Many of you might already know about this. But i wanted to find a way to watch movies on my tablet. and i stumbled accross DVD Catalyst. The dev is amazing. If you ever have any problems with anything. He always replys back within the hour, couple hours max. He clams 24 hours. but thats if he is sick or somthing. He sells his software for $9.99. Best ten bucks ive ever spent.
Any Dvds you have laying around the house or can get your hands on. You can easily rip and convert in one process. to any device basically ever made. (he has a couple thousand devices to choose from) So with device choosen, it will automatically format and have correct resolution for specified device.
Theres a bunch of differnt settings to tweak with if you know what you doing. or just keep on default for best results for average user. His website www.tools4movies.com he has guides for just about everything. including how to convert for best quality, low space, best quality with less space, ext
The dev (Mitch) also has a couple apps accross all OS's (android, apple, blackberry, kindle, nook) Where you can stream you movie content on your computer to tablet, cell phone, or any other device online. So you don't have to fill up your tablets memory with movie data. instead you stream your movies from computer from anywhere in the world. (With guides of course, how to set up) Its pretty nifty if you ask me. Thats why i'm sharing this with anyone who wants to be able to watch movies on there tablet. without renting them for 5 bucks on the play store. or downloading them illigaly.
If yo have any questions, check out tools4movies.com
or email him at [email protected]
or reply to this post. and ill try to answer anything to my best knowlege, better to go straight to website for detailed questions.
P.S oh ya the price is a lil cheaper right now. at $8.95 i believe, wont last for long.
Seconded: I've been using DVD Catalyst since back when I owned a Nook Color and have used it to convert hundreds of movies. While I have yet to watch one on my TF300, on my HTC Flyer (which replaced the Nook Color) they play great.
Also, the developer is a real stand-up guy and is very helpful, going to far as to monitor various internet discussion forums answering questions from users of the software.
Another awesome thing about the dev. (Mitch) is on those forums he monitors, I've seen him suggest other things besides his software. So he's not out to get everyone to buy it. Of course he will mention DVD catalyst. But he will also suggest other options to choose from. Hard to find Apple like that these days
But this is the reason why I got a Tegra 3 device. This thing plays everything I throw at it, unlike the sorry Tegra 2.
I would never need to convert file format any longer.
superflysocal said:
But this is the reason why I got a Tegra 3 device. This thing plays everything I throw at it, unlike the sorry Tegra 2.
I would never need to convert file format any longer.
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Click to collapse
You wouldnt convert to a different format. so our tf300 can recognize the file. The whole reason to convert your dvd is so you don't take up as much space as original dvd. which could be 6 to 8 gb. So instead of 6-8gb you would convert it anywhere from 1-3 gb so no you can store a bunch more movies if you have a big collection. like most pple do
also during conversion. it sets file to our screen resolution. the quality you set it at and any other tweaks you do. which theres so many to choose from. but ya you don't convert it to a format so our tab can read it. you can change the format to whatever you want. thats just not the only point of conversations
The Tegra3 is very powerful, and with players like MX and Dice, it is capable of playing a lot of different video formats that it doesn't support out of the box, which is great if you get your videos from the web, but if you have a large collection of DVDs, you still need a way to get those into a format that you can actually transfer over to your tablet.
But aside from that, if you look around other android-forums, there are a lot of people complaining about issues with playing the video files they already have obtained/created.
With a collection that consists of many differently formatted video files, mkv's and avi's created using different settings, some play better in one player, others play better in another player, and for others you need to tweak with the settings in order to get them to work properly.
By converting your movies, you don't run into this. Sure, it takes some time to actually do the conversion, but once you have your files in the proper format, there is no need to fiddle around anymore, and, the files will play fine on less powerful devices (smartphones or eReader tablets) as well thanks to compatibility with hardware decoding (which also saves a bit on battery usage). And the conversion of files isn't such a big hassle if you can just drop a folder with 10-100 video files onto an application, and start the process with 1 click.
Due to my work, I have a large collection of different tablets, including an iPad3, Kindle Fire, NOOK color, Xoom, Playbook etc, and I can play my video files on every single one without having to install a different player or adjust settings. For the ones that have a memorycard slot, I can just take one of my cards from one, and stick it in another, and know that the videos will play fine.
dsf3g said:
Seconded: I've been using DVD Catalyst since back when I owned a Nook Color and have used it to convert hundreds of movies. While I have yet to watch one on my TF300, on my HTC Flyer (which replaced the Nook Color) they play great.
Also, the developer is a real stand-up guy and is very helpful, going to far as to monitor various internet discussion forums answering questions from users of the software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ 1. I have been using Catalyst for a few years now and I think it is the best converter out there. The tech support is top notch.
Related
Let me first state that I AM NOT decrying the needs of Athena owners, nor am I suggesting they shouldn't own one. Everyone has different devices to fit different needs, HOWEVER in the course of heated debate on these forums people have frequently stated that their Athena is MORE THAN CAPABLE of playing video, without optimisation which neither skips, jumps or loses sync. I owned two and over the course of nearly nine months NEVER managed to get a high quality, non-optimised video to display solidly without losing sync.
What I ask is for people to describe a high quality (700mb+) Divx or Xvid file that their Athena can play fluidly and without losing sync, and for the sake of credibility upload a video of this in action. When I get chance later today I will upload a video of an N95 playing a full-size divx movie - I will demonstrate the video size and specifics, show the device playing it whilst multitasking and demonstrate fast-forwarding, pausing and playing and how this affects lip-sync and general playback quality.
Let me re-iterate that I understand that the N95 is not a competitor to the Athena and that for the most part it is unsuited to the needs of people on these forums; but if you're going to state that your video performance is good I'd appreciate if you could prove it! It is after all a powerful machine with loads more RAM and processing power than the humble N95.
Just a bit of fun.
EDIT: DISREGARD THE 'BUT DISAPPOINTING' ASPECT OF THE 3RD QUESTION WHEN VOTING AS I WILL ADMIT IT SOUNDS BIASED
MidgetEdit: Fixed the poll
Here we go again and this time i didnt start it
Voted for second option, "can play most things well". I'll try and demonstrate that tonight, hopefully.
hey i think i've been very fair with my questions
Well... Didn't want to point it out, but in all fairness, the "but disappointing" should be removed or brought to the option below.
For one can find the Athena's video performance average and NOT be disappointed...
HeartOfDarkness said:
Well... Didn't want to point it out, but in all fairness, the "but disappointing" should be removed or brought to the option below.
For one can find the Athena's video performance average and NOT be disappointed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair point. If you can tell me how to remove the 'but disappointing' bit from the poll I will, otherwise we'll imagine the 'but disappointing' bit doesn't exist for the purposes of the poll...
Here's my video. If it's out of sync please report as I've had this problem before and didn't have chance to check the upload before I left the house. Cheers.
I can't say that I'm impressed by the video performance of the athena because it's my largest problem eversince I got it last week especially in 128 dpi settings. I'm neither in the position to say that I'm disappointed also because I really haven't had the chance to play with it that long. I would have to vote later. I appreciate though these types of threads because it forces people to look for ways to either extend their capabilities in trying to know and teach what they can do with their athena to prove that it's a really good machine or to simply shoot down the opinion of others. Suffice it to say that it may bring out the best of the athena or bring it down to te gutter. The best part is that people get to choose base on their best judgement who to believe and which opinion to discard.
Any performance videos yet?
I genuinely would like to know if the claims about video performance being good are true, I'm not trying to catch anyone out
Sorry, I did'nt see the word UNCONVERTED and picked A. I guess it should have been a B. But why would anybody play it unconverted? The files are just far too big unconverted, isn't it? Also, it would carry so much useless information designed for home theatre systems at least, that it would literally chock any small device movie player to dealth. What I do play include a 900MB movie which is crystal clear, does not skip at all, and never have any out of sync problem. But I'm not sure if it has gone through conversion, as I downloaded it from the net.
If I want a home theatre movie quality experience, I'd not use Athena to do it. I'll use my home theatre system.
Would you play movies unconverted on say a viewty or N95?
Midget, could you transfer my vote from A to B?
eaglesteve said:
If I want a home theatre movie quality experience, I'd not use Athena to do it. I'll use my home theatre system.
Would you play movies unconverted on say a viewty or N95?
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Click to collapse
quite to the point ha?
eaglesteve said:
Sorry, I did'nt see the word UNCONVERTED and picked A. I guess it should have been a B. But why would anybody play it unconverted? The files are just far too big unconverted, isn't it? Also, it would carry so much useless information designed for home theatre systems at least, that it would literally chock any small device movie player to dealth. What I do play include a 900MB movie which is crystal clear, does not skip at all, and never have any out of sync problem. But I'm not sure if it has gone through conversion, as I downloaded it from the net.
If I want a home theatre movie quality experience, I'd not use Athena to do it. I'll use my home theatre system.
Would you play movies unconverted on say a viewty or N95?
Midget, could you transfer my vote from A to B?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wording is a little off-kilter. When I say 'unconverted' I mean 'not specifically optimised for the device' I.E. the sort of file you'd download/play on your desktop. Sorry for the equivocal wordage peeps!
I never convert any movies that I download, so that qualifies as unconverted then?
I hav to jump in here. The resolution or aspect ratio of your movie file along with the audio coding was low. If I had those settings on a movie and played on the Athena, it would be no problem. I convert almost all my movies using DVD Catalyst and I ensure it is at 30 fps, audio is at 192, the max I can get it and the picture adjustment is at 1100. I have very few problems when I play those on my athena. If I could get the file you have I would love to cross compare, because that video shouldn't choke the Athena at all. At least in my experience using core player.
Then again, this is just my two cents.
eaglesteve said:
I never convert any movies that I download, so that qualifies as unconverted then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it does! when you get chance to upload a video showing the quality please do. I'm suprised if your Athena can handle them without either displaying linear patterns during fast scenes, losing sync or stopping and starting. If it can then I will capitulate and say you are a lucky so-and-so!
Just about right said:
I hav to jump in here. The resolution or aspect ratio of your movie file along with the audio coding was low. If I had those settings on a movie and played on the Athena, it would be no problem. I convert almost all my movies using DVD Catalyst and I ensure it is at 30 fps, audio is at 192, the max I can get it and the picture adjustment is at 1100. I have very few problems when I play those on my athena. If I could get the file you have I would love to cross compare, because that video shouldn't choke the Athena at all. At least in my experience using core player.
Then again, this is just my two cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i chose that video because it is one i had problems with on my athena.
EVERYONE TRY THIS SHORT VIDEO AND REPORT BACK ON THE PLAYBACK QUALITY. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO HAVE A STANDARD FILE TO TEST OUT THAT'S SMALL ENOUGH TO UPLOAD. It's just a video of my dog recorded on my N95 at tv quality. It is a 640 by 480 resolution video which should be a good ratio for the Athena. I haven't modified it in any way. Let me know what results you all get.
Cheers
leoni1980 said:
yes it does! when you get chance to upload a video showing the quality please do. I'm suprised if your Athena can handle them without either displaying linear patterns during fast scenes, losing sync or stopping and starting. If it can then I will capitulate and say you are a lucky so-and-so!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case, I'd keep my A rating for the time being because until now I still don't understnad the issue.
I'd test your sample file and provide feedback. There must be something that I've missed I guess. Yes, perhaps I have been real lucky.
I've downloaded it to my desktop runing Vista and want to try it here first. But could'nt play it media player. Do you need to convert it before it can play there too? What program do you use to play it on desktop?
On my device, it says "MPEC4 AAC Audio Decoder not included! It was removed from the official install package because of intellectual property considerations." (strange. I never had this error before)
Is this the kind of problem you're referring to Leoni?
Oh wait, although it has the above error message, the video plays perfectly! I get very sharp image. The camera itself jerks a bit I think during shooting but the playback is smooth.
No sound though. Is there supposed to be sound?
Cute little doggy! Is that your dog?
So, to sum up, for me. It works without conversion on my Athena but not on my Vista desktop.
The issue is that Video playback is an issue with the Athena (and other devices) yet some people insist theirs work fine. If there is no problem then I wonder why threads like this this this this and this among many others exist? (oh, and this!)
Many moons ago I thought I'd solved the problem bu it must've been a lucky video file as a couple of days later I tried a different downloaded movie and back I was to the 'flickery' pictures and loss of sync.
I just wish there was an answer that worked for everyone.
eaglesteve said:
I've downloaded it to my desktop runing Vista and want to try it here first. But could'nt play it media player. Do you need to convert it before it can play there too? What program do you use to play it on desktop?
On my device, it says "MPEC4 AAC Audio Decoder not included! It was removed from the official install package because of intellectual property considerations."
Is this the kind of problem you're referring to Leoni?
Oh wait, although it has the above error message, the video plays perfectly! I get very sharp image. The camera itself jerks a bit I think during shooting but the playout is smooth.
No sound though. Is there supposed to be sound?
Cute little doggy! Is that your dog?[/QUOTE
Yes it's my doggywoggy. I use VLC. It's freeware - try it on that to give you an idea of how it should look. The TCPMP extras you need for playback of that file are in PK's extras package just in case you want to get em.
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Click to collapse
Hi,
Thinking of buying a hero...
Is it possible to play full size movie AVIs (700Mb, etc) without lag, without having to resize them to a smaller resolution?
I find that resizing them is such a hassle. Currently using a touch dual, and when that was initially released I couldnt play it unless resized. Felt pretty ripped off. Only when upgrade to wm6.5 came out, I could play em. My old HTC Magician handled them much better.
Anyway... just wanted to ask if anyone has tried it... before I buy another dud phone.
Thanks!
Surely I can't be the only person who cares about watching movies on my phone while travelling?
I am sure you are not, but most people resize them.....
not tried anything on the hero yet, as i only got mine yesterday, and wasn't goping to buy any apps for the one i borrowed from work!
soggybiscuit said:
Is it possible to play full size movie AVIs (700Mb, etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AVI is a container and not a codec.
Like all mobile devices (correct me if I'm wrong), there is no h264 b-frame support. Transcoding is your friend. How hard is it to transcode all movies in a directory; Thats just one command line away, geez.
yeah its just one more thing needed to do.
each to their own i guess... but I'm the sort of person who likes to take as little steps / effort as possible to do something. ie searching for a contact and calling them... i'd like to know that I can call them with a few keypresses and done... rather than having to search through a whole list of names and finding the contact.
Also, I prefer to be able to keep files in the format I got them so I can transfer them to another machine if I need to, rather than have a resized file that is only of use to the phone.
Not too sure about the terminology (h264 b frame support) you used, but I had no trouble playing full sized rips on my HTC Magician from 5 years ago. But had trouble with the HTC Nike initially until one year later when I upgraded it to WM6.1.
Anyway, if anyone has had the chance to try it out... let me know thanks =)
I have resized and played on the hero with no issues. I have seen that in a review that it could skip if not resized. I would resize to the heros resolution
It might work better if the aspect ratio is the same, but by the time you do that you could be resizing.
What player are you using?
Thanks
I had some issues getting it to recognise some media formats, but got around by using ImTOO encoding software and used one of the preset profiles which recoded and resized to 320x480.
use handbrake, its so easy.
Second for handbrake. As far as I can tell from my testing, it doesn't like DivX files. It does like MP4 files, with meridian especially. A two hour file took about 20 minutes to transcode straight to the Hero, on my not-particularly amazing tri-core 3ghz phenom. Quality was excellent.
I'd say queue up a list in Handbrake and leave it running overnight.
I used to use fullsize avi's on my diamond but as yet I've not found a decent player on android so I've made the switch to converting to avi's at a fairly large picture size (I forget the exact ratio) & it plays fine in the native video player.
A bit bummed that I have to convert them but it works I guess
Anyone heard if Corecodec are planning to make an android version of Coreplayer? If that's on it's way, it would likely be the first thing i buy from the market....!
rhedgehog said:
Anyone heard if Corecodec are planning to make an android version of Coreplayer? If that's on it's way, it would likely be the first thing i buy from the market....!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on that
rhedgehog said:
Anyone heard if Corecodec are planning to make an android version of Coreplayer? If that's on it's way, it would likely be the first thing i buy from the market....!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been looking into that too...
Seems like they intend to, but are hindered by things out of their control (lack of Qualcomm drivers from HTC). Sounds like the same issue with my HTC Touch Dual when I initially got it.
From their forum...
http://forum.corecodec.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1327&hilit=android
Hopefully wont be too long before
Hi guys,
Recently purchased the touchpad. I wrongly assumed that a currently tablet would be able to easily play a digital copy of a DVD (the legit kind you get when you buy in the bundle, BD, DVD Digital copy). I know there are plenty of ways to rip, convert, strip DRM etc. I don't want to do all that. I have plenty of legit digital copies that I have been waiting to use on my first tablet and to my surprise the touchpad doesn't seem to support WMV DRM files. I have a choice when I first load the digital copy onto my computer for Itunes or WM player. I chose WMP thinking that would work but I guess the touchpad doesn't support them.
Is there an app that supports these files, any chance of playing these files on there without having to bootleg them?
short answer, a resounding no. which is very unfortunate. the file must be ripped, drm-less and converted to an android friendly format (mp4, mkv, avi)
i recommend Tunebite to do all that, but atm, android is incapable of DRM videos (to the best of my knowledge/experience)
EDIT* there is a way with blu-ray, but its unnecessarily complicated. you need the original blu-ray disc, a wifi blu-ray player, and pocketBLU app for andriod. also, not ALL movies support this, so it will be hit and miss
EDIT** you can try this, but you still have to kill the DRM on the file: http://myhpmini.com/forum/play-digital-copy-movies-android-tab-pavtube-chewtune-t5044.html
wow, the galaxy tab and all those don't play DRM videos either? LOL. Dang. Well, thanks for the response.
yeah mostly its malignment towards android, but youd be surprised how many devices DONT support DRM in this day and age which is kinda ridiculous
I don't think it's totally ridiculous that devices are not supporting DRM.
Personally, I don't support it either. I feel like if I buy a digital copy of a movie, I should be able to use it however I want...instead of being tethered to a player/internet connection/operating system/device/etc...
mister timely said:
I don't think it's totally ridiculous that devices are not supporting DRM.
Personally, I don't support it either. I feel like if I buy a digital copy of a movie, I should be able to use it however I want...instead of being tethered to a player/internet connection/operating system/device/etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree with you 100%, DRM kills ownership. having said that though, its not going away anytime soon
but since its been around for so long on music and movies, you'd think that OS companies/media app devs would embrace this content somehow, espicially since most smartphones have data plans that can sync with DRM servers at any time...
im not a fan of DRM, but lots of people are, and considering how much media peopl consume on their phones/tablets, you'd expect some sign of acceptance/integration
this isn't a legit versus, i just need some advice on which tablet i may enjoy more.
I love to watch youtube, i love to surf the net and play flash games.. I love to read books.
my main uses i got out of my ipad 1 was utube and browsing, but i can't handle lag... will this device be faster then the ipad 1? in all aspects? Is the ipad 2 really that big of a leap from the first?
edit: i used the ipad mainly for these little things, but that doesn't mean i wouldn't love other things. I have no idea what this tablet can do, i only did those simple things before because i couldn't find any other uses out of my ipad.
For you use, either one is fine. In fact, you should save some money and pickup the original Transformer and that should be enough for your usage.
ajamils said:
For you use, either one is fine. In fact, you should save some money and pickup the original Transformer and that should be enough for your usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read my edit
Either device should be fine really.
In terms of Youtube, Browsing, and Flash Games, the Transformer has an advantage as you have the OPTION of Adobe Flash. Sure it slows browser speed and drains battery but at least you have the option and you can disable it to achieve "normal" speed.
For me, im getting the Transformer because I like the flexibility Android gives as well as the dock option. That way I could walk around with the Prime as a tablet with just the screen and dock it when im going to be sitting down and doing something.
You should also note that the Android Tablet market is far behind the Apple Tablet market. There are not too many apps for Android Tablets atm (which im sure will change eventually like it did for smartphone apps). You could look at your favourite IOS Apps and try to see if you can find them in the Android market.
xGary said:
Either device should be fine really.
In terms of Youtube, Browsing, and Flash Games, the Transformer has an advantage as you have the OPTION of Adobe Flash. Sure it slows browser speed and drains battery but at least you have the option and you can disable it to achieve "normal" speed.
For me, im getting the Transformer because I like the flexibility Android gives as well as the dock option. That way I could walk around with the Prime as a tablet with just the screen and dock it when im going to be sitting down and doing something.
You should also note that the Android Tablet market is far behind the Apple Tablet market. There are not too many apps for Android Tablets atm (which im sure will change eventually like it did for smartphone apps). You could look at your favourite IOS Apps and try to see if you can find them in the Android market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
truth be told i do like the little games, but there not a huge deal to me, every once and awhile i would go look at a top 10 and find a few games, spend an hour or so on them and be done. Games are fun, but im sure android will be enough for me.
Im concerned that with flash on the browser will be laggy? even with the quad core?
what other things have people found they like to do with there tablet?
blaziner18 said:
truth be told i do like the little games, but there not a huge deal to me, every once and awhile i would go look at a top 10 and find a few games, spend an hour or so on them and be done. Games are fun, but im sure android will be enough for me.
Im concerned that with flash on the browser will be laggy? even with the quad core?
what other things have people found they like to do with there tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a bunch of reviews on this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1370912
Regarding flash, it will definitely be slower than HTML5 but it is definitely still usable. Generally flash should be kept off unless you are on a site that is not compatible with HTML5.
xGary said:
There are a bunch of reviews on this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1370912
Regarding flash, it will definitely be slower than HTML5 but it is definitely still usable. Generally flash should be kept off unless you are on a site that is not compatible with HTML5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure what HTML.5 is... im pretty choked to hear that my browsing will be laggy with my flash on. I don't know nothing about nothing, but 4 cores can't handle flash? that sucks.
Why not go to best buy (or wherever) and play with the original transformer TF101? Browse to some flash websites and see how they feel.
Until any of us actually get or hands on one of these, all of these helpful comments are just based on speculation and "hearsay"
I wouldn't mind knowing what people liked to do with there old android tablet.
blaziner18 said:
not sure what HTML.5 is... im pretty choked to hear that my browsing will be laggy with my flash on. I don't know nothing about nothing, but 4 cores can't handle flash? that sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTML5 is a number of API's and technologies that add new functionality to the modern web. Modern web consists of PHP or other server side engine that generates pages of HTML for you, HTML itself that is sent to your browser and is rendered by your browser, CSS that styles how HTML looks and JavaScript that modifies what is displayed by your browser.
HTML5 is an incremental update to most of those technologies. It consists of new HTML elements that your browser knows how to display (like video and audio without flash), it consists of CSS3 which includes new rules that describe to your browser how to display certain HTML elements (like rounded and gradient buttons that so far have been only possible with pictures only) and new JavaScript API's that allow your browser to draw Flash-like animations, store data locally in new ways or use geolocation in your device.
As a regular user you won't notice a difference in the end, HTML5 is still not an official standard but after a while it will replace all existing Flash in the web. For example, many browser-supported games already work without Flash (including Angry Birds) and sites like YouTube have an option to already work entirely without Flash and display videos through HTML5 only.
In few years time Flash won't exist in any of the major services you are using today and most users won't even notice a difference while web will be faster and more standardized in the end.
Possible uses:
- manga reading: install one of manga reader apps (I recommend Manga Watcher, tried a number of them and this one is the best) and create your manga library... it downloads them from assorted web sites and stores on your tablet
- ebook reading: best app would be MoonReader (it's free, and there is MoonReader Pro, paid version)
- comics (cbr/cbz)
- movies: Original TF plays well up to SD (640x480) and widescreen (maybe up to 800ish x 400ish, 720p is hit and miss, usually too slow. With all software updates it plays well up to 720p but not 1080p. Try RockPlayer and MoboPlayer
- Netflix
- games: there is better stuff than flash games... look for THD-labelled games. Also stuff from Gameloft. Still, I would expect iPad 2 to be better in this regard.
- as a notebook if you have a keyboard... its Office app package is usable for taking notes etc, but it's definitely not in the same class as the regular MS Office which you can have on a Windows netbook.
- Skype? Not using it myself, but it should be a decent Skype device.
No Gameloft games work on the Transformer.
Well, at least gameloft doesn't allow Transformer users to buy their game for whatever dumb reason they have.
blaziner18 said:
I wouldn't mind knowing what people liked to do with there old android tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most common uses for me:
- handwriting for studies (also on PDF books),
- games
- reading PDF books (those that my Kindle can't handle) and comic books,
- reading news and www in general,
- youtube videos,
- e-learning (I study in a mode where half of the lessons is on the internet).
I'm an iPad 1 owner that is getting an Transformer Prime.
I bought my iPad because there were no good Android 10 inch tablets at the time. I tried upgrading to an original Transformer and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Honeycomb really disappointed me. So I returned those and stuck with the iPad.
Flash used to be important to me. It's less important now. I still want it to play videos, because a lot of videos are still Flash only. I would not use it for Flash based web games though. Flash really kills browser performance. So it's a double edged sword. But still nice to have.
For me a big deal with an Android tablet over an iPad are things like having micro SD and HDMI ports. I can easily supplement my storage and pretty much have unlimited storage capacity by just buying more SD cards. And I can plug in my tablet easily to my TV (without the need of a big ass ugly adapter).
iPad certainly dominates when it comes to apps. But Android actually has a pretty decent selection of apps that work well. Unfortunately sometimes I find an Android version of an app to be inferior to an iPad version, such as TuneIn. But it's usually not to big an issue.
Not sure if the iPad 2 supports USB controllers. I know I can plug in a USB keyboard with it's adapter. I may end up playing 3D games on my Transformer Prime though because Android support game controllers (I'll need to buy a big ass ugly USB adapter like the iPad though).
I'm really torn on which screen ratio I like more. At first 16:10 was my obvious favorite. But after using an iPad for well over a year. I'm kinda found that 4:3 ratio has some pretty nice points as well. If I want to hold the tablet in one hand, I found it's more comfortable to do that in portrait mode. 16:10 tablets are way too narrow to read many websites in that position, while 4:3 still has more width for that.
iPad has a much smoother overall experience. Android 4.0 looks like it's improving, but they seem to still be behind trying to catch up. But on the other hand Android let me put my icons where I want, use widgets and customize my UI a lot more.
I really liked my iPad. And the iPad 2 looks great. But for me the Transformer Prime is an no brainer.
kokusho said:
No Gameloft games work on the Transformer.
Well, at least gameloft doesn't allow Transformer users to buy their game for whatever dumb reason they have.
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Is this really true? I hope not as I have a ton of great game loft games on my iPad that I hope will be on Android also once I get the Prime. Even of it doesn't let you download the game, can't you side load it or install the game from another android device if you put the APK on it? Why would game loft make such a dumb move. It's not like their apple only as I see some older game loft titles on other android devices. Asus prime with tegra3 would be perfect to showcase the great games they put out. I won't base decision on getting tablet based solely on video games. I don't have any home console systems anymore and haven't for a long time but my iPad 1 is now my only source for playing video games and served that purpose very well. Game loft needs to get with the program ASAP. Anyone know the reason why they won't work on Transformer? I have tegra2 Atrix phone and side loaded Order n chaos up there and it played perfectly. This was even before they officially real eased it to be compatible. Thanks to this great XDA forum . So if it could play perfectly on my Atrix phone, I'm sure the original transformer or the new prime shouldn't have any trouble pushing it.
As far as other uses for tablets, it's what you make the most of it. I do all these things other posters stated and more on my ipad1. Trust me, a lot more can be done with these Android and apple tablets than most people believe. It's not all about playing games and watching movies or you tube..lol. These are and can be great productivity devices and make things a lot easier and more efficient. Since I got my iPad almost 2 years ago or whatever, I've never used a regular computer since. Whether it be a desktop or laptop. Never had the need to. Everything I can do so much faster with my iPad. As I have it jail broken and modded out like crazy to allow me to do most things a regular pc can do. Everyones needs will be different. I'm still amazed with this tablet just like the first day I got it. Can't wait to get my hands on the Prime and fall in love all over again.
---------- Post added at 01:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 PM ----------
Ravynmagi said:
I'm an iPad 1 owner that is getting an Transformer Prime.
I bought my iPad because there were no good Android 10 inch tablets at the time. I tried upgrading to an original Transformer and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but Honeycomb really disappointed me. So I returned those and stuck with the iPad.
Flash used to be important to me. It's less important now. I still want it to play videos, because a lot of videos are still Flash only. I would not use it for Flash based web games though. Flash really kills browser performance. So it's a double edged sword. But still nice to have.
For me a big deal with an Android tablet over an iPad are things like having micro SD and HDMI ports. I can easily supplement my storage and pretty much have unlimited storage capacity by just buying more SD cards. And I can plug in my tablet easily to my TV (without the need of a big ass ugly adapter).
iPad certainly dominates when it comes to apps. But Android actually has a pretty decent selection of apps that work well. Unfortunately sometimes I find an Android version of an app to be inferior to an iPad version, such as TuneIn. But it's usually not to big an issue.
Not sure if the iPad 2 supports USB controllers. I know I can plug in a USB keyboard with it's adapter. I may end up playing 3D games on my Transformer Prime though because Android support game controllers (I'll need to buy a big ass ugly USB adapter like the iPad though).
I'm really torn on which screen ratio I like more. At first 16:10 was my obvious favorite. But after using an iPad for well over a year. I'm kinda found that 4:3 ratio has some pretty nice points as well. If I want to hold the tablet in one hand, I found it's more comfortable to do that in portrait mode. 16:10 tablets are way too narrow to read many websites in that position, while 4:3 still has more width for that.
iPad has a much smoother overall experience. Android 4.0 looks like it's improving, but they seem to still be behind trying to catch up. But on the other hand Android let me put my icons where I want, use widgets and customize my UI a lot more.
I really liked my iPad. And the iPad 2 looks great. But for me the Transformer Prime is an no brainer.
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Great points as I'm an ipad1 owner also. I use it for everything. Feel the same way as ipad1 and 2 is great BUT Transformer Prime will be my next device. As it seems more future proof. Plus you won't necessarily need adapter for game controller for Android, it's been stated and seen the bluettooth wireless gamepads are supported now on Android. Lots of reviews where people using new transformer prime with logitech wireless controller. Asus also states it will work with Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and most other wireless models also. So wireless controller gaming on original and transformer prime already been confirmed.
demandarin said:
Lots of reviews where people using new transformer prime with logitech wireless controller. Asus also states it will work with Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and most other wireless models also. So wireless controller gaming on original and transformer prime already been confirmed.
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At first when they mentioned wireless game controller support, I assumed I could use my Xbox 360 controller without having to plug in the receiver. But then I noticed in some reviews the guys had to plug in the wireless USB receiver with their Logitech controller ASUS gave them. So now I'm assuming the Xbox controller will be the same, need to plug in the wireless receiver to work. Which kinda makes "wireles support of game controllers" kinda silly marketing bull if true.
To me the worst part about the iPad is the screen, or more specifically, the screen resolution. I bought the original iPad when it came out, and the reading experience was just crappy - the fonts were just fuzzy and it tired my eyes too fast.
Ravynmagi said:
At first when they mentioned wireless game controller support, I assumed I could use my Xbox 360 controller without having to plug in the receiver. But then I noticed in some reviews the guys had to plug in the wireless USB receiver with their Logitech controller ASUS gave them. So now I'm assuming the Xbox controller will be the same, need to plug in the wireless receiver to work. Which kinda makes "wireles support of game controllers" kinda silly marketing bull if true.
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I noticed that also. I guess it depends on the type or wireless controller it is. Of it relies on just bluetooth, then I don't think you will need a receiver plugged into USB port. Some videos show no piece hooked up and the wireless controller working fine. I guess through Bluetooth.
As an owner of both an iPad 2, and 2 Android tablets, If you want Youtube, and flash games, android is the only way to go.
The Android Youtube app is much less restrictive. Most VEVO content, and music videos can be played, whereas most music videos are blocked on the iPad app.
Flash isn't even available on the iPad, but it kinda makes up for it since there are many more games on Apple's AppStore, but as much as I love paying money for games, free flash based games are better.
/2cents
I'm web developer for many years and if Flash is properly optimized it will take less power-processor usage then HTML5, also when people say HTML5 have in mind HTML5 on its own can't do much, it must work with CSS2/3 and JavaScript to be able to do some proper "stuff".
Flash will rock on games and video especially HD and that will be the future, HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript will take more websites. But Flash and Flex will remain as superb choice for creating advanced RIA's or Apps for Tablets and Smartphones.
Flash and Flex has unique very advanced GUI that no other solution on this planet can compete with and when they would be able to, Flash technology will have even more features than what they have.
So entertainment Flash is #1 choice for a long long time to come. Just keep yourself updated with latest versions and you'll be all good.
I like HTML5/CSS3/JS but you gotta make ton of manual coding, where in Flash you can simply do drag&drops and do this far more easily then in any other technology. Not to mention components for developers, it's just too easy comparing to anything else.
The design of this thing is awesome. Pair it with those monster 14 pound EACH speakers and man, that's drool worthy.
However, this device is kinda confusing to me. Is it a dumbed down receiver? Is it a dumbed down Google TV device? I can play vids from YouTube and and Google Play and music and that's it?
Where are the shots of what ever interface this will have? Where is Netflix? Huluu Plus? Amazon Prime? This seems to be the most limited - as far as what can be done with it from the get-go - device I have seen El Goog push out in a long while. Sad.
As good as it looks, it seems rushed to me. Why pay $299 for something that is simply novelty and available in many different flavors already?
Till they add a bit to it, or someone hacks it and makes it much better. Sorry Goog, I pass.
While they were doing the presentation, I understood it as it was just a receiver that connects to some speakers or a tv, so once you connect to it (I forget if it was WIFI or NFC) you can just play music or videos on the speakers or tv; and anybody that connects to it is able to play what they want on it.
It looks great and all but for $300 its definitely not worth the price tag.
This is on the network so I hope that it has easy access to Windows shares and that it will be able to play 1080p MKVs with lossless audio.
I haven't played around with playback on devices.
Even though it is pricey if it has this full feature set then I may pick this up. Would be a nice improvement over plugging in a laptop to the TV.
Shieze said:
This is on the network so I hope that it has easy access to Windows shares and that it will be able to play 1080p MKVs with lossless audio.
I haven't played around with playback on devices.
Even though it is pricey if it has this full feature set then I may pick this up. Would be a nice improvement over plugging in a laptop to the TV.
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From what I was told yesterday, it won't. The guys here at IO said it would only stream from them (movies and music stored in their cloud or Play Store).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
I'm hoping there is at least some logic within the box that allows you to play more sophisticated content.
Mi|enko said:
From what I was told yesterday, it won't. The guys here at IO said it would only stream from them (movies and music stored in their cloud or Play Store).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
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It's $300 because it's supposedly actually manufactured in America... so do with that what you will
I'm still very confused as to what it is/how it works. Doesn't seem worthwhile.
seems like the coolest looking piece of crap.
The engadget preview says much of the price is because of the built in amp, which, IMHO is totally unnecessary. I have a surround sound system.. why would I want stereo sound from that puny little thing?
Drop the amp and $100 off the pricetag and this thing will sell itself. Oh, and unlock the damn thing. Only plays stuff from the play store? Google is starting to sound like apple...
preusstang said:
Google is starting to sound like apple...
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Really? It has a USB port explicitly for the purpose of hacking it. I have no doubt the Nexus Q will be a cool device to own once there's enough dev support for it.
It seems like Google released the Nexus Q with the idea that the android community would figure out what to do with it.
Nexus q + dev support = sold. However I will wait for the support first instead of buying and hoping....
Its an interesting device, but I'm disappointed that they at least didn't add an "airplay" style connection for displaying your phone or tablet screen on the tv via wifi. That would at least make it more appealing for the price
I sat there during the keynote thinking what a killer feature this would have been for a google tv. Instead it's a more expensive and more limited device.
I came away from i/o feeling like the google tv is being de-prioritized and they want to push this device instead because it's locked down to google play content. There were zero mentions of google tv during either of the keynotes. There were sessions but after sitting through a few it seemed as if all the new and exciting things were happening in other product lines. I don't mean this as a dig at the google tv devs. I just think the company has made a cooporate decision to lock this down.
Maybe I'll feel a little different after unboxing it tonight and playing with it some but I just can't see myself getting on board this product line and I'm a google fanboy. It just feels like a limitations by design concept.
CASTRO2 said:
Really? It has a USB port explicitly for the purpose of hacking it. I have no doubt the Nexus Q will be a cool device to own once there's enough dev support for it.
It seems like Google released the Nexus Q with the idea that the android community would figure out what to do with it.
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That's cool. But inconsistent. Not everyone is tech savvy enough to even flash anything and I would be more apt to group those individuals with ones who would use the banana plugs on the back. It doesn't take an audiophile to desire more than 2 channels of sound.
I think its a brilliant device and ill probably get one once the price goes down. I just think it may increase sales to offer one without the amp - is it really that big of a selling point?
preusstang said:
That's cool. But inconsistent. Not everyone is tech savvy enough to even flash anything and I would be more apt to group those individuals with ones who would use the banana plugs on the back. It doesn't take an audiophile to desire more than 2 channels of sound.
I think its a brilliant device and ill probably get one once the price goes down. I just think it may increase sales to offer one without the amp - is it really that big of a selling point?
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Agreed. This isn't like our Android phones running custom ROMs. You buy an Android phone, ANY Android phone, and you can:
1. Make phone calls
2. Send text messages
3. Use email
4. Browse the web
5. Download, install, and use the full Play Store catalog of apps
All without any hacking at all. When you install a custom rom, you're basically getting a few added features, customization, optimization, maybe the ability to overclock or run a select few apps that need root. You know, little things that aren't necessary but are nice to have.
The Nexus Q is different because it's gimped right out of the box. You basically can't do anything with it, other than play music and videos from the Play Store only (and who even has a huge collection of that stuff?). Even the very first Apple TV was capable of streaming content through a local network, even if it was limited to stuff you added to your iTunes library.
I appreciate Google reaching out to the dev community, but they can't rely on them to do all their work for them. What the Nexus Q should have been was a tiny Android desktop computer, controllable directly with an Android phone using a specific app (something like Gmote) and able to run any and all Android apps. I'm excited when I see thumb-sized Android computers available for under $100. The NQ could have been a cooler, more premium version of that, but as it is, it's both overpriced AND has no features.
YouTube app
So not living in US forces me to use Music and the YouTube app. Now it's time to do some raging.
Playing youtube vids on my tv is awesome through the app and all that. But I want to be able to play several videos. I have several playlists but the only option on a playlist in the youtube app is to delete it. Opening the playlists gives you the possibility to play one (and only one) video in a row. It really sucks. I don't want to open the app every time a video has ended :/
Guys what are you complaining about? Your where given cool toy for free because you are developers. You are suppose to find better applications for it . Just do it. Few years ago you had T-Mobile android phone without anything useful on it , nobody completed
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
All you guys in here complaining are just not dev or inspiring to be one cause from what I seen you're able to load a launcher to it from adb and stream netflix in 1080 so you guys dont really understand android or google yet but you will.
Sadly, I will buy a multitude of these for a project if someone can get the damn thing rooted and unlocked...