How can I build a DivX Standalone Player?

[Spammy]

Just checked out that Kiss 450 DVD/DivX player.

I haven't been able to find an internal screenshot, but I did find a firmware upgrade.

http://www.kiss-technology.com/support/DRIVERS/fw260.zip

As you can see, it's essentially a cut-down linux - meaning that its got the basic compoents of a PC inside (although due to linux being so embeddable - probably not a real word - i doubt it has all the components you will use). I suspect that instead of a hard drive it will simply use a Flash ROM or a compact flash IDE hard drive. Memory has probably also been embedded and the board custom designed. As for the rest, component video, RGB, s-video, RCA outputs are all available in most modern cards (seperate and/or embedded). A similar story is true of sound cards. You'll also notice that the unit is quite large, suggesting it has to accomodate a DVD-ROM (found in many cheap DVD players), basic ATX power supply and a reasonably sized board.

Regards

Sam

[Tjalle Elite Ripper]

i think you are already to late because holland has got the primeur http://www.revoy.nl/ you can buy a divx player there for 399 Euros :P

iam gonna get that one

[DVO]

Hi im too tired to read all posts maybe some one alredy suggested this, but http://www.dvdnorden.com/ has a DVD player that plays DIVx. Maybe it would be interesting to check it out.
Good luck to your project.

[crahak]

lol ... all you guys r idiots .. .,.

ok, wise guy.

this is the simplest thing to do .. albeit exspensive..

only depends on how you want to do it.

Oh. btw, anyone with at least a half brain knows not to use RF modulators (rf lead connections, coax, whatever). It's by far the crappiest way to plug a TV, considering 50$ video cards do a better job with their s-video output...

If you think companies using delphi are outdated. you haven't seen anything yet. get real. it's not my fav by any way, but theer's people using stuff probably older than you are out there commercially. Big deal.

As for the other posts... (don't really mean to bash people for helping, but...)

The "oh, I know what you need, it's a PC/gaming console". Sure, that works, but it's not a "standalone divx player". It's a PC (or whatever) with divx codecs and a media player. All my PCs do that. Oh, you want it in a small case? big deal, silent, sure why not. It's still a PC. Any trained monkey can do this. The village idiot is the closest to a stand alone divx player. If you meant how to make a PC mainly aimed at playing divx, that is like a completely different story.

As for programming the PIC, go right ahead. That sounds like a project. Mind you, they sell those USB ones for like 20$ too, with USB drivers, plugins and all for most major software.

Oh. May I suggest one of these small PC thingies with windoze or linux, with some media player and proper codecs? Or if you like that better, some gaming console? All else fails, get a real standalone divx player and pain the case another color? ... I mean, we can all come up with this without any big thinking process.

You can very easily replace the default shell (explorer) by a process that does basically nothing (but a displaying purdy backgroud) nad wait for a CD/DVD/whatever to be inserted, and then launch with the proper comand line a media player, preconfigured to start in full screen... All too easy.

Sorry again for being an ass (no need to tell me). Oh well.

[akical]

the rf modulator works better .. because not everyone's tv has an s vid port .. and its by far the easiest way to connect the computer to a tv .. and the tv could have any hook up .. and the vid card could use any hook up as well .. .although if the vid card and tv have the same hook up .. even better ..

[ejp]

akical...
yes, i was planning to use the same setup as the one at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Software/3691/DivxOS/ . then i was going to modify the hardware, and that would be considered as my "addition" or "change" for my project. also, thanks for all the start-up and manager program links. i also like your idea about how to make it more compact; after all, having a compact system is what's preferred. the rf modulator and the s-video is something to think about, depending on what tv i will be demonstrating on.

Gazorgan...
hmm, someone suggested putting an OS on an EPROM (or some type of memory) before. so wait, you're saying to put Linux on an EPROM? that would be a really good idea, so i won't have to worry about the compact-ness. yes, the tricky part would be booting the EPROM. how would one do that? the only problem is that i haven't really worked with Linux before. i was thinking about using Win98 or Win2000. what would the difference be?

Ezzelin...
thanks for the link to MPlayer. but this just brings up more questions about what OS i should definately use. sooner or later, i'm going to have to make a complete list of what i need, including the OS. so far, i've heard win95, win98, win2000, Linux. win95 was suggested only if it had the USB upgrade, which win98 doesn't need. and i heard win2000 is more stable than win98. so actually, i guess i'd have to choose between win2000 and Linux. also, thanks for the link to make a silent PC.

Spammy...
i'm definately liking the idea of the ITX. it's kinda like having the few things i need on one board, though it's a little bit pricey. i know some of you probably buy stuff like this in BULK. but i'm just basically trying to get the bare minimum that will still do the job. also, if i shouldn't use the "firmware update via USB" as the way to make it the "change" (since that's what i have to do), then what should i do? i know i'd have to write something to connect the 2. hmm, and what if instead i just move the standalone to the computer, rather than moving the computer to the standalone? hehe. oh, and i am DEFINATELY liking the idea of the USB Flash Disk. i've never even heard of it, but i looked it up. not a bad price either. as you said, it requires drivers in pre-win2000 OSs. does that mean i don't need those drivers if i'm using win2000? yet, another good reason to use win2000. i don't really want to upgrade via CDR, since a lot of the already-existing standalones use that feature. oh WOW, i really like the idea using the NIC on the ITX board, which gives me better reason to get one of those boards (or just get a cheaper board and a NIC). i also like your idea about using VB and Windows Media. that can contribute even more to my software part of the project. yet again, i like the idea of using a LCD screen. do you mean on the remote? or on the standalone? that would actually be cool. how much would one of those be for an application like this? wait, i looked it up and the prices are a bit pricey, depending on which one you get. which one would you suggest? the remote would be easy enough, since i'm using the remote setup at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Software/3691/DivxOS/ . also thanks a lot for the info about the KISS. thanks a lot for all the info.

Tjalle Elite Ripper...
can't quite understand the language on that website. lol. so could you tell me if they already have the idea of "upgrading firmware via USB"? thanks.

DVO...
can't quite understand the language on that website. lol. so could you tell me if they already have the idea of "upgrading firmware via USB"? thanks.

crahak...
if, in fact, that is true (RF Modulators being crappy), then i guess i'll just use a video card with s-video output. once again, i know this really isn't a TRUE standalone divx player, and The Village Idiot does, in fact, capture the pure essence of what a TRUE one would consist of. but once again, this setup (whatever you want to call it) is good enough for me. it will represent a TRUE one with the "upgrading firmware via USB" feature, or whatever other feature i choose. i kinda lost you with the PIC and USB part. they sell USB PICS? yes, replacing explorer with nothing would be the way to go, since i don't need much of anything, other than the background and the application to start the programs or whatever. i wasn't counting on this to be the hard part, rather the feature that i have to add onto it. thanks.

The Village Idiot...
thanks.

[The village idiot]

Well since it seems the PC bug got hold of you, you should think about the Via ITX boards that are out. You will want an Epia M series (either 6000 or 9000). They have onboard video out, 6 channel sound, vga out, on board mpeg decoder, firewire, usb2, ATA 100 (maybe 133), and most of all an optional bootable flash disk. Up to 32MB of bootable flashdisk from M systems. This is compatible with win2000 and XP, as well as others. The mainboards are certified to work with win CE and XP embedded. Go to http://www.miniitx.com and find the US suppliers. I am going to be getting either the M6000 or M9000 soon!

[crahak]

the rf modulator works better .. because not everyone's tv has an s vid port .. and its by far the easiest way to connect the computer to a tv .. and the tv could have any hook up .. and the vid card could use any hook up as well .. .although if the vid card and tv have the same hook up .. even better ..

Well, I know of no one that has a TV that don't have at the very least composite, and still I'd say a majority of TVs now have S-video, and it's by far the best, and you don't have to pay $$ for a RF mod that degrades the picture further. As far as component, there might be cards with it by now, but it's way overkill anyways, unless it's a really good TV and you're playing a real DVD... Anyways.

[crahak]

Ok, I figured that for once, I might try to help LOL.

Windows 2000 is ok, nothing wrong with it, want to use it? why not. I think windows 98 is up to the task as well, but anyways. It won't matter much.

You can easily change windows' startup pic, guess that was already mentionned before.

You can replace the shell (explorer) like I said before by a program of yours that does nothing but wait for a CD to be inserted to play whatever's on it.

If you want to do this the esay way, try to code it with vb. You'll find most the source code really easy to understand, and there's lots of sample code at places like planetsourcecode.com. VB is almost like plain english, it shouldn't be a problem, and it's quite able to do something this simple, and it will be fast and easy to do.

Once a CD is inserted, you can say do a dir("*.ifo") in the root of the CD, then you know it's a DVD if there's any matches, then you can look for VCD/SVCD specific files/folders, then as a last thing either do a plain dir, or better, a search in subfolders too, for .mpg/.mpeg/.avi/.ogm/.asf and the like. Just to know what has to be done and react accordingly.

Most media players will play all these just fine (with the proper codecs, of course). But looking into your registry, you'll also usually find the commands you need to play the files.

By example, if you're using radlight (there is a version with no spyware, don't you all scream at me. Also, it supports settings aspect ratio, which is good, playlists, handles dual audio fine and all. Why not, anyways, we all have preferences).
In your registry, you'll see this
"C:\Program Files\RadLight\RadLight3\RadLight.exe" Video{"%1"}
you only have to shell this command line, replacing %1 for the avi filename, and it will play. Just that easy. There is also an option in radlight's control panel to make it start in full screen. That will solve this too.

Now, there's only one thing left, you want the player to minimize, it's only a matter of sending it the right keystroke (H, in this case, but all commands do have buttons, and they're remappable, convenient, eh?)
These keystrokes can also be used by your remote control to do whatever you want to the player (volume, pause, and so forth)

That basically only leaves you with the PIC portion to worry about.

Oh. also, you can very easily find other VB code you can reuse for things like opening/closing CD rom door in like 2 lines of code... Or a basic "screensaver" like thing for your player, when it's not playing a disc... Whatever you want. Oh, a tic tac toe game with the remote? LOL

Now go wild? lol

(IF I'm getting any deeper in this, I'll end up writing an article/practical guide/how to with photos and all and posting it on the web, so I'll stop now... lol)

[todgerme]

Okay DivX player simple really

Shuttle ss40
256MB RAM
Athlon XP 2000+ CPU
60GB Hdd
Motherboard has TV out
TV Tool and Powerstrip to create custom res like 704x576
and a groovy ir remote bought here
http://www.intolect.com/psx2200detail.htm

PS If you need any eeprom programming done in VHDL, give me a call!

[crahak]

Well, that comes down to preferences, I purposedly didn't mention whatever hardware. We can all pick whatever we like. There is no need at all whatesoever for a 2000+ and 60gig to playback divx... It's a complete waste as he's only going to use it to play that. Also, it will most likely be noisy. At least, if you're making recommendations... Make sure they're good.

Like I said in an earlier post, anyone that knows nothing about this can say buy a small case, fit a PC with (whatever parts he likes) in it, and fit (whatever software they like)... That's preferences, we can all post our own, but to say it will help.

You just need whatever vid card that will look ok, and a PC that will basically meet min specs, maybe a lil higher. Preferably small and silent. OS and software as prefered too.

There's all kinds of remote controls out there for like 20$ already, and they work good. One even came with my sound card.

The way it looks, he's gonna run windows from a HDD, and there's no need to deal with any VHDL stuff... Windows and 5 minutes of VB and the project should be completed...

Oh. Here's one of the many ways to easily, painlessly, send keytrokes the lazy way...: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/script56/html/wsmthsendkeys.asp
Doesn't get much easier than this... That might help too I figured. (You can also do searches on your own, but anyways, that's good enough to get the big idea.)

Oh. The last part (geez, Am I getting close enough to write the article yet?) The code to catch whenever a CD is inserted can (preferably?) be done this way: You have to catch WM_DEVICECHANGE windows messages. Windows sends this message every time a new media is inserted. Thiking about it, it probably is issued too when you insert those new USB memory sticks ("pencil style drives") and even CF cards (or whichever format), so you could even make it search on these if you felt like it. This might be the hardest part to code, and it might be easier to do it in C++. There are most likely some stuff in the MSDN, Win32 SDK, some websites and such... Time for a websearch again it seems?

Oh. Yet another edit. If you search for "VB WM_DEVICECHANGE" at google, you will find more loads of infos. Even fully working sample applications like this one: http://www.allapi.net/vbexamples/vbexample.php?vbexample=CDSPY that does this, and all in VB. Should take only a couple minutes to work something out from this template... Improve onto it, whatever...

Hmm. Still thinking about this, mapping some buttons from the remote for the aspect ratio, and to change audio streams would be nice. Not just play/stop/pause... And why not one to shut down windows? It takes like a whole line of VB to accomplish this task lol.

If you try to do things this way, it's really simple and it works. Or, you can try to make a homemade compile or a linux kernel whatever, with vhdl, try to toss it on an eeprom (all the fun of building a card to interface it, plus the associated hardware to update it, plus the know-how, it's more than just the old 55AA and CRC byte... I'd really not even worry about all this...) And all this can be done fast, simply, in a matter of minutes, and most the parts can be from old used computers... Like a HD with only a couple gigs can hold win98, your codecs and the like, the movies will be on CDRs anyhow (sure, you can use a bigger one, but I'm just saying it doesn't need to be a 3GHz P4 with a 120gig drive... y'know? lol)

Geez, I can't believe myself I'm editing this post AGAIn lol. Just thought of that. It's also very easy to use one of those serial backlit LCDs in VB too, just to say, display movie name (scrolling), time played/remaining/percent, media type and the like... Why not.

As for PIC's, yes, there are loads of em that use USB, but why USB instead of serial ones? The pic 16C series are rather easy to learn, they have a good set of tools for them, they've been around a while, and they're not really expensive. Sounds like an easy pick anyways...
Good luck. Hope this all helped.

[seric]

ejp
If it were me I would try something along the lines of CD-bootable OS (virtual-linux,demolinux,knoppix) and forget the hard drive.
One internal cd rom for the OS, and one external DVD Rom for movie media. Upgrades are snap just have your OS on CDRW and rewrite the upgrade to the same CDRW.

[ejp]

The village idiot...
hmm, i'm willing to get the M6000 or M9000 if it absolutely has all the stuff i need, no more, no less. i mean, if it's better than what i need, and since it's not all that expensive, i'll get it. hmm, maybe they can customize?

crahak...
alright, i guess i'll be getting the s-video. all the TVs in my school have s-video anyway. i guess i'll use win2000, too. not too hard to get, and i'm already working on a start-up pic. i just need a good name for this project, lol. i looked at some VB codes, and it seems easy enough. it's definately useful, and i can replace the shell with it. i also keep in mind the registry. one thing ... why make the player minimize? you'd think you'd want it to be maximized, right? as for the pic, there've been a few ideas for it. it's also true that, in regards to todgerme's post, i don't need a 2000+, nor do i need a 60GB HDD. i don't think i'll be using VHDL, since the E/EPROM was suggested to hold the OS. now, when you were talking about sending the keystrokes, you're talking about the remote control? because i was just going to use the stuff on that website --> http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Software/3691/DivxOS/ . oh, and i'll definately look into that coding that figures out whenever a CD is inserted, since that's an essential part for this to work. as for more remote control features, i'll try to do as much as i can before showtime. and it's a good way to learn VB on my own. as for the LCDs, i'll use something that looks good if i have enough money, because someone posted something about Max Orbital LCDs. depending on which one you get, it can get pricey. i really want to use one though. but we'll see. lol, and maybe you COULD start writing a tutorial or something on this, LOL. you're definately capable of doing it, and your explanations are easy to understand. thanks again.

seric...
you know, that really isn't a bad idea. but it would be a pain to upgrade the firmware by opening the case every single time. and it would kinda be a pain to upgrade it via USB or CDR, since then you'd have to burn the entire OS onto CDR, or send the entire OS via USB. then on top of that, you'd have to put that CD-bootable OS on a re-writable drive. good idea, but it COULD get pricey, depending on what i want, and what speed i need. though this is definately something to consider. thanks.

[crahak]

Ok, if you're using divxos, uh, you'll have to figure a few of the things on your own as I've never dealt with it.

When I said hide player, I mean hide the player "console thingy", not the window that shows the movie. The movie will be maximized, but you don't want to see the other player... Anyhow, if you want to use something else, like I said, it's all preferences. It doesn't look bad, but to say it has the features I want and that it works good, I'd have to try it first. (I find it's name rather misleading tho, makes you think that they've built an OS, while it's only a media player... They say it's on OS, but the OS is windows... Oh well, let's not even get there.)

As far as optical drives... I'd really avoid one for the OS. First that would mean forget about windows in the first place. Second, most OS'es will expect a harddrive for virtual memory (swapping, whatever you wanna call it) or else it means load it with ram, or it has to be a rather limited OS... Also, lots of us have loads of older HDD's hanging around. I've probably got like a dozen drives under 10gig than I'm not using at the moment... Oh, CDRom drives are also much slower, and yes, opening the case you be a pain.

As for upgrading the OS, well, you can always reconnect a USB keyboard/mouse/whatever to it to do it quickly, or use the same DVD drive you're using to play media... You can keep a ghost image of the drive, you can even access it across a network, whatever you want.

As you keep going, after this project is like complete... You can maybe even start thinking about playing streaming media across a lan with it. All driven with the remote control, with a menu in VB or something.

The nice thing about this (which is also why I'll never buy one of those KISS or other players) is this is versatile and upgradeable. It will play divx3.11 without reencoding and reburning. It will play .asf, .ogm, anything you throw at it, as long as you have the codecs and meet the min specs hardware wise. It probably will be by far less picky on whatever settings it will play or not (not sure about this, but I think that KISS player doesn't support GMC and some other things) Reencoding your divx3.11 to make it play takes times, you have to reburn them all, and you also loose some quality. Lots of movies too use audio codecs that are not supported by those players (WMA, OGG, ...) Same applies to every new codec that will eventually appear... And the day "real ISO mpeg4" goes mainstream (.MP4 or whatever), it will most likely only require a slight change in software, and you're back in business. KISS player and the like? Hmm, think you're sh*t out of luck lol.

As it stands right now, all I need to make one (slightly different than what you're after however - mainly I don't care about it's looks and case size) is a used say, duron 800 or something similar and a 20$ IR remote... That's about the extent of it. The funny thing is every used CPU on ebay like that ends up selling for more than a retail, say, duron 1200 lol. So I might go ahead and buy one new at the same time than the remote.

Hmm. think I'm getting addicted to this edit button hehe. Just another thought. You also know this will play every standard or non-standard VCD,SVCD,CVD, and their "X" counterparts. Will also play DVD-MP3, and if most likely, both - and + R's. Anything people all wish their players would do, baically... And the mp3 player interface can't look much worse than the one of most DVD players out there.... lol.

Anyways. Good luck again.

[akical]

yeah .. its all coming along quite nicely ..


but i'd like to know how much of this is actually done so far? .. lol

good luck dude .. merry christmas n a happy new year

but honestly it shouldnt take more then a weekend ? ..

[crahak]

Yea, the putting the computer together, install windows, codecs, media player, and code the VB part should take something around a day, give or take some depending on how good you are with these things (vb coding, especially... some people never programmed, and it takes 'em a week to do a "hello world" program... lol)

Ordering parts might take a while... :/ (my concern is the used cpu, and this is why I haven't wrote the article yet LOL... Funny how computers don't work so good w/o CPU's...)

The PIC part might be the trickyest part if you've never dealt with them (the LCD should be really straughtforward, and yes, those matrix orbital ones are nice and easy, and they sell drive bay inserts, even less work lol). But personally, I'm not even gonna bother with the PIC part, and I'll just buy a cheapo USB remote... Lazyness is good sometimes hehehe.

That way I can untie the machine I was using for that purpose... And this one might be easy enough for my kids to use it...
Anyways, total cost for me: old duron 800'ish (25$ or so) a remote (about 20) and why not a LCD (price depends on what you choose, a 2 line backlit model is all I'm really aiming for... There's only so much I want to display, and I don't want it to be too distractive or expensive. Besides, I already have a whole bunch of non-backlit at home.). Beats buying a KISS player too price wise...

Yet another edit: Well, LCD is optional anyhow, and well, the TV is there already, and it's a fairly nice and big display we can look at, I am considering using it instead of a LCD possibly... Anyways. Sort of like the matrix orbital 20x4 (LCD2041-WB-V) But to say it's worth more than doubling the cost of the project... 62$+drive bay insert/mounting kit, tax and all... It's only a gadget, and it won't make the movie look better, y'know. Oh well.

[ejp]

crahak...
yes, i figured i'd have to play around with DivxOS before it turns out right. oh, yea, i was a little bit reluctant to use a CDRW to hold the OS for the reasons you've mentioned. yea, when i've completed this project, i know there will be more than one version. although this is just another project i need to do to pass high school, it's a project that i really care about, and i'm proud of. i've never had to actually do something at this scale, no matter how small it seems to everyone, but it's not a bad project at all for someone like me. the only other acceptable project i've heard of was a wireless car speaker system, which wasn't a bad idea either. but i'm just so hooked on something like this. anyway, yes, the nice thing about this project is can potentially play anything you throw at it, just as long as it has what it needs to play whatever. but it's definate that the product won't be playing DVDs, since i really don't need it, since this project is really based on DivX and XviD. also, it might be a little hard finding sites to order parts for really cheap, since it seems like it might reach up to about $300, maybe? although this project is based on DivX and XviD, i might have to have a long presentation on explaining why this was worth making, then explain all the other unfamiliar file formats. thanks again, crahak.



akical...
yes, i'm feeling very positive about this project. unfortunately, i can't officially start until september (when they give us $150). then on top of that, our teacher wants us to do things in parts, and have documentation galore. it shouldn't take long, so i can make more improvements. i have a feeling this will be pretty fun.

if anyone else could help, please do. also, if anyone can, post some good sites where i can order parts for cheap; especially those ITX boards ( http://www.miniitx.com ). ALSO, if anyone wants to contribute, and show their coding skills for any of the mentioned tasks in the previous posts, please do. thanks everyone.

* * * * * * * * * *

as of now, i need (subject to change):

Suggested at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Software/3691/DivxOS/
Case
CPU - Duron 800
EPoX Mainboard (Power On Keyboard)
64 MB SDRAM
CD-ROM Drive (already have one)
Matrox G450 DH
IDE HardDisk (already have one)
IR Reciever
Programmable Remote Control

not-so-sure list (plenty of programming already):
PIC (16C series)(already know where to get, unless you find a USB one)

suggested on this thread:
PCI Rise Card
PCI DivX Decoder Card (probably not needed)
Motherboard - x86
Flash RAM
MB RAM - 64 or 128
NIC
Graphics Card w/ TV OUT (s-vid or RF Modulator)
Processor - 800 Mhz, P3 500 Mhz, 300 Mhz, P2 400Mhz
Touch Pad
LCD Screen (Matrix Orbital LCDs)
USB Port
Sound card
Mini PC (800 - 1000 Mhz)
Front panel (i don't know if this comes with the case)
E/EPROM
MicroATX
*VIA ITX Motherboard (Epia M 6000 or 9000; wow!)
128 MB DDR Ram
256 MB Ram
*USB Flash Disk (wow!)

Coding:
assembly, C/++, VB, delphi


anymore???

[crahak]

Me again.

Remote control, with receiver, 14$:
http://www.pcremote.net/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=ecommerce&cart_id=3540402.17845
I'm no packard bell fan, but it's a remote, and it's functionnal and easy to use. I'm buying one anyways, it's only 14$.

As for what you've said: PIC? check microchip.com for specs and all. They do have some USB ones. (Mind you, personally, I'd go for serial but hey, we all have preferences)

If you didn't have a CD-Rom drive already, I'd say get a DVD-Rom instead, so it will play DVD's too. But anyways, non-issue.

As far as wanting small PC stuff or fancy boards, generally speaking, it will cost $. As far as ram goes, I'd use at least 128, especially if you're gonna use 2K and not 98. (It's probably like 5$ difference anyhow, nothing serious). A good digital 5.1 channel sound card would most definately be a plus. Most divx rips I do lately have AC3 5.1, so... A SB Live 5.1 OEM is around 30$ anyways.

You can program the pic in asm, but there's also some C compilers for them. VB is really easy and handy to do the windows coding part.

As a sideline, for anyone who might be interested (I suspect more than one person wants to build one, eventually) there is an article at M$ about the remotes we'll eventually have with PC's... I guess it's a good preview, and I'm going to try to have standards somewhat close to this... (Probably will map the buttons to the same than they are doing anyways)

Edit: I bought it online, and with the "pcrc.com" discount, and int'l shipping, it only costs me 16.92$. Not bad

[skater9629862]

Wow, i think i've read about this whole thread. here's my 2 bits. first off, the ati all-in-wonder 7500 will tv out without any drivers !!! Seriously, that would solve a bunch of problems, it will auto detect if your a/v cables are hooked up at boot, and if they are, it will immediatly start tv output!!! then, just use a dos divx player to play the movies. and that's it. i mean, what else do you need. I don't have a link for you about the dos divx player, but i know they exist cuz i used to have one, for my old, old computer. from there, you can do whatever, but i think that's the first direction i would go. this sounds pretty easy since you have now gone towards just making a computer dedicated to this. also, if you decided to go for a windows based computer, there are alternate interfaces for you to use besides explorer. there are alot of open source windows interfaces that you can use besides explorer, that way it wouldn't just look like a windows system.

[ejp]

crahak...
hey, that remote doesn't look all that bad. i'm not a big packard bell fan either, but whatever does the job. but if i wanted it to look even more impressive to my teacher, i was thinking about getting a touchscreen remote, like the one here --> http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?tt=url&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fernbedi...1.htm&lp=de_en . or even here --> http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=de_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fernbe....de%2Ftst4.htm . it's from a german website, so i don't know if there are any english producers of these same remotes. i'll look around. as for the PIC, could you run through again what a USB PIC is used for? anyway, i would use a DVD-ROM if i had a spare one, but maybe that'll be a future upgrade. 128 RAM? alright, what kind, though? as for the sound card, a 2 channel card would be ok, right? if it's considerably cheaper, then i'll go for the 2 channel. i guess i'll be using a few languages for different parts of this project. i better get extra credit for this! lol.

skater9629862...
hmm, the ATI All-In-Wonder 7500 seems like a great package. but i did a little search on it, and it IS a little pricey. there also IS a hidden economic aspect to this project too. there were even some problems with it, such as the one at this website -->
http://www.sysopt.com/userreviews/vidcards/reviewhtml/ATI_ALL-IN-WONDER__7500.html . but i will definately look into that DOS DivX Player. thanks.

[crahak]

Ok, here we go again.

Those remotes look cool (just like I could use my handspring visor...) I could also use my X10 remote, but that style of remote like you linked (there really are lots around for sale) usually cost several hundred dollars(!). Touch screen type of LCD's, and backlit ones, plus the CPU and all, in a miniatirized package, and low sales translates in high prices. I decided to make a player just so it's easy for my kids to play their movies. The PB remote will do just fine.

If you check the prices between a SB 16 PCI and a SB Live 5.1 OEM, I wouldn't be surprised a bit if the SB 16 was more expensive, and 6ch audio is good, besides, even if you only play 2ch audio, you can always use the spdif output, which is really good. (You can add a toslink if you want too). There's also lots of other digital sound cards that work very well that are also very cheap.

The AIW 7500 does need it's drivers. (Unless he means there's built in drivers with TV out in windows?...). Anyways, who cares if you have to install drivers once on it. Think that's a non-issue. You want a card that will preferably; be cheap, have preferable an S-video out and at the least composite, and that will output decent quality video. Note that there are LOTS of cards that do this, but they will refuse to work with the TV as the primary display, they want a monitor first... I'd look into it first, or make sure I can return it without too much hassle...

DOS divx players? Hmmm, one could have written some sort of media player in dos that decodes older divx3.11 or something, but the fact is, there are jus NO decent dos players, and that dos architecture does not use the same codecs we use in windows. I'd go with anything but that.

Other interfaces? We already discussed this, and you can make your own in like 5 minutes or less in VB. We're not trying to make a PC that don't look like windows. It doesn't even need a desktop and all that complex GUI stuff. Just a program that waits for the CD to be inserted, then launch it.

Back laters

[kwag]

Other interfaces? We already discussed this, and you can make your own in like 5 minutes or less in VB. We're not trying to make a PC that don't look like windows. It doesn't even need a desktop and all that complex GUI stuff. Just a program that waits for the CD to be inserted, then launch it.

Back laters

If you want a fast booting OS ( about 20 seconds ) that you can turn on and forget about crashes, you might want to use BeOS as your platform for a personal DivX, VCD, DVD, etc player. Look what's available here: http://www.bebits.com/browse/151

-kwag

[crahak]

Sure, BeOS is another option. But personally, win98 will do what I need. I'm really not big about BeOS, but again, that's personnal preference... Besides, barebones win98 doesn't take an hour to boot anyways, and without all the other junk that people do install all the time, it shouldn't crash too often.

As a side note, the AIW 7500 does have a spdif out, so it would save you buying a digital sound card, it does work with "tv only" and it comes with a remote. Nice eh? I don't think it's much of a great capture card, but heck. Too bad I already got a remote now, and a vid card with tv out. No biggie.

Side note: this is not even my thread. We're supposed to be helping ejp

Edit: Hmm, the spdif on the card supposedly only works for 2ch digital audio However, I have found one for sale at 77$. I have a day to make up my mind. we'll see. Looks like a couple 1GHz celeron might go for a decent price too...

Turns out the card doesn't come with the cables, and as for the cpu, they charge 20$ to ship a 30$ CPU. I'll keep looking

[akical]

for 300$ ..

get an old already made pc (450 mhz, 128 ram, 4 gig hd) - about 200$
get a cheap generic tvout card - about 100$

take apart the pc, rewire it to fit in a toaster - 6-8 hours
installing windows, codec etc ... - 2-3 hours
fixxing the start-up so it works properly - 1-2 hours

thats bascially it ...

[akical]

you don't need any better pc, because 100% of the resources will go into playing the divx

it will run ANY divX at a reasonable speed up to about 1000*800 resolutions and up ..

but for your project a cheap old bargain basement pc will serve its purpose with more then enough hp to run everything

[vitualis]

Show me a P3 450 MHz that can play a 1000x800 DivX clip smoothly and I'll show you a flying pig...

Regards.

[crahak]

450 MHz? No way.

I'm going for a 800 to 1200 MHz. Depending what I can get for a decent price anyhow. Also, if you're playing high bitrate DivX with AC3 5.1 in it, it will require more CPU power too. 128meg and 4gig is about what I'll use. I have all the parts already but the remote (already ordered) and the CPU, so it will be signicantly less than 300 to 400$. The video card costed me like 50$ new a year ago, it works excellent, and has S-video output. Looks like I'll have to buy a sound card though... I'll see which one it'll be soon. (I'll go for whatever passes through AC3 fine, has an spdif out (and also toslink if possible) ans analog, on a budget. Not like if the sound card brand will change much the sound, I'll just go for something that works fine with no hassles. (Right now, without looking further into it, it sounds like a C-Media 6ch sound card, for like a whole 10$, but I have to check onto it)


Putting PC together sure don't take long. Installing windows and misc junk, same deal. Coding it all in VB, testing, and all can vary a lot. It would vary a lot with someone's programming skills. (if you don't even know what are events in VB, and you've never dealt with system messages and the like, it will be a lot more than a couple hours...)

(Edit) Those C-Media does play multi channel sound thru spdif fairly easily. I'm just staying away from SB lives as much as I can, and it's cheaper... So I can most likely get CPU, remote and 6ch sound card for slighly more than 50$. Not bad

[vhelp]

crahak,
yeah, I 2nd that. window 98 is pretty much all you need. On my 2nd pc, if I
turn off LAN support in BIOS, (from dos to windows) boot-up time is in the teens.
That's NOT including all the bells and wistles turned off mind you. you could
prob shave off a few more seconds w/ a little tidying up w/ BIOS and Windows
and if any DOS stuff that might of gotton cought up in the windows 98 install.
As in my case, I can't seem to get rid of those DOS support files for AUDIO
during windows boot-up. They always come back somehow. In my 2nd pc, they
come up, and cause a screen full of error messages (harmless though) but this
adds to the startup times.
Also, do a clean install of windows 98, so that its performance is at it's
peak. And, when you install W98, don't allow it to install any other features.
You don't need them for this project. You basically want a Bare-Bones-OS
requiring only minimal RAM. w2k needs 256MB i think.

Remember guys, he's looking for a simple, quicky divX box that will give
him a passing grade or something like that. He's not trying to be the next
KISS divX kid, he, he...so don't go over board w/ your suggetions, as it'll
probably tax, confuse him out of his mind. This guy will NEVER complete it
if everyone keeps ADDing MORE alternatives. Work w/ what's already here now,
so that he CAN complete it.

Show me a P3 450 MHz that can play a 1000x800 DivX clip smoothly and I'll show you a flying pig...

Never mind the 450Mhz thing, ..just show me the flying pig... he, he...

you've never dealt with system messages and the like, it will be a lot more than a couple hours...)

A LOT more!

-vhelp
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Happy HOLIDAY all.

[ejp]

crahak...
alright, i guess i don't absolutely need a touchscreen remote. but maybe i can use my palm too. i checked the SB 16 PCI and SB Live 5.1 OEM. not much of a price difference, and i'll probably use SB Live 5.1 OEM. i don't think i'll be getting an AIW 7500, since it's a bit pricey. i'll also take your adive about the DOS DivX Player. i'll probably use a windows OS though, since my friend is a Microsoft fanatic, and he basically knows windows inside and out. i'll have a lot of time for assembling and coding the project. i can do this on my summer break. thanks agian.

vhelp...
yes, i'll be sure to ask my friend to get rid of absolutely everything i don't need. speed is everything, especially during presentation time. after that, when i use it at home, it can go as slow as it wants. lol. anyway, how much ram does win98 need? if it's less, then i can save money on that.


alright, so in the end, what are all the basic parts i need? there have been so many suggestions, that i can't even sort it all out. well, other than the basic parts, i need to know the specifications of each (ram, cpu, and maybe even the brand, etc). i'll need a *COMPLETE* list to see if i can find all of it online or somewhere. thanks again everyone.

[vhelp]

ejp,

there have been so many suggestions, that i can't even sort it all out.

Stay in focus, stay in focus.. that's why I was sujesting that we all stop here
and just use what more than enough, has ben posted here.

well, other than the basic parts, i need to know the specifications of each (ram, cpu, and maybe even the brand, etc). i'll need a *COMPLETE* list to see if i can find all of it online or somewhere. Alright,
so in the end, what are all the basic parts i need?

Maybe this list (below) will come in handy, and you can build on it.
..remember, stay in focus!!

RAM:
128MB will do, but it's ben said that 65MB is the sweet-spot, and that
anything else is just plain waist. But, that depends. I think that you
should install 128MB.. if only to minimize the harddrive grinding and
speedying up the "overhead" ie, video, loading up any apps etc.
* CompUSA $49 - 128MB

Sound Card:
As for sound card, just get a very cheap one (compusa $19) you're not
looking for bells and whistles, just a passing grade and a $19 one
will not add "overhead" on your system resources as those SB cards do.
* CompUSA $19 - no name brand

Video card
again, get only a low profile one, w/ very little "overhead" and of course,
w/ TV-OUT. the Rage Fury Prog (agp) is $69, but if there are even cheaper
one, then you SHOULD go for it, again, as this is only a school project,
and once complete, well.. ..
* online or CompUSA $69 - ATI Rage Fury Pro

OS:
windows 98, clean, lean, freshly bare install, and nothing else.. except
for the codecs and divX app and any divX related startup prior to windows
booting.
* you may already have

CPU / MB:
go for an 1GHz AMD/Duran (price'wise) and MB for THAT chip you use.
* any online or friends < $120 for both

Programing:
who said anything about that ?
Just how fancy do you want to get ?
* not needed

CD-ROM:
for divX clips
* you may already have

enclosure:
card-board cutout, he he... just kidding
you may have to make one up from soft wood 1/2" think or less.
glue, screws, etc.
* you're on your own

cables:
s-video, rca, sound cables, etc.
* you may already have

Did I miss anything here. Alright, it's time to start building. There is more
than enough info on these 3 pages (page one alone) to get with a complete
divX kit. Happy Building.

-vhelp
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Happy HOLIDAY all.