A gadget I would like
I’m a sucker for gadgets. I have an ebook reader,1 a netbook,2 and an android tablet.3 Now I want something new, but I’m not sure if it exists; I’m hoping my extensive readership (cough) might do better than my google-fu so far.
What I want is basically a portable DVD library. I was given the BBC Planet Earth series on DVD in exchange for some proofreading (it’s magnificent) and now I’m halfway through the BBC Blue Planet series (also magnificent). When I next go to New Zealand I want to take them with me, but without lugging around cardboard boxes and plastic discs. Ideally the gadget will plug into the tv, but also have its own screen for playback in the airplane.
What I’m imagining is something with a large hard drive (a few hundred gig) so I can just put ISOs of my DVDs on it rather than messing about with ripping to video formats (and losing extras, subtitles, menus, etc etc). I can sort of see why googling hasn’t turned up anything suitable yet: I call this my portable media library, but the BBC would probably call it a pirate’s dream.
My fallback position is just to get a big external hard drive and plug it into my laptop for playback. My tablet has a usb connector (which lets it function as a usb drive), but no usb socket (for plugging in usb drives). At 16G internal storage it’s far too small for carrying the library around, but it’s fine for airplane playback. Annoyingly, though, if I keep the ISOs on an external drive then I’ll still have to use my laptop to transfer them to the tablet,4 and I rather suspect I won’t find a DVD ISO player for android.5
So, gadget freaks, any ideas? Am I stuck with an external drive and a laptop?
Notes:
- An iLiad from iRex, now retired. I’m considering getting a nook, kindle, or similar up-to-date equivalent. [↪]
- Eee pc, now retired. Since I got my work laptop, hilariously overpowered as it is for day-to-day casual use, the poor wee netbook just doesn’t cut it any more. Once you’ve gone SSD, you can never go back. [↪]
- Samsung Galaxy Tab, ordered in a fit of madness to be delivered the very day I left for a month-long holiday in New Zealand. In daily use, which I mention just to prove that not all my gadget purchases end up cast aside when the next shiny thing comes along. Although in this case the next shiny thing hasn’t actually arrived yet. [↪]
- Is there any tablet on the market that lets you plug in a usb drive? Power consumption would be a problem, I imagine. [↪]
- Encouragingly, VLC is being ported to Android. No timeline though, and ISO support will depend on the codecs being available. [↪]
Comments
Yeah, that's the fallback. Although the most annoying thing is that the tablet doesn't have a usb socket (I've updated the post to say this directly). So I would still have to transfer those compressed video files via the laptop, which means planning ahead. Which quite likely means forgetting to plan ahead just before spending 23 hours in airplanes.
Off the top of my head: http://www.boxee.tv/buy or maybe the Apple TV http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv
Zero research on my part so be warned.
Sir,--
On your recommendation I have purchased both devices. Sadly, I find them totally unsuited to my needs (although the "boxee", once forcibly deactivated, makes an adequate doorstop). Your casual disregard (bordering on deliberate misinformation) is an insult which I cannot let stand.
Will you be so kind as to suggest a convenient and secluded place where we can resolve this matter to our mutual satisfaction?
Please send letters of complaint to the address listed below:
I'd buy a big pen drive, rip as many DVDs into some compressed video files (there is software that allows you to preserve some DVD features, like multiple audio tracks and chapter markers; I know Handbrake does it, but perhaps other programs do it too) and watch them using the tablet.