better) at a pawn shop or on eBay. Then get a modchip and a hdd. Load up a program called XBMC on it and there ya go. Storage for all your shows, optical drive too as a backup or to help you rip your DVDs to the hdd, and its cheap and easy.

But neither solution is portable - I travel by train, and I want to be able to use this on the road as well (wife can watch something while I drive, or the other way about.)

Getting HDMI will be largely incidental for me - since I can't see a difference between regular and Hi-Def anyhow (and it's most often wasted on sports - which I don't watch, and therefore don't give a damn about.) Similarly, I don't have a Blu-Ray player - I don't care. When I finally do a get a drive that can handle Blu-Ray discs, it's going to be a data drive.

Has Apple hardware gotten in line with everyone else's? Perhaps (and I didn't have anything against the old Motorola chip - they're just fine.) But, Ive just spent to much time fighting the stuff to want to even bother anymore. And, with all of the headache I've heard about iPods and such (DRM, hardware flaws/failures, ...) I just don't want to bother with the brand anymore.

But, it's got to be something that can be used as a portable as well as at home. Most of the "solutions" I'm seeing don't address that (and it's a requirement I laid out in the beginning.) Yes, I know that drives the price up some (miniaturised electronics, battery, onboard display, ...) but that's something I'm perfectly capable of living with. Some things I can't do much about.

 

[ericfx1984]

why not just get a small laptop? even netbooks are pretty decent now

 

[5-90]

why not just get a small laptop? even netbooks are pretty decent now

I have a laptop (Lenovo G555) but the idea was to divorce "entertainment" from "system" - or to not have to fire up the laptop just to watch videos, and that sort of thing.

Besides, I was hoping to be able to hook it up the televisor when I'm at home - and still use it as a portable - which is why the HTPC and similar ideas aren't working for me.

The requirements are actually fairly simple - it's just the feature creep that keeps getting in my way...

 

[XJLI]

Getting HDMI will be largely incidental for me - since I can't see a difference between regular and Hi-Def anyhow

no offense but, are you legally blind? if i put a std def dvd on i can tell a gigantic difference between that and bluray on my 46" plasma... even from across the house.

 

[87manche]

The requirements are actually fairly simple - it's just the feature creep that keeps getting in my way...

the requirements ARE simple, and easy to address if you have a digital TV.

your requirement for an ancient interface is what makes this difficult. As I said, nearly all of the OEM chips that manufacturers are using to decode video have dropped analog support. The IC's to do what you want simply don't exist on the market. So either find something used on ebay from a generation of players that still supported analog video, or go buy a TV that has current video connections.

upgrade the TV's or buy an HDMi composite converter:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Composite-S-Video-Converter-3RCA/dp/B0047PDBP0

 

[ericfx1984]

I have a laptop (Lenovo G555) but the idea was to divorce "entertainment" from "system" - or to not have to fire up the laptop just to watch videos, and that sort of thing.

Besides, I was hoping to be able to hook it up the televisor when I'm at home - and still use it as a portable - which is why the HTPC and similar ideas aren't working for me.

The requirements are actually fairly simple - it's just the feature creep that keeps getting in my way...

my little brother's netbook hooks up to the TV...

 

[RichP]

my little brother's netbook hooks up to the TV...

The last couple of lenovo laptops all bought for here have hdmi.
The next batch will to so they can be used in our new conference rooms with 100 inch plus screens and ceiling mounted projectors. The disconnect is trying to find windows 7 pro machines with HDMI for some reason, windows 7 home no problem, pro different story.

 

[XJLI]

my little brother's netbook hooks up to the TV...

so does my macbook pro

 

[Dundy]

so does my macbook pro

oh you fancy, huh?

 

[87manche]

The last couple of lenovo laptops all bought for here have hdmi.
The next batch will to so they can be used in our new conference rooms with 100 inch plus screens and ceiling mounted projectors. The disconnect is trying to find windows 7 pro machines with HDMI for some reason, windows 7 home no problem, pro different story.

"pro" machines are generally built on mature chipsets. Home machines are more currrent chips. Give it another 6 months and all of the business oriented machines will get new HD chipsets that have HDMI native.

 

[XJLI]

oh you fancy, huh?

so fancy it hurts

 

[RichP]

"pro" machines are generally built on mature chipsets. Home machines are more currrent chips. Give it another 6 months and all of the business oriented machines will get new HD chipsets that have HDMI native.

That first batch of Lenovo tpads are over a year old and came equipped with HDMI.

 

[ericfx1984]

"pro" machines are generally built on mature chipsets. Home machines are more currrent chips. Give it another 6 months and all of the business oriented machines will get new HD chipsets that have HDMI native.

Pro is referring to the OS, it has nothing to do with the hardware... the reason MOST business machines do not have HDMI it because you just do not NEED HDMI to type a letter, use Excel or do a Powerpoint... HDMI expensive, and really geared toward the at home consumer... MOST projection setup in business situations are still using VGA... and for good reason... it is just fine for presentations

 

[RichP]

Pro is referring to the OS, it has nothing to do with the hardware... the reason MOST business machines do not have HDMI it because you just do not NEED HDMI to type a letter, use Excel or do a Powerpoint... HDMI expensive, and really geared toward the at home consumer... MOST projection setup in business situations are still using VGA... and for good reason... it is just fine for presentations

Presentations are old hat, when we start reviewing our web pages and web sites we do it on a 80" LG or now on a 100+ inch projection or comparing our stuff to others we want high quality LOL. I may end up actually building two new ones just for two of our conference rooms. Probably going to use a GIGABYTE GV-N84STC-512I Rev2.0 GeForce 8400 GS in an HP minitower, still researching.

 

[87manche]

Pro is referring to the OS, it has nothing to do with the hardware... the reason MOST business machines do not have HDMI it because you just do not NEED HDMI to type a letter, use Excel or do a Powerpoint... HDMI expensive, and really geared toward the at home consumer... MOST projection setup in business situations are still using VGA... and for good reason... it is just fine for presentations

yes I know this, hence the quotation marks.

but for the most part you can only buy a machine with a pro version on it from the business models and business models are generally built on more mature hardware.

yes you absolutely need HDMi anymore in the business world. All of the people giving presentations have discovered you can just hook it into a TV and it's way easier.
HDMI is no more expensive than VGA, and the connector is smaller, making board design easier. it's the same video signal as DVI and that's been around for ages, it's the audio that gives fits, in fact the HDMI audio switching in Windows 7 brings the massive suck.