Happy with your LiDiC?

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 19:00

Curious to see what the response is

I have kicked it off with " sort of"

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 00:04

100% happy with mine. It behaves exactly as advertised. i.e. It enables my beyonwiz to record and timeshift content from devices with composite or s-video outputs.

smeg888 · Post by **smeg888** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 09:09

Dave? wrote:100% happy with mine. It behaves exactly as advertised. i.e. It enables my beyonwiz to record and timeshift content from devices with composite or s-video outputs.

mmmmmm

I must be the glass half-full person.

All true, but in the long term I'm not quite sure what the point of recording external content to the BW if you can't get it off to a more useful long term media in a playable form. I guess the only use would be to record Foxtel if you didn't have an IQ box. But from a usability and cost point of view you're probably better of with an IQ anyway.

Just my thoughts.

regards

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 09:25

My problem is the reverse of smeg888 and that's why I voted "sort of" as I can transfer the file off to the PC and make a DivX or a DVD and correct the main problem the aspect ratio.

It's the aspect ratio of material recorded on to and played back from the BW is the major cause of concern for me. Connect a VCR device to it and whilst you can record and shift etc a native 4:3 device like a VCR player results in a 5:4 aspect ratio file in real terms. Likewise connect a DVD player and play a 2.35:1 movie and the resulting file is a squashed black borders all around image. Maybe Dave is running a beta firmware? Possibly if an external device has a native output aspect ratio of 16:9 it might be ok?

So coming back to my needs, I don't need to be able to play or timeshift the files back on the BW, my use is merely to use the BW as a means of transferring VHS tapes to MPEG . It does this but it would be nice if "they" could fix up the square pixel issue at source.

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 21:03

netmask wrote:Possibly if an external device has a native output aspect ratio of 16:9 it might be ok?

Yep. I've never tried a 4:3 device (I don't have any).

netmask wrote:So coming back to my needs, I don't need to be able to play or timeshift the files back on the BW,

Which is all it was advertised to be suited for.

my use is merely to use the BW as a means of transferring VHS tapes to MPEG .

Personally I'd use my PC for this (it has A/V inputs) as the PC's HDD is where you want the files to end up anyway (for converting and editing).

To be fair to beyonwiz, only the handful of vocal people here seem to be the ones trying to play LiDiC files on a PC. Though a few 'average joes' have mentioned the 4:3 aspect ratio problem.

it would be nice if "they" could fix up the square pixel issue at source.

Sure. The firmware definitely needs work to:
- Fix the 4:3 aspect ratio.
- Fix the file format and playback compatability. The recorded files still include 'beta-like' header data.
- Fix it so that audio works with the BW's Audio Format set to passthrough (instead of 5.1ch or 2ch).
- Maybe Improve composite (and S-Video?) PQ.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 07:27

I normally use my Dvico USB MPEG capture device for VHS tapes, however the LiDiC is ideal to do these chores in the background leaving the computer for other things. Another potential use is for folk who have LD players and once again like VCR's are native 4:3 devices so suffer the same problem. Don't know about Foxtel boxes but that has been reported as a problem as I found a standard DVD player also distorts ws. (but why capture analog a DVD?).

Anyway hope it gets sorted

oneword · Post by **oneword** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 17:19

The concept is mostly sound and execution pretty clever. But I'm not crazy about the highly compressed codec Beyonwiz has chosen or the curious (and frankly, unacceptable) picture cropping. A little too early to market, I think. Bit of work to go before it is truly ready.

defMondo · Post by **defMondo** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 07:05

Personally I think the LiDiC is a product of all your collective imagination, I have not been able to track one down, not even find anywone in a store that has actually heard of it.

On a more serious note, sounds like it needs a bit of work for it to be useful.

tony

oneword · Post by **oneword** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 09:13

Hi Tony

You're right about the scarcity of these things. I hunted around for a while and could find none on display. I ended up ordering one from Retravision who sell the two top of the range Beyonwiz PVRs. It arrived from their supplier in a week or so.

Regards

Chris

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 09:19

Hi Tony,

defMondo wrote:Personally I think the LiDiC is a product of all your collective imagination, I have not been able to track one down, not even find anywone in a store that has actually heard of it.

On a more serious note, sounds like it needs a bit of work for it to be useful.

Where abouts are you?

The Good Guys in Brighton (Melbourne) usually try to keep them in stock.

Regards,
Ian.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 09:19

Bing Lee in Burwood NSW has/had a pile of them - that's where I got mine ($250) and my replacement

oneword · Post by **oneword** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 09:34

"Another potential use is for folk who have LD players and once again like VCR's are native 4:3 devices so suffer the same problem. Don't know about Foxtel boxes but that has been reported as a problem as I found a standard DVD player also distorts ws."

I have a Foxtel (satellite) box connected to my DiVic via the stand-alone RGB out and mini-plug audio out. It took a bit of trial and error to get to that point.

Unlike my previous Optusvision cable box, the Foxtel version doesn't allow you to 'split' the type of output signal to the monitor and VCR SCART outputs. (This is even though the boxes are made by the same company, PACE, and are otherwise identical in layout.) In my previous set-up I was using Component out to the monitor and S-VHS to a VCR.

With the Foxtel unit, what you choose for monitor out is what you get for VCR out. In my case, I'm again watching Foxtel via Component connections. As the DiVic only allows RGB or S-VHS inputs, I couldn't utilise the SCART VCR output on the DiVic.

If you are connecting two sources to the DiViC, be sure you set the type of input (RGB or S-VHS) correctly for each of the two DiVic input channels, as these are individually switchable.

Regards

Chris

defMondo · Post by **defMondo** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:24

Hi guys,

I'm based in Melbournes Western suburbs, I have tried a couple of Hardley Normals here and JB's to no avail.

The guys at HN's managed to find them on the computer with a little guidance, but there was no stock and couldnt tell me if or when they could get it.

The guys at JB had never heard of it and couldnt find it because they didnt have an SKU for it.

tony