Hi,

This is my first post on this forum. Very interesting discussions! I am about to order a HD1 as soon as it will be available in Belgium.
Can you recommend a multimedia reader with at least 20Gb storage capacity able to record my SD cards footage (photo + video) and able to read the Sanyo MP4 HD format?
Does this tool already exist? I don't find any specs on Archos, Vosonic or Maxian's sites.
Thanks for your help.
Erick

It depends on your expectations when you say "read the MP4 format." If what you are referring to is a device capable of playing them back in their native form, I don't think one exists. The amount of data is too great even for many of today's computers to play effectively.

If what you seek is a device that you can transfer the files to for storage, the Archos with an SD to CF adapter will do the trick. You'll be able to play back on that device too, you'll just have to downsize your videos first.

Call them at 877-300-8879 and see what they say about the MPEG 4 abilities of the AV500. The guy I talked to didn't seem particularly on top of things but maybe you'll get someone else. The AV500 goes as large as 100 GB, weighs only 12 ounces and uses a rechargeable Li battery. Good luck.

You'll be able to play back on that device too, you'll just have to downsize your videos first.

Do you mean it would be possible to downsize by means of the Archos itself or, edit the file using a PC and playback with the multimedia reader?

If you want playback and editing in your device, you need to look for a laptop with at least 128MB of dedicated video memory. Playback of HDV is no light task. There are some nice tablet PCs out there that are worthy of consideration if your budget warrants it.

The Archos is suitable if you simply want storage, or if you want to play video after you've worked with it.

In fact, I try to imagine my future holidays, during which, I will have to store the contains of my SD cards (2 x 4gb Transcend cards? - not yet ordered).

I do not intend to take my Dell Laptop D800 with me and leave it at my hotel room all days long....too risky.
It will be necessary to dump my cards on a portable storage device, and yes, the Archos can perfectly perform this task but it would be nicer if, at the same occasion, I would have the capability to monitor my footage prior to coming back home and visualize them on a PC

60GB iPod will play back the HD1's files directly.

However, the screen won't be much bigger than that on the camera.

Bear in mind that the new generation of SD cards will be supported by the HD1; in a few years you'll be able to have your 100GB in five or ten next generation SD cards!

Of course, in a few years the new models of these cams may have a lot of built in memory.

I don't like the idea of an entire second unit. Part of the charm is that it's self contained and small!

This is good news for me. Do I need a camera connector to transfer the files from the Sanyo to the iPod? I don't think the iPod has a SD card slot.

The 2nd unit I don't like it too much as well. It's true that I can review my footage via the HD1 display and dump the cards on an external storage device only without playback capability.

I am hesitating! I love the iPod which I don't have.

You're correct about the iPod - you would need a 3rd device to transfer.

To hell with that...

I think just store on multiple, larger, next generation cards and review in camera!

I could use Tvix HD M-5000 to playback HD1 Native MP4 File directly in 720p DVI out from USB card reader. Pixelmagic HD Mediabox should be able to do it since both are using SigmaDesign EM8621L chipset.

SALUT ERICK !

well i have an archos AV500, and forget about playing directly MP4 files out of the HD1 directly into the archos ! The Archos doesn't do that !

the archos only play divx files (.avi) and certain types of .wmv files (.wmv9)

before being interested in the HD1 i wasn't much concerned about my archos not playing digital cameras videos : i have a Sony DSC-M1, which produces .mp4 files movies.

with this, i only had to use MP4CAM2AVI to (very fastly) convert my .mp4 files from Sony directly into .avi files, then play them into the Archos AV500 ----> it works greatly !!

but this doesn't work with the HD1 files as, even though the new MP4CAM2AVI will convert them to avi fastly, it will give you 1280 format .avi files ...those are too large for the archos.

The only good solution is to put your HD1 files into Pocket Divx Encoder (PDE) to convert them into .avi...

they will work into the archos. the good thing is that a HD1 file of 50 m.o. will be rendered into a 12 m.o; .avi file after PDE have converted it

the bad thing is that it will take much more time than with MP4CAM2AVI ....and the .avi file you will get is not High definition anymore...but it's still a goood quality file , i would say it's a Standard definition plus file.

if i have time i will post one of the converted file here later

60GB iPod will play back the HD1's files directly.


really ? that's great !

well i have an archos AV500, and forget about playing directly MP4 files out of the HD1 directly into the archos ! The Archos doesn't do that !

Thanks Marc, so I think the best choice for the moment is to get an Ipod but I still have to investigate how i will easy it will be to transfer the video/picture files on the Ipod drive.

Another option is to buy a portable autonomous HDD that could read SD cards without a playback feature.

Who has heard about this multimedia reader? According the specs, it can read Mpeg4 in 640x480 resolution. Do you think this device will be able to read native HD1 format and downscale the footages? The iPod does the job...so the Epson should also do it, isn't it?
I am very curious. Thanks for giving feedback.

Hi,
Can you recommend a multimedia reader with at least 20Gb storage capacity able to record my SD cards footage (photo + video) and able to read the Sanyo MP4 HD format?ErickMy multimedia reader for Sanyo SD cards is a computer and a little "Smart Genie" USB fob that I got at Fry's Electronics for $10. I've never even used the USB cable to the camera. I know some people have not had much luck playing Sanyo HD1 HD mpeg4 files on their computers without jerkiness, but I've had no problems at all on a 1.8GHz Centrino T42. Also no problems on my 3.0 GHz AMD Barton powered HTPC but it plays even more CPU-demanding H.264 high profile video in 720p X 30fps. The Sanyo uses H.263 Advanced Simple Profile (ASP) mpeg4 and it's a piece of cake on that machine. They key is using the right software and a properly configured video renderer (use a hardware overylay renderer). See my post: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=446827&postcount=2

I also played some of my HD1 videos on a new Core Duo Mac mini at my local Apple store. Any of the new Intel powered Macs should work--I suspect even the "Solo" Mac mini, though didn't try this lowest powered model. My 1.42 GHz G4 Mac mini at home can almost do it--sometimes it's nearly watchable, in fact, but it usually drops some frames. You can read all the reviews--both plus and minus and benchmarks of the new Intel Macs vs. Apple's performance claims, but the bottom line is they are much faster than the old PPC models for video playback and boot times! The new Core Duo is amazingly fast in operation, feel, and video playback framerate when compared to my 1 year old mini!

Forget about using Quicktime, though--it's optimized for H.264 (AVC) "Main" profile mpeg4 video rather than the H.263 ASP mpeg4 of the HD1. All H.263 video (which Apple simplistically refers to as "mpeg4") that I've tried on QT is jerky. VLC and mplayer are good choices for Mac (OS X) or Linux playback.

As noted elsewhere, I have had really good results both playing and editing on the Intel Dual Core Mini, first the 512MB version and starting today the 2GB version. Using the HDTV as the monitor gives real WYSIWYG. The one fly in the ointment is the requirement that the clips, which have already been loaded onto the Mac HD, be loaded again into iMovie, which takes MUCH longer than the original upload to the HD. I am used to Vegas, where shortcuts to the clips are used.

On the other hand, the render time in iMovie is very fast, so perhaps it is a take and give back situation, assuming that you will use most of the clips. I don't see any other choices at the moment anyway, since Apple information says that Final Cut (Pro or Express) will not edit MP4.

Correction:

It's only video shot in the Web-HQ mode that is 5th Gen iPod compatible...

Fine that you corrected your assumption Graham. I would have been really interested...now I may forget the iPod for that kind of activities.

'The HD1s files will play on the new iPod' I read somewhere and just took it literally.

That's not so much assumption as inaccurate reporting.

You are right Graham, wrong terminology.
In the mean time, I still don't find any multimedia viewer/card reader/external storage able to store and read HD1 footage.
Do you think it's still worth waiting or do I have to forget about it?

Sorry, no idea.

It's larger cards I think will be the important step, as the device already has such a nice screen.

I am still waiting for 2 x 4Gb Transcend SDcards that should arrive tomorrow.
Any idea when 8Gb will be available in Europe?

This is good news for me. Do I need a camera connector to transfer the files from the Sanyo to the iPod? I don't think the iPod has a SD card slot.USB "bridges" are available. They allow two USB devices to transfer files directly (without a computer). However, they are somewhat pricey and I've never used one.

Hi Calin,
I will discard the "iPod" option since it seems impossible to directly monitor the transferred footage. I definitely agree with Graham's choice which promotes an extensive use of SD cards.

I have been sticking out of this forum because of time restraints but here is another spin on Ipod.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=65832
http://www.bella-usa.com/Catapult.htm

As I understand it IShops are selling Sanyos. It is actually useful functionality to be able to transfer and monitor Mpeg4 and H264 cameras on disk to the IPOD. There is linux IPOD programming systems and maybe more native ones, and even a Linux system that is cross compatible between different brands of players (google it) but it is much easier to just talk somebody else into it.

As there are a number of H264 cameras coming and who knows how many Mpeg4 releases still left, there is a market to do this (not to mention all those notorious little cheap solid state handicams that better fit the IPOD).

Bella above might be interested, even Apple, though I think point out that there will be a number of these cams on the market Bella might least likely to not show interest. For Apple though it would be a marketable complementary use for their system, and the cameras they sell in shop. Their is also the , odd, chance that the people that use it might want to sell footage through Itunes.

Anyway, just an crazy idea.