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Gateway Wireless Connected DVD Player Reviewed
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?"
I've got a wireless network home media device...It's called a PC!
Creative Demolition
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!
pure AI will always Sublime
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.Just once I'd like someone to call me 'Sir' without adding 'You're making a scene.'
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.
Cut/Pasted: near bottom
SMC EZ-Stream Wireless Multimedia Receiver $93
Same thing, Cheaper.
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...
Karma: Segmentation fault (tried to dereference a null post)
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
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.
I always save my last mod point to mod up a good troll. You people are too serious.
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...
RelevantElephants: A Somatic WebComic...
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.
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.
Why can't everything run on OSX?
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.
Let's not forget that one can hate his government, but love his country.
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.
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 :)
I picked up the Go Video D2730 Network DVD player when it was Buy.com's deal of the day a few weeks ago for $99. It was a great deal. I pulled it out of the box and hooked it up to my router and suddenly I could watch any Simpsons episode I wanted at any time, or stream any mp3 on my home network through my entertainment center's sound system.
.avi files unless it detects a CPU over 1.2 ghz. That can be bypassed by editing an .ini file, but it's a good recommendation if you don't want your shows to skip.
The interface is clunky, but I'm holding out hope that it's being redesigned. The only other downside I've seen is from those who've tried swapping out the bundled wired ethernet card for a wireless option. While Go Video claims they support wireless, apparently performance takes a major hit.
Also, the 'server' software restricts streaming of
-R
I've hacked my Xbox and installed Linux on it and use that as a media server type-thing. It's already attached to the TV, so nothing needed to be done there. It's also running Freevo, so it's very user-friendly. I transfer media to it, be it audio or video, over my ethernet network using an SSL connection. It has a 9gb HDD and works very well and is a cheap video decoder/media server. Best of all, I use the Xbox controller to do everything! Kinda a slap in M$ (Microsoft)'s face.
If you're insterested in hacking the Xbox and doing something like I did, then visit the Xbox-Linux Project @ http://www.xbox-linux.org
I would go with the Roku HD1000. The Roku seems to have a lot more features and a better design.
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
Havin' it large, livin' the life, Welcome to the land of the rising sun.
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.
--- www.f-theocean.com
Mod an Xbox!
Get Xbox Media Center!
???
Profit!
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
Modding etc.
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 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.
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 or similar), a Lite-On LVD-2010, or the inexpensive Philips DVP642 (if you don't need networking).
--The Rizz
"Hey! Who took the cork off my lunch??!" --W. C. Fields
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.
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...?
Thats the problem, while these highly manufactured junk boxes (not feeling them) are being announced to use DivX, everyone else has moved to XviD
This shouldn't be a problem for a properly constructed box. Both DivX and XviD are implementations of the MPEG-4 standard, and as such, it shouldn't matter to the player which was actually used for encoding. AFAIK, the latest version of DivXPlayer supports XviD and as far as I can work out, mplayer uses the same codec for both.
A device which may be of interest is KISS's DP-1500 player, which, in addition to playing any media file format (except Quicktime) is networkable and can stream media from a remote server. Oh, and by the way - the streaming app is written in Java (gentlemen, choose not only your platform, but also your architecture - this will run on damn near anything!)
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 room to room and be checked out only to get stolen or damaged.)
s /data_media mvp.html
I picked it up at Circuit City for about $100. There's an open source project to emulate the BeyondTV interface (like Tivo). The only downside is that the server software needs to run one a Microsoft platform.
http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/product
What, exactly, *is* a progressive scan DVD player?
... 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.
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
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.
I've had a Prismiq 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 cable it streams video with little problem. It has a PCMIA slot for Wifi but reports are that it's hard to configure and jerky to use.
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.