hx4700 no good for video

[timmer]

I have read several reviews on the upcoming hx4700 and they certainly all agree on one thing. This unit isnt for video watching. They all say that although the screen is large and has good colour, it is not as bright as the older Ipaqs and seems dim. So dark scenes in video are unwatchable.

Fingers crossed that the Asus A730 does better with video watching...

[marjon]

I have read several reviews on the upcoming hx4700

Any chance of posting the urls of the sites that contain the reviews you have read as the only mention (sorry I cannot rember the site) I have seen of the screen quality of the 4700 stated that it was very bright and clear and a big improvement over the curent Ipaqs.

marjon

[Deus]

I can't remember where but I also have something mentioned about screen quality. I am waiting to see for myself. I will be bringing an sd card with a movie with me when I go to look at the device the first time.

If this is true it could be a damaging blow to its popularity!

[AMelis]

If this is true it could be a damaging blow to its popularity!No necessarily. There are those of us who are power users, have never seen a video on the PDA and see no reason why! YMMV.

[Deus]

If this is true it could be a damaging blow to its popularity!No necessarily. There are those of us who are power users, have never seen a video on the PDA and see no reason why! YMMV.


But power users are not the only users. Power users may still be interested but people who also desire multimedia will not. So this device will loose the people interested in multimedia. This is a blow. I am not saying no one will want this device if the screen is not good for multimedia but certainly enough to make a difference.

[Stake]

I've seen this on the Cnet review but it stated that since this was preproduction unit, the video drivers weren't finalized. It resulted in lower frame rates. It did have pictures of a video clip (The Matrix) playing in PocketTV hitting around 24fps. What resolution was it? I couldn't tell you. However, the last time I checked it, this comment of the preview was removed. I'm hoping that the video playback is top notch, otherwise, it's a big let down.

[timmer]

Cant remember all the links. One was PCMag who said the screen was too dark for watching videos decently.

There were a couple of others that said the screen wasnt up to much. I'll have to try and find them again.

HP do seem to have a problem with their screens - yellow tint and all.

However, from what I've read the rx3715 (or whatever the model number is) seems to have a great screen for watching video on. Shame its only QVGA.

Also from what I've read from numerous previews/reviews the Asus A730 seems to have a gorgeous screen - this is certainly the model I'm leaning towards after the pathetic screen on my 4150.

[The PocketTV Team]

Please read this thread that explains why video performances with the new VGA devices can be less than expected:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30934

Also, keep in mind that PocketTV and Betaplayer have not yet been optimized to take advantage of WMMX. And it's probably also the case of WMP.

[Jereboam]

If you have not seen Toshiba e800, you will be amazed not only by the design but also by a wonderful 4-inch display. Regular readers of pdagold may remember that lately, I have not been very positive about displays in new iPAQs. If THIS is where the development is heading to, all the better. The display seems huge in comparison with usual PocketPCs. Measured with a ruler, the diagonal is just half an inch longer, but it makes a big difference. The resolution being twice finer than usual, the pixel density must be significantly higher. It means that it is extremely fine and smooth and I do not exaggerate when I use superlatives. Last but not least, the iPAQ offers automatic backlight adjustment based on lighting conditions. Also, the display is very bright and highly contrastive, with rich colours. I know, it may sound suspicious, but it is really superb:)

I tried playing a video clip, although not optimised for VGA, and it was perfect. By the way, I have never seen such bright colours in a Shrek 2 trailer on a PDA.

From PDAgold's 60 minutes with a 4700...how does this fit with the theory?

J'bm

[picard]

I tried playing a video clip, although not optimised for VGA, and it was perfect.
From PDAgold's 60 minutes with a 4700...how does this fit with the theory?
the question is what does "not optimized for VGA" mean. in my understanding the reviewer tested an already encoded QVGA sized trailer (he had little time) and because Windows Media Player can't scale the movies, it was showed in only 1/4 part of the screen. so this test doesn't prove anything (except that WMP should have been improved for VGA devices). still the new VGA devices are fast for video playback and video players will be optimized for them.