# APPLE TV vs HD WIZARDS (TVIX 7000A)



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

What do you think folks? The TVIX 7000A seems pretty convincing...

Check it out; HDWizards.com - Products
Here's how it works; HDWizards.com - How it Works

Question; the movies I download (rented of course) will only stay on the machine or valid for 24 hours, what if I want to buy that film, what is it that I do? 

The benefit of TVIX, is that it comes with a 1TB storage, that's HUGE!

Let me know thanks.
-Joey


----------



## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

Having never heard of HDWizards or seen the TVIX 7000A, I can safely say it sucks! Just where in the internet are these magical HD movies one can download using the TVIX? iTunes is the largest music/video store in the US (world?) and therefor has the best selection... can this unit hook into iTunes? _I didn't think so._ XX)


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

Agreed! However it has the same output functions if not more & better than AppleTV, no? Moreover the storage is much bigger, and it does the same AppleTV does, lists the film image, synopsis and so on... u select and download... They have a partnership with Virgin, which is like i dont know in Canada... Virgin is like HMV but like on steroids


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Well, visually there's no contest ... the AppleTV wins hands down!

As for having a 1TB drive in there ... why?

I don't store much of anything on an AppleTV, it's all streamed from the other computers in the house, all of which have more (combined) storage than the TVIX 7000a (wow, what a memorable and function-identifying name they came up with, btw).

Let's see: minus some more points for excessive (and cheesy) Flash on their web site, doesn't work with iTunes, requires Windows and WiMP DRM, doesn't display photos (one of the best reason for getting an AppleTV), doesn't stream music ...

Does, however, allow you to store ripped Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies, and plays 1080p content. Got to give it credit where it's due.

Overall, despite the appeal of the 1080p compatibility, I'd say the AppleTV kicks its butt nine ways to Sunday. There's not much real 1080p content out there right now, and the Windows-only, Microsoft-DRM only thing is a complete dealbreaker.


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

LOL... these guys are in Dubai, apparently the same place the original poster is. No wonder none of us heard about this. Apparently they only sell and setup hardware, which apparently works with any of the online stores, such as iTunes.

Meh, interesting, but considering they're in Dubai, not available to us. They're probably expensive too, being located in Dubai.


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Yes, the "flash video" tour of the products was delightfully un-North American.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

screw it uh? I guess I'll go with the APPLE TV... and yah nice memorable name TVIS 7000a dash 10-2-30391230w adsljadsfljasdlfjadsf! hahaha

-JOey


----------



## joker26 (Oct 11, 2008)

hey guys, just wanted to let you know that i bought the tvix machine from the HDwizards guys and they were AWESOME. they came over showed me the unit and gave me 800 GB of legal content preloaded on it. there were about 50 blueray movies, 240 dvd movies and 50 television series like lost, desperate housewives and prison break etc... then they put me on some sort of downloading system where i pay 25usd per month and i can download new bluerays or whatever i want.

ive used the apple tv cause i have all my music on itunes but dubai doesnt have content on itunes since we arent an authorized country for itunes conent. nevertheless i would say apple tv is good for music when you got a party going on and youtube stuff.. but the tvix is brilliant. especially when i can call these hdwizards guys whenever i have a problem. i would totally recommend the tvix anyday over the apple tv when it comes to watching tv. hell i even cancelled my cable because of it.

just my two cents


----------



## joker26 (Oct 11, 2008)

chas_m said:


> Well, visually there's no contest ... the AppleTV wins hands down!
> 
> As for having a 1TB drive in there ... why?
> 
> ...


Thats not true, my tvix plays itunes playlists shows folders and also for movies i see all the icons instead of text. it doesnt play DRM, that a given . apple tv doesnt record live tv..the tvix does and upscales it too with timeshift. and the photo viewing upto 24 megapixel pictures from my SLR camera is also a breeze with the TVIX


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

I think what we gots here is a case of split personality. I don't suppose yer in Dubai, are yuh, Joker26?


----------



## shonline (Nov 9, 2007)

Post number 8 - ad spam??


----------



## joker26 (Oct 11, 2008)

fjnmusic said:


> I think what we gots here is a case of split personality. I don't suppose yer in Dubai, are yuh, Joker26?


Im in Dubai. Split personality ???


----------



## joker26 (Oct 11, 2008)

shonline said:


> Post number 8 - ad spam??


dude, im anything but spam..lol if you want to check me out im a chef working at atlantis hotel, come check out our buffet sometime and ill be glad to meet you. My real name is Eric Wolfe. if anybody wants to verify i DONT work for that company.

but yes im defending my purchase, i dont like people critisizing a product that they havent even tried or dont know how to use.

shame


----------



## shonline (Nov 9, 2007)

joker26 said:


> dude, im anything but spam..lol if you want to check me out im a chef working at atlantis hotel, come check out our buffet sometime and ill be glad to meet you. My real name is Eric Wolfe. if anybody wants to verify i DONT work for that company.
> 
> but yes im defending my purchase, i dont like people critisizing a product that they havent even tried or dont know how to use.
> 
> shame


Fair enough Eric - I'm sorry! Sounds like a great gig you've got over there!!


----------



## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

joker26 said:


> dude, im anything but spam..lol if you want to check me out im a chef working at atlantis hotel, come check out our buffet sometime and ill be glad to meet you. My real name is Eric Wolfe. if anybody wants to verify i DONT work for that company.
> 
> but yes im defending my purchase, i dont like people critisizing a product that they havent even tried or dont know how to use.


Fair enough, though 800GB of legal content sounds dubious. Given that this is a Canadian Mac user forum, tell us can we get 800GB of legal content that is available in Canada?


----------



## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

joker26 said:


> ...and they were AWESOME. they came over showed me the unit *and gave me 800 GB of legal content preloaded on it.*


Umm, I think you meant to say _*il*legal_ content.  



joker26 said:


> Thats not true, my tvix plays itunes playlists...


I call total bullplop on this point! Other than your _word_ there is nothing on the manufacturer's website to even suggest slightest possibility of iTunes connectivity. Nice try. XX) 



shonline said:


> Post number 8 - ad spam??


Totally agree! I think his/her handle, _*joker*26_ says it all. :yikes:


----------



## RISCHead (Jul 20, 2004)

There seems to be a lot of unnecessary product and company bashing going on.
I think it can be safely stated that they're mainly a local Dubai operation, so most folks here won't have much to contribute towards any product knowledge or quality of service they provide or as to the legality of content provided.

What we can say is that Apple TV works well for many of us Mac users since it integrates so well with the world that is familiar to us - be it iTunes, iPhoto or the iTunes store.

Certainly the limited tech specs provided would indicate that they have 1TB of storage capacity and the ability to do 1080p and provide content as well.
Is that any better than what Bell or Rogers provides in terms of video on demand?
I don't know what the local competition in Dubai is like, but it may be a reasonable option for you. 

Price will likely be a significant factor here as well, so depends on what it costs and what you're willing to spend.


----------



## jeepguy (Apr 4, 2008)

The Tvix will play all apple AAC files, but there is no itunes integration, it can plays them by pointing them to the shared folders on your hard drive. the real strength of this player is *video playback*, it can play any format including High bit rate Blu-ray rips at *full 1080p* with lossless audio passthru, and just about any MKV file available from disreputable sources.

It is very similar to the popcorn hour but with a better interface. 6500 which is the same but in a smaller box costs $458CDN and the 7000 costs $512cdn, and it's a* BYO hard drive* situation so add that to the cost, now your getting into Mac Mini territory.

It is available in Canada. as a Tvix 7000A and TVIX 6500A rev 2.

P.S. it comes with no content here as that would be deemed illegal.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

Whatsup folks 

Joker, I'm thinking of buying the TVIX 7000... I'm still not convinced with the appleTV... I'm ganna give those guys a call right now


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

I just got back from Virgins and flipped out how expensive it is.

It costs; 5500AED which is like 1 400$. So now I'm looking at getting the POPCORN HOUR rather than this.

Here are some pics of when I was at Virgin
















-Joey


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Well, I can at least stand by my original post -- damn that thing is ugly. And I'm the kind of guy who tends to go for anything black!

Still, I didn't say it was a POS that nobody in their right mind would buy. If it came with two guys to set it up and rip 800GB of illegal blu-ray content on it for me*, I might take a second look too (when it's on 70% off sale).

*what's illegal here might not be illegal there. Perhaps in Dubai, copyright law only applies to native content.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

chas_m said:


> *what's illegal here might not be illegal there. Perhaps in Dubai, copyright law only applies to native content.


Deff comes with illegal content, I mean logically speaking content of such is illegal in any country in the world, however the question is; does the gov take the initiative to action pirated stuff?

Nope! Why? Cause they are too busy making Dubai the craziest place on earth (don't believe all the hype you see & get from the tele). 

The guy at Virgin's told me he'd give me a website with an access to download all kinds of stuff! Which to me was a great deal  However, I know and we all know, 1400$ is insane! I could (not that I do it) find links online to download HD-BlueRay flicks as well for not even a 1% fraction of 1400$ 

So now i'm looking into Popcorn Hour: Welcome To Popcorn Hour , however the HD Wizard is a great machine, I'll give it that.

-JOey


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Now this thing (what a dumb name, not as dumb as the THX-1138 or whatever they called it I grant you that) is much more of a "player." I am particularly intrigued with the support for Shoutcast internet radio -- a great idea Apple should steal!

BUT it doesn't work with iTunes, no way to rent movies, doesn't support iPhoto either, doesn't come with a hard drive (so there's no cost savings), doesn't support DVI output, and in order to configure all of its features must require a monster ugly UI AND you have to do a lot of "server" config on your own machine to make it talk to the unit.

I'd have to call this a wash, but this is definitely _more_ of a competitor.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

K.

I just figured out how to save everyone some $$$ and get the best out of everything.








-WD external drive (I have one that's 500GB)
-WD media player (attached image)

Western Digital US Online Store Product Information

Connect the external to the media player and just use the remote to watch all your movies at 1080P 

The WD media player costs 129.99$ pretty good deal don't you think?


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Still Butt-ugly compared to the AppleTV. What you got against Apple products, JoeyDee/Joker26?


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

fjnmusic said:


> What you got against Apple products, JoeyDee/Joker26?


F.

What'sup. Man that's the strangest comment cause all my stuff is Apple, however the AppleTV just isn't convincing. Especially here in Dubai, it's so expensive for an 80gb or 160 it's like almost 1000$

how nuts is that?

What I care about is performance and WD by far would whop the AppleTV's ass... I dont care for sharing music or photos on my LCD screen... I just wanna come home and watch a dope movie on HD 1080p on my surround sound.

However the TVIX 7000a has 9.1 audio which is insane! but way too expensive 

-Joey


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

I've had nothing but happy experiences with the TV, but I can see where $1000 would be a little prohibitive. We don't even bother going to the video store anymore with downloaded movies available about 20 seconds after you rent them. No complaints here.


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

chas_m said:


> Well, I can at least stand by my original post -- damn that thing is ugly. And I'm the kind of guy who tends to go for anything black!


I suppose that explains your avatar then, although Obama's actually only _half_-black.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

I found it folks 

Popcorn Hour, so much better deal then AppleTV.










Welcome To Popcorn Hour


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

JoeyDee said:


> I found it folks
> 
> Popcorn Hour, so much better deal then AppleTV.



Well, again, as I pointed out in a previous post, it's not actually a better deal than the AppleTV unless you're going by a very narrow set of criteria.

I'm not saying you're making a mistake, everybody's needs are different, but a lightly hacked AppleTV, in North America at least, is overall a better value for most people.


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

Ok.

I know I am driving everyone nuts with this! 

First I'm new to all of this so that's why Im asking a bunch of questions 

So it comes down to 3 devices Im looking to get.

1. Popcorn Hour 

2. TVIX HD M-7000a (I found one online for like 500$ including 1TB internal hd)










specs


















3. abligs DVP-570X Multimedia (579$ including 1TB internal hd +wireless)










specs










What's really cool is the abligs has more features; NTSC, PAL, 16:9 and so on.

So im now thinking of going with that... 

What's your thoughts guys?
-Joey


----------



## JoeyDee (Aug 15, 2008)

Just an update folks 

I just bought the TVIX HD m-7000A for 519$ from Ebay  much better than 1500$  in Dubai!


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Well, good luck with it. I hope it works out great for you!


----------



## joker26 (Oct 11, 2008)

i dont know about you guys, but out of curiosity i went to their office and they should me the license they had acquired from Korea, it was LEGIT so peace you guys, i got bang for my buck.

Cheers


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Holy Catfish, Batman! Joker26 is really Joey Dee! I knew there was something strange going on…


----------



## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

Biggest grief I have with AppleTV is the awkward remote control getting to MY content. Second, quality of TV/movies are a questionable form of HD at best.

It is an alright device, but reliance of needing to keep everything stored on your desktop/laptop, and synced with it isn't necessarily the best methodology. I shouldn't have to have iTunes running on a machine if I haven't synced my data also. I don't understand why Apple seems to insist iTunes runs. Just point AppleTV to a folder, and let me play some content if I wish. If I've got a huge HDD on a media center device in the living room, keep my content there please. It can be hacked, but you have to reapply those hacks whenever an update is released, and just becomes a hindrance.

On that note, Windows Media Center in Windows 7 beta looks quite promising. Controls don't seem to be quite as awkward, you can get to network shares quite easily, and play back AAC music files no problem, record TV if capable, and get sports scores/stats of all things.. pretty snazzy.


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

JoeyDee said:


> So now i'm looking into Popcorn Hour: Welcome To Popcorn Hour , however the HD Wizard is a great machine, I'll give it that.
> 
> -JOey


I read the reviews of Popcorn Hour A-110 over at CNET U.K., Impressive machine.
I'd buy it over Apple TV any day, Has ease of use written all over it.

Also good that the H.D.D. is a pinch to install, Anyone could do it.
Watch the video of the Popcorn Hour A-110 at CNET U.K.

H.D.D. Compatibility list for the Popcorn Hour A-110

Youtube review Part 1

Youtube review Part 2


Now...Where can I get one?


-


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

jicon said:


> I shouldn't have to have iTunes running on a machine if I haven't synced my data also. I don't understand why Apple seems to insist iTunes runs.


You don't.

Content that is copied onto the AppleTV's own drive can be played at will -- no computers or iTunes need to be running or even present.

I used to routinely load up all my Pixar/Disney (etc family-type entertainment) onto the drive, then bring the AppleTV over to the neighbours so the kids would have plenty to watch while the adults chatted by the pool, ate our bbq and drank our adult beverages. Worked like a charm, huge hit with the adults (who mostly went and got their own units once they saw what it could do).



> On that note, Windows Media Center in Windows 7 beta looks quite promising. Controls don't seem to be quite as awkward, you can get to network shares quite easily, and play back AAC music files no problem


This is different than streaming music from iTunes to your TV ... how?

On my old AppleTV, when you woke it up it went to your synced computer's iTunes library by default. From there you pick the music and press play. I don't see how it could really be any easier than that.


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

JoeyDee said:


> Just an update folks
> 
> I just bought the TVIX HD m-7000A for 519$ from Ebay  much better than 1500$  in Dubai!


They have the TVIX HD M-7000A in Canada here at OnlyBestRated Dot Com

Price tag is $564.77 CAD$

They also carry the Popcorn A100 and the A110,
Now the tough part, Deciding between which one to buy.
I like the idea of the A100 with the PATA compatibility and the cable port,
But then the A110 has SATA compatibility and can use 2.5" or 3.5" internal drives.

Edit: Found this great Popcorn A100 review over at Metacafe

Hmmmm.... Decisions... Decisions.


----------



## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

chas_m said:


> You don't.
> 
> Content that is copied onto the AppleTV's own drive can be played at will -- no computers or iTunes need to be running or even present.
> 
> I used to routinely load up all my Pixar/Disney (etc family-type entertainment) onto the drive, then bring the AppleTV over to the neighbours so the kids would have plenty to watch while the adults chatted by the pool, ate our bbq and drank our adult beverages. Worked like a charm, huge hit with the adults (who mostly went and got their own units once they saw what it could do).


No, actually you do. Remember... Anything that is copied to your AppleTV can be played without iTunes, but you need to do that sync. Without it, no go. There is no possible way I can copy all of my movies on to my AppleTV, meaning if there was something on the computer I wanted to watch that wasn't synced, iTunes needs to be running. 

If I was set to load the AppleTV with content to bring with me, that means either ensuring the data is on the HDD to begin with, or if not, syncing all the stuff before hand thru iTunes. 

1.2 GB per movie... might take a while over wireless or 100MB NIC.



chas_m said:


> This is different than streaming music from iTunes to your TV ... how?
> 
> On my old AppleTV, when you woke it up it went to your synced computer's iTunes library by default. From there you pick the music and press play. I don't see how it could really be any easier than that.


Completely different. You don't need Windows Media Player running on every PC in the house that you want to pull music/photos/movies from. Media Center can read files out of a NAS drive, or a UNC share on the network.

For AppleTV to do anything similar, iTunes needs to be running on the host machine. For those with a G4, and a gig of RAM, keeping iTunes open becomes a bit of a resource hog.


----------



## l84toff (Jul 27, 2008)

Ok, been finding all these posts educational, thanks. 

Now can you AppleTv users out there confirm that I can attach a 1TB external HD to the AppleTv and just play my movies from the external HD (I have about 700GB of movies). I have a couple of Macbooks and don't exactly want to have them running somewhere just so I can watch what's on the external HD.

Currently I have the external HD hooked up to a AEBS and can watch all movies on any Macbook wirelessly in FrontRow.

Am currently watching/reading reviews of the previously mentioned options. Renting from iTunes is not all that attractive, you only have 24 or 48 hours to watch rented movie and can not watch it multiple x's (as far as I know). This is kind of convenient as my wife and I will watch the movie and then the kids will watch it the next day or even later (depending on when it has to get returned). 

Now if I could copy the rented movie to all ipods in the house for the kids, and also be able to watch it on Atv and my Macbook in that given time frame, then maybe...


----------



## harpoon (Sep 7, 2006)

yeah dude, hack it up. You can find out more about that with the AwkwardTV community or order ATV Flash which does it for you (methinks it's fifty bucks).

Boxee doesn't do this to my knowledge but I could be wrong there. Haven't had a spare minute to install it yet.


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

l84toff said:


> Ok, been finding all these posts educational, thanks.
> 
> Now can you AppleTv users out there confirm that I can attach a 1TB external HD to the AppleTv and just play my movies from the external HD (I have about 700GB of movies). I have a couple of Macbooks and don't exactly want to have them running somewhere just so I can watch what's on the external HD.
> 
> ...


You have 30 days to begin watching the movie you rent. No late fees. That's a LOT better than most video stores. Once you begin watching, you have 48 hours to finish, and you can watch it as many times as you can manage within those 48 hours. After that it disappears from the TV, computer, iPod or anywhere else you managed to hide it. I can only watch a movie so many times myself, so I've never felt a pressing need to watch it on my iPod after seeing it on the big screen. YouTube clips on the other hand, that's a different story. 

Alternatively, you can just buy the movie on TV and watch it for the rest of your life. Or buy it on DVD at Wal-Mart or whatever floats your boat.


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

l84toff said:


> Renting from iTunes is not all that attractive, you only have 24 or 48 hours to watch rented movie and can not watch it multiple x's (as far as I know).


You "know" incorrectly.

You must START watching the rented movie within 30 days, and once that happens you have 48 hours (changed from the original 24 hours) to finish it or watch multiple times. 



> Now if I could copy the rented movie to all ipods in the house for the kids, and also be able to watch it on Atv and my Macbook in that given time frame, then maybe...


I'm not sure I understand this part. You can transfer a movie to an iPod, but then it is deleted from the host computer/appleTV. The idea being you started a movie at home, but now you need to go on a trip and would like to finish the movie on your iPod.

Multiple copies are not allowed for the same reason burning it to DVD is not allowed.

Rented movies CAN be watched on either a computer or an Apple TV, but not both simultaneously.

Not sure why you'd want every iPod and TV in the house to have copies of the film anyway (waste of disk space, surely?) ... surely the idea here is for you to watch it one night, and the kids the next, so it would be better if the kids all watched it on the big TV all at the same time, yes? Part of the magic of movies is the communal experience, even if there's just two of you ...


----------



## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

Well said (as usual) chas_m.

I find myself posting less and less on ehMac because chas_m keeps taking the words from my finger tips.


----------



## l84toff (Jul 27, 2008)

chas_m said:


> You must START watching the rented movie within 30 days, and once that happens you have 48 hours (changed from the original 24 hours) to finish it or watch multiple times.


Thanks for clearing that up, I now "know" as the great chas does.



chas_m said:


> I'm not sure I understand this part. You can transfer a movie to an iPod, but then it is deleted from the host computer/appleTV. The idea being you started a movie at home, but now you need to go on a trip and would like to finish the movie on your iPod.
> 
> Multiple copies are not allowed for the same reason burning it to DVD is not allowed.


To clarify, I would like to be able to watch the movie on my atv, my son likes to watch movies on the macbook and my daughter likes to watch them on her Touch. Since they don't usually watch movies together, can all 3 devices _contain_ the same movie at the same time (if not being watched at the same time)? Or would I have to watch it on one device (atv), then copy it to another device (macbook), then copy it to yet another device (touch) to watch it on all 3?



chas_m said:


> Not sure why you'd want every iPod and TV in the house to have copies of the film anyway (waste of disk space, surely?)


My wife has some of the same songs/movies on her iPhone that I do. The kids in fact have some of the same songs/movies on their ipods. To you that's duplicated content on 4 different devices and a waste of space...I know it would be more space efficient to have each ipod with different content and then just swap whenever we wanted to listen/watch to what's on the other ipod...but on my planet that's just not convenient and somehow I doubt you would consider this a realistic option.


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

l84toff said:


> Thanks for clearing that up, I now "know" as the great chas does.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


But there is an option to have the same movie in multiple places at once: buy the DVD and burn it into iTunes using HandBrake or some other program. Then you've compensated the artist and made it convenient for yourself as well. Not sure why you'd need multiple copies at the same time within 48 hours. Why not just get the family together? Call me crazy.


----------



## l84toff (Jul 27, 2008)

fjnmusic said:


> But there is an option to have the same movie in multiple places at once: buy the DVD and burn it into iTunes using HandBrake or some other program. Then you've compensated the artist and made it convenient for yourself as well. Not sure why you'd need multiple copies at the same time within 48 hours. Why not just get the family together? Call me crazy.


LOL, we do get the family together as much as we can. My wife and I work shift work and we don't usually work the same shifts. Add high school kids into the mix and balancing your time becomes a challange. Getting everyone in the same room at the same time for a few hours is equally as challenging. If I come home and rent a movie, watch it on atv, then my wife comes home the next day and wants to watch it on the macbook and then the kids come home from school and decide they want to watch it on their touch while they're texting away, is this possible? Can you have the rental on multiple devices at the same time or do you have to transfer it onto each device one at a time?

I've been slowly looking for something that will play all the movies I have ripped (using Handbrake...awesome app btw) and currently house on an external drive. Most of these are from purchased DVD's. Also looking at Popcorn Hour, I'm only asking to help me make a more informed decision on which to get. 

Thanks


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Well, the good news is that you can have multiple copies at the same time with the movies you've ripped. The bad news is you can't do it with rentals. They're transferable, but you can't have multiple copies. 

The other good news is that any format that can be read by iTunes can appear on TV. I collect the my favorite from YouTube for example, rip them with a widget called MyTube, and then I have a permanent copy I can summon at will, even if the original becomes no longer available for some mysterious reason. 

Also, the TV is as portable as a hard drive and easy to connect to a projector if you use a component-to-VGA adapter. This is very handy to me as a teacher because then I can take the TV to school and hook it up to any digital projector with a VGA input. Pretty cool actually. Most people are mesmerized by the screensaver alone, and when they see all the other things it can do, even the PC fanboys are impressed.


----------



## l84toff (Jul 27, 2008)

Thanks, the whole rental aspect via atv is just a bonus and was not really the main consideration. But good to know. The more I think about it the more I think I might like it. 

Portability is also not an issue for me. But on that note, I read about someone who installed atv in his car. Synced up his media from the driveway of his house and played it back on the custom system (including a monitor) in his car. That sounds pretty cool, not that I would ever do that.

In the end I suspect I will end up getting atv and hacking it to play all my media. Most of it is mpeg4 and copies into iTunes no problem so I suspect I should have no problem with most of my stuff. The new version of Handbrake has a nice universal setting for Apple so anything I've encoded recently is good to go.


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

Yet another one worth considering, Very impressive,
The Archos Multimedia Player/DVR, TV + 250GB

Haven't found a review on it yet but the video I saw on it at SIG made it look good.


----------



## geomaryn (Jul 14, 2009)

joker26 said:


> hey guys, just wanted to let you know that i bought the tvix machine from the HDwizards guys and they were AWESOME. they came over showed me the unit and gave me 800 GB of legal content preloaded on it. there were about 50 blueray movies, 240 dvd movies and 50 television series like lost, desperate housewives and prison break etc... then they put me on some sort of downloading system where i pay 25usd per month and i can download new bluerays or whatever i want.
> 
> ive used the apple tv cause i have all my music on itunes but dubai doesnt have content on itunes since we arent an authorized country for itunes conent. nevertheless i would say apple tv is good for music when you got a party going on and youtube stuff.. but the tvix is brilliant. especially when i can call these hdwizards guys whenever i have a problem. i would totally recommend the tvix anyday over the apple tv when it comes to watching tv. hell i even cancelled my cable because of it.
> 
> just my two cents


Tvix is an excellant hd nmt player. 
looks like intresting thing ,how they do this movie downloading is this from a torrent site:heybaby:and what kid of downloding system is this?


----------



## ice2hot (Aug 24, 2009)

joker26 said:


> dude, im anything but spam..lol if you want to check me out im a chef working at atlantis hotel, come check out our buffet sometime and ill be glad to meet you. My real name is Eric Wolfe. if anybody wants to verify i DONT work for that company.
> 
> but yes im defending my purchase, i dont like people critisizing a product that they havent even tried or dont know how to use.
> 
> shame


Hi Eric, 
I live in Dubai as well. I saw the rig that your talking about from HD wizards but had yet to see a demonstration. One thing which I could not believe from the sales fellow from Sharaf DG was that your downloads takes about maximum 2 hours to 3 hours of bluray movies and he was feeding me some crap like they are being downloaded from a dedicated server etc etc. 

My question is since I have a 1 mb connection, is it even possible to download a bluray or HD based movie which is usually about 8 to 15 gig compressed through your internet connection in just 2 to 3 hours.

I belive that is only possible if they have a dedicated local server and etisalat is associated with it and then only you can achieve that high level of speed if your downloading through a dedicated etisalat local server. 

I usually download my blu ray movies from torrentleech( have a 1 TB hard drive) and stream them on my ps3. Once I'm done wathcing the movie I spilt them up and burn them on a DVD for later viewing. Can you save the movies using thi RIG or not. 

Last but not least which restaurant in Atlantis do you work in. I might just pop in for lunch or dinner provided you give me a discount :lmao:


----------

