You have probably heard me whining about how a DVD looses 90% of the pixels in my digital stills on the way to the high definition TV monitor (because of the limitations of bitrate and framesize in current DVD technology). I have also wanted a whole lot more storage on a disk.
I’ve been looking for a product like this for several years. I finally found the TViX, (http://www.tvixusa.com/), which fits that definition. It is a box about 5” by 7”by 3” with a hard disk that you can load all your DVDs, audio files, video files, etc. and carry around to play on any TV set or sound system. The disk can store mpg, wmf, divx, AVI, VOB, and jpeg image files. It is like a “Video IPOD.”
It has a Component Video interface to connect to a High Definition TV monitor (or S-video for regular TV set), and It has a USB2/ Firewire port to connect to a PC. It is able to play video, music, and jpeg files and drive the output at 1080x1920 interlaced , or 720 or 480 progressive or interlaced.
The USB connection is used to download files from the computer. For example, one could capture high definition video with, for example, the Fusion card in the PC, transfer to the TviX disk, and playback on the high definition monitor. One could also download jpeg files in high resolution and display them using the full resolution of a high definition TV monitor.
Moreover, when we can afford one of the new high definition camcorders (2-5 years) and Ulead gives us 1920x1080 frame sizes with 25 Mbps bitrates, we will all be able to edit and display our own high definition home videos, fully integrated with still pictures.
TviX is one of a fairly new class devices are known as Portable Media Devices that are constructed from easily available “commodity” components such as hard disks and memory devices. IMHO, they will blow the socks off the Blue Ray DVD technology that has been way too pokey in getting to the marketplace…
Available at www.amazon.com, www.jetaudio.com, www.copperbox.com, www.rimax.com, for about $400 with a 300GB disk or $180 and you can add you own hard drive. Uses IDE/ATA interface.
Fatter, Faster, “DVD” with Much Better Resolution.
Moderator: Ken Berry
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maddrummer3301
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- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:24 pm
- Location: US
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jchunter
MD,
I read several reviews of the NVidia GeForce 6600 GT and it is impressive but unfortunately, requires that I attach my the computer to my HDTV set. This is a non-starter, as far as my wife is concerned...
The TViX is completely different. It is small and self-contained and can sit next to my high def satellite receiver. It carries my video files, Mpeg2 or ISO, in 720 x 480 as well as 1920 x 1080 or my digital photos in their full resolution. I can carry it around like a DVD and plug it in to any TV set.
John
I read several reviews of the NVidia GeForce 6600 GT and it is impressive but unfortunately, requires that I attach my the computer to my HDTV set. This is a non-starter, as far as my wife is concerned...
The TViX is completely different. It is small and self-contained and can sit next to my high def satellite receiver. It carries my video files, Mpeg2 or ISO, in 720 x 480 as well as 1920 x 1080 or my digital photos in their full resolution. I can carry it around like a DVD and plug it in to any TV set.
John
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maddrummer3301
- Posts: 2507
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:24 pm
- Location: US
>This is a non-starter, as far as my wife is concerned
That is a common feeling among most men and woman.
I constructed a multi-media/recreation room. Many people are
turning to this method due to the size of a large screen tv overwhelms
a standard living room/family room. Not to even mention the audio system
and additional gadgets..
That video card really works nice as an upconverter and has real-time
controls for extra digital vibrance and clarity.
I was looking at the D-VHS method for recording HD material. This box
you have would work better because you can connect it to the
computer and transfer/save material.
So with that box one can take a dv.avi file and upconvert it to mpg2 HD
specs, transfer it to the box and play it. Nice invention, solves many
problems and keeps things simple.
MD
That is a common feeling among most men and woman.
I constructed a multi-media/recreation room. Many people are
turning to this method due to the size of a large screen tv overwhelms
a standard living room/family room. Not to even mention the audio system
and additional gadgets..
That video card really works nice as an upconverter and has real-time
controls for extra digital vibrance and clarity.
I was looking at the D-VHS method for recording HD material. This box
you have would work better because you can connect it to the
computer and transfer/save material.
So with that box one can take a dv.avi file and upconvert it to mpg2 HD
specs, transfer it to the box and play it. Nice invention, solves many
problems and keeps things simple.
MD
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jchunter
MD,
Our 60" projection HDTV was almost a non starter because it was so huge. So I built an enclosure around it, floor to ceiling, with niches, sheves, and smoked glass doors to hide the equipment. This made the large box shrink visually and the whole effect is now quite attractive. However, adding a computer to the mix would be a considerable challange.
There are other concerns that bother me, such as Microsoft software crashing in the middle of a movie, or some XP utility deciding it just has to do some scheduled maintenance, that throws a load on the CPU that prevents it from displaying properly. This makes me think that a general purpose operating system just can't cut it.
All in all, I think a computer is necessary to control the operation but it has to be dedicated to the task of managing and displaying video, sound, and images with complete reliability. Moreover, it has to be largely invisible. Most of all, it has to be easy to use by people who are not only not computer hackers - but are by and large, computer illiterate.
Even the multitude of remote controls that we already have are cause for frequent distress...
John
Our 60" projection HDTV was almost a non starter because it was so huge. So I built an enclosure around it, floor to ceiling, with niches, sheves, and smoked glass doors to hide the equipment. This made the large box shrink visually and the whole effect is now quite attractive. However, adding a computer to the mix would be a considerable challange.
There are other concerns that bother me, such as Microsoft software crashing in the middle of a movie, or some XP utility deciding it just has to do some scheduled maintenance, that throws a load on the CPU that prevents it from displaying properly. This makes me think that a general purpose operating system just can't cut it.
All in all, I think a computer is necessary to control the operation but it has to be dedicated to the task of managing and displaying video, sound, and images with complete reliability. Moreover, it has to be largely invisible. Most of all, it has to be easy to use by people who are not only not computer hackers - but are by and large, computer illiterate.
Even the multitude of remote controls that we already have are cause for frequent distress...
John