| Thanks to the threads above regarding the DVD players, I ordered an Apex AD-500W from Walmart.com for $88. You can put different firmware into the unit that removes the Macrovision copy protection, and supports Region Free DVD's. They also play VCD's (like the Terapin records), SVCD's, MP3, DVD, and a few others.
I already had an ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon that can capture video and store it in VCD format. It's pretty easy to set it for VCD, and supposedly you can make it capture with SVCD settings as well. (VCD is MPEG-1, SVCD is MPEG-2 but you can vary the bitrate to trade off quality to get more minutes on a disc). I know I paid less than $200 for the AIW but I don't remember exactly how much.
The Terapin looks like a pretty cool box, but IMO you can use a capture card like the AIW that gives you more options to create SVCD's with higher quality than VCD, and pick up an inexpensive player like the Apex to play them on. It does require a decent computer to drive the board, though. An I-Opener won't cut it, but 1GHz chips and m/b's are cheap these days if you have to upgrade. | |
...the greeter must of thought I was with that woman walking in I didn't know.