CCL Aka MicroMart? WD HD TV

**Mike0001** · #1 12th Feb 2009, 04:08

Just thought you would be interested in this anomaly. Try

https://www.cclonline.com/product-search-results.asp

and input wd hd tv in the search box. Notice that there are two entries at the top of the search, with different prices. If you click the more expensive one, it says it has been reduced!

I just ordered the cheaper one. If you click it, on the right it says More Micromart Deals. I am confused.

I can't find this anywhere else for less than £92+delivery!

**Hybr!d** · #2 12th Feb 2009, 04:16

You're confused?

You just ordered the cheaper one? So didn't you get what you wanted?

Stock prices change, maybe that is old stock and the more expensive one is new stock.

**philthomas** · #3 12th Feb 2009, 04:45

I'll be interested to see how you get on with this box Mike.

I hear it does a pretty good job of playing HD stuff ..... the only thing holding me back at present is .... it has no networking ability.

**Mike0001** · #4 12th Feb 2009, 05:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by philthomas

I'll be interested to see how you get on with this box Mike.

I hear it does a pretty good job of playing HD stuff ..... the only thing holding me back at present is .... it has no networking ability.

Should arrive today, Phil.

I have a network media player, and although it can play Mpeg4 files over a Homeplug, it struggles with DVD quality media. That is why I have decided to go for a HDD based player. I don't think my wired or wireless network is fast enough for streaming... Also the old player tends to overheat with its HDD in. As a compromise, I have taken the HDD out and put it in an enclosure connected to...the LAN input!

There is a good video about it. I particularly like the section sneaked in at the end.

[youtube]j3mXZazm6Zw[/youtube]

**Mike0001** · #5 12th Feb 2009, 05:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Hybrid

You're confused?

You just ordered the cheaper one? So didn't you get what you wanted?

Stock prices change, maybe that is old stock and the more expensive one is new stock.

That occurred to me, but the only difference would be in the firmware, and I can update that easily enough when it arrives.

Plus, they have equal numbers of old and new? I think they updated the price in their db but saved as a new record instead of overwriting the old one. Who am I to argue?

Don't know still what the Micromart connection is.

**philthomas** · #6 12th Feb 2009, 05:56

Yep ..... you must have either a wired network (ideal) or a Wireless N' setup, to be sure of the speeds for HD stuff, 1080p especially.

I use a dedicated PC, on a wired Network, at present hooked up to a 40" Sony 1080p TV, in my lounge .... so I'm a bit spoilt, as I can play files from any PC on the Network.in full HD. The only problem is "The Wife", who wants a smaller/neater solution.

I had the idea of putting a Network Drive next to a WD HD TV box and using it (via network) to download to and then connecting it via USB to the WD HD TV for playback, but most HD stuff is >4.37gb, so requires an NTFS formatted HDD, and most Network Drives rely on FAT32, so this kind of kills the idea.

The Popcorn Hour seems a viable alternative box, but not many UK suppliers for this yet.

**Mike0001** · #7 12th Feb 2009, 05:59

I see you can buy a black Samsung NC10 for either £308.99 or £413.94 too.

**philthomas** · #8 12th Feb 2009, 06:25

Yeah .... my son has the black one, but it has no HDMI output and the graphics card is not really up to HD stuff. It plays some 720p stuff on the netbook screen, depending on bit rate, but is not a viable HD solution.

**Mike0001** · #9 13th Feb 2009, 03:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by philthomas

Yeah .... my son has the black one, but it has no HDMI output and the graphics card is not really up to HD stuff. It plays some 720p stuff on the netbook screen, depending on bit rate, but is not a viable HD solution.

Interesting, cos my wife was thinking of getting one, and she will be playing some wmv files on it. I guess it will cope with 720x576 PAL! She will just be previewing them, in the lectures she plugs her usb drive into another PC.

**Mike0001** · #10 13th Feb 2009, 03:51

Finally got all my stuff onto a 1Tb usb drive and plugged in this morning!

First impression is that it is very difficult to navigate around videos in either icon or list view unless you browse by folder. The icons don't seem to have text labels, so you only see hundreds of identical icons! I guess the files all need an embedded cover a la iTunes to make icon view work.

The first stab at playing videos met with mixed success. To stretch 4:3 to a 16:9 screen, you have to select screen type Normal rather than 16:9, but then the 16:9 stuff looks all wrong! As this is a global setting, it isn't ideal.

I tried a few HD trailers saved from XAppleX and two were missing sound as saved from Quicktime, so looks like they will need converting. (Next Harry Potter and Ice Age 3.) Three other trailers were fine.

Stuff converted to DivX played fine, as did straight mpegs converted from transport stream from my Humax Freeview box. wmv files again were fine.

I then tried raw IFO/VOB files from a DVD source, and here is the greatest disappointment. The box doesn't play DVDs as DVDs, you can only watch the contained VOB files, and at the end of one of those you quit to the menu. Even my Zioncom got that right! Nero Showtime gets it right! Looks like more conversion needed, but that needs care, being as I managed to strip the elvish subtitles from LOTR! (And I am not fluent in elvish.)

Anyway, some of the much cheaper alternatives can do better, but if you keep to one format and use Folder View, I guess this is a viable sneakerware product.

Buy the cheaper one though! Kidding, there is only one, you will need to download the latest firmware.