Strathfield Divx Players with Mediatek Chip ? XMS855 DVX222D

[andw]

If you can have a look and let me know what you think it would be appreciated, I met with the factory this week and mentioned a few adjustments I wanted with the firmware and they are quite willing to do everything they can for us, they seem quite capable so far so hopefully if this is something that can be correctly identified and this version chipset is capable then it may not be too much of an issue for them to rectify.
OK, I set the TV to 4x3 mode, No matter what I set the player to (PS, LB, Wide) I get a full screen image.
This is the same as what the other players I've seen with MTK chips (haven't seen the LG) play other mpeg samples I have as well.
Both from my camera, DTV tuner card and other sources of Mpeg files.
Out of interest, the Sigma based Z500 does respect the aspect ratio flag and get it right.
It would appear (basing on other MTK chipped players I've played with) that the default code from MTK does not handle the aspect ratio flag.
It sounds like LG may have done some of their own coding for it, as you know, their firmware is somewhat different to standard MTK firmware.
Not sure what the factory might be able to do if it is in the base MTK code, but you could always ask them.....

[jokiin]

Not sure what the factory might be able to do if it is in the base MTK code, but you could always ask them.....

Will definately ask, don't ask, don't get otherwise:p

[symmetry50]

Hi,
I bought a DVX222D for my brother as a christmas gift. I'm having a bit of a problem with pauses here and there.

I am burning to TDK DVD-R 1-16x from the 25 discs spindles (purchased at JB). I burn at 4x to be safe.

It has minor pauses while playing mp3s and avi files. Nothing reproducible, ie never in the same places.

Do I have a bad unit? Is it my choice of media? Karma? :)

Any help most welcome.

Thanks.

[jokiin]

I'll have to admit to not liking TDK discs at all, they were much better when they came out of their previous source, of course your player may have a bad drive, can happen, but I would be included to try a different brand of discs just to be sure, also a lot of 16x discs in the market are not that good, I would suggest using 8x discs if your supplier has them.

[symmetry50]

Thanks jok11n for the prompt reply. Greatly appreciated.

What brand do you recommend?

-----------------
Update: I'm definitely out of luck. I burnt some Sony x8 and picked up some pre-burnt discs from a friend. The pausing problem is present on all media and now displaying itself on regular movie DVDs.
I hate returning stuff :)

[jokiin]

At least you checked, it won't be a hassle to get it swapped, just let them know that you have gone to the trouble of trying alternate media etc and even originals are skipping

[dazza4423]

I just wanted to say thanks to jok11n, Kirby and andw, for all your great advice on this forum and andw for his fantastic reviews and firmware updates.

Because of you I have had my XMS for 2 weeks now and could not be happier. I even purchased one for my mother for x-mas and my mate has now also bought one.

All the machines are working very well at the moment, I have had some skipping on some animine avi's, although I think the avi's may have some bad sectors as VLC is the only player handling them well on the computer.

Overall, you guys have saved me alot of money and ensured I purchased a great dvd player. Thank-you all very much :boonie: :)

[jokiin]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm sure the other guys appreciate it also, have a good Christmas:)

[andw]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm sure the other guys appreciate it also, have a good Christmas:)
Yes thanks, very pleased with these players so far, very good and glad other people are getting enjoyment out of them as well.

[kirby]

What brand do you recommend?

-----------------
Update: I'm definitely out of luck. I burnt some Sony x8 and picked up some pre-burnt discs from a friend. The pausing problem is present on all media and now displaying itself on regular movie DVDs.
I hate returning stuff :)

How long are those pauses? Does it happen with PAL or NTSC or both?

It happens to my DVX222 too. They are very brief, a small fraction of a second but definitely noticeable. They are not usually repeatable. If you reverse the DVD and then play it again and it would not recur where it had occured previously.

I am not sure if I should return and swap for another one......:|

For brand of disc I would recommend nothing but Taiyo Yuden.
You can get them here
http://www.nortsandones.com.au
www.jpldisplays.com.au
MSY also started to sell them.

Avoid Ritek/Ridata disc. Never ever touch them.:mad: :mad:

[andw]

...
Avoid Ritek/Ridata disc. Never ever touch them.:mad: :mad:
Oh yeah!!!
I have a few of these and the data is just about useless on them.
Horrible Horrible discs.

kirby, perhaps a swap over would be a good idea.

[jokiin]

For brand of disc I would recommend nothing but Taiyo Yuden.

I like TY discs also, also like genuine A grade media from MCC, a few brand names use them, unfortunately identifying genuine TY or MCC media can be a problem sometimes

[kirby]

I like TY discs also, also like genuine A grade media from MCC, a few brand names use them, unfortunately identifying genuine TY or MCC media can be a problem sometimes

Yeah, I heard that there are some faked TY around. In general avoid eBay and swap meet (unless their products are verifiable). Go to the links I provided above. I went to MSY yesterday but they have not got theirs in yet so can not be sure if they sell genuine product. Their catalogue says that they are genuine.

For just a few extra cents, I won't even bother to buy anything of a lesser quality anymore. I thought Ritek was good media from many report on Whirlpool forum and I was very very wrong and angry. It costs me ten times more if I have to reburn any of the discs and I am doing that right NOW during this holiday seasons :cry: . I should be spending time enjoying myself. :(

[bac]

Yeah, I heard that there are some faked TY around. In general avoid eBay and swap meet (unless their products are verifiable). Go to the links I provided above. I went to MSY yesterday but they have not got theirs in yet so can not be sure if they sell genuine product. Their catalogue says that they are genuine.

For just a few extra cents, I won't even bother to buy anything of a lesser quality anymore. I thought Ritek was good media from many report on Whirlpool forum and I was very very wrong and angry. It costs me ten times more if I have to reburn any of the discs and I am doing that right NOW during this holiday seasons :cry: . I should be spending time enjoying myself. :(

Ritek/RiData media tends to get 'faked' quite often, too. I've never had an issue with the blue/green coloured "Ritek - Excellent!" -R discs and I also highly recommend TY discs (-R again).

There is a very reliable online supplier of genuine TY media at good prices that I can highly recommend to anyone who wants the info (and no, it's not me or one of my relatives...)

Cheers,
BAC

[kirby]

Ritek/RiData media tends to get 'faked' quite often, too. I've never had an issue with the blue/green coloured "Ritek - Excellent!" -R discs and I also highly recommend TY discs (-R again).

There is a very reliable online supplier of genuine TY media at good prices that I can highly recommend to anyone who wants the info (and no, it's not me or one of my relatives...)

Cheers,
BAC

Does that online supplier of TY have the freight included in their prices? Please PM me the info. :)

Have you scan or rescan your Ritek/Ridata discs that you burn, say, one year ago? I would love to see what the quality scores are with either Nero CD-DVD speed or DVD Info. For mine they are ZERO!

[kirby]

kirby, perhaps a swap over would be a good idea.


OK shall see. Getting a bit attached to this little machine. It is otherwise working very well.

I was just sitting in front of the home theatre listening to an audio CD. I could not cease to amaze at the value for money this little DVX222 has. It was only several years ago I bought my first Omni DVD player for $329. It was the first ever DVD player Strathfield was selling. Unfortunately it died a premature death.

I would like to congratulate Strathfield Group and jok11n for bring in such a good value units : the XMS and DVX. They must be selling by the truck load at the moment. :)

[dazza4423]

Hi guys, learning lots from this forum. Still lovin my XMS!
Regarding the TY discs-
Are 8x's better than 16x's?
Are the OEM's just as good as the others in quality?

I have been using cheapish TDK and Sony discs, could you please explain why these discs are not very good. (I haven't had too many problems so far, what are the likely problems)

You mentioned testing discs you have burned, what are you testing for and how do you test?

I want to get better at all of this stuff, so all you help really is appreciated.

[kirby]

Hi guys, learning lots from this forum. Still lovin my XMS!
Regarding the TY discs-
Are 8x's better than 16x's?
Are the OEM's just as good as the others in quality?

I have been using cheapish TDK and Sony discs, could you please explain why these discs are not very good. (I haven't had too many problems so far, what are the likely problems)

You mentioned testing discs you have burned, what are you testing for and how do you test?


TY x8 is not better or worse then x16. They are just rated differently. I would never burn over the rated speed even if the program allow me to do so. Burning at a lower then the rated speed does not necessarily give you a better quality burn. My personal experience shows that sometimes burning a x8 speed disc at x4 speed would give a lesser quality burn. Also see http://forums.speedlabs.org/index.php?topic=348.0
OEM TY DVD-R supposed to be as good as the fully printable one. With fully printable one you can print almost to the inner hole. However, in my experience, somehow the fully printable ones often give me a slightly better quality scores.

I am going to try out TY x16 DVD+R. For my archival stuff I think I am going to use DVD+R. See http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media/

I don't know how good TDK and SONY are. It is not worth for me to find out and I am sticking with the best. TY are all made in Japan and has good quality control. Other brand can be made at various places in the globe even within the same brand. Verbatim and TDK are two good examples.

The basic rules are : if you want to keep the disc for a long time go for TY. If not use whatever you like. Verbatim and TDK might be better than the other brand. Again, never ever touch Ritek/Ridata. They give palpitation by even typing their brand name.

I usually test for the quality of the burn after burning the disc. I usually use Nero CD-DVD speed or DVD Info. You can download them for free. In Nero CD-DVD speed just click the tab called "disc quality"and then click start. Select the speed that you burn the disc with. eg if you burn at x8 speed then scan at x8 speed. Not all dvd burner support this function.
At the end of the scan it would give you a score. For TY I would throw the disc away and start again if the score is less then 90%. DVD Info would give a better average of the score then Nero CD-DVD speed. My score with
Nero CD-DVD speed is usually 95-99%.

I would also write down the score on the surface of the disc for future comparison should I need to re scan it.

[dazza4423]

Thanks Kirby, that helps me alot. Thank God for people like you, taking the time to help people like me........cheers :boonie:

[symmetry50]

How long are those pauses? Does it happen with PAL or NTSC or both?

It happens to my DVX222 too. They are very brief, a small fraction of a second but definitely noticeable. They are not usually repeatable. If you reverse the DVD and then play it again and it would not recur where it had occured previously.

I am not sure if I should return and swap for another one......:|



I returned it today and swapped it for another DVX222D. I didn't want to go with another brand as this one, potentially, can play almost anything thrown at it.
All pausing is gone. Works flawlessly now.

@Kirby: Sounds like you need to return yours as well. It's a hassle but what can you do?

Terrific little machine at an incredible price.

Have a merry Christmas everyone :)