Portable media players

[ben_gb]

Hi,

I travel a lot, and I would like to take some of my Sage recordings with me on a portable platform. At the moment I use my laptop, but this is too bulky and battery life isn't very good.

One of the key things is that I do NOT want to have to convert recordings from their original Sage files (which would be either MPEG-2 as recorded by Hauppauge, or DVB-T MPEG-2 files recorded off a Terratec card). But I also don't want to have to reduce the quality of the original Sage recording settings. I also would like Xvid or DIVX playback compatibility.

Does anyone have any have any suggestions of portable media players which can handle these types of files?

The Archos AV500 and AV700 both look good (and have a 100GB disk option), but they only handle MPEG-4.

The Creative Zen Vision looks good in terms of file compatibility, but the disk is only 30GB, and from someone else's comments about the Vision:M, it may have problems with files that are not recorded in exactly the right resolution.

Also, I wonder if these players are all capable of playing back files of over 2GB and/or with long filenames?

I suppose an option could be to get one of the new UMPCs, such as the Samsumg Q1 or the TabletKiosk when they come out, as presumably they will be as configurable and flexible as Windows in terms of what files they support. However, the battery life and overall size don't seem to be great.

Does anyone have any experience of the players I've mentioned, or know of any other players that will be worth looking at?

Thanks for any comments.

Regards,
Ben

[Mikeydog]

I just purchased a Archos AV500 and it is very cool. I cannot however get it to convert any files that have been made via SAGETV. When I use the archos included software (MPG4 Translator, and VirtualDub), I get an error message saying can't read MPEG2 format..

The Archos does play DIVX and WMV

[phenixdragon]

Nothing but good reviews (and some sites gave higher rating then any iPod ever) for the Toshiba Gigabeat S. I beleive also they have a device coming out that is more like the Zen Vision and other devices of that size. But the Gigabeat S looks very promissing and I am thinking of picking one up here shortly but my Treo 700w works better for me right now. One less device to carry around and personally for me a cell phone is for music and starting on with video.

[oddjob]

Originally Posted by Mikeydog

I just purchased a Archos AV500 and it is very cool. I cannot however get it to convert any files that have been made via SAGETV. When I use the archos included software (MPG4 Translator, and VirtualDub), I get an error message saying can't read MPEG2 format..

The Archos does play DIVX and WMV

I was able to convert my sagetv files to dvix with these products.
Diversified Multimedia - video vault
intervideo's DVD copy 3

P.S I like my archos, but their software development is lagging.

[Mikeydog]

Yeah that Archos AV500 rules. It is very cool. And you can't beat 100gb harddrive.. I Figured out, the best way to record mpeg from sage is to use DivX Converter.. You just drag and drop into the util and it does it all for your. Looks great on the Archos, takes a 2gb 1hour long show and compresses it down to around 500mb on the Home Theater setting..

Thanks
mike

[ben_gb]

Originally Posted by Mikeydog

Yeah that Archos AV500 rules. It is very cool. And you can't beat 100gb harddrive.. I Figured out, the best way to record mpeg from sage is to use DivX Converter.. You just drag and drop into the util and it does it all for your. Looks great on the Archos, takes a 2gb 1hour long show and compresses it down to around 500mb on the Home Theater setting..

Thanks
mike

Yes, I like the look of the Archos, but having to convert to DIVX doesn't work for me as I don't have the time to spare before I travel. Seems silly that they don't build in support for the widest range of different file types - such as MPEG.

[cmaffia]

My Palm Tungsten C works PUUURFECT

1. Shrink my recordings using AutoGordianKnot.

2. Copy to my SD Card (can fit about 3 to 4 full length movies on a 512K card)

3. Playback using the free TCPMP Multimedia Player is Flawless.

[naln]

Originally Posted by ben_gb

Yes, I like the look of the Archos, but having to convert to DIVX doesn't work for me as I don't have the time to spare before I travel. Seems silly that they don't build in support for the widest range of different file types - such as MPEG.

Maybe direct mpeg4/divX/avi capture using the plextor USB tuners is something you can consider.

[Deadbolt]

Originally Posted by naln

Maybe direct mpeg4/divX/avi capture using the plextor USB tuners is something you can consider.

The original post requested MPEG2 support....which players support MPEG2. I understand many people convert to X, Y, and/or Z and love it...but I too am interested in MPEG2 support. Which ones have people used and liked?

[naln]

I guess I understood the first post to mean also that 'non-conversion' of formats may be prefr'd- but I guess the interest is in portable media players and the supported formats.

Maybe off the topic - but there are some new portable DVD players that can play DivX and mpeg formats.

But in terms of portability compared to a HD based device, I doubt if burning a disc each time is any better in terms of ease of use, not to mention the additional bulk that needs to be carried around.

[Deadbolt]

Originally Posted by naln

I guess I understood the first post to mean also that 'non-conversion' of formats may be prefr'd- but I guess the interest is in portable media players and the supported formats.

Maybe off the topic - but there are some new portable DVD players that can play DivX and mpeg formats.

But in terms of portability compared to a HD based device, I doubt if burning a disc each time is any better in terms of ease of use, not to mention the additional bulk that needs to be carried around.

I just wonder why the makers of some of the great players with 60-100GB drives that can play DivX, WMF, MPEG4, etc don't add good old MPEG2. They have plenty of drive space...nice screens...great battery life...I imagine it takes more system to play DivX than MPEG2 so why not include it?

[cmaffia]

Just got the AV700 40GB.
The Archos tech support technician just happend to be a SageTV Linux user and suggested I use PocketDivX Encoder. Do a google on it. It worked great and resolved the out of synch audio issue I had! :-)
Very Very cool device. Wish I could afford the 100GB version!

EDIT: Here is the Link http://divx.ppccool.com/
When you start the program choose Archos as the media player type and drill down to your model.
This software is free as well!

EDIT: Some more comments on this device. Had it for 3 days now. This thing ROCKS. The quality of video using TV-Out is almost equal to the MediaMVP extender. Ripped DVD's look amazing as well. I used the Archos today for the first time with the full sized remote control. I can see myself really enjoying this in a hotel room. Anyone who says why pay so much for this device when you can buy a laptop is just plain off the mark! Definitely has the feel of a PVR once you get the remote in your hands. 40GB is a descent size but if you can afford the 100GB... BUY IT!

Originally Posted by Mikeydog

I just purchased a Archos AV500 and it is very cool. I cannot however get it to convert any files that have been made via SAGETV. When I use the archos included software (MPG4 Translator, and VirtualDub), I get an error message saying can't read MPEG2 format..

The Archos does play DIVX and WMV