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tablet for wifi/DVDs |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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tablet for wifi/DVDs
Looking for advice on a tablet for wifi and watching movies.
I like to watch DVDs when abroad and I’ve used various tablets previously. Prefer tablets to laptops due to the better battery life of a tablet, the only drawback being, on most tablets, lack of storage. My preference is to convert a DVD to MP4 on my laptop via the DVD drive, then copy the MP4 to a USB stick, but I have had problems doing this finding in some cases though the convert/copy works with no errors and the movie plays ok on the laptop it won’t play on the tablet. I seem to remember there was also a problem storing movies on high capacity USB devices.. forget exactly what but something to do with format. I see now that some tablets have expandable memory via a micro SD card. Are there any problems associated with: 1. Copying MP4 format movies to micro SD card on a laptop then playing from the SD card on the tablet? 2. Can movies bought from someone like blinkbox be stored on a micro-SD card? I was looking at something like a Dell Venue 8 7000 |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,851
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Quote:
Looking for advice on a tablet for wifi and watching movies.
I like to watch DVDs when abroad and I’ve used various tablets previously. Prefer tablets to laptops due to the better battery life of a tablet, the only drawback being, on most tablets, lack of storage. My preference is to convert a DVD to MP4 on my laptop via the DVD drive, then copy the MP4 to a USB stick, but I have had problems doing this finding in some cases though the convert/copy works with no errors and the movie plays ok on the laptop it won’t play on the tablet. I seem to remember there was also a problem storing movies on high capacity USB devices.. forget exactly what but something to do with format. I see now that some tablets have expandable memory via a micro SD card. Are there any problems associated with: 1. Copying MP4 format movies to micro SD card on a laptop then playing from the SD card on the tablet? 2. Can movies bought from someone like blinkbox be stored on a micro-SD card? I was looking at something like a Dell Venue 8 7000 You can use SD cards - more convenient in some ways as you can put sd card into an sd card adaptor and write directly to it from a PC if PC has an sd card reader. If it does not play on a tablet, that is more likely due to missing codecs. I always use VLC which supplies all the main codecs and plays most formats. Of course, biggest issue is actually converting DVDs to MP4 due to copy protection, but we are not permitted to discuss that on this forum. |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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i did reformat the USB drive to NTFS but i did still get problems in some instances, though it was a few years back and i can't remember what the issues were exactly, but they were enough to make me abandon tablets in favour of a small laptop with a DVD drive, converting my legally bought DVDs to MP4 on my hard drive for my own use to save the battery power driving the DVD when not plugged into the mains.. but i still had battery life issues on long journeys. i was hoping technology would have provided the ideal solution by now but it seems not. I was thinking of using blinkbox to buy films but only very limited editions of android software are compatible to download their movies to SD and with them, once you download to a hard drive you can't copy it anywhere else. i'm thinking of a windows tablet but i don't know of any other movie supplier where i can buy movies that i can download to an SD card..
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,288
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Quote:
Of course, biggest issue is actually converting DVDs to MP4 due to copy protection, but we are not permitted to discuss that on this forum.
Converting DVDs to MP4 is also such a common task that there a vast number of commercial programs proporting to "make it totally trivial" - with simple menus and hand holding. With more skill and knowledge it can even be done totally using freeware. With the (invariably included) reformatting to tablet screen resolutions the DVDs will fit into one file Just do a bit of searching and many possible solutions should pop-up! |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,851
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Quote:
i did reformat the USB drive to NTFS but i did still get problems in some instances, though it was a few years back and i can't remember what the issues were exactly, but they were enough to make me abandon tablets in favour of a small laptop with a DVD drive, converting my legally bought DVDs to MP4 on my hard drive for my own use to save the battery power driving the DVD when not plugged into the mains.. but i still had battery life issues on long journeys. i was hoping technology would have provided the ideal solution by now but it seems not. I was thinking of using blinkbox to buy films but only very limited editions of android software are compatible to download their movies to SD and with them, once you download to a hard drive you can't copy it anywhere else. i'm thinking of a windows tablet but i don't know of any other movie supplier where i can buy movies that i can download to an SD card..
Recently the law was changed allowing you to make personal backups (like US fair use policy), but the law change was overturned. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articl...rturns-new-law However some companies have negotiated a concession where you can make a copy on a device but it is still restricted. So to use a tablet with mp4 versions, UK law forces people to basically use methods we are not permitted to discuss, but I have no issue in saying that it is easy enough to find solutions on web. I neither encourage nor discourage you from seeking such methods of course. |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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DVD conversion isn't an issue even if it should be.. it's getting bought downloaded movies onto an SD card that's the problem...
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sandy Heath, Beds. UK
Posts: 10,377
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Quote:
DVD conversion isn't an issue even if it should be.. it's getting bought downloaded movies onto an SD card that's the problem...
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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i know... but the issue is that if the movie is bought from Blinkbox they tell me it is not possible to download to an SD card.. and once downloaded to another device (hard drive probably) you can't then copy it elsewhere.
i think the best bet would be initially to do much as i am now, i.e. buy a DVD, convert to hard drive then copy to SD card. I can now get a 64gb windows tablet with 8-10 hours battery life & with SD slot and USB so i could either copy to SD on my laptop or convert (physical DVD) to the tablet then copy to SD to free up space on the hard drive. unless of course someone knows where i can download movies to an SD card on a windows tablet? |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 155
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What software are you using to rip your DVD's? I have used HandBrake before for ripping to MP4 and have had no issue. It's free and might be worth a try.
Are you set on getting a windows tablet? With android tablets there is plenty of apps where you can download movies directly onto the tablet itself. In fact you can even buy movies from Google Play Store, though not sure how it works - whether you download or stream them. You can get android tablets that have micro SD support so you always have lots of storage. You could even consider getting a SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive that allows you to easily transfer content between Android smartphones, tablets, PC and Mac computers. |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: South Wales
Posts: 5,866
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If you have Amazon Prime, maybe think about a Fire Tablet, as you can download quite a few films and programs from Prime to it.
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sandy Heath, Beds. UK
Posts: 10,377
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Quote:
If you have Amazon Prime, maybe think about a Fire Tablet, as you can download quite a few films and programs from Prime to it.
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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thanks for the replies but as i said conversion to mp4 isn't the issue, and the reason i'm looking at tablets with expandable storage (SD cards) is because most tablets don't have much space on the harddrive.. wanting around 256gb, which i can get with a 128gb windows tablet and a 128gb sdcard
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,851
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Quote:
thanks for the replies but as i said conversion to mp4 isn't the issue, and the reason i'm looking at tablets with expandable storage (SD cards) is because most tablets don't have much space on the harddrive.. wanting around 256gb, which i can get with a 128gb windows tablet and a 128gb sdcard
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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changing tack a little.. what do you guys reckon the best value tablet (new or second hand, but under £400) with:
battery life at least 6 hours at least 64gb usb able to support external devices such as portable DVD drive micro sd slot |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,851
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Quote:
changing tack a little.. what do you guys reckon the best value tablet (new or second hand, but under £400) with:
battery life at least 6 hours at least 64gb usb able to support external devices such as portable DVD drive micro sd slot |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
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i was only thinking to use the DVD drive to convert my DVDs to mp4, which i would do when the tablet was connected to the charger...
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,851
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[quote=riverwhy;80845592]i was only thinking to use the DVD drive to convert my DVDs to mp4, which i would do when the tablet was connected to the charger...[/QUOTE
Not all tablets (if only one usb port) allow charging at same time as data transfer. |
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