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We decided to get this drive for our home theatre PC and I'm very pleased with our decision over a standalone player. It came bundled with CyberLink DVD Ultra that worked fine out of the box. We only have a 720P projector but still the picture is fantastic. I'm not crazy about the CyberLink UI but it works fine and every hotkey can be mapped to our Logitech Harmony 1000 remote through an IR keyboard interface I already had, so for the most part it integrates nicely.
We've only viewed a whopping 3 HD movies so far (Rush Hour 3 and Stealth in Blu-Ray and Under Siege in HDDVD). The Blu-Ray movies seem to be recognized a tad faster than HDDVDs but the difference is negligible. Although I'm sure the mastering of "Under Siege" wasn't as well done as many other HDDVDs, there was a marked difference in quality between it and the two Blu-Ray movies that were absolutely crystal clear.
The drive performed flawlessly and the software worked without a hitch with Vista 64bit on an Asus Crosshair motherboard (using the built-in SPDIF out at 24bit/48kHz) with an Athlon64 FX-62 @ 3GHz and 4GB PC6400 RAM. When playing a movie, the CPU (both cores) show between 15% to 25% usage. The computer is in a project recording studio in the other half of the room so it is far enough away that fan noise isn't an issue.
Both DTS and Dolby soundtracks were pumped out the SPDIF port (ADI 1988B SupremeFX) and recognized by the receiver without any problems. The Crosshair motherboard provides both coaxial (RCA) and optical outputs but I used the coaxial output and a high quality audio cable because the computer is so far away from the receiver.
Surround did not work properly though until I patched the software installed from the included CD with a free patch available from the Cyberlink website. No bigee.
The only hitch was that the 8600GT does not support HDCP but movies will play just fine if you are using the analog VGA or HDTV dongle (component). Our projector only has VGA and Component inputs anyway so it didn't matter. When we upgrade to a true 1080P projector we'll have to change the videocard though. The component output will go as high as 1080i but the cables are long enough that it would be a bit blurry at that resolution even though they are very high quality. You can only squeeze so much from an analog signal!
One small annoyance is that because the drive is on a "dual duty" PC with standard LCD monitors (used in the aforementioned recording studio) it opens up on monitor 1 so you have to drag the window over to the HDTV (projector) display before it will allow you to play a Blu-Ray or HDDVD movie. I may figure out a way to force the CyberLink window to open on monitor 3 (the HDTV monitor) but for now it's a small annoyance and only needs to be done once.
So all that to say if you've been looking at this drive, you won't be disappointed! And although my wife and I are both Blu-Ray fans and will be buying/renting Blu-Ray format whenever possible, it's still nice to have the option to watch HDDVDs when the Blu-Ray version is not available.
Just don't use it on an 8 year old P3 500 rig with 256MB of RAM
We've only viewed a whopping 3 HD movies so far (Rush Hour 3 and Stealth in Blu-Ray and Under Siege in HDDVD). The Blu-Ray movies seem to be recognized a tad faster than HDDVDs but the difference is negligible. Although I'm sure the mastering of "Under Siege" wasn't as well done as many other HDDVDs, there was a marked difference in quality between it and the two Blu-Ray movies that were absolutely crystal clear.
The drive performed flawlessly and the software worked without a hitch with Vista 64bit on an Asus Crosshair motherboard (using the built-in SPDIF out at 24bit/48kHz) with an Athlon64 FX-62 @ 3GHz and 4GB PC6400 RAM. When playing a movie, the CPU (both cores) show between 15% to 25% usage. The computer is in a project recording studio in the other half of the room so it is far enough away that fan noise isn't an issue.
Both DTS and Dolby soundtracks were pumped out the SPDIF port (ADI 1988B SupremeFX) and recognized by the receiver without any problems. The Crosshair motherboard provides both coaxial (RCA) and optical outputs but I used the coaxial output and a high quality audio cable because the computer is so far away from the receiver.
Surround did not work properly though until I patched the software installed from the included CD with a free patch available from the Cyberlink website. No bigee.
The only hitch was that the 8600GT does not support HDCP but movies will play just fine if you are using the analog VGA or HDTV dongle (component). Our projector only has VGA and Component inputs anyway so it didn't matter. When we upgrade to a true 1080P projector we'll have to change the videocard though. The component output will go as high as 1080i but the cables are long enough that it would be a bit blurry at that resolution even though they are very high quality. You can only squeeze so much from an analog signal!
One small annoyance is that because the drive is on a "dual duty" PC with standard LCD monitors (used in the aforementioned recording studio) it opens up on monitor 1 so you have to drag the window over to the HDTV (projector) display before it will allow you to play a Blu-Ray or HDDVD movie. I may figure out a way to force the CyberLink window to open on monitor 3 (the HDTV monitor) but for now it's a small annoyance and only needs to be done once.
So all that to say if you've been looking at this drive, you won't be disappointed! And although my wife and I are both Blu-Ray fans and will be buying/renting Blu-Ray format whenever possible, it's still nice to have the option to watch HDDVDs when the Blu-Ray version is not available.
Just don't use it on an 8 year old P3 500 rig with 256MB of RAM
21 Replies
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6080 views
This is true. I think Sunshine was BD+ if I recall. The movie totally sucked by the way
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
166 Replies
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7395 views
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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106 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
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260 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
You should have looked in the APP STORE instead.
Supporting Founder
Several Dish offers showed up today in my account. Once you choose one the rest are removed. Offers were Showtime, Starz, AMC and others.
35 Replies
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1659 views
Not for me, mines has no mention of how long aka the offer period and the Terms and conditions the $0.00 is good for. All I see is one can lose $5.00 if you decide to remove it before day 31 after you add it to the account.
You have a different offer that is free for a shorter timeframe which is different than the one that I and bnewt saw without defining the promotion period as I sent the question to DISH Care via Facebook Messenger and this is the response I got back 20 minutes ago.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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9 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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8 views
TFLEV
Time for another AWESOME video from TFL Electric Vehicles!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyF_RH1m0mc
Direct YouTube Link - Watch the New Tesla Roadster Jump, Fly and Barrel-Roll in Mid-Air!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyF_RH1m0mc
Direct YouTube Link - Watch the New Tesla Roadster Jump, Fly and Barrel-Roll in Mid-Air!
0 Replies
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14 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0k5iT-OlpdE
Direct YouTube Link - The Apple HomeView
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0k5iT-OlpdE
Direct YouTube Link - The Apple HomeView
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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7 views
Pub Member / Supporter
2 Replies
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62 views
But.....if you like Tulsa King....looks like you would probably like this as well. I don't mind spin-offs as long as they don't involve a sassy niece who moves from the big cityAnother Tulsa King spin off.
Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.
I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
2132 Replies
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214695 views
Tony as the director.
Would you rather have LaRoche ???Tony as the director.
No. Bring in someone new.
Tony is not serious enough for me. Parker is too close to the team and Tim is too young to take over IMO.
I don't think Tim and Tony are that far apart in Age ...No. Bring in someone new.
Remember what Tony said to Tim when they first got back together ...
Tony said: I am the New Tony, Tim .... (something to that effect)
Tony has changed, he's been running his Security Business ... I'm sure he has grown up.
Give it time ... your judging the New Tony from the old Tony.
It sounds like Tim won't be around the Team much longer either.