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Cheap DivX Solution For Your Entertainment Center
joemite writes "I-O DATA recently announced the release of their LinkPlayer, which can decode DivX files from DVDs, CDs, USB thumb drives, and network file shares. At $249 suggested retail, I know what I'm wishing for this Christmas!" For simpler (no network shares, no thumb drives) and even cheaper set-ups, a few standalone DVD players -- the Philips DVP642 is one -- will play DivX files from recordable CDs andd DVDs.
Cute, but I still plan to build my own around MythTV. That will work both ways (allowing me to record TV and then view it over the network) as well as dealing with DVDs and MAME.
a modded xbox
New Xbox $150
Mod Chip $30-60
40 Gig HD $40
Total: $220-250
Will play DVDs region free, divx, xvid, quicktime, wmv, mpeg, avi, dv, mp3, view photos/slideshow, stream mp3 from internet radio stations, get the weather... etc.
Only true geeks will want the hardware mentioned in the article... and true geeks can do much better, cheaper, and have more fun doing it themselves.
I wish there's some kind of video/dvd player that has small harddrive where we can install the latest codecs/plugins
There is. It's called an Xbox. And even if you live in an area with anti-modchip laws and strict enforcement thereof, there's always Mini-ITX boxes.
Divx and Xvid offer very good results, but IMO it's almost never good enough - even spread out over 1400MB (2 CD's). Dark scenes come out poorly with a lot of obvious grey banding. Fast motion and camera pans turn out jerky and in my opinion it detracts from the overall viewing experience. If you watch the original source side by side with the compressed version the differences are blatant.
The $249 would be better spent on a DVD Writer (especially since they are so affordable these days), several hundred blank DVDs and a copy of DVD Shrink.