Need recommendation for portable device.

[therock003]

I'm only interested for playing back videos.

Things i'm looking for.

Screen 7" and greater
xvid/divx/avc playback
.srt vobsub support
usb compatibilllity for use of external 2.5" drives and thumb drives.

The closest i got is archos 7 but there's no vobsub support and no usb compatibillity. What else is out there?

[seven1970]

I have an Archos 605 which I like a lot.
Its simple to load(cut and paste), works well and looks good.
It is close, as you said, maybe you will have to wait.

[DereX888]

screen 7'' or greater?

get a small notebook (again: notebook, not some castrated "web-browser-in-a-box" aka netbook)

[therock003]

there are no small notebooks, except vaiowhich is expensive as hell.

Then again even netbooks lack battery time, which is why i'm looking for a pmp.

Maybe i will have to wait for archos 7 or something greater.

[DereX888]

there are no small notebooks, except vaiowhich is expensive as hell.

Then again even netbooks lack battery time, which is why i'm looking for a pmp.

Maybe i will have to wait for archos 7 or something greater.

Well yes, if you've check at your local Walmart or such then sure you won't find anything small and affordable, they're all are polluted with S*ny crap mostly or only.

I had my first 8'' this notebook [s:e997a5d13e] few [/s:e997a5d13e] 11 years ago (and I still have it, still working, just too slow for modern use) which I bought - back then - for the sole purpose of using it as what we call today "portable player" (to play VCDs and music)


And if you want to save money you certainly should get a notebook instead of any player. Yes it will be slightly more expensive than the player, but good player will cost you more than half the cost of small notebook and it will be outdated within a year or two at best, while a computer you just install new codecs or players when needed... (look at all those portable players from just 2-3 years ago: almost none of them can play i.e. youtube flash videos, while I just added FLV Player to my tiny notebook and I'm good... not to mention the wealth of usefulness when using notebook computer instead of any best but still so very limited portable player)

Hint 1: You don't need quad core cpu notebook to play videos and music, so if you search well you'll find few affordable models.
Hint 2: Avoid S*ny. For example Acer and Asus are well-known Asian brands you probably just don't know and won't see at your local US tech stores. Search online or check your local Chinatown stores

/edit
Somehow I didn't notice OP is in Greece. Not that it change anything to what I wrote above (just insert Plaisio instead of Walmart)

[usually_quiet]

This is just an idea... I don't know what is available in Greece, but some portable DVD players would do a lot of what you want, although of course they can't store video internally. If they can access external storage devices, that might not matter so much. They are certainly inexpensive enough.

As an example, here's a US link to the Coby TF-DVD7377 7-Inch DivX Compatible Portable DVD Player, which I hope you can see: http://www.cobyusa.com/?p=prod&prod_num_id=10409&pcat_id=1003 Since you are in the EU, there may even be portable players available that offer more choices for accessing external storage.

I can't tell whether or not the Coby player plays subtitles in .srt format. User reviews at another site claim the battery provides enough power for 2-4 hours of use. That's not much compared to the Archos 7 but you didn't specify a minimum requirement for that.

[Edit] I read another user review that says it can read an external HDD formatted for FAT32 using the USB connection, like some Philips DVD players.

[Number Six]

I was looking for exactly the same thing that you want. I found this older Sony PICTUREBOOK mini notebook (circa 2000) - the predecessor to the netbooks - which works perfectly for this purpose.

Specifications are here:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/specs/PCGC1VN_mksp.pdf


And this is what it looks like:






There are other similar devices available - I got the Sony because I got it dirt cheap, and it came with an external DVD Rom drive.

[catflap]

i've had the archos 7 320GB for almost 2 weeks and i'm very happy with it. it plays just about all video and audio codecs, including HD, but you have to buy the added codec packs. it really should be included, but that's life. buy it.

atm, it doesn't play mkv, but plays mp4 and m4v and h264 and quicktime, xvid, divx, flash 8, vobs, wmv, wma, and probably some others i haven't tried yet. mkv and flash 9 should probably be in the next firmware update.

i'd also wanted it to have a usb flash drive port, but it doesn't. so i also bought the dvr station which does have one. you can then connect the 7 to your tv and play or record. it's a good investment.

with the dvr station you can also stream from your pc to the tv.

i too wanted just a portable player and didn't much care if it had wifi internet. but since it does i've found i use it a lot, including the amazing amount of internet radio stations and a few of the webtv stations. plus normal web surfing and emailing.

downloading podcasts is also very easy.

i also got the fm radio controls and the superb protective case and stylus pack.

the only thing i'm disappointed with is playback time. i think the estimate is 4 hours for video playback. putting the backlight on the lowest setting helps to increase playback time and i don't really notice it since the colors are still very clear and sharp. i'd like to have separate color controls, which i haven't found.

archos doesn't sell a portable battery pack and replacement batteries for the 7 yet, but there are some shops that do, like this one that also has some other things for the player: newmp3technology.com

i think the archos 7 might be the best portable on the market right now. but in a few months there might be something better.

archos 7 has 2 stereo speakers, but archos 5 has only one speaker but plays stereo with headphones or connected external speakers.

if you buy the archos 5, you can use the mini dock or battery dock - each has ports for usb drives. the battery dock is the same as the mini dock, but also has an extra battery pack for longer playback time. they say it's up 30% longer.

but remember, these 2 docks are only for the 5 and not the 7. so if you want the 7 with the bigger screen, get the dvr station to transfer or play files from a usb stick, and buy a double-life battery from the website i mentioned above.

i've also read that the 5 screen gives off a glare because the screen is shiny. my 7 has no glare because the screen is more matted.

anyway, i'd rather watch videos on a 7 inch screen instead of a 4.8 inch screen.

i also recommend joining the archosfans.com forum for more info from people with more knowledge and experience with archos. i'm a member there and found the people very nice and helpful.

btw, as i'm typing this on my pc, i've been listening to a really cool 80s internet radio station on my archos 7.

[Scarpad]

I too would say Portable DVD that Supports Divx/xvid would fit the bill.