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Gateway Wireless Connected DVD Player Reviewed 183

Posted by simoniker from the duh-vuh-duh dept.
Anonymous Howard writes "Designtechnica has a review of a Gateway ADC-320, a home theater device that will play not only DVDs, but media clips off the network. Supported types include DivX, Xvid, Mpeg1 & 2, MP3 and WMA. The thought of a networked media device is not new, but I'm curious as to how many people actually own one? How well do they work? What are the best ones? Is UP&P support worth the extra money? Is this the future of all DVD players for the home theater?"
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Gateway Wireless Connected DVD Player Reviewed More

Gateway Wireless Connected DVD Player Reviewed

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  • Yeah! (Score:2, Funny)

    by NEOtaku17 ( 679902 )

    I've got a wireless network home media device...It's called a PC!

    • Re:Yeah! (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Nishal ( 636649 )
      I have a modded xbox that can do all that stuff..i bet a modded ps2 can do it as well..

    • MediaMVP (Score:2, Interesting)

      by GamesOver ( 469659 )
      I picked up Hauppage's MediaMVP and it allows me to play my media (DIVX, MPEG, JPG, MP3, etc) over ethernet to their small client that connects directly to my TV via SVideo cable. I prefer watching videos on my TV with surround sound... and the couch is much more comfortable than my home office chair. It also has the ability to stream online radio stations. It can support up to 12 remote clients. (This would be great in an educational setting as you wouldn't have to allow the original media to go from ro

      • Re:MediaMVP (Score:2, Informative)

        by amonteiro ( 748943 )
        heres one that looks interesting [quentecafe.com].It can record dvd's too. But the best part is that you can connect external USB HD's so its very expandable.

      • Re:MediaMVP (Score:2, Informative)

        by LO0G ( 606364 )
        Intel has an open source (GPL I think) version of the server side software available for download if you want to do a version for Linux. That's what UPnP support in the Gateway device means - you CAN do a Linux server for it, you're not locked into Microsoft's platform.

        And Microsoft's going to be including the server software in it's Windows Media Connect add-on for windows (google for it).

        So you won't need any special software to run it.
    • I have a small diskless mini-itx system hooked to my tv and (wired) network for this purpose. It runs my own custom Linux distro off a CF card. It can scan the lan for NFS and SMB shares. It then scans all shares for media files and then offers playback of all such files it finds. It doesn't play DVD or CD discs though because I figured I already have several machines hooked to my tv that can do that.

      I'm working to sepperate my custom stuff out so it can be added to the WOMP distro (and others?) so that ma

  • Wish it weren't just the future... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by chrisis ( 39198 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:24PM (#9577553)
    The one thing that is holding me back from buying a consumer PVR/DVD recorder is that none of them are network enabled. Sucks to be limited to the internal HDD or disc-swapping -- I want to save recorded stuff to my network storage too!

    And all the talk of being able to edit recorded material on the device itself -- bah humbug I say. I want a device that allows me to use Adobe Premiere to edit stuff, not the OSD!

  • Cheaper alternative to buying a DVD/DVR combo? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by beef curtains ( 792692 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:24PM (#9577555)

    This could be pretty cool...combine it with a video card with built-in TV tuner & some sort of TiVo-like software, and you could have a pretty sweet setup.

    I do wonder if it can send data as well as receive...if so, the convenient wireless DVD 'backup' (yeah, that's it...backup) possibilities would be a nice cherry on top.

  • Universal Plug&Playdo (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    My own experience with various devices (at least two) is that there will typically exist a vendor recommendation to disable UP&P for reasons of bugs.

    So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that no, UP&P isn't worth a dime.

  • SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Multimedia Receiver $93 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by clinko ( 232501 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:24PM (#9577560) Journal
    Cut/Pasted: near bottom
    SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Multimedia Receiver $93 [clinko.com]

    Same thing, Cheaper.

  • Server software (Score:4, Interesting)

    by sploo22 ( 748838 ) <dwahler@g[ ]l.com ['mai' in gap]> on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:25PM (#9577561)
    Gateway's server software, called the "Gateway D5 Streaming Media Server," will only work on Windows operating systems (98SE and later) so Mac or Linux users need not apply.

    Gentlemen, start your packet sniffers...

  • 80's Styling (Score:5, Funny)

    by pyrrhonist ( 701154 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:26PM (#9577569)
    From the article:
    Lows:
    80's styling, lack of WPA support.
    Aw, man. No way am I going to get it now that I know it has 80's styling.

    • Re:80's Styling (Score:5, Funny)

      by beef curtains ( 792692 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:37PM (#9577631)
      Seriously. I always hated the styling of the 802.11g-compliant networked DVD/digital media players that all the electronics companies used to crank out in the 80's.

    • Re:80's Styling (Score:3, Interesting)

      by bundaegi ( 705619 )
      Talking of the 80s, looks like you can even play your old NES cartridges [designtechnica.com] on it... I think.

    • Re:80's Styling (Score:3, Funny)

      by ejaw5 ( 570071 )
      Gasp! You mean it features a top-loading DVD slot, simulated wood trim, and 20 segment LCD display? Cool!
    • > lack of WPA support

      What about WAV? That is sort of a common file format, and unsupported! That is the only thing holding me back from buying one of these -- I want an uncompressed jukebox.

      • I want an uncompressed jukebox.

        Me 2.
        Oddly enough I have never tried playing MP3s through my stereo. I can hear artifacts listening to them (recorded at 320kbps i think) through headphones, so I figured after going through a good amp and decent speakers, it would be even worse.
        Only reason I even want to put CDs on HD is that we have over 500 CDs and it can be hard finding a particular one since my wife refuses to keep hers in any order.

        BTW cool site. I haven't checked out DIY audio online since I built a

  • Quality is not the best (Score:5, Informative)

    by kneecarrot ( 646291 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:27PM (#9577579)
    I have been using the Gateway connected DVD player for several months now and I am impressed by its functionality.

    However, I do take exception regarding the consistency of the unit's operation. For no apparent reason the picture will sometimes freeze or the audio will go out of sync. I am quite experienced with home audio setup and have ruled out all the obvious causes. I've come to the conclusion that the components and/or firmware of the device aren't exactly top notch.

  • X-Box Media Ceter (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Em Ellel ( 523581 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:28PM (#9577581)
    I am sure I'm one of the MANY who would say - just gex a modded xbox with XBMC software - it can do all of the same stuff, plus play xbox games, and being that XBMC is software (Open Source, too), it will be ever extending with new formats. All of this for same price or cheaper. ... and yeah, it can run linux too...
    • I've also gone this route. Plays nearly everything you throw at it, it's got a fairly well polished interface, works with the Xbox remote (and works fairly well with just the controller, too; with the long cables you may not need the remote), has a hard drive for local storage, works with SMB as well as its own streaming formats... and did I mention it'll run Linux and play Xbox games as well?

    • Re:X-Box Media Ceter (Score:5, Interesting)

      by cslarson ( 625649 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:37PM (#9577924)
      I know how you feel. Whenever this topic gets brought up someone always mentions the xbox and it seems to get dismissed. You can get these on ebay for somewhere around $85 new. Mod it for free and fun, and it will be able to do this dvd player can and more. XBMC has become one of the most amazing open source projects as far as I'm concerned. Another project called X-Link has now been integrated into xbmc meaning it can function similarly to xbox-live, only for free. I use xbmc as my dashboard, so i turn on my xbox and it's all there, music, games, weather, movies, x-link, emulators... all with a really fantastic looking interface. I don't know why i feel the need to evangelize this, but I guess I still can't really believe it myself and I've had it for years.
    • I have a friend that does this - The XBox isn't really that form-fitting, plus you have to spend money on getting a mod chip, a DVD remote, a larger HD, an XBOX 802.11 connection, etc., and then put the time into making it. It's cheaper & easer to get a PC (or, a Gateway DVD), which will also be more powerful.

      Plus, Modded XBoxes don't have a power button on the remote, and crash all the fucking time (much worse than Windows).

      XBMC would have been really cool if it had come out two years ago. Now, I

      • Re:X-Box Media Ceter (Score:2, Informative)

        by jwcorder ( 776512 )
        The point, kind sir, is that if you game??? and you have an xbox, instead of adding another box to your living room, just mod the damned Xbox. I modded mine over a year ago. I have about 40 games on the hdd, SMB connections to my file server that stores over 50 GB of mp3s and about 20 gigs of VCD, mpegs, avis, etc, etc, etc. It plays DVDs, and even gives me the weather forecast.

        By following some simple mods over at xbox-scene.com, I was able to mod a power switch onto mine and I can turn the damn thing o

      • Re:X-Box Media Ceter (Score:2, Informative)

        by GaveUp ( 190969 )
        Not all that you type is true.

        First, you don't need a modchip at all. You can use software exploits to put xbmc on an unmodded xbox. You can also flash the onboard TSOP (if you don't have a v1.6 xbox).

        Also, as far as the power button on the dvdremote is concerned that's not entirely true, either. The remote does not have a power button, however there is a no soldering mod called XIR that adds a power on/off button to the remote and only takes a few minutes to install.

        I'll grant you that XBMC does cras

    • Re:X-Box Media Ceter (Score:3, Informative)

      by Trejkaz ( 615352 )

      Yeah, the codec support of XBMC is much more extensive than any manufacturer will ever provide in the short term, thanks entirely to the installation of MPlayer which is built-in.

      What gets me thinking about this whole Mplayer GUI business is that you could build a little embedded Linux system with a swish GUI, Mplayer, Samba and whatever else pre-installed, and effectively get the same kind of functionality you can get with XBMC. Then you could sell this hardware package to the public, as the default conf

      • you could build a little embedded Linux system with a swish GUI

        One reason that comes to mind is that no one (IOW not enough to matter) really cares about "plays more formats." How many people do you know that play anything other than CD, DVD and MP3?

        Another reason is marketing and distribution. Consumer electronics typically has extremely low margins so you need to be selling huge numbers of these things for it to be worth your time. Now factor in that the popular (Sony, Kenwood, etc) manufacturers aren

        • One reason that comes to mind is that no one (IOW not enough to matter) really cares about "plays more formats." How many people do you know that play anything other than CD, DVD and MP3?

          Well, I know dozens of people personally who play DIVX and XVID, since they always have that sort of file shared at lans.

          And there are thousands more who seem to use it too. Either that, or those torrent downloads which say "200 leechers" are lying to me.

          The point about supporting more codecs is that with the containe

    • Re:X-Box Media Ceter (Score:2, Informative)

      by Cus ( 700562 )
      Something I haven't seen mentioned so far in the thread - why limit yourself to using a modded xbox for xbox games? It's let me tidy away my 'oldskool' consoles so I've got an Xbox/Snes/Genesis/Media Center all in one :-)

      A rare occasion where an XBox has *saved* space.
    • The more I hear about the potential of a modded XBox the more interested I become.

      That said, I'm not your average linux-using slashdot tech wizard. I don't like messing with hardware. I own a mac because it's elegant, simple, robust, and it doesn't declare war on me with spyware and MSFT shenanigans. If I modded an xbox, I would be in it only for the final product.

      Are there very simple guides that I can follow? Ones that won't assume I know how to install (or even where to buy) a mod chip, or that I know
      • There are a lot of people who will install the mod chip for you for about $50-$60. In my area I see people advertizing on Craigslist all the time. You still need some basic idea of what you are doing, but there is a large collection of information here [xbox-scene.com]

  • Divx My Ass (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:30PM (#9577593)
    Gateway has promised Divx support but it has not happened. The nasty secret is in the Windows only software one must use to share files with the player. It does not provide the option to import DivX, hence it cannot be shared, hence even if the firmware supports it, you cannot stream it.

    Trust me, I update to the latest version of the Media Server (2.1 B07.08).

    While bitching about things, some dual layer disks are too much for the player to handle and black scroll wanders by the screen.

    Analog 5.1. Yuck.

    That said, it is likely as close as one can get to the out of the box solution right now.
    • I think you're confused. It supports avi files in the Divx codec (i.e. example.avi) as opposed to divx files in the divx codec (i.e. example.divx). Does that help you?

      • Re:Divx My Ass (Score:2, Insightful)

        by JazzXP ( 770338 )
        A .divx file is just an .avi with a different extension. A bit like .mp3 is .wav with a different extension.

        • Re:Divx My Ass (Score:2, Insightful)

          by CamTarn ( 751785 )
          Should really be "An .avi is just a .divx with a different extension. A bit like .wav can be .mp3 with a different extension." - .wav files can contain any type of compressed audio, as well as raw audio data, but .mp3 should only contain mp3-codec-compressed audio. Similarly, .avi can contain any type of compressed or uncompressed video. They're both RIFF-type files, where the content type is identified by the header of each chunk of data, rather than the extension.
    • Mine plays divx files just fine, so I don't know what your problem is. Make sure you turned on transcoding. As for the video problems, I haven't had those problems, even on the higher bitrate superdisk DVDs.
      • Just so I'm clear: You can stream content from network-attached storage to this device? If so, can you stream a ripped DVD (ISO file) to this device?
    • I've owned one of these for about a year and it does import DivX. I use a Adaptec VideOh USB to record MPEG-2 and then use VirtualDub-MPEG2 to compress this into DivX. At showtime the Windows server software transcodes this back into MPEG-2 and sends it to the player. The Windows server software is based on the GPL'd FFMPEG.

  • Yes, I own one. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Hatta ( 162192 )
    With linux, mplayer, and a geforce4mx with svideo out I can play all those things from my freebsd samba server. With a WinTV card, I can even capture video. I can also play thousands of arcade games, console games, and even many windows games, browse slashdot, write a paper, etc.

  • Where's tjhe hard drive? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by whats4lunch ( 593722 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:31PM (#9577598) Homepage
    Why do they always stop short. They always add one feature but forget the other major ones. PVR's should be able to play DVD's and vice versa. When will they get it. A network player is not novel.

  • UPnP: Totally awesome (Score:2, Insightful)

    by vuvewux ( 792756 )
    And totally worth it. All of my roommates are able to use BT (to get Linux ISOs, of course =D) without harassing me to forward ports to them.

  • Region (Score:5, Insightful)

    by chewy_2000 ( 618148 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:33PM (#9577606)
    [i]DVD (Region 1)[/i]

    Wow, all of those great features, and still crippled by regions. Doesn't matter so much to Americans I suppose, but as an Australian I won't consider a region crippled player, as heaps of DVDs aren't avaliable Region 4 (Australia), so I have to get them from Amazon, of course mostly region 1.

    • Hmm, munted my formatting a bit.

      Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a great product, but I wish something so flexible wasn't inherently crippled. It'd be nice to see some community server software as well, I'm betting that the "Gateway D5 Streaming Media Server", in addition to being windows only, is a piece of crap.

  • Too simple (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Fiz Ocelot ( 642698 ) <baelzharon@NOSPaM.gmail.com> on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:42PM (#9577651)
    Seems nice for a simple solution for your average person. But lets face it, something we can easily modify and play around with is more fun. I'd do a HTPC in one of those small form factor boxes. You could do something like mythTV in Linux, as well as other options in Windows.

    I believe myth tv works as a client/server design, so you can have one mythtv server box streaming to other clients.

    Then proceed going overboard with other fun things :)

    • Re:Too simple (Score:4, Informative)

      by dhanes ( 735504 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:39PM (#9577938)
      Bravo!

      I'm surprised that Mythtv [mythtv.org] hasn't been mentioned here as an alternative to the DRM'd crap more than once.

      What more can you ask for? linux/wireless/radio/dvd/mediaplayer-dvd-mp3 -ogg-lame-wma/weather/news/web/mysql/ripping dvd/photoalbum/DVR -pause-rewind-record/PIP/Schdeduled recording/front-end/back-end/all-in-one/

      What's not to drool over?? Beats the pants off any commercial product, plus you get to build it yourself!

      Many, many [goldfish.org] sites [wilsonet.com] to help you get [gamepc.com] started [pcalchemy.com] , ! [pcalchemy.com]

      All without someone watching over what you're doing with what you've purchased......

      • Re:Too simple (Score:3, Informative)

        by Pedrito ( 94783 )
        Bravo to you! I'm about to build a Myth TV box. It will definitely cost a bit more, but it will do so much more, it'll be worth it.

        I'm getting a cool micro-ATX case that's the perfect size for a media computer. (From Athena Tech [athenatech.us]).

        I'm getting a 2.4 celeron (more power than I'll need, given the Hauppauge), a 200GB hard drive, and a Hauppauge PVR 350 (does hardware encoding and decoding, so the CPU doesn't work at all). The whole thing will cost about $550 when I'm done. A bargain considering all the additio
      • Question: Do you connect this box to just one TV, or can you stream content to other TVs across your LAN? If you stream, does MythTV stream or so you use another solution?

        I've already got a Houppauge 350, but don't want to buy one for every TV I have. I've just started looking at VideoLAN for streaming, and am still trying to get it to work.

  • Go Video (Score:5, Informative)

    by Remik ( 412425 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @08:53PM (#9577693)
    I picked up the Go Video [buy.com] D2730 Network DVD player when it was Buy.com's deal of the day a few weeks ago for $99. It was a great deal. I pulled it out of the box and hooked it up to my router and suddenly I could watch any Simpsons episode I wanted at any time, or stream any mp3 on my home network through my entertainment center's sound system.

    The interface is clunky, but I'm holding out hope that it's being redesigned. The only other downside I've seen is from those who've tried swapping out the bundled wired ethernet card for a wireless option. While Go Video claims they support wireless, apparently performance takes a major hit.

    Also, the 'server' software restricts streaming of .avi files unless it detects a CPU over 1.2 ghz. That can be bypassed by editing an .ini file, but it's a good recommendation if you don't want your shows to skip.

    -R
    • Do you know if it *really* requires Windows in the media host or if Linux with Samba exports would do?
      • Well, the software application it uses to stream the media is only available for Windows currently. I think that is the major obstacle. But, I'm really not able to answer your question as I haven't had the time or inclination to mess around with the box.

        -R
      • Yes, it does require Windows, as it does not actually use SMB or any other type of network shares. The software is actually a re-encode/streaming program that is required for the set-top box to play anything over the network.

        For some more information look at my post [slashdot.org] lower down in this article.

        --The Rizz

        "I went into a general store, and they wouldn't sell me anything specific." --Steven Wright
    • I second your plug of the Go Video device. A little clunky, but a ton of fun for $100 or so.

      I'm particularly amused by it's interfacing to the Rhapsody music service. Now I can play almost any tune, any time, over my stereo system.
  • "The thought of a networked media device is not new, but I'm curious as to how many people actually own one? How well do they work? What are the best ones? Is UP&P support worth the extra money? Is this the future of all DVD players for the home theater?"

    Not many. Not well. None of them. No. No.
  • reminds me of looking at pictures from a history book. This device is UGLY. So 1970's. Wait till the Japanese come up with a competitor.

  • LinuXbox (Score:2, Informative)

    by MasterCheez ( 793133 )
    I've hacked my Xbox and installed Linux on it and use that as a media server type-thing. It's already attached to the TV, so nothing needed to be done there. It's also running Freevo, so it's very user-friendly. I transfer media to it, be it audio or video, over my ethernet network using an SSL connection. It has a 9gb HDD and works very well and is a cheap video decoder/media server. Best of all, I use the Xbox controller to do everything! Kinda a slap in M$ (Microsoft)'s face.

    If you're instereste

  • if I were going to buy something like this (Score:3, Informative)

    by asv108 ( 141455 ) <asvNO@SPAMivoss.com> on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:03PM (#9577741) Homepage Journal
    I would go with the Roku HD1000 [rokulabs.com]. The Roku seems to have a lot more features and a better design.

  • Why oh why (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Hido ( 655301 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:10PM (#9577781) Journal
    It seems like every player that has come out so far has one problem or another. I mean I read the review and thought "This is it" till it hit the part *Windows only*.

    Why do they have to go ahead and re-invent the wheel when they could have just taken a hint and used SMB/CIFS? I mean if the open source world could do it I am sure a these guys could have too.(does samba ring a bell?).

    Also what is with the Region 1 only? Would it not have been better if they just made it region-free which would have let a hell of a lot more people go for the product? I am in Japan and I can tell you right now that the product is pretty much ruled out because of limitations like that.

    Just my 2 cents on a sleepy Thursday morning :)

    • Re:Why oh why (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Bushcat ( 615449 )
      I am in Japan

      Then you should check out the IOData [iodata.jp] or Buffalo products. I have the former, which plays everything thrown at it. It supports RTSP so I imagine third-party servers would work. I wouldn't recommend the IOData because, although it's Region 2, it doesn't play Region 0. It's not made by IOData, of course: some of the more exotic error messages are still in English. It also responds sluggishly to the remote. Since you're in Japan, you know you can get a Cyberhome DVD player for next to nothing th

  • I bought the Pinnacle Media Center (Score:5, Informative)

    by Grimster ( 127581 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:10PM (#9577782) Homepage
    This thing had usb and ethernet options for networking, and some windows software you had to load, and frankly, it sucked HARD, and I mean HARD, $300 for what amounted to crap. It crashed regularly, playing more than a handful of mp3's was just about impossible, only about half or less of my videos even played on the damned thing, a TOTAL waste of money.

    I got pissed and built a new PC and put my old PC by the TV and that was the absolute best way to do this, no stupid media center crap required, just switch my tv to input 2 and I'm THERE, I even pulled my DVD player out of my entertainment cabinet I like them better played off the computer, better image quality and remove one device from my overtaxed entertainment center.

    For my basement theater I built a Shuttle XPC system and I have been happy as a clam with that little PC, added a WinTV PVR250 to it and it ROCKS I cannot sing the praises of that setup enough.

  • Xbox! (Score:2, Informative)

    by Zeromusta ( 760529 )
    Mod an Xbox! [xbox-scene.com]
    Get Xbox Media Center! [xboxmediacenter.de]

    ???

    Profit!
  • Hmmm, this thing is nice, but what if I wanted to view not only movie files, but images too? And wouldn't it be cool if I could view documents and spreadsheets right there?

    I would also want to be able to hook up external peripherals that would allow me to input data quickly and efficently, so I could edit those movies and images and documents. A big plus would be some kind of program that would let me download and view web pages.

    Not only that, but wouldn't it be neat if I could remotely access i

  • Use an Xbox (Score:4, Informative)

    by siavash_of_stockholm ( 762530 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:21PM (#9577844)
    I was going build my own HTPC, which would've been able to play dvd but also other media files over the network. Instead I bought a Xbox, which acctually made things alot cheaper. The price on a xbox is very low here in sweden and even lower in the US. Modding it isn't that difficult as long as you have some soldering experience(this is also possible without even opening the xbox using some software exploits in a few games). Getting the required software was even easier than modding. I also replaced the 10GB hdd with a 120GB, voila a perfect dvd-player that also can play all the media files mplayer can play. Stream them over the network, download via ftp(additinal software), show me weather forecasts and show my holday pictures on the TV. I suppose I don't even need to add links to these stuff but anyway here they are:
    Xbox media center [sourceforge.net]
    Modding etc. [xbox-scene.org]

  • Freevo Mini-ITX (Score:2, Informative)

    by niabok ( 11035 )
    At the risk of being modded redundant:

    I have built a great media pc out of a mini-itx box running Freevo. It runs Slackware and and I use it for any media file mplayer will play. I also use it for a game console using emulators under freevo. Anyway, I'm positive it beats the pants off this Gateway box.
  • is listed here [momitsu.com] region free, etc, kinda expensive (at least in the US) most retailers are listing it at $400+shipping
  • ...is what kills these things for me.

    why can't any of them just read files off a drive share? why do they all require extra software??

    the only one that doesn't need extra software is the turtle beach audiotron... but it's strictly music only.

    • Re:the need for "server" software... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Remik ( 412425 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:37PM (#9577923)
      AFAIK, it's because all of the decoding is done on the PC. None of these machines are powerful enough to handle the process.

      I know what you mean, though. I spent months looking for an MP3 player that didn't require any sort of intermediary software. Luckily, I found the Archos line, and never looked back.

      -R

  • Does not actually play DivX / XviD / etc. (Score:5, Informative)

    by The Rizz ( 1319 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @09:45PM (#9577968)
    When I was looking into these DVD players that could handle DivX/etc. earlier this year, I noticed these networked Gateway models and looked into them.

    Aparrently, they cannot actually play DivX/XviD/etc. The way they actually work is to require "streaming server software" on a Windows machine. What this "server" actually does is convert any AVI types the computer can play into mediocre-quality MPEG-1/2 streams to send to the DVD player (which is why there is a particular OS and minimum processor speed required). This will often result in lower resolutions than the original video clip, and always lower quality (due to recompression).

    If you're looking for a real solution for a DivX / XviD / etc. set-top player, I suggest you look into a modded XBox (with XBMC [sourceforge.net] or similar), a Lite-On LVD-2010 [liteonit.com], or the inexpensive Philips DVP642 [philips.com] (if you don't need networking).

    --The Rizz

    "Hey! Who took the cork off my lunch??!" --W. C. Fields

  • Awesome DVD Player (Score:2, Informative)

    by NetFiber ( 262208 )
    I picked this up on clearance when the Gateway stores closed for 100 bucks. It was worth every penny. The streaming quality is excellent on my 802.11b network, audio/video sync was an issue with some formats but an update to the latest firmware on gateway's website fixed all of the problems. Not only does it stream video but does picture slide shows and plays all my mp3's. The streaming software only works on windows (IMHO) but all-in-all its a great buy.

  • MY experience with the Gateway/AMOI NetDVD player (Score:4, Informative)

    by STratoHAKster ( 30309 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @10:11PM (#9578115) Homepage
    Quick and sloppy review, sorries for excessive typos...

    I bought one of these for $250 with the 802.11b wireless PCMCIA card then returned it a week later and bought a Philips DVP-642 for $65 instead, and not a single regret.

    The player itself is very well engineered, gorgeous case, and very attractive lighted front. I had no problem playing DVD discs, though I hadn't any success with some DVD+RW burns and gave up. The remote control is cluttered NOT ergonomic, and if you like to be able to operate your remote by feel, you will hate it.

    DIVX support is, of course, not built into the DVD player but handled by the media streaming server you install on your PC. Since video content is transcoded from DIVX to MPEG2, you need at least a 2ghz machine for smooth playback. Also, for wireless LANs, you may have to set the quality level down quite a bit to keep video from skipping.

    The streaming software appears to use standard media streaming protocols, there is no streaming server equivalent for Linux or Mac yet. It does NOT let you add files that are located on a remotely shared partition (such as SAMBA shares on a Linux box), and mapping the shares as drive letters won't help. Perhaps they've fixed limitation already, but it was present in the latest versions of both the Gateway and the original AMOI software about three weeks ago.

    Menus are very attractive and setting up networking is a breeze. It handles DHCP right off the bat. You can browse multiple media streaming servers on your network, then browse files on each server. Since most of my media files are located on a large SAMBA share from my Linux box, this networked DVD feature was mostly useless to me.

    So, fed up, I brought it back to the store and shopped around a little more, and then stumbled on the Philips DVP-642 player which does not have networked support, but it have the built-in DIVX5 playback support missing from the Gateway/AMOI NetDVD player. And it cost me $65!

    To say this DVD player turned out much better than I expected is an understatement. It's not only capable of playing JPEG, MP3, WMA, AVI, DIVX, MPEG1, MPEG2 files burned right onto a normal DVD, it also can read VOB, AC3 (demux'd Dolby AC-3 files), DVD-Audio, multiple VIDEO_TS dirs, any non-standard bitrate MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, most DIVX files (everything from very low 56kbps video files to DVD-quality 1500kbps).

    I've had no incompatibility issues with playing files off of DVD+R/DVD+RW/CDR/CDRW. The player uses a two-column interface for browsing directories, and the display of filenames is limited to 12 characters, but it's usable. (it would have been nicer to have a single column, collapsing tree view) Since the player scans the header of files to determine filetypes (rather than go merely by filename) it isn't very snappy, but not bad. I've heard it mentioned that his player supports .SRT subtitle files, but I have not been able to verify this myself.

    The remote on the Philips is small, reasonably ergonomic, streamlined, and easy to use by feel. The player is smaller than the Gateway/AMOI, not as solid but still not flimsy. Menus aren't flashy, but functional. No complaints about video quality though a few people say it's slightly subpar for DVD playback.

    If you want a DVD player to play all your DIVX files, you might consider burning them onto DVD+RW instead and buy a Philips DVP-642 player for 1/4th at price.

    Also, the latest firmware now supports playing purchased movies downloaded off the net from DIVX.com. Hmmm, wasn't DIVX a trademarked name for a format that locked itself to playback on a single DVD player once before...?

    • It does NOT let you add files that are located on a remotely shared partition (such as SAMBA shares on a Linux box), and mapping the shares as drive letters won't help.

      Actually it tries to not let you but if you add the shared drives in netplay.cfg they will be scanned for media and it will be imported. My stuff is stored on various FreeBSD and Windows boxes and it works fine. You won't see the shared drives on the imports tab but they will be scanned.
  • I own the wired version, and I LOVE it! Best computer purchase I made all year. The picture quality is great, and it's so easy to use. I know there are some linux set-top boxes that may do more stuff, but you just can't beat the ease of use this thing offers. I highly recommend it.

  • Progressive scan? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by CamTarn ( 751785 )
    What, exactly, *is* a progressive scan DVD player?

    Also, as someone in the UK, reading an article that talks about the back of a DVD player having 'all the usual ports' and not seeing a SCART socket on there is really weird =P

    SCART is great ... no idea why it's not in use over there. The only downside is the bulkiness and fragile pins in the sockets, but that's offset by the fact that it will transfer basically anything over a single cable.

    • Re:Progressive scan? (Score:2, Informative)

      by Zenzilla ( 793153 )
      It's a resolution thing: 480i(interlaced) = 640x480(regular tv) 720P(progressive) = 1024x720 1080i = 1920x1080 (HDTV) Also: progressive draws all scanlines in order, it draws line 2 after it draws line 1 and so on. Interlaced draws all odd scan lines then all even ones.

  • I owned one of these briefly (Score:4, Informative)

    by BigDish ( 636009 ) on Wednesday June 30, 2004 @11:25PM (#9578457)
    I purchased one of these back when the Gateway stores were closing for $85. It's OK at best - I certainly don't think the unit deserved an 8/10; I have an Xbox with XBMC and if the Gateway unit got 8/10, XBMC would deserve about 20/10. The Gateway unit: Only actually plays MPEG 1 & 2 (ie the computer software transcodes Divx and others to MPEG2 upon playback. You can't play Divx from CD's in the player itself) Doesn't support directories If you are debating between this and a Mod'd Xbox, the Mod'd Xbox TOTALLY DESTROYS this. If you don't know which end of a soldering iron is hot, well then maybe consider this only if you can't find a friend to mod an Xbox, but honestly, it took about 2 days for this product to bore me and wind up on eBay - XBMC is that much superior to it. I would even say that once it is installed, XBMC is easier to use and has a nicer user interface, so there is virtually no reason to purchase this product - sorry Gateway, but it sucks IMHO.

  • Prismiq (Score:2, Informative)

    by Fentex ( 539179 )
    I've had a Prismiq [prismiq.com] for about a year now. I'm mostly pretty happy with it - I'd like a better UI, a remote that doesn't think it's a mouse, and server side (the Prismiq is an embedded Linux device that cooperates with Windows server software on a PC) software that could be run as a service (at the moment it requires a user logged on to run - therefore sucks on a dedicated server). Occassionally I have to re-encode stuff because the Prismiq chokes (for no apparent reason) on some files but across a 100Mb cab

  • DivX/XVid/MPEG4 **streaming** support -- watch out (Score:3, Informative)

    by Deeper Thought ( 783866 ) on Thursday July 01, 2004 @01:15AM (#9578857)
    My player, the GoVideo D2730 [govideo.com], claimed to do DivX and XVid too. But the support is limited to streaming from a server -- you can't play a DVD containing DivX/XVid files.

    I can't tell if the Gateway has the same limitation from reading this review.

    With the GoVideo, their PC server software is transcoding the video to MPEG2 on the fly, since the player only has an MPEG2 chip inside. Result: dropped frames, and messed up aspect ratios if you play any video that's not 4:3. Their playlist support is weak too.

    Anyway, when they say "streaming" support -- don't get too excited until you actually try it.

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