What is the best way to get DVR content onto a portable device? [Archive]

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Nightmare

12-15-09, 10:26 AM

I have a Vip722 receiver with about 100 cartoons recorded (for my daughter). When we go on trips in the car we take a portable DVD player. I'm SOOoo tried of hearing the same 3 or 4 DVDs in the car.

What are some ways to get the DVR content onto a portable device?

It looks like the PocketDish is a dead product.

Does Sling work with devices other than cellphones? I don't plan to let her sit in the back seat with my iPhone for hours at a time.

Thanks

coldsteel

12-15-09, 10:29 AM

Connect a DVD-recorder to the RCA-out and burn DVDs. That's the only option you'd have in this case.

Kent Taylor

12-15-09, 10:48 AM

Or headphones for the kiddies. :)

Michael P

12-15-09, 11:38 AM

Why do you say pocketdish is a dead product? It's still being sold:
http://www.pocketdish.com/ (http://www.pocketdish.com/)

You may have to record the SD versions of the programs you want, but it still works.

koji68

12-15-09, 12:16 PM

You can get an Archos 405, 605, or 705. SD channels only.

http://www.archos.com/plug-ins/index_dish.html?country=us&lang=en

cj9788

12-15-09, 12:40 PM

well what I do is I burn the content to a dvd, then I use my computer to save the files from the dvd, then I convert those files to mp4 format using real players video converter. It is a pain in the ass and a lot of work but i have many of my faavorite tv shows and movies on my ipod. i guess it is a matter of how badly you want the content on the device you want to use.

sdschramm

12-15-09, 03:22 PM

Think of the money one could make if they sold a modernized version of the pocket dish....

7" 720p HD screen
32, 64 or 128GB GB SSD
SD Card slot
USB and FireWire connectivity
12 hr battery life
Transfer shows from any Dish receiver with a USB port, or download shows from your computer.
WiFi to stream content from the internet or VOD.
Price: starting at $199

Any buyers?

finniganps

12-15-09, 04:57 PM

Jim5506

12-15-09, 04:58 PM

Or think how nice it would be if Dish allowed you to port video to MP3's and other devices like TiVo does.

dmspen

12-15-09, 05:41 PM

Oh, you mean like this? Except for the $199 part.

I saw a refurbed Archos 405 which connects directly to DISH rx for $89 at ecost.

http://www.archos.com/products/imt/archos_7/index.html?country=us&lang=en&p=image2

Think of the money one could make if they sold a modernized version of the pocket dish....

7" 720p HD screen
32, 64 or 128GB GB SSD
SD Card slot
USB and FireWire connectivity
12 hr battery life
Transfer shows from any Dish receiver with a USB port, or download shows from your computer.
WiFi to stream content from the internet or VOD.
Price: starting at $199

Any buyers?

sdschramm

12-16-09, 05:28 AM

I said $199 as it would be similar in price to the iPod Touch/iPhone. - Only the Pocket Dish 2.0 would have more storage space, and a larger screen to make up for the fact that the iPhone has more features, apps, multitouch touch screen, etc

On second thought, I'm surprised there isn't an "app for that" on the app store?

Think about it......$29.99 app, buy though iTunes, transfer to your iPod touch or iPhone, and then plug your iPod into your dish receiver to transfer your shows.................heck this would be an even better solution!

BattleZone

12-16-09, 08:25 AM

You can get an Archos 405, 605, or 705. SD channels only.

The Archos/PocketDish players work with MPEG2 content only. This means that Eastern Arc customers, for whom nearly all content is MPEG4, are out of luck, as are Western Arc customers who record mostly HD.

For the most part, if you don't have a 522/625, these players aren't going to be that useful.

Michael P

12-16-09, 02:57 PM

The Archos/PocketDish players work with MPEG2 content only. This means that Eastern Arc customers, for whom nearly all content is MPEG4, are out of luck, as are Western Arc customers who record mostly HD.

For the most part, if you don't have a 522/625, these players aren't going to be that useful.

Why do you say that? I can record the SD versions of the channels I receive on my 622 from the Western Arc. They all should be MPEG2.

BTW: Why did Echostar effectively abandon the Pocket Dish rather than make an updated MPEG4 version? Is this a side effect of the Tivo suit?

dmspen

12-16-09, 04:41 PM

Oh it plays mpeg 4 ..From the Archos 7 specs...

Video playback**: MPEG-4 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) including WMV protected files
M-JPEG (Motion JPEG Video) in QVGA resolution

With optional plug-in (downloadable from your tablet on www.archos.com):
HD support: MPEG-4 (ASP 720p) & WMV HD (MP 720p)
H.264 up to DVD resolution with AAC
MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1)

The Archos/PocketDish players work with MPEG2 content only. This means that Eastern Arc customers, for whom nearly all content is MPEG4, are out of luck, as are Western Arc customers who record mostly HD.

For the most part, if you don't have a 522/625, these players aren't going to be that useful.

BattleZone

12-16-09, 08:35 PM

Why do you say that? I can record the SD versions of the channels I receive on my 622 from the Western Arc. They all should be MPEG2.

Note that I said "so are Western Arc customers who record mostly HD". Obviously, MPEG2 SD will still work, but most folks don't want to be bothered having to set up different recordings for their portable player; they want to copy the (HD) recordings that they are already recording.

shadough

12-19-09, 07:00 PM

Pocketdish is becoming increasingly harder to find. Sadoun.com has ceased its use. pocketdish.com has been out of stock for years. There are some available on amazon though. They are sopposed to be able to be used w/ the 722 or 622 an transfer content as long as its in standard def.

to answer the ?, either pocketdish or burn to disc.

harsh

12-19-09, 11:47 PM

Price: starting at $199This is where the fantasy begins. Have you priced a 32GB SSD drive lately? A quick check of Pricegrabber says they go for about $160. Add a 7" display with speakers and a good rechargeable battery and you're well over $220. That's before the media player stuff.

There's got to be some reason that a 32GB Zune HD is $289 and I'm guessing it isn't all the HD Radio tuner.

TP715

12-20-09, 12:29 PM

What about the Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder? Supposedly it accepts HD via analog component connections and saves to H.264 (via USB to your computer). I don't have one so I don't know if it would work.

Of course when they turn on SOC (Selectable Output Control) this will definitely not work.

Nightmare

12-31-09, 05:12 PM

The Archos 405,605 and 705 have very mixed reviews on Amazon. But everyone with a bad review says that Archos Customer Service sucks. Many people also post that the battery life is bad. And the product is 3+ years old at this point.

The idea of burning DVDs does not thrill me. I don't know when I will have 50 free hours to burn off the shows. Burning 100 x 30 minutes show is going to take forever :nono2:

tedb3rd

01-02-10, 01:35 PM

For about $4K you can get one of those satellite dishes that track (they have them on boats and RVs)... DC to AC power inverter, a second receiver, TV in the backseat... You're set!! (And then I want to be your daughter too because you have the COOLEST backseat setup of anybody!!) ( - :

Seriously... The other ideas are doable too... If you're tired of the same DVD's over and over and over and over... Consider Netflix. They have tons of kids DVDs in their selection too.

The other option would be to have another kid and then they could keep each other entertained. (I just said that so now the other two options are so incredibly affordable compared to this one.)

Jim148

05-02-10, 09:14 AM

I am resurrecting this thread because I have a 622 and I would like to have DVR content on a portable device. Are there any other viable choices yet? I was looking briefly at the Archos 7, but I can't quite tell yet if this is a good choice for me.

harsh

05-02-10, 09:25 AM

The choices remain the same:

1. PocketDISH
2. Capture to a standard media file format.

phrelin

05-02-10, 01:24 PM

andegold

05-08-10, 05:54 PM

For anyone who is still interested I've been using two Archos 605s (one 30GBHD and one 4GB Flash with SD slot) for two years with a 622. They can only take SD/non-premium content but it made my hour long train commute a breeze. It sucked watching in SD when I was home if I wasn't going to watch it on the train first but it was still a very good solution.

Archos customer service would be better if it was non-existent and I was only ever able to find one half-decent bulletin board for support. It was mostly European users.

The screen size, screen quality and controls are miles ahead of an iPod. Battery life could be better but mine lasted long enough for about 4 hours of video. That was enough for me. I thought the SD slot would be convenient for archiving stuff but the 4GB internal memory is the only place to transfer stuff to so putting content on an SD card was a two step process and long movies (like Das Boot) never made it to that device because they were too big.

On one of the devices I bought the DVD plug-in. (Archos will nickel and dime you on crap like that.) But I never figured out how to transfer DVDs to the device.

I could never get generic Opera Widgets to install even though they are supposed to be compatible.

Transferring files faster than real time recording was a definite plus.

HBO, PPV etc are DRM'd and won't transfer. OTA content is treated as HD regardless of actual transmission quality and won't transfer. If I was ever looking for a replacement I would definitely still consider the newest versions (Archos 7 I think) if they have the Dish plug-in.