Standalone Divx player???

[revjake]

Letmein, don't leave without answering my question! I need some clarity here---did you or did you not buy a Circuit City DIVX-DVD player that has been subsequently modded to play DIVX-AVI?

If so, what are the steps you use to prepare the DIVX-AVI to play on the DIVX-DVD player?

If there's a way for me to play DIVX-AVI on a DVD player, I'm quite interested---if not, I don't want newbies reading this thread and plunking down cash on DIVX-DVD players on eBay.

Please respond, either privately or via e-mail.

[KingJohn]

Now this is interesting...

note: For future use, i propose that "DIVX-DVD" refer to the now-defunct Circuit City DIVX format, "DIVX-AVI" refer to the current compression technology.

Just to clarify here, Letmein, you're saying that you bought a Circuit City DIVX-DVD player, then bought and installed a mod chip-type kit that now allows it to play DIVX-AVI from CDRs?

If that's the case, then I see no real reason why a standard DVD player couldn't be modded in much the same way.

Don't take this the wrong way (just speculatin' on a hypothesis here), but you aren't burning those DIVX-AVIs in NERO to "Video CD" or "Super Video CD" and playing them on your DIVX-DVD deck, are you? That'd be a dirty, dirty trick to pull on us.

Again, if you indeed have a mod kit that allows a set-top box to play DIVX-AVI, I'm quite interested in the matter, and you're a lucky person indeed.

Ok, yes it would be possible, but there again people who developed these things are there at the right time at the right place I guess. And cost is a big factor.

Take for example the satellite television company "BSB" they launched a "DMAC" system in the UK. Soon there were lots of BSB receivers being sold for £300+ . Well there was never anything available for them, but as soon as the company went bust there were lots of different conversion kits available. first of all the BSB receivers ended up on the junk market, after all they were no good to anyone, as there were no other DMAC satellites. However being sold with the junk receivers (Now costing £10) were a kit of parts for "D2MAC" which there are lots of satellites transmitting that type of signal.

But the conversion only gave you "Free to air" transmissions, as the original BSB receivers did not contain a card slot like other models, but soon there were a flood of conversion kits available to install a card slot, then you could make your own cards and program them for all the movie channels etc.

So it looks like someone is waiting for a company to close before it moves in and do something with the defunct equipment.

You will agree that anything can be done these days, so I always keep a open mind, unlike some people who shrug things off for lack of knowledge.

Getting back to the player, the DIVX-DVD was referred to as DIVX (No smile) and has nothing to do with the ripped Microsoft codec DivX or nothing to do with DivX who now have DivX 5, 3 different things.

For some reason people keep posting these things.

Just to clarify here, Letmein, you're saying that you bought a Circuit City DIVX-DVD player, then bought and installed a mod chip-type kit that now allows it to play DIVX-AVI from CDRs?

Yes !

Well the mod is more than just a chip, there were a few other parts a lot more other parts, mostly to do with re-programming the chip from the PC via a scart socket.

If that's the case, then I see no real reason why a standard DVD player couldn't be modded in much the same way.

I guess not, However I did not develop the modification, I guess the price had a lot to do with it. If you had 1000 of these players and sold them cheap, you could make a lot more money making them more useful. But remember there modifications were probable illegal, the only reason why the BSB equipment was modified and sold, is because the company closed. I would think any other modification would infringe the copyright of the firmware.

Don't take this the wrong way (just speculatin' on a hypothesis here), but you aren't burning those DIVX-AVIs in NERO to "Video CD" or "Super Video CD" and playing them on your DIVX-DVD deck, are you? That'd be a dirty, dirty trick to pull on us.

They are burned as a AVI called 0001.dat just a renamed AVI no conversion or changes. No there are no menu, nothing it just plays them as they are.

The player will no longer play DVD's if you have more than 1 codec in the EPROM, if you have divX 3.11 Alpha on its own, then it will play DVD's... Don’t ask why I don’t know...

Again, if you indeed have a mod kit that allows a set-top box to play DIVX-AVI, I'm quite interested in the matter, and you're a lucky person indeed.

Remember at the time I bought this, I was buying a box with flashing lights and switches If I new then what I know now I would have bought everyone available, and I would have tried to find out more about the modification, as it is I did not... The modification was done some time ago, I have looked hard for the schematics that came with it and the original floppy disk with utils, I don’t have any of those things anymore, in fact the player spent some time in a box, as the movies I got with it also got damaged and unusable, so as far as I was concerned the whole thing was ready to be thrown out.

BUT !, along comes the Internet in a big way, high speed connections etc, and "knowledge" it was not long before I was using the player again. But I can also speculate that we might have a DivX5 player in the not too distant future.

[KingJohn]

Letmein, don't leave without answering my question! I need some clarity here---did you or did you not buy a Circuit City DIVX-DVD player that has been subsequently modded to play DIVX-AVI?

If so, what are the steps you use to prepare the DIVX-AVI to play on the DIVX-DVD player?

If there's a way for me to play DIVX-AVI on a DVD player, I'm quite interested---if not, I don't want newbies reading this thread and plunking down cash on DIVX-DVD players on eBay.

Please respond, either privately or via e-mail.

Looks like you posted this when I was typing...

What is the point in people "Trying" to buy the old circuit city players, if there is no mod kit with them, then they are no use.

Believe me I would gladly sell you one, in fact right now I wish I could identify all the parts, and remember what I did step by step, I think I could make a lot of money here.

However, as already said, there were lots of these receivers sold at those Ham rally's and lots of conversion kits, most of the rally's are no more, usually combined with some computer fair.

But this is not the last we will here about them !!!!

[kinneera]

BUT !, along comes the Internet in a big way, high speed connections etc, and "knowledge" it was not long before I was using the player again. But I can also speculate that we might have a DivX5 player in the not too distant future.

Don't hold your breath. The recording industry held up CD-RW for nearly a decade, and the movie industry did the same for DVD, ultimately giving us bullshit like region codes, CSS, and the first amendment violating DMCA. What do you think they're going to do faced with technology that will be used to play an unprotected format that is primarily used for piracy...?