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  1. Member
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    Which would be a better buy for playing video files a 7" to 9" portable dvd player that plays dvdr or a 7" to 8" 8gb portable video player??
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  2. VH Wanderer Ai Haibara's Avatar
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    Well, that depends. Are both players basically about the same price?

    Are you willing to create DVD-Video discs for everything you want to play? Depending upon the PVP, you might be able to play most or a decent percent of the original videos without converting (to DVD-Video-ready MPEG2, or otherwise), and risking incurring a quality hit.

    I'd say it also could depend on whether or not you want it to play without much user interaction, or where and for whom you want to use the player.
    If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
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  3. Member
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    currently I have about 650 cdrs & dvdrs I have burned so if I were to go the video player route I need to get one with a micro sd card slot & like 6 to 12 32gb cards
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  4. Originally Posted by DJboutit View Post
    currently I have about 650 cdrs & dvdrs I have burned so if I were to go the video player route I need to get one with a micro sd card slot & like 6 to 12 32gb cards
    Not specific enough to base advice on. Do you mean standard audio CD-Rs and standard video DVD-Rs? Or do you mean data discs with a variety of file types (MP3, DiVX, MP4, AVI)? If all this stuff has already been converted to portable files, it makes more sense to get a media player. But if the collection is in standard disc-player formats, its a hassle: you either buy a portable disc player and haul 600 discs around with you, or spend a LOT of time converting all the disc contents into files that will fit a portable non-disc player.

    You don't say what the proportion is of music to video: video takes more storage and more time to convert. In any case, thats a huge amount of media: the only way you could possibly carry all of it at once would be with a media player that has an internal HDD of around 500GB (or one that can accept an external portable HDD via USB: just velcro it to the back of the player). An HDD would be simpler and a lot cheaper than 10-20 32GB SD cards @ $26.

    Unless you just get a tablet and rotate batches of files in and out, like using an iPod.
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    All the files of the cdrs & dvdrs have not been converted for a media player
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  6. I would lean toward a portable video player for its size.

    Pros:
    • No moving parts that will fail
    • Lighter weight in most cases
    • Much thinner than portable DVD players
    • No need to bring discs along
    • Plays more file formats than portable DVD players

    Cons:
    • Only one SDHC or MicroSDHC slot for your files
    • Time spent to convert files and move them to the SDHC card as mentioned by orsetto
    • Built-in battery may not be replaceable or spares not available
    • Screen may not be viewable in bright sunlight
    • Navigation controls may not be user-friendly (not enough controls, touchscreen response may be finicky, buttons too stiff for your liking, etc.)
    • Speakers may not be loud enough in noisy settings
    • 4:3 video may be stretched to fill a 16:9 screen
    • Not all players have built-in stands to prop up your player if you get tired of holding the player in your hands

    I have an LG portable DVD player with a 8.5" screen and a handy USB port that can play mp3 and avi files, but the player weighs 2.5 lbs. and is 1.3" thick. I can switch the screen to display in 4:3 or 16:9 format. The laser pickup will eventually fail, so you'll have to factor that in your decision if you still want to use discs.

    Also some e-readers are better as multimedia players and they're relatively cheap, usually under $100:

    Aluratek Libre Color

    Hip Street 7" HD Touch Screen Media Player

    I've played with the Libre Color and it's ok in terms of video playback. 4:3 video can be displayed in its proper aspect ratio, but it looks a postage stamp in some cases if it's low resolution. However the Libre Color doesn't have a touchscreen. To play video, you have to press a menu button to bring up the video option and scroll to it using the D-pad. The D-pad serves as FF/REW/VOL+/VOL- buttons for video, but it's not intuitive. You'll have to read the manual.

    There are a lot of options out there, so I hope you can find the right player for your needs.
    Last edited by em-t-wallitt; 19th Apr 2012 at 02:19.
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  7. Member
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    If I were gonna get a video player I would get this one http://www.amazon.com/Cinepal-Personal-Player-Videos-Photos/dp/B0043955ZO/ref=sr_1_1?s...4853411&sr=1-1

    My computer is pretty fast I can convert videos at decent speed that is not the problem the only problem is I have like 350gb to 600gb worth of videos I would like to convert.
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  8. Banned
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    Note that portable players often cannot be made region free and those sold in the USA may not be able to handle PAL video. Those two things may be of no interest to the original poster, but if he does care he will need to do research prior to purchase.
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  9. Originally Posted by DJboutit View Post
    This would seem to be a good option for you, as the playback quality reviews are good and it does have 32GB card slot and ability to pull files from a USB hard drive. For the current under $100 price, its certainly worth a try. The reviews are not very specific about the USB functionality: it definitely can directly pull files from a USB hard drive and transfer them to its internal memory or an installed 32GB SD card. But it is not clear if it can power a portable USB hard drive during file transfer: that would be the dealbreaker if your goal is to carry your entire media collection with you.

    If this CinePal can provide USB power for the few minutes it takes to copy some videos to its memory, you could put your entire media collection on a pocket HDD, carry it in a case with the CinePal, and transfer files whenever you need them. If this CinePal does NOT provide USB power, you'll be stuck spending a good $300-400 on 32GB SD memory cards to hold all your files (not to mention having to carry and identify 20-30 SD cards). Another problem might be the atrocious battery rep the CinePal has: you might want to check if it uses some sort of generic battery you can replace when it croaks, or if it will run off some kind of accessory AA pack.

    It is unfortunate that the trend toward solid state hard drives and total dependence on memory chips has shoved micro-hard-drives off the stage prematurely. Most tablets max out at 32 or 64GB internal memory, the 64GB versions cost a fortune, and only Donald Trump can afford the rare 128GB models. Meanwhile, my cheap used old-school iPod with internal 160GB HDD conveniently holds more than enough video for extended travels (the small screen doesn't bother me, it will run off an accessory AA battery pack for 16 hours, and I can plug it into TV screens in hotels or at friends/relatives homes).

    My computer is pretty fast I can convert videos at decent speed that is not the problem the only problem is I have like 350gb to 600gb worth of videos I would like to convert.
    Plan on spending a LOT of time doing conversions. As a rough guide, my new i5 laptop takes about 26 mins to convert a two-hour DVD to MP4. Doesn't seem like much, until you multiply it by the 600+ DVDs you want to convert.
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  10. Member
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    I am a fan of the 8 inch myself I found a blu-ray recently that Im looking into I found mine here if it helps at all http://www.12volt-travel.com/portable-lcd-dvd-players-c-553.html I shop around but when it came to service and knowledge I went with them just for those reasons. I have had my new one for about a year now and use it non stop any time its thown a fit these people seem to know exactly what to do and I am hard on the things.
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