Forum for media players?
 

Do we have a topic for media players yet ? There are multiple units now on the market, which are of varying quality and which play different formats. They have been discussed in many places on this site, but I think it may be time to have their own category. I personally have three different models, and one of them actually plays native HDV from a hard drive or a USB flash drive. Another gives outstanding HD in WMV9 format, and pulling all of this information together in one place would probably be beneficial to many members. What do you think ?

Do we have some existing threads already in progress? Generally we won't start empty boards... seems to me like we might have enough discussions around to throw 'em in their own forum.

I'm not sure if we have had any threads entitled "media players", but several ,especially the Western Digital one have been mentioned in numerous threads. People are already using them to play video out to HD TVs, since all of them have HDMI outputs, as well as component in most cases. Some people are even delivering video to customers by USB drive or hard drive to be played using these devices. They generally cost about $ 80-120, and some will even stream video wirelessly from the internet via a computer. They will be impacting the market for HD delivery. Until we get a topic for them, where would be best to post thread discussions ?

I think that is a fine idea!

Here's three recent threads I found searching just on TViX:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...x-footage.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ne-player.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/high-def...extenders.html

Note that a couple were in a Sony forum, where I for one would not have thought to look...

Maybe changing "SDTV / HDTV Video Monitors" to "Monitors and Media Viewing Software" would make sense?

How about 'Monitors and Media Playback Solutions' ?

Along the lines of changing forum names, it seems to me that the subheading in "Panasonic AVCCAM Camcorders" should be changed from "AVCHD for pro applications: AG-HMC70, AG-HMC150" to "AVCHD for pro applications: AG-HMC40, AG-HMC150".

The HMC40 is far and away a more professional camcorder than the HMC70 (which is arguably a dressed up toy).

Combining with monitors sounds good, but I would make it "Monitors and media players", since they are hardware, not software. I will start posting info there later this week and maybe Chris can make the change when he gets a chance.

Maybe something cute, like "The View - Hardware and Software Solutions for Video Display".

It still bugs me to see forums for gussied-up consumer camcorders, implying they are actually something more. Reality should determine if a camcorder is pro(sumer) level or not, not the manufacturer's marketing. Taking the guts from a consumer camcorder, sticking it in a big (mostly empty) shell, and perhaps slapping a couple XLR inputs on it, doesn't make a pro(sumer) level camcorder. You can put lipstick on a pig...

That doesn't mean that consumer camcorders aren't useful, for professional purposes, at times. They certainly can be, but that doesn't change the nature of what they primarily are at the core.

Done -- great suggestion, thanks! Went with "The View: Video Display Hardware and Software."
Subheading is Video Monitors and Media Players for field or studio use (all display technologies).

Done. Thanks for the suggestion. Subheading now reads AVCHD for
pro applications: AG-HMC40, AG-HMC150 and other AVCCAM gear.

Sorry, but as far as this site goes, however the manufacturer labels it is how we label it here as well, for several reasons. First, since the HMC70 carries the AVCCAM badge, then that is where it lives on this board. The forum index is too cluttered already to divide it up even further just to separate a junior-college camcorder. Second, despite the HMC70's consumer guts, the fact is that it is indeed serviced and supported by Panasonic's Pro Line / PBTS division. Panasonic not only sells it as AVCCAM but services it that way as well, so if it's AVCCAM to them then it's AVCCAM to us as well. Third, for people who look beyond the manufacturer's web site and find us, I don't want to confuse them by not listing the camera just because some pro shooters look down upon it. The fact is that anything can be used in a professional application, whether it was designed that way or not... plus, our audience spills over from the pro market into education, which ultimately is the primary intended market for the HMC70. I'm certainly not going to exclude those folks. Thanks for understanding,