Domain: videohelp.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to videohelp.com.
Comments · 97
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videohelp.com
When it comes to issues like this, videohelp.com has a lot of good information on how you can "deconfigure" some of these features on your DVD player.
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Video Cable Comparison
Mindless link propagation: various composite and s-video cables.
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Companion too for DVD Decrypter: DVD Shrink
* DVD Decrypter Recently bought out by Macrovision to shut down it's decryptey goodness, DVD Decrypter is really a no-nonsense, no-fuss DVD ripper and burner. Want to rip a movie from a DVD so you can watch it later? One button. Want to rip it back to a DVD? Another button.
That's a great DVD rip tool (unfortunately not updated anymore), but I think we should also mention the popular freeware tool DVD Shrink. DVD Shrink is also a ripper, but it's more commonly used to re-encode (at high quality) a DVD-9 rip to fit onto DVD-5 media. It also allows you to remove things you don't need (re-author) like alternate audio tracks, subtitles, DVD extras, menus, etc.If DVD Decrypter can no longer rip/decrypt DVDs (since it's not being updated anymore), the next highest-rated (by videohelp.com users) freeware ripper (that's still being updated) is DVDFab Decrypter.
Two nice sites for information about video tools with guides:
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Re:More/Better Links
Try the codes here
I have a HD-747 and I found the unlock code worked on mine, they should have the same circuitry inside them. I also got this for the upscaled output, I was originally annoyed about having to find and get a 10m DVI-HDMI cable for my projector but the HDCP fix has removed that problem, 1080i over component video now!
Also means I can use the amp to switch component inputs for dvd and set top box rather than waiting for the projector to start up and changing the input on it (which cannot really be automated into one button press). -
Hacks For the HD841
I have one of these players and think it is kind of flaky. But if I'm not suppose to have it I guess I'll have to keep it now.
I was wondering what hacks you could do to the player and what the benafit would be. The link below shows how to bypass the region code, which is useful for international users, and can be done to pretty much and player. I don't think it add much benafit to the US user. You can also disable HDCP when sending video out the DVI port. I don't know what benafit this would be. The player support standard DVDs and up converts to 1080i. While this is nice while watching on a big screen TV, disabling HDCP means you could copy it from the DVI port to a PC. I don't know of any DVI or HDMI capture cards. If there are some I bet they are expensive. Besides if I wanted to up convert a DVD to 1080i, I would rip it to the hard drive and use the PC to create an up converted version. Even then all I could do is play it from my PC.
Am I missing something? What is the point of the studios doing this other than to create a false problem for publicity.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?select=Samsu ng+DVD-HD841 -
Thanks MPAA!
You know, I had (honestly) forgotten all about "region free" DVD players, etc. But all the MPAA's fuss, and this associated Slashdot article about it, has reminded me that I do want a more capable DVD player. A while back, I had wanted a player that did DivX, so I could fit two or three of my movies onto a DVD for the little ones to destroy (instead of damaging the original $$ DVDs). At that time, the DivX playback on the units pretty much sucked, so I let it go and forgot about it.
Anyway, this article reminded me that there are really good DVD players out there that support region-free, HDCP-free, high-resolution playback at a reasonable price.... and they play back DivX as well. I think I will order one right now, in fact.
How's that for blowing up in your face, MPAA? I'm sure I'm not the only one that is now thinking, "yes, actually, thats exactly what I want. Thanks for the reminder." -
And for all those who already have one:
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Re:Good Marketing for Resale
Here ya go,
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?dvdplayer=Sa msung+HD841&hits=50&Search=Search
Seriously why is the fact that a dvd player can be unlocked such a suprise to some people? Walmart in England has been selling one for a number of months that plays off the shelf not only all regions, copies, divx and xvid but also plays them off of data cards as well. All this for £35. -
Re:as long as it is region freebuy a $29 off brand DVD player from any online store in the US. Problem Solved.
Or, depending on the DVD player you have many have hacked firmware or tricks that you can make them region free.
Or make dvd copies using something like dvd decypter or dvd shrink which will strip out the region code in the process.
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Re:Once upon a time
I can't tell you if it was BS or not but TDK seems to take their work seriously. No rebranding, new R&D (that scratchproof coating) and pride in their work.
I don't know about their CD-R's but for their DVD-R's according to Videohelp.com, they rebrand stuff from Mitsubishi, Maxell, Ritek, CMC, Taiyo Yuden, Moser Bear, Richoh and Philips. -
Re:Not just videosThey definitely need to up the video resolution... but I'm watching the first episode of Lost full-screen on my iBook
No kidding. iTunes video is using the same resolution as that wildly successful format called VCD (video compact disc). Do you remember VCDs from the early '90s, when CD-ROM drives started appearing on high-end PCs? Do you know anyone that bought non-porn VCDs?
iTunes video is fine for watching on an iPod, but users who want to watch TV shows on their computer monitor should be better off buying a TV tuner card or USB TV tuner (which should come bundled with DVR software).
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Real Alternative to "real" player
http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=Real_Alternat
i ve [videohelp.com] it works with media player classic for playing real streams. I haven't fired it up on my new hard drive yet, but it worked (hid the buffering message, but i suspect it may have been at 33%) -
Fortunately easy to get around.
Step 1: Super cheap ($36.99) DVD player from Target (Cyberhome DVD-320): Check.
link
Step 2: Region-Free hack (takes 1 minute, you do it with your remote): Check.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?select=Cyber home+CH-DVD+300
Step 3: enjoy your region-free dvd player. -
Re:If anybody could do it... but...
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Re:If anybody could do it... but...
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Re:One of my absolute top peeves
unskippable trailers/clips/FBI warnings/whatever
Video Help is your friend - look up your dvd player and crack it. Chances are good your player is easily hackable to disable the unskippable crap. If yours isn't on the list, at least you now have a list of what DVD players to consider buying when you want to upgrade. -
Re:Hard-drive based camcorder?The DV video format is basically not compressed. It's designed for just one thing: very low CPU usage, so that the parts are cheap.
It has a bitrate of 25Mbps, compare that with MPEG4: less then 1Mbps. For the same quality video I might add. Even a DVD is 5Mbps, and that is MPEG2 - which also was designed for low CPU (and memory) usage. (MPEG4 if it's not obvious was designed for the best compression possible.)
There is no problem with editing, the only reason they don't use MPEG4 is CPU usage.
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Re:Yup - Macrovision strikes.
Thats the downside of DVD Recorder Decks. However, if your PC is up to it, and you have a video capture card, _most_ PC video capture applications don't give a hoots about Macrovision and will record the protected VHS fine. In some cases they even re-stabilise the picture (an artifact of Macrovision).
http://www.videohelp.com/ is your friend.
-Jar. -
Re:I know a fanatic...
Well, I'm afraid that it _is_ limited to the quality of the video. If it's some bootleg fansub of highly dubious quality.. Ya, good luck. You could always re-encode it to something more standard. I backup all of my DVD's to 1 disc XVID using AutoGK, they come out beautifully. I suspect that your problem comes from either: 1) not using square pixel aspect ratio 2) subs too far towards the bottom of the screen. Television sets cut off all the way around, that's the nature of the tech. Check out http://www.doom9.org/ and http://www.videohelp.com/ for help on re-encoding. One might wonder... What kind of TV set are you using? Have you tried a television color calibration tool?
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I've been looking at this system
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjlwsales
Its had one very good review (http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24 1206) and for awhile he was offering free profiling of an image- definately worth the cost...
BUT... if you want stuff to last, buy AgX prints. There's 100+ years of technology in that... -
Re:VideoNow as an alternative?
Actually, it has been done. Somewhat better than a JuiceBox, but not by much:
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=260 460&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90 -
Re:ALLofMP3 is NOT Stealing
Is it legal to download music from site AllOFMP3.com?
All the materials in the MediaServices projects are available for distribution through Internet according to license # LS-3Ì-05-03 of the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society. Under the license terms, MediaServices pays license fees for all the materials subject to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Copyright and Related Rights". All the materials are available solely for personal use and must not be used for further distribution, resale or broadcasting.
Users are responsible for any usage and distribution of all materials received from AllOFMP3.com. This responsibility depends on the local legislation of each user's country of residence. AllOFMP3.com's Administration does not keep up with the laws of different countries and is not responsible the actions of non-Russian users.
All Of MP3's Terms of Use Contract
Other supporting sites on legalities of useing ALLofMP3
ALLOFMP3 FAQ
Misticriver Forum
A third Forum -
Got list?
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Re:DVDs usually don't even have CSS in France
The PAL format uses a resolution of 720x576 at a rate of 25 frames per second.
NTSC films are actually encoded as 23.97 frames per second, which then goes through a 3:2 pulldown process (done by the player) to produce a 29.976 frames per second picture.
This is why you will find that PAL copies of American films usually run for several minutes less, as they play around 4% faster.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvd/ -
I don't have this problem
I don't have this problem because I refused to buy a DVD player until I could find one that either lacked or could easily be modified to lack the "you can only do what I tell you" (AKA UOP (user operation prohibited)) "feature". So I bought a Daewoo 5700, burned a CD, and haven't had to worry about Macrovision or UOP or regions or any of that stuff.
See, the market can handle this. You just have to decide which is more important to you, your freedom, or instantaneous gratification. (It is a sad statement about our society that I have to make such a decision wrt a stupid DVD player though...)
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Re:Maybe because it doesn't have a "channel"?
My impression is that analog CCTV doesn't have a "channel" [e.g. WCBS New York Channel 2, WNBC New York Channel 4, WABC New York Channel 7, etc]. It seems as though the default Hauppauge software package can't see analog signals unless they have a "channel".
The "channel" signal is RF (Radio Frequency), which is the stuff that goes into and comes out the threaded 'F' antenna connector on a TV or consumer VCR.
You're just using an "over the air" tuner card when you want a video capture card.
Google... Here ya go: A list of composite video capture cards Note the "composite video input" filter." In the "Features" column here what you want is listed here as "Analog VideoIn" vs. "tuner," which is what you've got.
Google or Froogle for more. You're welcome. -
Re:Some questions in re analog CCTV signals
at some point it has to stop being analog, so DSP is needed.
(company's site) -
Re:It's like the theory of evolution...
with my living room DVD-player, I do:
1) insert DVD
2) press "Navigation Off" (I think it's call PBC on my remote)
3) watch movie
it works with ANY movie I've tried.
My DVD player is a Technosonic DVD-204.
More info -
Format comparison
I found this a while back while researching for my MythTV box: http://www.videohelp.com/comparison.htm
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XviD or VCD-compliant MPEG-1
As others have mentioned XviD is a good choice. It's compression and quality is the same as, or slightly better than, WM9 according to Doom9 (codec comparison). It's open-source, but on the downside, it requries you to install a codec and PCs don't come installed with it "out of the box".
Another good option is VCD-compliant MPEG-1. Nearly every modern PC/OS with a GUI comes equipped to support/play it "out of the box", and you can burn it to a VCD and watch it with most DVD-players. On the downside, the compression and quality is not nearly as good as the more modern codecs such as RM10, WM9, XviD, MPEG-4, etc.
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lots of choices
The two that come to mind the quickest are xvid and divx. Beyond that, check out http://www.videohelp.com/ for a lot more info on video codecs.
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Re:No Big Deal
First, be sure to use quality discs. Cheap discs are usually CMC, which sucks, while some of the best discs are Ritek (I only use Ritek G04, since the G03 is discontinued and I've heard mixed reviews of G05). Taiyo Yuden is also supposed to be great, but I can't verify success rates.
For more details, check Here. Notice the very high success rates on Ritek and RiData branded discs. The dye is what matters, and it means an awful lot in compatability. -
Re:Huh? The +R format is compatible BY DESIGNBullshit. Check this page and see how many players can read -R but not +R.
+R is significantly less compatible.
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Re:Yay for bigger DVDs full of commercials!
If I buy the Star Wars Trilogy DVD for my fiance for Christmas and it is three DVDs with a 30 minute unskippable intro you can bet your ass that I'm storing the originals and ripping out the crap and reburning to a DVDr.
For that particular kind of misfeature, it is a lot easier to just get a hackable DVD player that ignores the no-skip bit on the discs. See videohelp.com for a list of players with that ability.
Of course there are other reasons, like post-processing and re-encoding for better image quality that no simple player hack will enable, but relatively few people care about that versus skipping forced commercials. -
Re:Pirates Beware?
Actually it's a technosonics and the hack is there
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php?select=Techn osonic+DVD-202/ -
Re:NEC rules of course
btw.. use Riteks
Ritek? Ritek is alright, but no where near as good as TY.
Buy Taiyo Yuden. Or any brand made in japan. Might pay a tiny bit more, but its worth the amazing quality of the media.
Use The DVD media database to search for media and see what problems with any others had with the media and read their comments. Has pretty much all media in it, so no worries there. -
DIVX + Ethernet Compatibility List
Cool. According to the DVD Player Compatibility List, there are just 5 players currently available with DIVX and ethernet. There are now, however, about 223 standalone DIVX players, around 13% of the total, which is much more than this time last year. Even the most modern ones, however, still sometimes have trouble with advanced or unsupported DIVX/XVid profiles.
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DIVX + Ethernet Compatibility List
Cool. According to the DVD Player Compatibility List, there are just 5 players currently available with DIVX and ethernet. There are now, however, about 223 standalone DIVX players, around 13% of the total, which is much more than this time last year. Even the most modern ones, however, still sometimes have trouble with advanced or unsupported DIVX/XVid profiles.
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DIVX + Ethernet Compatibility List
Cool. According to the DVD Player Compatibility List, there are just 5 players currently available with DIVX and ethernet. There are now, however, about 223 standalone DIVX players, around 13% of the total, which is much more than this time last year. Even the most modern ones, however, still sometimes have trouble with advanced or unsupported DIVX/XVid profiles.
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Divx player prices:
From Divx.com, "official" players.
DVD Player Compatibility List at VideoHelp.com -
Re:Dual Format DirvesLittle late in getting to this conversation but the following is great for compatablity sagas for writers and stand alones:
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Lite-on isn't alone
There's tons of other burners that can do dual layer with unofficial firmware upgrades.
Even my el cheapo drive (Pioneer DVR-A06) might be able to do the trick, although I doubt Pioneer will release their hacked firmware for it just for the heck of it. ;-)
I once knew the link to pages summarizing the recorders where dual layer firmware was available but have lost it since then. :-( Maybe someone else can provide one?
Anyway, if your recorder supports recording 8x discs, chances are that it has a modified firmware for dual layer recording floating around somewhere, as one of the requirements -- a 140 mW laser -- is a common requirement for 8x DVD+/-R burning and DL burning. Philips has confirmed this, but says that in some cases the Optical Pickup Unit is still not of high enough quality. Obviously not always, since DL burning with modified firmware has been done by people upgrading their drives like this.
Finally, it's still a risky business and you might bust your DVD-ROM drive by upgrading to a hacked firmware. And I doubt warranty applies. ;-) -
Re:Personally
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Try the Phillips DVP642
It plays DivX 3 4 and 5 and you can make it regionfree just using the remote. Here is a link
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Re:The drive might be fast, but the media...
Much of the media out there as DVD+R that says it is 4x media will also burn at 8x. I have the Plextor 708A drive, 8x DVD+R burner, and I buy 4x Memorex media and burn at 8x with no problems. You may want to look at DVDRhelp.com and see what media burns at what. The list covers 25 different media brands and tells exactly how fast they will burn at with what burners, etc.
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Re:DVD-++-+-RRWR-
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Re:DVD Formats
let's start here.....
DVD formats
dvd-R has the HIGHEST compatability in stand alone DVD players. hands down. this is an industry fact that all DVD replication houses stand by if they are going to do a short run on writeable media. long runds are always pressed media.
some people try to say otherwise, but I would trust a company making money replicating DVD's and publishing short run DVD's than some guy screwing around in his basement. also media companiesthat make commercials use DVD-R only as well as the professional Pioneer PRV-LX1 DVD burners that still cost $4000.00 are only DVD-R for video format.
for more information about formats look here