DivX / DVD Player & AC3 Compatibility

[M:KeE]

I am thinking of purchasing a DivX / DVD player but I have a couple of questions I need answering before deciding on a specific make / model!!!

1. If a film is encoded in DivX but the audio is in AC3 does the DivX / DVD player have to specify that it supports AC3 audio to be able to hear sound? I am assuming, as with a PC, that it would need to have the AC3 codecs in the DivX player to support the audio?

2. If a DivX / DVD player says it supports MPEG4 films does it also need to specify that it supports DivX / xVID etc etc?

Also, any recommendations for which DivX / DVD player to buy would be useful. I am ideally looking for a machine that is multi region and will play just about any type of CD / DVD / DivX / xVID including support for AC3 and JPEG. Not too many criteria there

Any help much appreciated!!!

[jistintime]

In answering your 1st question I would'nt worry about the player specifying which sound it supports.I can tell you that the audio on my divX player plays all my DivX movies flawlessly,which is AC3 sound.
2nd question,MPEG4 IS DivX.If your buying a machine that supports DivX I'm sure it supports xVID also.
If you're looking for a good player check out this one www.whiningdog.net/Reviews/Gadgets/Video/20030903-LiteonLVD2001/ you wont be sorry,I'm very happy with it.It plays everything I throw at it including JPG support.Very affordable too.
Also check out www.cdrlabs.com/articles/index.php?articleid=24&page=2

[RabidDog]

I would however check that it will play what you specifically require. mpeg4 refers in general to xvid,divx and mov. Most players WONT play mov files, not something 99% of people worry about.

[jolo]

jistintime,

Excellent link on the review.

A question is, it appears that the Liteon 2001 supports vidoes, etc burnt on DVD-R or DVD-RW, but I do not see it being able to support DVD+R or DVD+RW ?

Will it not play those formats ?

Jon

Also, the 2002 looks like it is more limited than the 2001, where Liteon will be doing more to support RIAA and MIAA standards and support Macrovision and not allow for breaking of region codes. I didn't see anything positive about it compared to the 2001 on the Liteon web site.

Jon

[ps2wiz]

jolo, it can read anything, including dvd+r and dvd+rw. Because it doesnt have a prepriatry dvd drive. It has lite-on's 163 DVD-ROM drive, which is a pc drive basically. You can even take it out and put it into your PC if you desire.

[jolo]

Well it is not the easiest to find out there. But my favorite store to buy hardware from has it for $147 with FRE SHIPPING, New Egg.


It sounds remarkable, like many of the Liteon products.

[M:KeE]

Thanks all for your replies they have given me some more things to think about!!!

I still get the feeling though that there needs to be some kind of Dolby Digital (AC3) Decoding on the DivX player to enable it to play the AC3 Audio Stream even if this is on a DivX film!!!!

I say this because I sent Scan Computers (a respectable UK company) an email regarding their new Scan Ellion 520C DivX / DVD player (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=80132) with this same query and they advised that it would not support AC3 but the Kiss range of DivX players would. Now the only difference I can see between the Kiss range of DivX players and Scan is that Kiss say their players have "Dolby Digital / MPEG Audio Decoding"!?!?!?!?!?!?

Any more info from anyone out there that can lay this demon to rest would be massively appreciated. I need to make a decision soon as I am itching to buy a new toy to play with 8)

[Brant]

The Kiss player uses the same hardware as the liteon dvd player. I have played divxs with ac3 on my liteon lvd-2001, however I don't know it it will play 5.1 because i dont have the speakers.

[coutch]

First .. MPEG4 is not DivX .. DivX is MPEG4, XviD is MPEG4, latest quicktime is MPEG4 ....

I used Dr Divx for a while, but some movies were out of sync, and the new 5.1 codec is just too slow (even in "standard" setting).

I have the KISS DP-500, I use Gordian Knot to encode in XVID, and I don't encode every movie with AC3 ... for a movie like LoTR, sure ...

My player handles AC3 the same way it does it for a DVD ... if you output through digital output (COAX or Optical) to a Dolby Digital receiver, the AC3 stream is passed as is and the receiver decodes the stream into 5.1 channels ... If you output through RCA stereo output, the player decodes it internally into a 2 ch stereo analog signal. All just like it does for DVD.

hope that helps.

[RabidDog]

from the elion website (makers of the scan)

The DVX-520A is fully compatible with latest versions of
dvix video technology. In addition to MPEG4 compatibility, the

Do they really know what they are talking about?

[aybesea]

I've got a Liteon LVD-2001 and have absolutely no troubles with DIVX/XVID with AC3 soundtracks. Also no problems with MP3 soundtracks. However, DIVX 3.11 will give you heartburn... convert those to DIVX 5.05 and troubles vanish!

This DVD player is one of the greatest purchases I've ever made.