Logitec Portable HDD with TV Output

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=684' target='_blank'>http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=684</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Logitec will release the "dvdjuke Pod", a portable HDD capable of TV output, in two specifications in early December. The 80GB "LAV-DJP80U2" will retail for 44,100 yen while the 40GB "LAV-DJP40U2"will retail for 32,970 yen. Supported operating systems are Windows 2000 (SP4 or later), Windows XP(SP1 or later) and Mac OSX 10.2.8 - 10.3.6. Multimedia files stored on the portable HDD can be displayed on a TV. Available TV connection interfaces are S-video, composite video and stereo audio. A combination optical/co-axial output provides support for Dolby Digital output. Using an optional cable (not included), 5.1 channel output is possible. Supported video formats are MPEG-1/2, DivX and XviD. Audio files that can be played back include MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, AC3 and OGG. JPEG image files are also supported and can be displayed as a slideshow. In addition, DVD-Video image files (ISO format) can also be played back. Normal DVD operations such as menu use and chapter changes are possible with the included remote control. The portable HDD connects to a PC via USB2.0. Supported HDD formats are NTFS, Mac OS Extended and FAT 32. Power is supplied by bus power with auxiliary power provided by an included split USB cable if necessary. For TV output, an included AC adapter is used."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/dvdjuke.jpg" /> <br /><br />Has anyone started making soft copies of their DVDs yet and if so what format are you using?

[Felix Torres]

I'm still experimenting, so far.
I'm leaning towards windows media video 9 at something in the 512-768Kpbs video-128/192Kbps audio range.
That produces dvd-quality audio and video at under 1GB per movie.
I probably won't settle on a final format til next spring; still need to research what the XBOX extender can display properly.
With my 200 Gb drive as a target for storing the stuff, I don't need compression so bulky files are fine; I might go as high as 2Mps to reduce cpu load...

I *am* very interested to hear what rates other folks are using...

[Ploobers]

I'm planning to start and I was thinking about just going with the dvd iso. What are the cons of that other than large filesize?

[James Fee]

I'm still experimenting, so far.
I'm leaning towards windows media video 9 at something in the 512-768Kpbs video-128/192Kbps audio range.
That produces dvd-quality audio and video at under 1GB per movie.
I'm getting ready to start doing this myself, but I'm torn between WMV9 and DivX. I might test some this week and see which one works better for the movies I enjoy and then run with it.

On the other hand, I expect to own a MCE solution in the next year so maybe WMV is the best bet for the future.

[Felix Torres]

I'm still experimenting, so far.
I'm leaning towards windows media video 9 at something in the 512-768Kpbs video-128/192Kbps audio range.
That produces dvd-quality audio and video at under 1GB per movie.
I'm getting ready to start doing this myself, but I'm torn between WMV9 and DivX. I might test some this week and see which one works better for the movies I enjoy and then run with it.

On the other hand, I expect to own a MCE solution in the next year so maybe WMV is the best bet for the future.

It comes down to the standalone players, I think.
WMV has the advantage of native assured support on MCEs and their extenders, plus laptops, tablets and pocket PCs.
Plus dedicated decoder chips instead of software-based solutions.

I'm keeping an eye out for WMV-capable dvd players like the Bravo D3 (if it ever materializes out of the vapor) and the promised Panasonic HiMat 2 units before committing much time to archiving my disks.

[klinux]

Divx at around 1 MB for video and AC3 for audio.

This roughly produces a file that is ~1.2-1.4GB, which means I can split onto 2 CDRs which is playable on a DivX DVD player/

[tvharmony]

I actually like XVID which is an open source version of DivX to store DVDs on a server. I also use Gordian Knot which will install a set of tools and gives an "easier" way of getting from DVD to avi file. It still takes some time to do the conversion, though.

Will
TVHarmony.com