[lordladeda]

I have an external 160g hard drive with divx files on. Is there anyway of adding something so I can plug into the tv via scart and view the files ? I have a divx player but after burning to a data disc there is always a lip sync issue whereas they are fine on the PC. So thought this might solve the problem if such thing exists.
Hope this maked sense.
Thanks

[Nigel Goodwin]

Media players are commonplace, if you check on Maplin they sell various ones, both with drives ready fitted, or (like you need) where you fit your own.

[blackcow]

SVP do this one - I have 2 of the previous version - they work well.

http://svp.co.uk/product/sumvision_t...nclosure_44148

As Nigel suggested - Maplin do this (or the older) box - but their price flys up and down - sometimes they offer it for £40 - then £50 - then £60 - I think they are in their £50 mood at the moment. If you've got a local Maplin you could give it a look - if it's not what you fancy you can easily take it back.

The only thing you need to check is that the disk you have is not formatted in NTFS - this box, and many others, will only work with disks in FAT32.

You would need to empty your disk to your PC - reformat it in FAT32 - then transfer the stuff you want to watch back. This box has a USB2.0 socket so the operation won't take too long.

It has a phono out connection so if you want to use it as SCART you'll need a 'Phono to SCART IN' converter - less that a fiver.

[lordladeda]

thanks to all for your help.

[goomba]

PS3 will do it if you play video games (and in HD too). I use an NSLU2 and XBMC which is an excellent solution, but sounds like you are looking for a simpler solution.

[blackcow]

I know I've mentioned it before elsewhere on the forum - but after several attempts to use my media players effectively I ended up buying a small Dell PC off ebay - £85 - but you can get them cheaper. Why you ask? Or maybe not!

I can use the PC to do everything - play any disk in any format - external or via my router from the main PC - I can use it for iplayer/catchup - browse the web - Skype cousins in Spain - and using the phew mod I can stream Humax dumps (via the network) to the main PC - all on the lounge tele. The Dell in in the closed cabinet and runs very quietly. I use the on screen keyboard for web browsing - works really well - everything controlled by a wireless mouse (£7.50 from Tesco)

The only thing Id like to get working is a remote - I've bought a StreamZap and would like to get it to work really well with VLC (I use VLC for most streaming). It will play unedited *.ts files dumped from the Humax.

[lordladeda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcow

SVP do this one - I have 2 of the previous version - they work well.

http://svp.co.uk/product/sumvision_t...nclosure_44148

As Nigel suggested - Maplin do this (or the older) box - but their price flys up and down - sometimes they offer it for £40 - then £50 - then £60 - I think they are in their £50 mood at the moment. If you've got a local Maplin you could give it a look - if it's not what you fancy you can easily take it back.

The only thing you need to check is that the disk you have is not formatted in NTFS - this box, and many others, will only work with disks in FAT32.

You would need to empty your disk to your PC - reformat it in FAT32 - then transfer the stuff you want to watch back. This box has a USB2.0 socket so the operation won't take too long.

It has a phono out connection so if you want to use it as SCART you'll need a 'Phono to SCART IN' converter - less that a fiver.

JUST RECEIVED THIS ITEM AND AM SLIGHTLY CONFUSED RE THE 5.1 OUTPUT,
THERE IS AN OUTPUT MARKED COAXIAL WHICH IS ONLY A 3.5mm SOCKET AND THE PROVIDED LEAD GOES FROM 3.5mm JACK TO BASIC SINGLE PHONO. WILL THIS PROVIDE 5.1 THROUGH MY AMP ? IS A PHONO THE SAME AS COAXIAL?
ANY HELP MOST WELCOME.
THANKS

[blackcow]

When I suggested that it had phono out - I really meant that it had a 3.5mm socket and was supplied with a 3.5 plug and lead with phonos connectors on the end.

Phono plugs are the sort that usually go in the back of amplifiers and some TVs. If your box is the same as mine - it has a 3.5 sockets marked AV OUT - this is really all you need to get a basic connection to your TV - Video and Audio - but your TV may not have any phono sockets.

Many have SCART sockets at the rear and phono at the side or front for things like video cameras.

If you can't find any phonos sockets you'll need to get a SCART phono convertor.

Come back and I'll help any way I can.

[Neil C]

Maplin and PC World sell hybrid devices of media players and hdd where you can plug the box into your pc and drag and drop video files and then plug the box into your tv and play them back a'la sky+.

I think the cheapest one I've seen is £110 at PC World although chances are there are some cheaper models on the net. Hope this helps.

PS if anyone has any of these how good are they?

[sancheeez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil C

PS if anyone has any of these how good are they?

They'll vary .... depending on how good their firmware is.

I agree with blackcow though.

If you want a box that'll play *everything* .... you don't want a standalone, you want a computer.

Standalones will always have problems if a file is not encoded exactly as they like it to be. If you hit that problem on a PC, you can just go online, find the codec update (or whatever else it happens to be), apply it and off you go.

With a standalone, you're stuck with the firmware updates the manufacturer decides to give you. (or not .... as the case may be)

[Neil C]

Thanks for the tip but the problem with a pc is hooking it up to a tv. I know that most new tv's come with a pc socket but a lot don't have them and those that do cost a fortune which isn't going to help with convergence.

[sancheeez]

You can connect a PC up to pretty much any TV without needing a second mortgage.

If you are using an older CRT model, you can use s-video pretty easily. If your PC doesn't have s-video, a graphics card with s-video out certainly won't break the bank.

Newer, HD TV's, are normally easier. Unless you manage to end up with one with no VGA or DVI port. Even then, you can get a graphics card that will output component signal direct, or you can easily get one with HDMI as well.

Either way, you can connect any PC (laptops are a bit trickier as they're no always so simple to add new bits to) to any TV for less than it'll cost you for a half decent standalone player.

[Neil C]

I know that you can connect the Mac Mini up to a tv via a scart adaptor but it only seems to be for video. How would you go about connecting for audio?

[sancheeez]

Presumably it connects up to a single phono which goes into aSCART adapter?

Assuming the mac mini has some sort of sound output jack (normally a standard 3.5mm one) you can just run the 3.5mm jack to twin phono which would then plug into the same SCART adapter?

Certainly, every SCART adapter I've ever used is confingured this way.

They normally have:

Video in (single phone)
Audio in L & R (twin phono)
s-Video in (single s-video)

Thats what I used before I got an HD TV (when I switched to VGA). I used to run s-video out from an old PC in living room, into a SCART adapter in the back of the TV and 3.5mm jack (audio out on the sound card) to twin phono into my amp.

Much the same with the laptop to HDTV. VGA to VGA for picture and 3.5mm audio out from the laptop to twin phono on my amp.

Works a treat.

[lordladeda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcow

When I suggested that it had phono out - I really meant that it had a 3.5mm socket and was supplied with a 3.5 plug and lead with phonos connectors on the end.

Phono plugs are the sort that usually go in the back of amplifiers and some TVs. If your box is the same as mine - it has a 3.5 sockets marked AV OUT - this is really all you need to get a basic connection to your TV - Video and Audio - but your TV may not have any phono sockets.

Many have SCART sockets at the rear and phono at the side or front for things like video cameras.

If you can't find any phonos sockets you'll need to get a SCART phono convertor.

Come back and I'll help any way I can.

Thanks for reply.
I think i have a newer version box.
I fully understand the a/v out to scart, but additionally mine has a socket marked "coaxial 5.1" out but as i say it is only a 3.5mm jack and the supplied lead goes from it to phono. so if i plug this into my 5.1 amp coaxial socket should i get 5.1 from it ? I cant try it yet as still waiting for the hd to arrive. thanks

[lordladeda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcow

SVP do this one - I have 2 of the previous version - they work well.

http://svp.co.uk/product/sumvision_t...nclosure_44148

As Nigel suggested - Maplin do this (or the older) box - but their price flys up and down - sometimes they offer it for £40 - then £50 - then £60 - I think they are in their £50 mood at the moment. If you've got a local Maplin you could give it a look - if it's not what you fancy you can easily take it back.

The only thing you need to check is that the disk you have is not formatted in NTFS - this box, and many others, will only work with disks in FAT32.

You would need to empty your disk to your PC - reformat it in FAT32 - then transfer the stuff you want to watch back. This box has a USB2.0 socket so the operation won't take too long.

It has a phono out connection so if you want to use it as SCART you'll need a 'Phono to SCART IN' converter - less that a fiver.

I have now received my Titan media player which you kindly reccomended. I am having problems with setting it up and hope you may be able to help. At first I thought I had received a faulty item and returned it but the replacement is causing the same problem. Basically I have installed a 160g HDD which at first I formatted in NTFS as it clearly says in the manual that you can. I have now re-formatted to FAT32 by using "swissknife" software as the supplied CD asked for a CD code which I could not find anywhere.
The item works fine as an external harddrive but does not respond at all to the remote control and so I cannot get a picture on my TV. I have tried with an adaptor into AV1 and through the component leads but nothing. Is there something I may be doing wrong ? Any help most welcome. It seems very unlikely that both units are faulty and must be something simple I hope.
Many thanks.