Cheap DiVX player

[tek-monkey]

Well, cheap for what it does anyway. DVD based DiVX player with upscaling to 1080p, every input you can shake a stick at and will play directly from a USB device. Hook it up to a portable HD (120Gb max, and self powered only I'd guess), and you have a full blown media center. Get it here for £30.

Full spec, although sizes are wrong - this thing is tiny:

Playability:

* DVD - DVD+/-R
* DVD+/-RW
* CD R - CD RW
* CD AUDIO/VIDEO
* JPEG
* HDCD
* SVCD
* Kodak Picture
* Divx 4.0, 5.0, 6.0
* XVID
* MP3
* MPEG-4

Output Connections:

* HDMI Digital Audio/video
* Component-video (P-Scan / Interlaced )
* SCART
* S-Video
* Composite-video (CVBS) RCA
* Audio L/R RCA
* Optical SPDIF digital audio
* Coaxial SPDIF digital audio

Input Connections:

* USB 2.0
* Memory –card slot (SD-MMC-MS)

Audio:

* PCM, Dolby digital (AC3)

OSD

* Languages - English;Italian;German;French;Spanish;

Other Specifications:

* 4:3 / 16:9 Video format
* PAL/NTSC video Standard
* Multi-language menu
* Dolby Digital AC3
* 3 level zoom
* Multi-angle function
* Repeat function
* 16X fast forward
* length 340mm
* width 270mm
* height 90mm

 

[db]

and if you want to know what it's like, why not ask wookie, as this looks like exactly the one i recommended to him in this thread

 

[tek-monkey]

It is indeed that one! So come on wookie, whats it like?

 

[Astro Boy]

looks ideal to moi

 

[Wookie]

Don't know, haven't bought one yet; wrong end of the month really Out of stock now I'll wait a couple of weeks for them to restock and then I'll buy one from Maplin for £50.

Although according to old faithful SVP (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=5129&ref=froogle&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=44184):
"Added features of the Phoenix player includes a built-in SD/MS/MMC memory card slot, meaning you can display pictures (not video) stored on your card straight onto your TV via the Phoenix. It also houses a USB2.0 slot so you can transfer and display image files from stored on a USB pen drive onto your TV."

(My emphasis.)

I think I need to ask Maplin's resident 16yo video head some techy questions...

** EDIT: The SVP bit.

 

[tek-monkey]

Comments on ebuyer indicate divx from USB without issue, but as they're out of stock its a moot point!

 

[Wookie]

Have found it elsewhere, but can't buy it now as am at work Will buy it later and then post the link.

 

[Wookie]

Well, SVP got them back in stock and I bought one.
Then I discovered the delivered via CityLink.
I don't have very good experiences with CityLink...

ATM, the tracking page says:

15:44 Monday, September 1, 2008 On route to delivery branch
04:11 Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Arrived at Delivery Branch
08:27 Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Goods loaded onto a van

Who wants to bet me it's going to arrive some time in the next 2 hours before I get kicked out of the office?

 

[db]

Well, SVP got them back in stock and I bought one.
Then I discovered the delivered via CityLink.
I don't have very good experiences with CityLink...

ATM, the tracking page says:

15:44 Monday, September 1, 2008 On route to delivery branch
04:11 Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Arrived at Delivery Branch
08:27 Tuesday, September 2, 2008 Goods loaded onto a van

Who wants to bet me it's going to arrive some time in the next 2 hours before I get kicked out of the office?

i've never really had a problem with shitty stink - er, city link - but in my experience their manifests do tend to follow trends.. so if they have delivered to your address late in the day in the past, they almost certainly will again with subsequent deliveries..

saying that, deliveries usually take place in the morning, freeing up space for afternoon collections.. we used to use city link as our primary courier at my old employer, and generally speaking if your delivery doesn't turn up by 15:00, it's not going to turn up at all that day!

 

[Wookie]

Bum.
Mind you, I'd rather hang about for half an hour than have to go to the depot to pick it up. It's in West Bromwich.
Thought: is "Goods loaded onto a van" synonymous with "Goods will be delivered today"? Inquiring minds want to know...

**EDIT** Depot's not in Walsall, it's in West Bromwich. Bugger.

 

[tek-monkey]

Eh? City Link usually use Stoke as the depot, never had one from Walsall? Also I was looking last night at svp and they were out of stock still? Very tempted to buy one for the GF, stick a 4Gb USB stick in it and leave a load of music on it.

Wonder if this could handle a USB hub?

EDIT: Oh yeah, also with CL expect interesting things like it saying the delivery was 2 hours earlier than it really was, that they carded you but didn't, etc.

 

[Wookie]

Eh? City Link usually use Stoke as the depot, never had one from Walsall?

Sorry, should have said; it's coming to my work in Cannock, we have a Goods Inwards department whom I trust more than my flatmate to write "Goods Not Inspected" on the delivery paperwork.

Also I was looking last night at svp and they were out of stock still? Very tempted to buy one for the GF, stick a 4Gb USB stick in it and leave a load of music on it.

Wonder if this could handle a USB hub?

Looks like I got one of the last ones? re: the hub; didn't think of that. I might disconnect the one that I use to plug lots of game controllers into my PC and give it a go...
If it ever turns up, of course.

EDIT: Oh yeah, also with CL expect interesting things like it saying the delivery was 2 hours earlier than it really was, that they carded you but didn't, etc.

I'm fully prepared to phone them and give them hell if that happens.

 

[tek-monkey]

Well let me know what its like when i turns up please. Am very interested in using this as a media centre, would be interested to know of any limitations you spot though (i.e. max USB stick / HD size). I believe it only shows 8 chars of file/directory names, which is a bit of a git, but as long as you know in advance I suppose you can name files accordingly.

 

[Wookie]

It's arrived. Full report when I get it home, plug it in and have a go...

 

[tek-monkey]

Nice one, I look forward to your report!

 

[tek-monkey]

So, any joy?

 

[Wookie]

Blimey, give me a chance, tek; I do have a day job, you know

First impressions review; I haven't played with it much.

Right. Got it home, attacked the box with a penknife and found inside:

* A DVD player. I'll come back to this.
* A remote control. A bit light and a bit plasticky, but such things often are. It's given a bit of heft when you add the AAA batteries though. All the buttons are more or less the same size, which can be a problem if you're hunting round the player for a particular button, but I'm sure that after a week or two I'll know my way around it. Worst case scenario: I buy an All-In-One.
* 2 AAA batteries for above. Acme, so I've no idea how long they'll last.
* A SCART cable. Didn't expect this at all.
* Red, white and yellow cables. Audio/video?
* Instruction manual. Well written, but you can see the Japlish influence. Still, unless you're a total n00b and/or a total moron, you should be able to work out what's what.

The Player
First thing that struck me was its size. This thing's *tiny*. Measurements are in Tek-monkey's original post; click here to read it. (Watch out for infinite loops... ) The front has play, stop, pause, forward and back buttons for when you can't find the remote, and an orange display that looks like something that was rejected from a design for a car stereo because it looks too 1980s. It doesn't have many numbers, either; it looked like a MM:SS display. But I haven't had a chance to play anything longer than an hour yet.
It played a DVD of Divx files without complaint. One little niggle is that if you turn it on with no disc but a USB device, it sits and flashes "No disc"; it doesn't seem programmed to check the USB slot. You have to push a button to select the USB inputs. A minor niggle, but it shouldn't be there IMO.
The interface is strikingly similar to the Bush DVD/Divx player I'm upgrading from. It does truncate file names, but at 15 characters instead of 8, and it allows a directory structure so you can have all your files in folders, which helps.
There's lots of interesting bits round the back, but all I care about is the SCART socket. I'll list what's there when I get home, if anyone's interested.

+s:
Tiny.
Comes with everything in the box, if you connect to the telly via SCART.

-s:
Bad device checking.

That's about it for the moment. Anyone got any specific questions?

**EDIT: Typo. Why do you never notice them until after you click Submit?

 

[tek-monkey]

Blimey, give me a chance, tek; I do have a day job, you know

What kind of excuse is that?!?!?

Anyway, ta for that. Noticed the display looked a bit gash, shame really. I'd have paid a quid more for a nice blue LED one How does it say no disk in 4 char spaces?

Main things for me are:

File truncating - 15 chars is fine (8 would have sucked a bit)
USB - Max size and speed of playing movies

From what I've heard it should be fine though. I have a 250Gb HD sat on my desk at home, so may buy one and try that in it.

 

[Wookie]

How does it say no disk in 4 char spaces?

Through the telly.
I didn't really test this. I didn't play anything to the >1hr stage, so it may have a longer display than it looked.

There's stories of it not reading USB devices formatted to >120Gb. http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701545&page=2

By the sound of it, you might be better with an Xbox, a modchip, Xebian and a length of Cat-5, tek.

 

[db]

How does it say no disk in 4 char spaces?

Through the telly.
I didn't really test this. I didn't play anything to the >1hr stage, so it may have a longer display than it looked.

There's stories of it not reading USB devices formatted to >120Gb. http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701545&page=2

By the sound of it, you might be better with an Xbox, a modchip, Xebian and a length of Cat-5, tek.

i've got a modded xbox that i used as a media centre for years.. it's hands down the best media centre i've ever used; the only reason i don't use it any more is because i'm a ponce who insists on HD these days..

if you want it you're welcome to have it for mates' rates.. it's hardware chipped, not soft-modded, so you can literally do anything with it..