How can I build a DivX Standalone Player?

[ejp]

I am a highschool student and I have to propose a Senior Project in a month. I've decided to do something related to DivX. Why not a DivX Standalone Player. There are already DivX Standalone players out there, so I have to "add" to it, or make it better or different somehow.

I've been looking around for actual help, I've asked DivX-support for if they would help me, but no reply yet. I've looked around on the Internet. One nice page was http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Software/3691/DivxOS/

But I will need some help on the "modifications", or "add-ons". I was wondering if anyone could PLEASE help me out. I just need to know if anyone can help me out so I can propose this idea next month.

My idea for my "modification": a PIC <www.microcontroller.com,www.microchip.com> to read, and determine the Version of DivX used to encode the AVI file on the CD (a PIC is required as part of this project,might have to program it in Assembly language since that is another requirement). A floppy-disk drive will be installed. A floppy disk will hold the latest version of DivX. The PIC will then use the CODEC on the floppy disk to decode the DivX on the CD, and then somehow interface it to the TV Input.

I didn't want to put in a harddrive or memory to hold the codec. According to http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=44641&forum=9 , a floppy can be used to hold the files needed to run a DivX-encoded AVI file. This is so that I don't have to worry about installing the codec onto a harddrive or onto memory (which would be "updating firmware").

So PLEASE, if ANYONE could help me, then that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[pHi_Roe]

Hello

maybe like that: http://us.shuttle.com/product_mini.asp

good luck

pHi

[ejp]

pHi_Roe...

i don't understand what that site is offering. could you explain?

[Craig Tucker]

pHi_Roe...

i don't understand what that site is offering. could you explain?

They are compact PC's. I think what pHi_Roe is trying to say is, the best thing to play a divx is a PC.

[ejp]

well...

using a compact PC is the basis for all the standalone divx players i've seen. but i really don't want to get more complex than a compact PC, no matter how simple it would be. i was thinking of only having:

-PIC
-CD Drive
-Floppy Drive
-Motherboard with TV out (not sure of how this will work)

at the divx.com forum, they suggested to use ffdshow. i did a search on it, and it turns out that it also plays XviD. since XviD is no longer in progress, it would more helpful for DivX. regardless, ffdshow is a great idea.

[trebor271075]

I've thought about thsi myself as I have been thinking about making a stand alone Divx player myself!

PIC --> probably not powerfull enough to do teh divx decoding!

So use a cheap motherboard and low powered processor, get a pci riser card for it (so you can slot 1 PCI card in horizontally instead of vertically...
That way you can get a neat low profile case to take it all! You'll need a small cheap HDD to put an OS onto and to install teh player software! You get a remote control with that hardware decoder card too! Put a DVD-ROM drive in and poof! Stand alone player (needs to boot up though.....) So you coudl always put soemthing else on OS wise and write your won drivers for teh divx decoder card (not easy I would guess!)

You can get a hardware pci divx decoder card from www.sigmadesigns.com

Just my thought.. Follow what I mean???? This decoder card outputs to tv over scart! Smashing huh?

Cheers
Rob

[fingernailX]

http://www.broadq.com/qcasttuner/

Put qcasttuner on your PS2 and play away!

[ejp]

trebor271075...

i need to use a PIC for SOMETHING. the PIC itself won't do the decoding, but rather use the codec on the floppy (ffdshow) to decode the DivX. oh, and what exactly does the PCI card do? can't quite find the link on sigmadesigns. i really want to get rid of the HDD, since it seems the HDD will be hosting the codec and OS. i wanted to run the codec from the floppy disk, since ffdshow fits on it <http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=44641&forum=9>. i don't care much for a remote control at the moment, and I'll only be needing a CD-Rom drive, not a DVD-Rom. it would only need to "boot up" if there was a HDD installed, and, as i've said, i didn't want a HDD in there. and could you please post the link to that PCI card you were talking about? i might look into it.

fingernailX...

sorry, but i don't want to use a gaming system with some chip. that seems like the cheap way to do this project. i want it soley for DivX, and thanks to FFDSHOW, XviD is supported too.


another thing...
according to <http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=44641&forum=9>, you CAN run a DivX-encoded AVI File with FFDSHOW on a floppy without the system having DivX installed.

one last thing...
the requirements are to program the PIC <www.microcontroller.com , www.microchip.com> with Assembly Language, Visual Basic, or C/++. I only know a fair amount of C++. i'm guessing the coding must have a command to read off a disk drive. does anyone know any coding that involves reading from a disk drive from either of those mentioned languages?

Please, i would appreciate anyone who helps.

[vitualis]

trebor271075...

i need to use a PIC for SOMETHING. the PIC itself won't do the decoding, but rather use the codec on the floppy (ffdshow) to decode the DivX

You've missed his point. The codec is just data on a medium. It is like the code book. It in itself isn't going to decode anything. For a code book, you need a human brain, and for decoding DivX, you are going to need some sort of processor (either a hardware MPEG-4 decoding chip or a general purpose processor). The PIC doesn't have the computing power to decode DivX.

I think that what you want to do may be a lot more difficult than you think... If you want to make everything yourself, you are looking at the prospect of writing your own OS and device drivers to boot off a floppy.

Regards.

[sterno]

I don't want to discourage anybody from learning, but from your postings I think that you do not have the necessary background to complete a project of this magnitude in a reasonable amount of time for a school project.

A codec is just a piece of software, as is this "ffdshow" you mention. Both pieces of software assume that you have an operating system to handle all the "low-level" stuff, things like disk I/O, memory management, and video display. By itself a piece of software is just a bunch of binary data, it doesn't do anything unless you run it through the processor for which it was created and provide all of the infrastructure it expects to find.

What you're talking about would require either specialized hardware (things likes a DivX decoder chip and a custom I/O controller) or a full-blown embedded system with all the hardware and software necessary to play DivX. Since most processors designed for embedded systems do not have the necessary power to decode DivX themselves and power consumption probably is not a concern for you, you'd be ahead to look at compact x86 boards, flash RAM storage, and an OS aimed at embedded x86 hardware.

[ejp]

ok, what if i use the floppy drive as a means to update the firmware? would that sound more reasonable?

[LeeBear]

The easiest way to get a Standalone DiVX player is to buy an X-Box, then buy a MOD chip or make one yourself. And then install the X-box Media Player found http://xboxmediaplayer.de, or write your own Media Player

I agree with sterno, making a standalone DiVX player isn't something that is going to be easily done, especially in a reasonable amount of time. I suggest as your project you should just get an X-box and write your own DiVX software for it. It's reasonable and will do what you are asking.

-LeeBear

[Gazorgan]

PIC won't even remotely come close. You can use the PIC to drive the standard PC as a control interface.

You will need as a minimum:
PIII 500 Mhz, anything slower won't do 2-pass DivX
128 MB RAM
Probably W2K as an OS, you can remove a lot of the crap, and lock down the interface so it looks exactly like you want
CDROM/DVD drive
Harddrive (gotta put the OS somewhere)
NIC, I mean realistically the player is on your LAN so you can view waht's on your PC
AGP lever Video card with TV out.

You can get all this on-board a PC. Put that in a microcase with the CDROM and your all set. All you need is the vcr-like interface.

Wait....that sounds like an X-Box........

[a]

http://www.broadq.com/qcasttuner/

Put qcasttuner on your PS2 and play away!

QCast Tuner does nothing more than stream files stored on a PC to TV through a PlayStation 2 console. Thus it hardly makes the PS2 a standalone DivX player, and requires a lot more equipment than the ideas shown on this thread. I'd love a Divx/VCD/SVCD chip for my PS2 though, there's none readily available.

For immediate standalone DivX experience, Xbox is one of the easiest ways to go. Some OpenDivX players were available by video rental shops in the US some time ago, but the experiment was cancelled due to opposition from several movie companies and other parties. I wouldn't see as impossible to include at least basic (ie. DVD compatible resolution) DivX support to some existing DVD players. The codecs themselves shouldn't take more than some 2Mb memory, and any equipment fast enough to decode a DVD stream is capable of decoding DivX stream too.

I don't have enough modding experience to actually know how this could be done, and the possibilities are of course also limited by the hardware in question, I'm quite sure this thought has been discussed on on this forum or others on the net.

ejp, if you want to get rid of the HDD, you need to have enough ROM to include an operating system which actually directs the whole hardware operations. If you want to have external DivX codec, which is given for the OS to operate on before each file is played, I'd rather recommend to have the codec on the same CD the AVI file itself is. Again, this means you'd basically be creating your own standard in authoring and playing DivX CDs. Apart from mechanics, the player has to know how to do a few things:

* Read the codec
* Play/Decode the AVI using the read codec and in realtime
* Resize the AVI for TV resolution
* Put out the AVI in TV resolution

You might get lucky in finding a graphics card equipped with TV OUT, which has enough processing power to actually work through the whole decoding process, though coding an interface to make the card do this might be a "little" tricky .). I'd recommend trying to find a modified motherboard, perhaps a 800Mhz processor for decoding (also includes future compatibility for stronger compression methods), and some 8-16Mb of ROM for minimum OS functionality. I'm quite sure this would be enough for basic linux platform, which does basically nothing else but boot up, begin playing the CD and stream it to an independent TV output after applying a resize filter. The quality won't be magnificent, but it seems reasonable to expect it to work, anyway. Since the only thing the player is doing is crunching realtime stream, I'd expect some 32Mb of memory to be completely suitable for the task.

The actual question after building the thing is, how do you code all this functionality and make it work within the equipment limitations. I predict we hear some good news from you within a couple of years, or bad news a lot sooner :)

.a

[MikeV]

ejp,
Why not us the X-Box as the player and use the PIC as an interface for a touchpad and or remote control to play,skip, stop, ff,rew, etc. You could also use the PIC as an interface for a LCD screen to show the status of the player ie: play time, stop, skip,etc. Or even chapters.

[ejp]

LeeBear...
i really want to get away from the whole gaming console thing. but how would i go about writing my own divx software?

Gazorgan...
i'm willing to do anything good with a PIC, just as long as i use one. now what's this about using it to "drive the standard PC as a controle interface"? also, do i have to use W2K? i don't think i even know what that is, so i'll do some research on it. also explain the "lock down the interace so it looks exactly like you want" part. i'm guessing that has to do with W2K, which is what i don't know anything about. also explain more about the NIC, and how it'll be integrated into the system. thanks.

a...
again, i don't want to go in the direction of the gaming console. oh, can you explain more, or give me a site about OpedDivX? i've seen it somewhere, but haven't seen anything that truely tells me what it is. also, when you say "enough ROM to include an operating system", how much is enough ROM? the part about "have the codec on the same CD the AVI file itself is" is very interesting. the only problem would be that it people don't do that, thus they wouldn't be able to play all their older CDs with DivX files on them. also, you said "You might get lucky in finding a graphics card equipped with TV OUT". this must mean that they don't sell them like that regularly, and thus would be too pricey. your idea about the 800Mhz processor was good, but then you said "The quality won't be magnificent". i mean, the whole idea of DivX is to keep the same GREAT quality as a DVD in a small file. what would i need to keep the quality the same? thanks.

MikeV...
again, i don't want to use a gaming console. but i do like the idea of using the PIC as a touchpad or LCD screen. the only thing is, i'd have a hard time convincing my teacher or whoever that the PIC was being used within the heart of the system, and not for just a remote or status screen. although, i'll keep that in mind. thanks.


one more thing...
does anyone have opinions or suggestions about using a floppy disk drive to update the firmware/codec via a floppy disk with the latest version of divx?

[Craig Tucker]

W2K = Windows 2000 operating system

[sammie]

Try an internet search. There used to be a couple of plans for a mp3 box for your car and stereo. Think the same basic idea would work. Even had wiring diagrams and code routines for a game or serial port control module. Most of the ones I saw were Linux based and were at least close to the horsepower needed to play DiVXs. One thing to note is that several of the new "mini" format motherboards have a sVideo and composite out built in. Have no idea of the quality, but might not even need a separate TV-Out card.

[ktnwin]

Here are a few suggestions for this project. If this idea is turned into a product, you could make money out of it.
1) this player should be able to play MP3, VCD,SVCD,XVCD,XSVCD besides Divx (you can sell more that way)
2) don't add a floppy drive, it's clumsy
3) add an USB port instead (for firmware + CODEC upgrade !!!), people can upgrade by downloading new stuff from the Web on their PC, then use the PC to upgrade via USB port
4) make it portable

Being simple, I won't suggest the recording capability (it would be too much, write is 10 times more difficult then read).

Enjoy,

[sterno]

I wouldn't see as impossible to include at least basic (ie. DVD compatible resolution) DivX support to some existing DVD players. The codecs themselves shouldn't take more than some 2Mb memory, and any equipment fast enough to decode a DVD stream is capable of decoding DivX stream too.

It's not quite that simple. If you open up a set-top DVD player and look inside you won't see a miniaturized computer that has enough CPU power to decode a DVD stream, you'll see a bunch of specialized hardware that is designed to do one thing (play MPEG video) and do it well. Usually the software (firmware) in the machine is very limited, and it mainly tells the hardware decoder "play this". That's why you could buy hardware DVD decoder cards (remember those?) before you could buy a computer with enough CPU power to run a software player. DivX/Xvid/MPEG4 is very different from MPEG-1/2, so it's not something that would be as simple as patching the firmware.

If you were designing a brand-new player it would probably not be any more difficult than the rest of the player, I think most of the pieces you'd need are already available off-the-shelf. But modifying an existing player is probably impractical.

oh, can you explain more, or give me a site about OpedDivX? i've seen it somewhere, but haven't seen anything that truely tells me what it is.

http://www.projectmayo.com/

but i do like the idea of using the PIC as a touchpad or LCD screen. the only thing is, i'd have a hard time convincing my teacher or whoever that the PIC was being used within the heart of the system, and not for just a remote or status screen.

How about if you limited your project to creating a touchpad/LCD/keypad remote interface to something? It's probably a much more manageable project to design and implement in a period of a few months, and if you kept the idea of using it as a movie player remote in mind you'd have the first piece of a larger DivX-player project finished.

[The village idiot]

Well ejp, you certainly chose a difficult task for that pic. The pic will not be "powerful" enough for a video player of any kind. I just skimmed this thread, though some of what I say may be redundant. The pic is a very powerful little chip, I've done a little work with it for robots (hobby only, nothing professionally). The best suggestion would be to use the PIC to control a computer to play your DIVX. Use several buttons to connect to several GPIO lines of the PIC. Then write the program to send serial data to the computer half to make it perform the desired function. You could also have the PIC look for an infrared remote control signal, and then control the PC. This is not the easiest of tasks. You would need to have some custom written software for the PC (to accept commands from a serial device for controlling the player software). How you do this is a little beyond my knowledge. You could maybe get a PIC to decode, and play MP3's. It might take more than one PIC to do this, so you would need one of the models that can be slaved to one or more other PIC's. But playing video would take a little more power, even at a size of 160x120. See this article:http://www.efd.lth.se/~e96rg/mc/video/rtvideo.html Taken from link below.

Here are some references that might help:

http://www.commlinx.com.au/schematics.htm

also the book: Programming Robot Controllers by Myke Predko (ISBN 0-07-140851-7) (McGraw-Hill publishing) with a CD-rom including software developement tools to program the PIC in ANSI C language. $25.00 and should be in any large bookstore, or on the web. I'm reading this one now, and it seems to be a decent book.

http://www.oopic.com The oopic is based on a PIC micro, I've used this to control 12 servo motors with lots of headroom for other tasks.

http://www.acroname.com

Sorry that's about the best I can do for you. If you are allowed, use the ANSI C tools from Microchip instead of assembly. It will be easier to port you "C" code to other types of micro in the future. If you have to use assembly, well then that won't help you much. You should also stroll through the Microchip web site, they have vast numbers of application notes that might help you. You can also email them, and tell them what you have to do, and ask for their help. Chances are high that they will help you.

A side note:

check out the archos jukebox multimedia at http://www.archos.com. The MP3 players use a version of the Hitachi SH-1 MCU, don't know what the multimedia uses.

[a]

your idea about the 800Mhz processor was good, but then you said "The quality won't be magnificent". i mean, the whole idea of DivX is to keep the same GREAT quality as a DVD in a small file. what would i need to keep the quality the same? thanks.

Ehm, to keep the same great quality as a DVD you should have lossless AVI on a DVD-ROM effectively rendering your whole object waste of time :p

Playing back media through a TV set is not just about thwe quality of your file. You need a highly optimized DivX file multipassed using a tool like DivX4log. You need to take precaution for the lossy compression and the effects in the reddish parts of the video this causes. You need to have fast enough interface in order to not lose any frames due to hickups. You need a digital TV Out and a high-end progressive TV capable of taking in the produced signal among other things. Then I would call the quality magnificent, although a compressed DivX made small enough to fit a CD or two would never be "same great quality as a DVD in a small file".

Steron, I was referring to the basic principle but you are right, DVD players (and most other non-PC equipment) do consist of numerous chips each centered on doing a certain task. As DivX in it's basic sense is really nothing more than compressed and scrambled MPEG stream, I still find it relatively possible to either flash or modify any chip to take in DivX stream in addition or instead of an MPEG stream. Whether this is impractical or not, I reccon you're right :)

.a

[ejp]

Craig Tucker...
lol, ok. i guess i'm a little slow. i don't know many people who use W2K. thanks.

sammie...
i'll do a search for it; might be useful. you said something about Linux, which brings up a good point about the OS i should use, since it seems that i will have to use an OS. also, thanks for the information about the motherboards with SVideo. i'll definately keep that in mind.

ktnwin...
thank you for replying. i only wanted this to be purely based on playing MPEG-4. but i LOVE your idea about just updating via USB. something in the back of my head was lurking around saying something was wrong with using a floppy drive. and you just made me realize that USB is much better, and floppy drives will eventually go away. also, i don't think i'll add the recording feature. someone suggested that feature somewhere.

sterno...
yea i've been on projectmayo. i have a thread on there in regards to this topic, but it's not getting any replies, lol. but i found a better link for a FAQ on OpenDivX. <http://forums.projectmayo.com/viewtopic.php?topic=2215&forum=3>. also, i don't really want to make the remote as a big part of the project. i was only gonna make it if i had more time in the end.

The village idiot...
yea, at first, i thought of the PIC as the basis for a robot. i've even seen PIC sites with "Robot" as a subject for the PIC. i think i WILL use the PIC to control the PC part of the project. you also bring up a good point about have custom software for the PC to accept serial device commands to control the software. i'm going to need that software in any case, right? i guess i'll need to get some help on that. does anyone know about writing software like this? you said i can get a PIC to decode the audio. why would i need more than one PIC to take care of the audio, if the design was to use a HDD with software on it? same idea with the video. from what i've seen so far, i'm guessing i'll need a HDD. but i'll keep in mind what you said about the audio. one last thing. so you suggest that i definately use C? i haven't proposed my idea yet, but i knew that assembly wouldn't do the job. i might have to use C since i already know it. i'll use VB if i have to, but i'd have to learn that too. does anyone know any of these languages? cuz i'll need a lot of help. thanks for all the links, too.

a...
yea, to keep the same great quality of a DVD, you'd need the DVD itself. LOL. what you said about keeping the quality high sounds like it's going overboard, and i'd need a great system to do it. i don't need SUPER-DUPER quality, but good enough to pass the class.


updates...
so as of now, i'm thinking that i will need a PIC, motherboard, TV OUT, HDD, CD-Rom Drive, and USB for fimrware. i'll need an OS, and enough programming language, which sounds like a big part of this. so i'm going to need someone to suggest a good parts list, and a few people willing to help me out with the programming. PLEASE, i'll need some help from anyone. if anyone has anymore suggestions, PLEASE post. thanks everyoine.

[vitualis]

@ a: The point is, however, that MPEG-4 is sufficient different from MPEG-2 so that there is absolutely NO chance that a hardware MPEG-2 decoder chip can decode MPEG-4. No amount of firmware upgrading is going to change that.

Regards.

[ejp]

ktnwin...
your idea about the USB was a good one, but kind of a mind boggler. it's basically transferring a file from one PC to another PC via USB. i've never had to do that before. is there a program to do this kinda thing, or what? then on top of that, i'd have to get the DivX Standalone player to accept the transfer (which doesn't sound hard), and then install the file into the system.

it kinda reminds me of a little network. a little network via ethernet doesn't sound that bad either, but that brings the whole idea toward more use of the computer.

which brings up another point. i think i went more for the floppy idea because i also want this to be a success for people who don't have computers. all they would need to get is a floppy disk with the codec on it from a friend or something.

i also thought about using a CD-R with the codec on it, and pop that into the Standalone. but i shot it down when i realized that it would be a waste of a CD, no matter how cheap they come.

in any case, i think i'll stay with USB. it's convincing enough to say that floppy drives will go away, but USB will still be there. but i'm going to need to get information about PC-to-PC transfers via USB. then on top of that, i'll need to find out how to auto-install something.

please, anyone who can help, please do.

[crahak]

Hate to say that, but I have to. If you're here, asking such basic questions that the average users know answers to, and you're trying to play the role of a whole development team for a complete hardware and software project... You're trying something way beyong your scope.

The pic can be useful for simple tasks as remote controls, LCD and such, yes. Nothing more, and the best way to do it is in asm. For most people that never dealt too much with PICs before, this in itself is a project, don't underestimate it.

Anyways, you could use a gaming console, but that doesn't seem to be what you want (and I can understand it), or some PC based solution.

Your best bet is start by concentrating on either making a box play your movies, or start with the remote control part, then do the other.

Sounds like you might need to learn programming in some language anyways, and it doesn't take 5 minutes either (I don't mean "hello world")

Anyways. Good luck

[ejp]

crahak...
i'm not "trying to play the role of a whole development team for a complete hardware and software project". i know this is beyond me, but i have a lot of free time, and the patience to learn this stuff, if someone is willing to teach me something. i'm not trying to make this the wave of the future or anything, but just trying to accomplish something here.

based on what everyone is saying, the PIC seems to be a bit useless for this project, but i'm sure it CAN be used for something. if i can't, then that's ok. the professor just seems to get his jollies knowing that we might use a PIC. i'm going to have to verify that; if he definately wants a PIC or not. i'm guessing he would LIKE us to use it because it counts as the software aspect of the project, and the coding for it isn't too complicated. but if i have to do something way past a PIC, then so be it. and could you explain a little bit of what an "ASM" is?

no, i don't want to use a gaming console for this, but i'm quickly understanding that using a mini PC is the way to go for this, since that's what video codecs are used for.

i know i have to learn some more programming, especially in whatever i'm going to use for this project. i don't know exactly what i'm going to use, or do, for my "software" aspect, but i know it's going to be some language. and if it's really super duper complicated, then i'm going to need someone to help.

so if anyone can help, or has something else to contribute to my project, then please do so. thanks.

[vhelp]

ejp,

Some things to think about, as you ARE a stubbern one, he, he..

no disrespect, but.. just how much do you know of the following:
* hardware: wireing, soldering, concocking circuits from others, etc.
* software: communicating to and from the hardware, and to the TV
* cd-rom: communicating, writing code to comm w/ it, send back data, ect.
* codec: mpeg4 (or others 4 dat) comm you codec w/ hardware;software;tv
* audio: comm w/ all the above
* timing: comm w/ all the above
* ?? --> I may have missed a few to this list, so just add ??

It was stated above, that a "hardware" circuit in DVD players are
designed for JUST mpeg (mpeg1 and 2) (nothing was ever scketched for mpeg4
by the way, on those hw circuit boards in those DVD players)
These circuit boards do basically one thing - as obvious.

I bet if you took apart one of those "already" made divX players, you'll
just see the same set of basic circuits found in a "regular" dvd player.
.
.
add to it..
..you're looking at a company who speciallizes in this area, and not to
mention, they HAVE the hardware;software;codoc;mpeg know-how, technique,
tools, circuit designing ability, factory, assembly at their fingers-tips.
They can do this w/ their eyes closed. But, you can't.

Basically, you're taling about taking big clucky items like:
* TV set
* dvd player ??
* cd-rom
* software
* motherboard ??
* floppy drive ??
* did I miss anything here ??

..and trying to put it all together, to make a stand-alone divX player, lol
I wonder just HOW BIG this final unit will be when you finished it, ..hyper
thecially speaking. ..but, I commend you for trying anyways he, he...

I'll tell you a secret though.. the only way you'll have something like
this EVER take place, is to:
* be any already EXPERIENCED "electronics engineer" 20 years or more...
* an already ERROR-PROOF scetch/design template, etc.
* have access to a plant
* access to a GOOD friend, from the plant above
* and, perhaps, his keys to the design room
* .. the sky's the limit!!!

You idea was a brave one, but foolish non-the-less, he, he...
I used to be cocky too, in my young and nieve (spelling) days...
Now that I'm a bit older (and wiser) I wake up to a fresh smelling
pot of coffee

But, I have a suggestion for ya... go buy one of those divX players
$450 or less, then:
* take the cover and cassings off
* designed your own CLUNKY looking case and cover (you want it to
look as authentic as possibe - not too professional )
* take all those hardware items from your bought unit, and place
them in YOUR unit, screw back together again
* present to your professor.

You'll be god himself, less he's a wise professor he, he...

Good luck in your endeavor anyways! ..I'm w/ ya!! ..kick butt !!
-vhelp

[ejp]

vhelp...

i've worked with HW and SW. as of now, i'm probably looking at:

-CD-Rom Drive
-HDD
-Motherboard
-TV OUT
-USB
-PIC (possibly for coding/sw part of the project)

i threw out the floppy drive idea, and i'll have to do some coding somewhere. my professor works at Lucent for more than 20 years, and teaches courses in whatever feild is associated with electronics/computers/math. i hate him, but i deal with it. lol. he's willing to help me out, just as long as i'm taking this seriously. i do also have a sub-member in my team who works in civil/mechanical engineering, and he can make a case, but that's the least of my worries now.

oh, and i don't think i'll be buying a DivX player any time soon and just put in my own stuff, lol.

thanks.

[jmc_uk]

Tell ya what, Just get a New Kiss-450 DivX Player, and design a new case for it