LiteOn LVD-2002 DivX/MPEG-4/DVD Player

[Hideous_Hog]

I joined the club yesterday, buying it (2002) as a Xmas present for the wife. Playing around with it, it played almost all the .avi files I tried. I got mine at pcgoodies.

Questions:

1. Has anybody tried the beta 2001 firmware on the 2002?

2. I have some movies that exceed the 700M file size limit for CDR's. My burner (lite-on 24/10/40) supports overburning to over 90 minutes with the special media. Can this media be read by the DVD player?

3. Fast forwarding an .avi file only goes in 1.5 minute chunks that seem to take forever. Is there a better way?

TIA

RJL

[Roundabout]

Questions:

1. Has anybody tried the beta 2001 firmware on the 2002?

2. I have some movies that exceed the 700M file size limit for CDR's. My burner (lite-on 24/10/40) supports overburning to over 90 minutes with the special media. Can this media be read by the DVD player?

3. Fast forwarding an .avi file only goes in 1.5 minute chunks that seem to take forever. Is there a better way?

I don't think anyone is brave enough to try the F/W for the 2001 on their 2002 - I'll wait until it has a full version available, I think the 2001 users commmented that there were problems with this beta. See the post in this forum about the 0301 beta and read some comments like the one below:

but i have read about the many problems the 0301beta brings. For example:

- Xvid on 90 minute cd's not playable anymore (where it does with 0229)
- Some Xvid's freeze up.
- Divx 3.11 runs worse with firmware 0301beta , where 0229 runs fine.
- Cannot flash back to older firmware.

So LiteOn had the F/W available as a beta test but removed it for some reason, most likely because of the issues with it.

Good question about the special media - some discs can be up to 99 min. I think, and I believe that it should be able to play it. Otherwise, what would be the point of having media that would only play with certain software or players? Anyone that's tried this, let us know. I'm not 100% sure on this one.

FF on AVI's in approx. 1 min. chunks is the best they can do for now. I think the original F/W for the 2001 didn't even have that feature, IIRC. You can, however, do a time search to go to a certain spot on the disc, so you don't have to press FF dozens of times to try and get where you've left off.

[ps2wiz]

There are no problems with the beta, it solves alot of problems but not as many.

[blackhawk208]

Just got my 2002 a few days ago as well.

I'm having problems playing mp3s cds. It wont allow me to play individual folders. When I load the cd it plays every mp3 regardless of the folder location, according to the individual filename (i.e., plays every mp3 starting with '1' first). Anyone else having this problem.

Also, first couple of days I would occasionally get a popping sound, and video and audio would go out for about a second or two. But that no longer seems to be an issue.

Thanks.

[Roundabout]

I'm having problems playing mp3s cds. It wont allow me to play individual folders. When I load the cd it plays every mp3 regardless of the folder location, according to the individual filename (i.e., plays every mp3 starting with '1' first). Anyone else having this problem.

Someone else commented about this in another thread:

Did a test with some MP3's in a few folders on a CD-RW, the LiteOn starts to play the first folder and the first MP3 in that folder. The sortorder is alpha numeric, make sure you rename each file in every folder with leading numbers (01-title.mp3, 02-title.mp3 etc.) the same goes for the folders. Have not yet tested what the LiteOn does with the MP3's in the root of the CD-RW.
While playing the folders, it's not possible to skip the songs or change folder. Only stopping playback makes this possible, but then the LiteOn only plays the selected file.

About the popping sound and audio and video going out, I'd be more worried about that, the unit could have defective electronics and could fail later. No one else has mentioned having a problem like that with their player, and it's never happened to mine. If it occurs again, consider taking it back (or sending it back) for an exchange. If it fails after being out of warranty later, you'll be out of luck.

[FulciLives]

Also, first couple of days I would occasionally get a popping sound, and video and audio would go out for about a second or two. But that no longer seems to be an issue.

It is not uncommon for some if not all electronics to have a "break-in" period. It is common amoung those that purchase high-end equipment to run it non-stop for anywhere from 48 hour to a week before "feeling" that it is "broken-in" and ready for general use and/or testing.

This is common amoung receivers and amps for instance.

So if it did it at first but now it is not ... I wouldn't worry about it.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Roundabout]

John,

That's why I said "if it occurs again" - it would be a signifigant problem that he should be concerned about.
When I worked at Sony, we replaced many, many units that had such intermittent problems, and the customer would complain if they even heard one popping sound come from their speaker, even if it was caused by something like line noise. They certainly wouldn't accept that some popping or clicking sounds were normal out of the box. I don't blame them, though, if you spend hundreds of dollars on something you don't want to think that there could be a issue that could cause trouble later. They virtually all demanded replacement of their unit, and sometimes these units would be sold as "B" stock merchandise, if the problem couldn't be replicated in the shop.

[MOCKBA]

so, anyone tested digital out for MP3 playback? It looks like MP3 playback capabilities of this device too limited, so I need to look for some other player. Regarding popping sound I do not think that's serious problem. HK had such problem for some early digital receiver, so it dropped reputation of this company. Apple iPod had popping sound as well, however Apple fixed it issuing a new firmware, so hopefully this problem can be fixed as well by firmware update.

[blackhawk208]

I'll try renaming files for MP3 playback. But I guess I'm short on the CDs I've burned over the past few years. No more signs of the popping noise; hopefully it was just a burn-in issue.

I knew about the limitations on Fast forwarding or rewinding divx files from reading this forum. But I was really disappointed to see that the same limitations applied to fast forwarding or rewinding raw mpg files (i.e., only in one minute increments).

Yet, all-in-all I'm pretty pleased with it --esp, video and sound quality-- for 100 bucks.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Phlex]

I bought a Liteon LVD 2002 last week after my not being able to find a LVD 2001 in the States. Any ways I really like this DVD player, much better build quality than my disoposable Apex 1100W (1 meg rom). Even when you pause your dvd and resume at a later time there's no hesitation or a brief pause before playing like on my Apex or even on my Liteon 163D DVD-Rom and my Liteon 811S DVD burner. This DVD player rocks! There's always room for improvement and that fact you can upgrade your firmware is an added benefit!

Since this model has the same hardware (Sigma 8500) as a LVD 2001, I hope Liteon will enable the 1080i upscaling in the future with a firmware upgrade, or better yet, put in the secret menu. We won't tell if you do.

All is not perfect in paradise, I did hear a loud pop sound through my speakers during a chapter change on one of my DVD's. I haven't been able to duplicate it again. Another annoying problem is when I play a letterbox (AR 2.35:1) format DVD's on my 4:3 TV. I see a grey bar right below the black bar, this should be all black, this only occurs on the top. It's an intermitten problem because the grey bar will sometimes switch back to the black bar and vice versa. I know others have reported this problem on a different thread on the LVD 2001. Hopefully, Liteon will fix this in the near future with a firmware upgrade. So far I m very pleased with the picture quality, it's price vs. performance value is excellent!

[Roundabout]

Since this model has the same hardware (Sigma 8500) as a LVD 2001, I hope Liteon will enable the 1080i upscaling in the future with a firmware upgrade, or better yet, put in the secret menu. We won't tell if you do.

Which secret menu are you talking about? This unit does have the Region Hack and Macro hack "secret menu", same as the 2001 - unless there's another one I'm not aware of...

[Msan]

8)

Well, after reading some of the latest posts, I have a few things to add:

1. My 2002 does play DVD backups I created with DVDxCopy.

2. I tried loading the beta firmware from the lvd-2001 model, but the player does not accept it.. it says "the firmware your using is newer then the one your trying to load" (btw, I tried to reflash with the current firmware as well and got the same message)
I just hope when the new firmware comes out it does actually allow you to load older firmware if you want.

[Kal250]

Quick Question for the 2002 owners -- I am currently using a Panasonic Progrssive Scan Player -- it has additonal video controls to tweak my picture for the big screen tv (its a little to dark for my tatse) anyhow the Panasonic lets me crank up the brightness and contrast, etc.. before going into the the Tv (which results in a nice picture, especially with the Progressive Scan) is there a similair feature in the Lite-on 2002?

Many thanx

[69Dartman]

there is brightness, chroma, and contrast in the 2001 so IF they use the same setup menues it should have it too.

[Roundabout]

Yes, you have these options in the video section of the GUI and you can change the following:

Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Letterbox, 4:3 Pan & Scan, 16:9

DVD parental level: 1~8, off

Change password: enter a 4 digit number

VCD PBC: Off / On

Brightness level: +4 to -4

Contrast level: +4 to -4

Saturation level (chroma): +4 to -4

[xcool]

Does it play RM or RMVB file?

[69Dartman]

My 2001 will not play RM files, who knows if it can be added or not. As far as I know both machines play the same types of files and the firmware is the same except for whatever they change to make it only work in one or the other, probably just the file name but who knows.

[Roundabout]

Does it play RM or RMVB file?

No, it doesn't play RM files, but it will play WMA. I don't know how much (or if) this is a priority as something to be added to the unit. I don't know if any other units similar to this one can play RM files, but likely not (correct me if I'm wrong). Also, they most likely would have to pay some kind of royalty (licensing fees) to Real Media to add this function, and they are upgrading the F/W at no charge to owners of the units, so they would lose money if they had to add something like this compatibility at no charge, while they have to pay for it. That's my guess anyway.

[Phlex]

Which secret menu are you talking about? This unit does have the Region Hack and Macro hack "secret menu", same as the 2001 - unless there's another one I'm not aware of...

From what I've read, Liteon removed the 720p and 1080i upscaling because of some legal issues on the LVD 2002. But since the 2001 and 2002 uses the same Sigma 8500 chip, it's possible that the upscaling could be supported on the 2002 by modifying the firmware. I am hoping maybe Liteon could add the upscaling support into the current secret menu but not advertise this feature on their webpage or product info.

Phlex

Happy New Year to all!

[Roundabout]

01/01/04 UPDATE:

PC Club has the LiteOn LVD-2002 for $99.99 again + Tax (if applicable) + Shipping with NO REBATE NECESSARY. This price is for units shipped to you, the in-store price may differ. Use the link below to check this out:

http://www.pcclub.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A1546968



Note that this unit is still available at www.mypcgoodies.com for $111.00 with free ground shipping, so if the shipping is more than $11.00 at PC Club it might be cheaper at this site.

Update: It is also available at www.newegg.com for $105.00 with free Fedex ground shipping (see below):



As the price keeps dropping, I'll keep looking for a better deal to post, these are the lowest prices that I know of as of today (01/01/04)

[Robert Simandl]

Kinda makes me wish I'd waited... especially since I forgot to mail in the rebate coupon til after it expired.

[Roundabout]

Kinda makes me wish I'd waited... especially since I forgot to mail in the rebate coupon til after it expired.

Exactly why they use rebates in the first place, hoping you'll forget to send it in or send it too late. That's why I always send it in within a day of buying the product, and I scan every receipt, UPC, and rebate form and keep it in a folder on my HDD called "rebates". Then I check it from time to time to make sure I get the rebate, if not, I call the 800 # and bitch. Gotta be organized

[Ravlen]

From what I've read, Liteon removed the 720p and 1080i upscaling because of some legal issues on the LVD 2002. But since the 2001 and 2002 uses the same Sigma 8500 chip, it's possible that the upscaling could be supported on the 2002 by modifying the firmware. I am hoping maybe Liteon could add the upscaling support into the current secret menu but not advertise this feature on their webpage or product info.

Phlex

Well, according to Liteon (can't remember where I read this) but the 2002 should accept the firmware for the 2001. So, we just need someone with a 2002 willing to try a 2001 firmware and see if they can select 1080i. Pretty simple test

Just don't use 301beta, just use something we know works (227 or 229)

Ravlen

[Rahulko]

I bought an LVD-2002 a couple of days ago, mainly with the intention of playing DVD-RAMs I have. I was very disappointed when the player refused to read the disks. It says "ISO Disk" and then shows a message "Cannot play current JPEG file." Has anyone tried playing DVD-RAMs successfully on this player?

Rahulko

[Roundabout]

I don't know much about the DVD-RAM format, but in the owner's manual it says the player supports this format.

"DVD-RAM discs written in the DVD VIDEO format and finalized"
That's on page 4 of the manual.

Do you know if your disc meet this spec?
What type of files are they (format, bitrate, etc)?

Do the same discs play on any other players?

[Rahulko]

Well, frankly I am not sure about the way in which the DVD-RAMs were produced, since I got them from my brother in law in Japan. In particular, I am not sure whether they are finalized. The disks do play in his player so it is probably not a matter with them being defective.

Another matter I just noticed today arises when playing CDs. I have been testing the player with all sorts of things, and noticed that some times the player stops and stalls for a few seconds, then continues, apparently at random times. This has occurred with more than one CD (all of which play well in my CD player). I wonder if I got a defective unit, or whether this is a software problem correctable via firmware updates, or whether this unit is as good as I thought...? Has anyone else noticed any of these issues?

Rahulko

[Roundabout]

Hmmm. As far as them being finalized, it could be that his player doesn't care if they are or not, but the LiteOn requires it in order to play them. However, when I've gotten that message "cannot play current jpeg file" (when it's not even a jpeg file, it's an avi!) I found that the file didn't meet the specs that this player can play (i.e., low bitrate audio, non-standard codec, etc). Any way you can check the specs on the files you have, codec, bitrate, etc?

The other problem you're having sounds worse, it should be able to play a CD without skipping. If the CD's have no scratches or fingerprints, and they are store-bought CD's, then you shouldn't have an issue with them. If it's skipping and pausing on that kind of CD, I think I'd consider exchanging the player for a new one. I don't think it's a firmware problem. The player ships with the latest firmware (0229) and there hasn't been any more updates since that one.

[Hideous_Hog]

Well, I have had this player for over a week, and the only negative thing I can say is that the older .avi files I have do not play well. It is fine for scenes with no action, but when there is a lot of action going on, the frames freeze, and the viewing is almost impossible. This may be a basic problem with the player hardware, or a problem with the .avi source. It would be nice if this can be fixed with a firmware update.

To summarize, if you have newer made .avi files, it is great. If you have a lot of older files, you will be disappointed.

RJL

[Roundabout]

Well, as discussed earlier, the unit will play older DivX files, like 3.11 - however, they won't work if the bitrate is too low. I have several in that codec, and about half will play and half won't. So, though it does support 3.11, it's only partial support. I still find quite a few things in that codec, and if they won't play I have to re-encode them to 5.1 with Dr.Divx.

[scrotus]

the only divx 3.11 file i have plays like crap in fast motion too. It's a known problem Hog.

Anyone else notice on the 2001 that sometimes when you turn the power off, the disc will continue to spin for a very long time? You can hear it spinning at top speed and for no reason.

Roundy,

What's this about DR. Divx? I tried using virtualdub to re-encode this 3.11 file but I always get failures. Never errors on the same frame. Is DR. Divx better than say Vdub or TMP?