VDrive:Olsen review
From The Neuros Technology Wiki
my first impressions of the v-drive out of the box:
Wow, it's even smaller than I had imagined. the silver on black case has a nice understated feel with the black endcaps signaling the user interaction areas. I'm not sure if this case is intended for any final release, but not bad for a portable stock housing.
the cable management/portability issue is a great opportunity for a clever solution. since portability and allowing viewing options are neat features - it makes sense to spend a little effort on avoiding some of the hassle associated with wrangling transformers and 3 other cords. not a huge hassle - just an opportunity. I'm paranoid that some magical video viewing moment will be missed because I forgot to throw a cord in my ziplock bag.
Having used a bigger external HD w/transformer for a year now, the power-cord-free computer usage is awesome. I did need to use both usb plugs power and simply reset a 'power surge detected' type message on my Tablet PC (running XP tablet ed) - then all file transfer and playing video from the vdrive worked great.
I also question the value of the VGA jack. Might be just me, but I can't envision hooking up the drive directly to a computer monitor rather than...hmm, wait..okay I get that now. Many comps and certainly projectors won't have the codecs or whatnot to show a given vid. Neat, another 'variable usage' type feature. Maybe point out that seemingly obvious option in the future literature.
On the TV on-screen menu: As I've read here, its visuals and navigation are purely functional. truncated view of medium length file names is annoying. I won't get too deep into the GUI analysis from a product design perspective until i learn more about the intended consumer.
I agree with the remote issues listed here. Notably the special battery replacement issue. I have a similar remote for my laptop which remains dead and unreplaced - I might need to make a special trip to the store to get a replacement battery as I never remember at the time. Anyway, this issue may be ripe for one of those thin elastomer type keypads - maybe design a clever new form factor/layout to go along with the docking/recharging notion.
I haven't tested the audio hookups yet.
Tested a dozen or so vids with great results. The 'resume' DVD type function listed in bugzilla would be a valued improvement. Aggravating to need the fresh restart when hitting the wrong remote button; although the fforward works well on shorter vids.
I've only had playback probs with the files below so far. I don't have the technical expertise to know why so I posted the AVIcodec info as a start.
1 :: Xvid [this one won't play at all on tv, but #2 plays fine] Video : 474 MB, 938 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 640*352 (16:9), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4 Audio : 226 MB, 448 Kbps, 48000 Hz, 6 channels, 0x2000 = AC3 DVM 2 :: Xvid [plays fine on tv] Video : 474 MB, 949 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 640*272 (2.21:1), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4, Audio : 223 MB, 448 Kbps, 48000 Hz, 5 channels, 0x2000 = AC3 DVM ?maybe the # of audio channels?
3 :: SVCD [audio synch probs - lags a few seconds;seems to be a consistent lag; plays fine in VLC media player] Video : 1.64 GB, 2000 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 480*480 (16:9), MPG2 = MPEG 2 (SVCD/DVD) Audio : 80 MB, 96 Kbps, 44100 Hz, 2 channels, 0x51 = Mpeg-1 audio Layer 2 [0xc0],
Funny bit from the translated manual - "...if the liquid dropped on inner unit. It will lead to serious destroy." Duly noted as I don't want that to happen.
