AVeL LinkPlayer can now be pre-ordered!

[TechTooth]

From the discussion on AVS forum (re: link posted by smee on his 1st post of this thread):

mikemav said on 12-31-04 at 4:01am

Re: Is this true?

quote:
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Originally posted by jotter
.... but looking at their web site this is shown in red:

*LinkPlayer doesn't have an upscaling function. The current market available DVD movie (480p SD) is by 480p out with no scaling even if LinkPlayer setting is 720p or 1080i HD mode. 720p DVD disc will come in a market, and it can be played by 720p output.

Jonathan
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So this brings me back to my original point before I had the non-anamorphic DVD scare: I-O's marketing is making a HUGE mistake by emphasizing this new point, especially since it IS NOT TRUE! I know the MPAA would like it to be true that commercial DVDs do not up-convert via component, but since it does still up-convert, all they are doing is killing potential sales and confusing everyone.

So, it DOES upconvert!
I have spent about 5 hours reading through the entire thread and it is repeated over and over by many people who actually own the player. They can't understand why IO-Data claim the opposite (and neither can I).

Phew, I'm glad to have cleared that up .

 

[electron]

I finally got a response (they were at CES too):

LinkPlayer doesn't support upscalling. You might know, upscalling
function needs DVI or HDMI even if a unit has Sigma EM8620L. Our player
doesn't have any. This is a simple reason. But our next model will
support it.

 

[smee]

I think it's going to become more and more difficult to select one of these media player boxes. There are already quite a few of them on the market and more have been announced at CES. I think it's turning into one of those things where there are just too many options out there for the normal consumer to figure out.

Many of the previous boxes have not lasted very long, had software that was never really completed, or were never able to create much of a market.

About the only thing that will save these is probably if they conform to standards. UPnP servers may be one way to do this. If any player will work with any server, then consumers can "shop around" to find the one that best meets their needs. But if things remain proprietary (or compatible, but not really compatible), most of these probably won't go anywhere. Without the standards, it's too easy to lose the ability to use your box if you update your computer/OS/etc.

The ones that seem to have done best in the past are things like the Audiotron (which doesn't require a server at all) or the Slimserver-based ones (that are essentially supported by an open-source server). Just about all the players have their own enthusiastic following (but many of these followings don't start until the device is leaving the market and offered at a hefty discount).

 

[smee]

It's not a new thread, but for completeness I thought I'd post a link to the FAQ thread for this player on www.avsforum.com. I don't think it's been posted yet.

FAQ on AVSForum

 

[traintrax]

Thanks for the compliment. You are right that DivX-HD is probably overkill when it comes to storing DVD's, but it would allow you to store DVD rips on the HD, using less space than just copying the VOB's or ISO's (which I do now so both of my HTPC's can access the library). As for the movies, I am not sure if this is going to take off, Microsoft has Windows Media HD, and it is very impressive. I believe Microsoft already signed some deals with hardware manufactures to support this format.

I can see how this is useful to store HDTV recordings, but it would have to be part of an onboard video processor, software decoders such as the ATI HDTV seem to be taking up 100% of the cpu on faster machines, based on some reports I have seen.

Have you found a way to stream your DVD .ISO's to the LinkPlayer? I have ripped all of my DVDs to .ISO and am looking for an easy way to access them in my home theatre. The only way I know right now is to build an HTPC but I didn't really want to do that.

Thanks - Neil

 

[electron]

I don't think there is a way of doing this without using a HTPC (which is what I do).

 

[TechTooth]

From the discussion on AVS forum (re: link posted by smee on his 1st post of this thread):

WillGonz said on 01-13-05 at 10:43pm

Ok back to my ISO mounter.

Here are the requirements so far.

Daemon Tools
Windows 2000 or XP
IIS installed

What this will do:

You will be able to specify watch folders that will find your ISO's by extension. So NRG,ISO,BIN,etc. Whatever Daemon Takes it will find.

From your player you will be able to select a DVD image and it will mount. Then you select an icon to play the mounted image.
When you return to the menu after watching the movie it will tell you what is currently mounted and you can then select another image.

I am thinking when you select the movie it will show a picture of the DVD cover if you have obtained it and added it to the directory.

So it seems that the LP2 can stream ISOs as long as they are mounted with Daemon (can be done through the player).


BTW I still stand with what I said earlier about upconversion, even if IO-Data say the opposite.

Another quote from AVSForum FAQ (smee's recent link):

Tom Roper said on 01-04-05 at 5:13pm

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by schear
Curious about this player: why does the iodata site claim that it doesn't have an upscaling function- I thought the sigma chip provided the upscaling- isn't that the whole point of this player? Also, this is component/analog, so is the resolution as good as the other hdmi/dvi players (panasonic, e.x.)? Finally, does it play the WMV HD DVD's without much of a hassle?

thanks
lawrence
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For the bazillionth time...It absolutely WILL upscale 100% of the time. The information stated to the contrary...is wrong.

And it plays WMV-HD perfectly, way above the stated 8mb/s (which is also wrong) with the following disclaimers:

1.) No support at this time for DRM (digital rights management)
2.) No native support at this time for WMA9 5.1 Pro audio

As for the comparison of resolution as good as other hdmi/dvi players, it should be at least as good on component owing to its 150mhz 12 bit DAC and native support (not just upscaled) support for 720p and 1080i. As for the comparison to DVI/HDMI which the AVLP2-DVDLA (US Spec) does not have, that's a matter of opinion. The component output from the AVLP2 has at times been described as tending toward the soft side, but it's undeniable it suffers from no macro-blocking maladies either.