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  1. Member
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    Hi. I am brand new to this forum.

    As the A/V Tech for my town, I have just suffered through the stress of my sixth summer showing outdoor movies to hundreds of people using a $39 consumer DVD player. So far, we have not had any major meltdowns, but the one we have is getting old and I think I have convinced my supervisors that we should look into a commercial model.

    The problem is, I am almost exclusively an "audio" guy and I only know enough about video to get by. I would love a machine with better cueing capabilities than the one we have. For example, I'd like one without a "sleep mode" that kicks in just when I get the signal to hit the PLAY button. And I'd love one that lets me skip all the previews, commercials, and FBI Warnings. Mostly, I'd like one that is built to endure hot, dusty, humid summer conditions for the next several years.

    I have seen the Pioneer DVD V8000 online, but it appears to be discontinued. Otherwise, I'm out of ideas. Do you have any suggestions?

    Thank you. Tom M
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  2. Member DB83's Avatar
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    You are showing commercial dvds to the general public ?

    Guess you never read that blurb that you want to skip. No commercial players allows for that.
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  3. Member
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    Originally Posted by DB83 View Post
    You are showing commercial dvds to the general public ?

    Guess you never read that blurb that you want to skip. No commercial players allows for that.
    Wow! Thanks for the response, but why would you think we are not licensing our movies? As a township, I can almost guarantee that we are OVERpaying for the license, too.

    Now, would you like to recommend a commercial grade player, or not?
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  4. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Simply that I did not know that such licences existed.

    Over here, places such as public-houses (you call 'em bars) will have special licences from cable companies to show sports but not films.

    Sorry. Can not recco a player. Most commercial players would die quite quickly exposed to light and heat.. My previous comments about trailers, FBI warnings etc. still stand.
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  5. Member
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    OK, well thanks for stepping back from your earlier comments, which I found a bit condescending.

    We pay a licensing fee of anywhere between $250 and $500 per movie and we show them for free. I am well versed in copyright law and have insisted that the town add to its pre-show banter that recording of any of our movies is a violation of federal law.

    Why would you say a commercial-grade player would be problematic exposed to light and heat? Are you saying that a consumer model would hold up better under these conditions, or do you think it's hit-or-miss either way?
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    Last edited by sum_guy; 3rd Sep 2015 at 19:53.
    It's not important the problem be solved, only that the blame for the mistake is assigned correctly
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  7. Member
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    As I mentioned in my original post, that Pioneer V8000 seems to be either discontinued or sold out everywhere I look.

    News Flash: I just realized what that USB slot on my Samsung player is for and now I am feverishly researching USB-based video players! Can anybody tell me anything about these?
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  8. Member
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    Yes, there are video players able to play video files from USB hard drives or USB flash drives. However, since movies are not distributed commercially to the public on USB hard drives and USB flash drives, I doubt that the town's public performance license covers playing them when they are in that form. Even copying and converting movies that you own on disc to files for personal use is legally questionable in the USA.
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  9. Member netmask56's Avatar
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    I know someone who does this using a commercial license - transfers DVD's, Blu rays to hard disc and plays off one of these...
    http://www.minix.com.hk/News/14112518052339.html knowing the litigious society the USA is this suggestion is probably illegal for you.
    SONY 75" Full array 200Hz LED TV, Yamaha A1070 amp, Zidoo UHD3000, BeyonWiz PVR V2 (Enigma2 clone), Chromecast, Windows 11 Professional, QNAP NAS TS851
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  10. Member
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    I totally understand the point about the legality; however, it seems logical that the company that provides our movies would soon be distributing them on USB, if they don't already. Even more likely, they will direct licensees to a site where they can be downloaded to a flash drive.
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  11. Member
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    Originally Posted by PapaTom View Post
    I totally understand the point about the legality; however, it seems logical that the company that provides our movies would soon be distributing them on USB, if they don't already. Even more likely, they will direct licensees to a site where they can be downloaded to a flash drive.
    I doubt it, but you can always ask them. USB media players like the one suggested to you only play unprotected files from USB, but the entertainment industry demands the use of encryption to discourage copying.

    An Internet streaming option similar to Netflix is more likely because it allows for copy protection, but that wouldn't be practical in many outdoor venues,
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