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Open-Content GBA Movie Player Reviewed

Posted by simoniker on from the start-your-encoding-now dept.

wraggster writes "The helpful people over at EAGB have done a great review of a new third-party GBA SP Movie Player Adapter. According to the review: 'This adapter... uses Compact Flash Cards (CF)... [and] comes with its own encoder software which gives the user free reign to encode any movie or music he wants.' They note the 'steep learning curve', and a 'rudimentary' feature set, but conclude: 'nothing beats that wow! factor when you see your first movie playing on the GBA/SP'." This is an interesting alternative to the recently announced U.S. and already-released Japanese GBA movie players, both of which restrict the movie content you can put on your Game Boy in some way.

10 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Big Hairy deal. by Curtman · · Score: 2, Funny

    They note the 'steep learning curve'

    Start grepping, I bet they stole that part from Mplayer too. ;)

  2. Hahaha... That's Great. by still_sick · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you look, one of the sample movies he encoded as an example was the MTV clip of Modanna and Brittney kissing.

    Kinda shows what this is actually going to be used for in the real world.

    --
    ...Also, I didn't know Buggalo could fly.
  3. Re:Compatibility by anotherone · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes. The 45 GBA movie players that will sell will definitly boost the CF format, no longer will it be confined merely to millions of digital cameras and PDAs.

    --
    Username taken, please choose another one.
  4. Come on apple. We want iVideo! by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I got an mp3 hd player but watching videos as well would so good for those of us who use public transport (and live in countries were street robbery is still rare).

    This sounds like a nice device but ideally you want something that can just play any format. Including just copying dvd to it and play. (nothing illegal about that is there?).

    Oh and please don't say laptop. I mean something that fits inside your trouser pocket and can survice a little bit of rough handling.

    Steve Jobs get a move on.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Come on apple. We want iVideo! by JFMulder · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, Robert Cringley, whose predictions end up being right about 70%-80% of the time predicted that Apple would in fact announce such a device next Christmas. So now you just have to hope that he's right again. :)

    2. Re:Come on apple. We want iVideo! by damiam · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Cringley's predictions are right only because they're too vague/obvious to be wrong. Apple's put out job ads for a developer position involving a video iPod. That's all anyone knows, including Cringely.

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  5. 10 FPS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    One thing that wasn't pointed out in that otherwise excellent review is that the player maxes out at 10FPS, even at the higher quality settings.

    Or as they put it in Engrish on their site:
    "Photo scan rate: 10fps, photo playing quality equals to a digital camera! Our digital photo enhancing technology ensures you fresh display in your GBA (SP) screen!"

    Very simple cartoons like South Park looks ok at 10FPS but Simpsons etc start to look a bit wonky. Action scenes are completely unwatchable. You can't descipher what's going on.

  6. Re:Big Hairy deal. by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Too bad a full computer can't do what a GameBoy can do. Fit in your pocket."

    I bet you could fit multiple shuttle cases in XXXL cargo pants. YMMV

    --
    Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  7. roms on CF? by gearheadsmp · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I just want an adapter that lets me run rom's off a CF card. Buying a 128mbit rom device is expensive, considering quite a few rom's are 64mbit. I'm sure there's some technical reason behind not using CFlash, but it sure would be cheaper.

  8. Why should we even care about those things?! by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The GBA is definitely not powerful enough to run movies at a decent quality (even with an extra peripherical that does some of the decoding work, there are limits), and besides the resolution is way too small.