What Do You Think Of The Delux DVD? 276
A suspicious (yet anxious) Anonymous Coward asks: "I've been researching a DVD player to buy myself for Christmas and am having a very hard time satisfying all of my requirements. Most of my requirements are to do with not wanting to support the MPAA and not throwing any money their way. I'm looking for the most anti-industry DVD player out there. I have no problem spending the money, but I sure as hell want my money to go to the good people. I have read the reviews of APEX 600A, and the Infinity and while these players have my requirements (Play MP3 CDR, region-free, toggle for Macrovision) their reviews seem to have a negative side to them that is offset by the geek factor. What I have found is what appears to be the godsend of home entertainment...it's called the Delux DVD." Update: 12/01 04:11 PM: Well, as it turns out, if something is too good to be true, it probably is. It looks like several of you have done further investigation (muchas gracias!) and it appears that this player may be a bit dubious and if the SPAM concerns were not enough, it appears that the games are not licensed from Sony. It looks like this one has turned out to be something to avoid.
"The Delux DVD plays about every media possible, and boasts a handful of features only found in high-end players. What makes this unit special is that it ships with over 720 classic arcade games that are playable through the unit. That's right, I will be able to play all my old favorites such as California Games, and Spy vs Spy. All of this at a cost of under $US300.
What am I missing? Is this possibly too good to be true? After spending well over an hour searching for reviews/FAQ's from 3rd parties on the system I have come up empty. Has anyone bought one of these blessed systems? Does anyone have additional info on the actual quality that I can expect?"
Re:What happens if they do sue? Dulux could win. (Score:2)
That's BLAW 100 material. Perhaps 'twould be better to be well-informed before trying to speak?
But seriously... (Score:2)
But on a serious note, I am also looking around for a DVD player, making sure to get maximum features without undue MPAA influences. Price isn't that much an issue here, though I was aiming for something in the $200-400 range. I know that most of the APEX players out there are the most friendly in terms of regions, Macrovision, etc. I also want to make sure that it works with my current analog system as well as my "future" home digital theater system with surround sound, etc. Are there any serious suggestions on what systems I should look at? (As an example, there's an Apex one, 3 DVD changer, at CC for $199, but I can't recall the model number).
Configuring a PC to do this is too hard (Score:2)
Samsung Extiva (Score:2)
Region free vs. Region Selectable... (Score:2)
One more feature please... (Score:2)
strips SCMS, so that it's possible to
record the sound onto a minidisc.
Apex Digital's AD-600 works great for me (mostly.. (Score:2)
I've got one of the AD-600's and it works GREAT!! But, it's my second one. The first one I bought had a broken back button. It's a very quirky device, and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but it works very well, plays MP3 CDRW's perfectly, and the users manual alone is worth the price of the device.
Seriously, it's a VERY FUNNY READ!!
It's got smiley faces all over the place, has sections:
Enjoying Good Sound Quality
Enjoying Better Sound Quality
and
Enjoying Best Sound Quality
Hands down, the best part is in the Karaoke section where they refer to speaker feeback as:
"a Hauling sound: PI!!!!!!!!"
No, that's not a misquote. Seriously, I often take the book out at (geeky) parties. It's great.
Hmm, other miscelaneous notes:
1) My "Get Shorty" DVD insists on putting in subtitles
2) I have to clean my "Matrix" DVD before watching it most times
3) "La Femme Nikita" works perfectly and is worth buying..
4) Cannibal The Movie also worked perfectly and was great.
5) Crappy movies don't improve just by putting them on DVD
In short, the device works great, is cool with it's quirks, and I wouldn't trade it for any other player.
Re:Looks a little odd. (Score:2)
Satellite imagery [landfield.com] confirmed our suspicions [egroups.com] that his lipids [nyu.edu] are dangerously elevated and also detected the presence of hemmorhoids [nin.net].
Creating our own Free-as-in-speach entertainment (Score:2)
Really. I'm serious.
Funny you should say that.
The (very rough) first draft of the Novel [openflick.org] is about 1/4 to 1/3 done, from which a movie script will be made (by either myself or one of the others who have expressed interest in the project). From there one or more movies may be filmed. Best of all, all my material is being released under a GPL-like Free Media License [openflick.org] (comments and criticisms welcome) making it possible for anyone who wants to to take the material and incorporate it into their own work.
You are absolutely right, the best way by far to resist the Copyright Cartels and Media Empires is to create your own entertainment and share it with others.
BTW - I hope to have the first draft done by the end of the year, clean it up in the first two months of 2001, then start working on the script by spring (assuming the individual I'm in contact with hasn't already started that). Your guess is as good as mine on when/if filming will ever start -- I know at least one individual who is interested in making a student film, and some friends and I might take a crack at it just for fun as well. Between all of us something will probably get made in the next year or two.
The bundled games aren't licensed (Score:2)
"Dubious DVD player? - I just received a rather urgent mail from Michael, over at GAG, regarding http://www.gamedvdplayer.com, a site that sells the DULUX DVD player that comes with a built-in Sega Master System and 2 cds with about 700 SMS games:
"According to Sega's legal people, they didn't license the titles out. Since this is only available mail order, purchasers could potentially be charged for buying stolen merchandise (if they live in the U.S.)"
Someone has also been spamming the URL on various console-related newsgroups on USENET. SPAM=BAD! Stay away from companies who don't know how to do business"
Just thought you all might find this bit interesting...
Credit Cards vs Paypal (Score:2)
Actually, I looked at the site, and it says credit cards are accepted from US residents. There are credit card processors currently turning down foreign cards carte blanche due to a high rate of fraud currently.
Besides, compared to what card processors want as a percentage of your transaction, Paypal is a godsend. (Something like 1% as opposed to 3-4% or even higher.)
Digital Wokan
I wanted to spend 8 years defending the US constitution.
Re:Looks a little odd. (Score:2)
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Certification program (Score:2)
What is needed is a certification program, where units are certified as being not licensed by DVDCCA. That way, when the consumer sees the certification, he knows in advance that the unit is not pre-crippled with a bunch of arbitrary limitations and lack of features. He would still have to investigate the overall quality and feature set, but he'd know that he wouldn't have to worry about issues like Macrovision, for example.
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Don't forget user prohibitions (Score:2)
1) Disable Macrovision
2) Be set to any region (to circumvent the new RCE [elvic.nl] technology
3) Play MP3s and VCDs (not an essential feature, but would be great
3) Ignore User Prohibitions
What is a user prohibition? It's what keeps you from skipping the FBI Warning or the four minutes of commercials [cnet.com] at the beginning of your DVD. Call me retentive, but I like immediate access to my DVDs and some DVDs (like my anime DVDs) have tons of companies involved in the production that need you to watch their really flashy logo on the screen. technology.
So far, I've only been able to find one merchant [techtronics.com] that sells players that ignore User Prohibitions, and they're in the UK.
Does anyone know of any US merchants who sell them?
Summary of Contact info (Score:2)
From the web site:
Whois on gamedvdplayer.com/250dvd.com:
Whois on dvd8050.com:
Newsgroup Spammer:
Also note that on all of the above domain names, he is listed as his own registrant: E-Commerce Inc or ecommerce inc at the same address above.
Anybody in Houston care to show up at his door?
Sega Master System? (Score:2)
Re:Reality (Score:2)
Not saying you're wrong, just another perspective...
Re:video output? (Score:2)
It makes perfect sense for those of us who travel with laptops. I like being able to slap a CD on there to play on the plane or while I jog, and if I see something pretty, I can delete a song and take a bunch of pictures. No extra memory, devices, or cables to bring with you. It's great for travelers.
Re:What limited warranty? (Score:2)
Out of curiosity, though, I hit the site again just to see what's in the popup. Have a look at what I saw:
As others have noted, a commercial entity that takes paypal (but nothing else) is a bit suspicious. But this? This is just... brazen... Might as well have said "Just to make sure you get your unit, pay us twice. Or three times. We don't mind. Four is ok too." (and so on).
All for a redressed Apex player... Nah...
Re:What limited warranty? (Score:2)
Re:Are we kidding? (Score:2)
There's also a player out there (Shinco 868, I believe) that has a built-in Genesis. I would've bought it, but I was having trouble finding any reviews of the DVD playback quality. Also, the Genesis portion uses separate video outs, which are PAL, so I would've needed to buy a converter as well.
Re:Is there a Macrovision hack out there? (Score:2)
It doesn't need to differentiate between a TV and a VCR. New VCRs in the US are required by law to acknowledge the macrovision signal, and delibrately screw up any picture they see coming as an input to the VCR which has a macrovision signal. This is why you can't play DVD players through the VCR. A solution might be to look for "video stabilisers". They usually won't advertise it, but they remove the macrovision signal. This is what they mean by "enhancing and cleaning" the signal. They are about US$60.
Er, if the one mentioned is illegal... (Score:2)
Shinco-868 DVD/VCD/MP3 Player [gamechoiceclub.com]
- PAL
- DVD, SVCD & VCD, CD-R/CD-RW Compatible
- Built in Sega Mega Drive Emulator that plays the Mega Drive game's ROM data on CD
- 10 bit Video D/A Converter
- Horizontal Resolution : More than 500 lines.
Notice item #3? There's obviously something going on here, no?
Probably didn't read it (Score:2)
Re:Some features it's missing (Score:2)
Svideo output runs at 480i (480 lines of resolution, interlaced) which only paints half of the lines in one pass of the electron gun. This makes a noticable flicker. Regular DVD players have to include the circuitry to step the output down to this format.
You know what, I have a suspicion we are both right.
Some people have been complaining about the Progressive Scan of the Pioneer, and say that the Toshiba is great.
This made me think. Basically a normal DVD decoder would decode a stream and output it interlaced, because this is what the old TV standard wants. Thus 480 lines, interlaced. Or one odd field, one even field 30 times per second. I know of at least one chip that can only output this format.
Now, to implement progressive scan you could do two things to enhance the picture, of which only one is actually good.
The first way (and I suspect the Apex does that because the manual uses the exact terminology) is to use line doubling. So it basically outputs an entire 480 line frame 60 times per second by doubling the horizontal line. This is bad, but probably easier (cheaper) to implement.
The second way would be to use a different decoder that will do the actual full decode of the 480 line frame 60 times a second,- the way it was recorded and encoded. This is the good way.
If this is the case, it could explain the difference in quality that people see. I've seen line-doubling, and it _can_ make a picture flicker more instead of less, which is the complaint I heard about the Pioneer.
It would be really great if somebody could confirm/deny this lil theory.
Re:EXCUSE ME! (Score:2)
Re:Dolby 5.1 (Score:2)
It's also still illegal.
Re:Stolen? No. A total lie. (Score:2)
Consumer Electronics have a very high rate of failure, compared to other consumables, if only because of their relative complexity. I wouldn't be in any rush to buy a non-trivial electronic device from a company I knew nothing about. I don't have any problem buying from Sony, RCA, or Mitsubishi, because I know the odds are exceptional that the company will still be around in 5 years. That's why I bought a HP cd-writer, not a Smart & Friendly. When my writer broke down, HP replaced it within a week. When I had trouble with a custom computer I bought from a low-profile company across the country, I had much less success getting adequate service in a reasonable amount of time.
I'm not saying "Don't buy from small companies". I'm saying "Don't buy from small companies that are inviting legal action." These guys are asking for a lawsuit. Regardless of how you feel about Intellectual Property (we obviously disagree), you can be very certain about how the entertainment industry feels, and you can be fairly certain that action will be taken against the producers of the Dulux DVD player.
Now, if the licensing is legit on these games, I stand corrected. I still wouldn't buy this player, simply because I've had bad experience with no-name DVD players in the past, but that's my own issue. I would be very cautious about these fellas though. You've been warned.
Re:WRONG! (Score:2)
Re:cool (Score:2)
Basically you have to ask whether or not you want to buy a system from a company who probably won't be around to support it in six months. Do you trust them that much? And I'm not sure whether this is true or not, but another poster mentioned there may be liability in purchasing what amounts to stolen material.
Re:Dolby 5.1 (Score:2)
Hey Slashdot? Do you have any integrity?
Re:Okay, dumb question .... (Score:2)
Re:Dolby 5.1 (Score:2)
But that's okay, you can make smart-ass remarks if you'd like.
Re:Reality (Score:2)
5 years ago, you probably didn't anticipate being able to afford an 80G HDD, either...
Re:Reality (Score:2)
The idea is that if you're buying a DVD player today, to watch movies (ie: not to watch "Purty Pictures") then you will most likely have an upgrade path in mind that will eventually get you a DD/Surround Sound audio system, as well as a better quality TV. You _could_ move the cheapie DVD player to the bedroom, or you could get a channel modulator [channelplus.com] so that you can watch the DVD, Tivo, VCR, Security Cams, etc from ANY TV in the house...
Reality (Score:2)
The world is moving toward HDTV, or at the very least, higher quality outputs. A Good DVD player should support DTS and DD outputs, have optical and coaxial digital outputs, and have component outputs. This unit should cost less than $250. Additional features (the ability to play MP3s, CD's, etc) are nice, but not required. A higher quality DVD player will have progressive scan outputs. Personally, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a progressive scan DVD player (I use a Panasonic DVDH1000 with a Panasonic PT56WXF95 Tv). Seeing the difference between 480i and 480p makes all the other gizmo features moot.
However, if all you want to do is watch pretty pictures, then a $150 DVD player will do you just fine. You'd be better off buying a half-way decent DVD player AND a decent CD/MP3 player for just a little more cash outlay (in the $300-$400 range).
Anti-industry Shop (Score:2)
They have pretty good FAQs about this whole issue too. Mentioning, for instance, things like the need to support PAL-* and NTSC for the multiregion feature to be of any value.
OT - Regarding the CD-ROM jukebox... (Score:2)
Still, I would love to see a 100/200/400 disc CD carosel changer. Why hasn't such a thing come to market? Would it be too slow to use? Is there no demand for such a thing? Is there something on the OS end that prevents it (or SCSI or IDE specs)?
I have given thought to taking a cheap $100 audio CD carosel (like a 60 disc or 100 disc), and dropping in the drive electronics from some CD-ROM drive - just to see if I could get it to work. Does this even sound like a project that could be done? Has anybody heard of doing such a thing before?
Such a device should be possible, and it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg...
Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
What I want... (Score:2)
Of course, here is a problem - I actually probably _have_ supported them in some way, without me really knowing it. I use Cox@Home for my broadband connection - I also have the digital cable package as well - with HBO and Cinemax - so I would imagine somewhere in that mix I am supporting the MPAA. Personally, I could drop the digital cable, but my GF is TV obsessed, so she wouldn't like that. These companies are so entrenched in so many areas, the only way to "opt-out" is to live in a box - and they would probably have made the box!
So, I do the next best thing - I buy VCD movies, from a company that drop-ships from Malaysia. Not the best quality, but still nice (and I was able to find a copy of Red Sonja!). I am not sure if these movies are licensed, rips, dubs from video tape or laser discs - whatever the case, many times I have seen movies pop up on the site before they were out of the theaters here (like SWTPM - it was on VCD long before video tape or DVD). Nor do I want to know...
I like VCDs - one can find a ton of anime, Chinese movies, regular movies and animation - anything. New movies continue to be released on VCD (like I said, most of the time before they are released here on video or DVD).
Anyhow, I would like to find a VCD player (hardware or software - any OS, but preferably Linux) that would play the disks without the "Remove 1, Insert 2" shuffle - just stick both in, and go. If it is software, then it should do it with two CD-ROM drives.
Does such a machine exist? I have seen many VCD only players, but every one had a single tray. Too bad Go-Video doesn't make dual VCD players.
On a side note - something else I have been unable to find: A CD-ROM carosel (sp?) - basically, I would love to find a 100 disk CD-ROM changer, at an affordable price (ie, $500). Does anyone make one of these (SCSI, IDE, USB, Firewire - doesn't matter)?
Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
Re:This is apparently illegal... (Score:2)
Ripoff or not, *now* I don't care. I don't care if it's the greatest DVD/VCD/MP3/BFD player out there. I don't care if it's region-free, macrovision-deleting, or bread-buttering. I don't care if it's the best deal on earth and it cures cancer.
If it's advertised by spam, I ain't buying one.
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How about a playstation emulator? (Score:2)
So, why not hack it to have a Playstation and/or Playstation 2 emulator? Those games already come on the format this thing uses. There's been hacks (Bleem) to play Playstation on PC's, so it is possible.
To me, that would give this thing a bit more use... Just gotta worry about Copyright.
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I'd check it out, but... (Score:2)
Re:What I want... (Score:2)
I'd send it to you for shipping costs if you wanted to work on it.
Re:apex is junk (Score:2)
Re:apex is junk (Score:2)
Re:apex is junk (Score:2)
In case anyone else almost didn't use a search engine, the Raite player's website is raite715.com [raite715.com], although it seems they've replaced the Raite 715 player with another.
Raite player CNet review (Score:2)
CNet hardware has the Raite Player [cnet.com] listed with user feedback comments as well. They don't mention some of the more interesting features like region bypassing, of course.
CNet's help.com has a list for user Q&A that mentions the Apex drive [help.com].
What limited warranty? (Score:2)
And yet I could not find ANY reference to what that warranty really is.
Plus, I'm leary of a company that uses PayPal. Why don't they take credit-cards directly?
I agree with the others... looks like shameless advertising to a 'captive' geek market.
Re:hmmm (Score:2)
i hope for the latter. we'll see. i'm leaving late today so it'll be about 6:30 or 7PM CST before i get there...i doubt anyone will be home but i'll be able to see what kinda flim-flam operation he has going.
ah, the power of
hmmm (Score:2)
i think i'll pop by the address on the way home tonight (wow - it is actually on my way home!) and see what's up.
i hate people who are scammers, esp. ones who live in my town.
frogger (Score:2)
I'm not talking about anything that a company is still selling. If I could buy sonic for the sega genesis (and a genesis since mine broke like 7 years ago) I would. If I could buy it from someone they officially licensed it to, I would. But there ARE no legal options. The ONLY way to get those games are roms, and yard sales. Sega makes no money when i buy a genesis at a yard sale. They make no money when I buy a Dulux. That is because they have decided that it's not worth their while to sell these games. I want the games. I'll buy them from whoever I can. If Sega won't provide, they're forcing me to buy from a non-approved source. Copyright shouldn't cover items that are not available commercially. Like a rare bootleg or demo track you find on napster - this is something that is not available commercially, and thus cannot hurt commercial sales. But it's something people want. If there is no legal place to buy it, what's the harm in letting people have it for free?
Re:Other DVDs (Score:2)
A little note - Region 0 != code free. A code free player either ignores the Region code totally, or can be switched to accept any Region. Region 0 is a special code which all players will accept. Therefore a Region 0 player (if one existed) could only play Region 0 discs (basically only pr0n) and would therefore be of little use to anyone.
Thinking about it, considering the average
If they'll rip off big corportations... (Score:2)
Something to think about when considering "alternative" shopping exercises.
Still under copr. because copr. is perpetual now (Score:2)
The purpose is to defend the t®adema®ks. (Score:2)
But what case could Sega make for continuing to have copyrights on Genesis games? ... Why would they even WANT to try to defend their rights?
Because if Sega doesn't defend the copyright on Sonic the Hedgehog.gen, Sega also isn't defending the trademark "Sonic the Hedgehog®" meaning Sega won't be able to make money off Sonic games anymore. If Sony PS2 kills Dreamcast and the GAMECUBE [slashdot.org] console can't keep up, I'd bet we'll see some heavy cross-licensing (Super Smash Bros. 2[?] [everything2.com]: Sega vs. Nintendo, anyone?) like we saw with the CD-i system.
apex is junk (Score:2)
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Re:apex is junk (Score:2)
mr. troll, the ancient crappy hardware is STANDARD whereas pumping out 44.1/16 in the new non-standard format is just asking for trouble.
if you spent $1k on a quality dac back about 5 yrs ago, its still quite usable and would be INSANE to throw it out just cause 2496 is here. the analog mixing that's done today is still not even 20-bit (true) quality, so 2496 is big time overkill. its what we call 'marketing bits'.
take your troll elsewhere. there's no good reason to dump quality 44.1/16 decoders just cause one crazy and broken manufacturer can't implement spdif specs properly.
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An overlooked item (Score:2)
"Fraud Protection" (Score:2)
Just a thought -- what companies brag about this sort of thing?
Re:Con Job? (Score:2)
Re:Its 'dulux' (Score:2)
Re:Looks a little odd. (Score:2)
wonder if that's suite #304, or apartment #304...
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Re:hmmm (Score:2)
wish
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Re:But WHY are they still under copyright? (Score:2)
Frogger, for example, is a hell of a lot older than these Sega Master System games. "Is anyone buying the original Frogger anymore?" No, unless you're a collector.
But Hasbro is now marketing Frogger with 3D graphics for various platforms (they are up to their second installment). If they lost the intellectual property rights due to "age", they wouldn't be able to make a profit on it now.
(Don't get me wrong. I despise Hasbro. Their games are utter crap, and the only good software that comes out of them first comes out of some stellar developers (like the awesome Rollercoaster Tycoon). Still, it makes a good argument).
Re:frogger (Score:2)
Of course, you can also play a few great classics in Shenmue. Hang On and Space Harrier for example.
Re:This is apparently illegal... (Score:2)
Titles (Score:2)
Re:video output? (Score:2)
One is the DVD player that is the Swiss army knife with a Sega Master System built in.
Another is a portable DVD player like Sony's that allows you to watch DVDs on the go.
The third is a combination mp3 player and digital camera (say what?!) Which I guess would be cool for a teenager who listens to music and hangs out with friends and would like to take pictures and stuff. Sounds like you might have this thing in your jacket and suck up all your memory taking pictures of a dark, denim pocket... or have some music on there and try to take a picture but be out of memory.
Re:Some features it's missing (Score:2)
-
I just bought an APEX AD-800A yesterday which does all of the above (and MP3's etc, reply if you want a full list) at Circuit City for 299$ (actually they gave it to me for 199$ because I also bought a digital 55" projector
;))
Umm... you just talked about superior video quality and purchased an APEX player? You should have taken a look at the Toshiba SD5109 if your projector (or future output device) supports progressive scan. If progressive scan isn't in your equasion, you should look at any of the Sony, Toshiba, or Pioneer players. They all look much better than the APEX ones."Evil beware: I'm armed to the teeth and packing a hampster!"
Re:Some features it's missing (Score:2)
"Evil beware: I'm armed to the teeth and packing a hampster!"
Does it come with a can-opener? (Score:2)
If anyone can point out any paragraph anywhere on the net that looks more like it came straight from a company catalogue, I will be impressed.
The other paragraphs, IMHO, look like they are tailored to the target audience (geeks with money).
Is it worth the money? The debate will rage on, no doubt. Me, I won't be sending money to a company I believe spammed. It's just the principle of the thing
As a side-line, how long do you think it will be before we see spam which is sent by rival companies, simply to blacken the names of their competitors?
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Re: Philips too (Score:2)
No, it's not. Philips players (the models I know of) have this capability as well. I've upgraded my 825AT via flash.
Is there a Macrovision hack out there? (Score:2)
Does anyone know of a hack to get past this thing? Although it says that it will block the playback when connected to a VCR and it won't when connected to a TV, I can't see how it can differentiate between the two. DMCA be damned, I don't want some Rambus-esque company controlling what I can and can't do in the comfort of my own home (no, I'm not "makin' copieeees!!", but I hate fumbling behind the TV when there's a Line In triplet on the front of my VCR).
dulux DVD (Score:2)
Info from Paypal on Fraud protection (Score:2)
BUYER PROTECTION POLICY
If you pay a Verified seller who does not ship the promised goods, you may file a buyer protection claim under PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy. For purchases made on eBay using PayPal on or after 11/10/00, buyers who qualify for eBay's insurance policy (currently limited to $200) may recover up to an additional $200 of protection from PayPal. For non-eBay purchases, PayPal will investigate your claim, and attempt to collect any funds owed to you. You will be entitled to the return of any funds PayPal is able to collect on your behalf. Recovery of your claim is not guaranteed.
Pretty much this says that unless they can get your money back, you are SOL.
Re:Are we kidding? (Score:2)
Which makes this whole thing look like a hoax.
All in one ? (Score:2)
It looks like this device tries to be everything to everybody. But as a result none of the individuel functions is working well.
In addition there are several things looking 'fishy' to me:
If you want a good DVD you are better off buying a device dedicated to do a good job.
If you want a good MP3 device there is Audio Request [request.com] with an excellent product.
I'd like to see now a DVD working the same way Audio Request works but for video. Add some Tivo-like features, with disks like the new 180GB Seagate this starts to be possible.
Markus
Re:Is there a Macrovision hack out there? (Score:3)
- Does anyone know of a hack to get past this thing?
The Color Corrector Pro [google.com] by SIMA will take care of that.Alex Bischoff
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Resistence isn't futile, but it is hard (Score:3)
With every DVD you purchase or rent you will be supporting the MPAA. With any player you purchase, no matter how "anti-industry" it markets itself, you will be supporting the MPAA (the manufacturers pay royalties for the CSS decryption license).
If you are serious about not wanting your money to support entities like the MPAA you should not purchase any DVD player whatsoever, but rather stick to movies you can pick up on cable or tv and record them on video (or onto your hard disk in
It is difficult to deny one's appetite as a consumer, particularly for ethical or moral reasons which seem abstract at best. However, it is not impossible.
I have not paid to see a movie in over a year. My DVD collection hasn't grown by a single DVD in as long (the player and DVDs were purchased before the DeCSS debacle). Any audio-visual entertainment of this kind I get from television, the sci-fi channel, and HBO et al. If a movie is so good I want a copy I record it -- soon I hope to be recording it in digital video format and burning it to CDR or archiving to tape in mp4 format, but for now Hi8 and VHS are adequate if not sexy.
In other words, resistence is not futile, but it is hard and takes some self control, and some willingness to deny yourself some of the instant gratification your consumerist appetites cry out for.
Raite is bankrupt (Score:3)
The only thing I've seen problems with, though, is the lack of a random play feature for MP3s (and fastforward/rewind in MP3 files, but I wasn't expecting that).
Now if they would release the firmware source code...
The best hope for Raite is for another company to buy them and start making them again.
For more information on the Raite players (including firmware files), I recommend the egroups Raite group [egroups.com].
Re:Summary of Contact info (Score:3)
whois duro31:
Whois duro22:
I also did a reverse look-up of the phone numbers:
Other DVDs (Score:3)
Take a look at Gamechoice Club's [gamechoiceclub.com] DVD page, found here [gamechoiceclub.com]. They sell, among other things, the Dantax 9001 [http] (US$279) which plays DVDs, VCDs, SVCDs, and MP3 CD-rs and CD-RWs. They also have a Sony DTS system ($460) that's rather small and sits upright. Mind you, all these DVD players are code free (Region 0), so you can play most DVDs on them, no matter what region they are from.
I haven't personally interacted with Gamechoice Club (which is in Hong Kong), although they seem to have an OK reputation and have some absolutely cool stuff, like a a handheld Duo R X [gamechoiceclub.com] for the PC Engine.
Re:Looks a little odd. (Score:3)
When you click "buy now" on the site, it takes you to PayPal [paypal.com] to finalize the transaction. PayPal lets you know that the real company you are buying the product from is called, "ECommerce Electronics," and that they are a "verified member." [paypal.com]
The business web site listed for Ecommerce Electronics (just a mirror of http://www.gamedvdplayer.com/ [gamedvdplayer.com]) is http://www.dvd8050.com/ [dvd8050.com] and a whois search shows the company is from Houston, TX, and this site was registered in July. That doesn't make them seem much more trustworthy. Their servers are standing up pretty well to the slashdot effect, maybe that means something...
Here's the whois record:
Notice the administrative contact has an email address at 250dvd.com [250dvd.com]. This site was registered in June 2000 to the same company, Ecommerce Inc. There is more information on 250dvd.com [250dvd.com] about the product (different views, etc.) but still nothing about any licensing of the Sega games.
I doubt it's legal even if it's legit... (Score:3)
I read over on Zophar net (also about a week ago) that "According to Sega's legal people, they didn't license the titles out. Since this is only available mail order, purchasers could potentially be charged for buying stolen merchandise (if they live in the U.S.)". So, needless to say, I'd be a little more than cautious with my $249.99.
Illegal ROMS (Score:3)
Proceed with caution.
Re:Con Job? (Score:3)
My Uncle paid the seller in an auction using PayPal, and the goods never came. Many email excuses came, from various email addresses but no goods.
My Uncle called the credit card company, who said that using PayPal means agreeing to pay whoever you paypal-send the money to. Because my Uncle agreed to use PayPal, the credit card company refused to consider denying payment or investigating fraud.
Next time you criticize some one for Bad Info, make sure your own is correct.
A host is a host from coast to coast, but no one uses a host that's close
Who is Dulux? (Score:3)
Anyways, to get a little more serious (but critical) of this machine, why does it have a Sega Master System? Why not a Sega Genesis? But, I will add that it does have more than what my DVD player came with. I looked at the specifications page, and it appears to have all the functions you would want, but I would want to see a demo first, and rent a movie (preferably with some scratches and dust) to play on it before committing to a purchase.
All in all, I check out sites like www.audioreview.com [audioreview.com] to help me make decisions about DVD players and stereo equipment. I've never heard of Dulux, and it is probably another brand that made this machine but Dulux put the case on it with their logo. I'd want to find out who really made it first.
Re:Looks a little odd. (Score:3)
Re:Some features it's missing (Score:4)
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I don't know for sure if you need an HDTV(-ready) for this, or if there are 'normal' TV's with Component Video in.
Most higher-end TV's that are 32" or larger support component inputs.-
The Dulux website does not mention DTS audio, which is (correct me if I'm wrong) DVD disks with audio on it. The audio is much higher quality and I think it's also possible to have true surround effects. Although the player has analog audio outputs, the real way to play DTS is through the digital output and a DTS amplifier. There's not much content out there yet, but it does sound awesome!
Um... there are 3 sound formats supported by DVD players in the US: Dolby Digital AC3 (mono, stereo, or 5.1 surround, lossy compression), DTS (5.1 surround, lossy compression), or linear PCM (mono or stereo, uncompressed). DTS generally has a higher bitrate than Dolby Digital, but that does NOT mean it sounds better. Dolby Digital is a much more efficient compression algortithm than DTS, and can sound better. While Dolby simply runs the 6-channel analog master through an encoder to generate the DD bitstream, DTS makes the studio send the sound off to thier studio, and generally tweaks the audio, usually artificially boosting the rear channels and the bass. Since the average moron thinks more bass==better sound, it is preferred by consumers. The same effect could easilly be done by setting up one's DD reciever to boost the rear channels and the bass. This is not accurate reproduction of sound, so it is incorrect, and stupid to do so. It is equally moronic for DTS to do so.I suggest you read up on home theater if you are truly interested, or email me if you want more info.
"Evil beware: I'm armed to the teeth and packing a hampster!"
This is apparently illegal... (Score:5)
A quick cut and paste:
Dubious DVD player? - I just received a rather urgent mail from Michael, over at GAG, regarding http://www.gamedvdplayer.com, a site that sells the DULUX DVD player that comes with a built-in Sega Master System and 2 cds with about 700 SMS games:
"According to Sega's legal people, they didn't license the titles out. Since this is only available mail order, purchasers could potentially be charged for buying stolen merchandise (if they live in the U.S.)"
Someone has also been spamming the URL on various console-related newsgroups on USENET. SPAM=BAD! Stay away from companies who don't know how to do business.
gamedvdplayer.com = spam, possibly criminals (Score:5)
1) Spammers should not be encouraged; the more people buy these units from spammers, the more spam you'll get in the future.
2) The whole Sega MegaDrive thing seems blatantly illegal; buying such a device may be "receiving stolen goods".
3) If someone is sufficiently dishonest to spam and to use unlicensed game ROMs, what's to say they're sufficiently honest not to steal your credit card number and defraud you? For all you know, there may not even be a Dulux DVD player, and the whole thing could be a scam to collect credit card numbers.
Check out Tokai (Score:5)
Check out Tokai/Raite [raite.com.tw]
It has the usual DVD/MP3/ZoneFree/ToggleMacrovision capabilities plus a few others, and is the only one on the market with a upgratable ROM (you download the rom from the Net, burn it on a CD, start your Tokai with the CD in the drive, and BOOM, you have the latest manufacturer ROM)
If you go for the Tokai, try to find the 715S model.
--
Why pay for drugs when you can get Linux for free ?
Dear Cliff/Ask Slashdot (Score:5)
"I am an employee of the marketing department of Foo Inc, posting anonymously to ask a question that has no relations whatsoever to attempts to plug my company's product.
Just like any other geeks with large amounts of expendable income, I'm currently baffled as to what I should spend the money on. Then I heard about FooL-Slashdot, an excellent product by Foo Inc that has the following features:
* Plays MP3/DVD/DIVX/RM/MPG/AVI/Christmas songs on DVD/CD/CDR/CDRW/Zip/Floppy/CompactFlash media!
* Emulates PS2/PS1/Dreamcast/Saturn/N64/SNES/Genesis/Pentium VI, all at full speed!
* Wireless 100Mbps connection to FooNapster, where you can find ANYTHING - computer software, music, movies, console games, porn, and even dimpled ballots!!
* Comes in a different variety of colors of red, blue, green, cyan, magenta, yellow, orange, red, black, grey, pink, white, silver, and gold!
* Available for only $149.95, including shipping!
* available NOW at http://www.fooinc.com/buynow/order.asp!!!
So, um, anyways, is this product too good to be true? Please ask the other geeks with expendable income for me!!"
Hey, I'm not saying that REALLY is the case, but it seems very likely..
Some features it's missing (Score:5)
The Component Video seperates the Luminance and Chrominance into three components (hence three cables required) as opposed to two in S-Video and one in Composite Video. Seperation of components is a Good Thing(tm).
I don't know for sure if you need an HDTV(-ready) for this, or if there are 'normal' TV's with Component Video in.
Progressive Scan is what they call 'line doubling', which in effect doubles the horizontal lines (duh!) and gives a more steady, sharper picture. I'm sure you need a digital TV to handle this. Go to an electronics store to have it demonstrated to you.
The Dulux website does not mention DTS audio, which is (correct me if I'm wrong) DVD disks with audio on it. The audio is much higher quality and I think it's also possible to have true surround effects. Although the player has analog audio outputs, the real way to play DTS is through the digital output and a DTS amplifier. There's not much content out there yet, but it does sound awesome!
I just bought an APEX AD-800A yesterday which does all of the above (and MP3's etc, reply if you want a full list) at Circuit City for 299$ (actually they gave it to me for 199$ because I also bought a digital 55" projector
This player does NOT have the Sega capabilities though, and I don't know about the Karaoke (not my cup-a-thee).
So the question is, do you need/want the superior quality outputs, or do you prefer the all-in-one approach. If you don't have matching equipment, or are not going to get that in the near future, the additional outputs are not gonna do you any good.
Hope this helps, Breace
Re:I think you've answered your own question (Score:5)
Hey Slashdot -- Where's the integrity?
Re:Dear Cliff/Ask Slashdot (Score:5)
Re:This is apparently illegal... (Score:5)
Err, no. Since the original crime is copyright infringement, not theft.
Rich
Looks a little odd. (Score:5)
Everything about this player looks to be 100% standard for a cheap OEM far east unit. I've seen lots in the UK. The ONLY new idea (or new to me) is the Sega Master System built in. I reckon you could intergrate a SMS onto a chip and make it for next to no cost.. but what about those 700+ games. I looked and couldn't find any details of the licencing arrangements. I couldn't find a press release from SEGA either, and they tend to announce everything.
Maybe I'm too cynical (can on be?) but I wouldn't buy one. Those games come from lots of different publishers and I bet some of them aren't even still trading, let alone doing deals with old IP.
When they claim you can play the games in digital surround sound I raise an eyebrow. When they give special thanks to Omar Cornut (Zoop) of http://www.smspower.org/ [smspower.org] (A ROMs site) I raise the other
Search results (Score:5)
I did a Deja USENET search and came up with the following results [deja.com].
Looks like Scotty6004 crossposted a query to a bunch of groups (might be our AC), and ONE PERSON came back with a vague "Yeah, it's great," but of course, that sounds like a corporate shill to me.
I called their 800# just now and spoke to the help desk. They gave me an email address for questions that isn't listed on the website: info@dvd8050.com
I asked if there was any magazine or website reviews of the product that I could reference aside from the gamedvdplayer.com website, and she didn't have any of that information, she was just basically a message-taker.
I'm going to send some mail to the dvd8050 and gamedvdplayer address and request 3rd party info and I'll post my results.
Con Job? (Score:5)