BlacX USB 2.0

[MilesAhead]

Yeah, they do a restore/setup partition and there's a burner app included so you can make a recovery set to CD/DVD but it's not a Windows disk. The main frustration of using that is having to clean all the games and av and crap off the system again. That's why I like the backup image. I don't know why they make it so tough to buy just what you want. You should be able to get a DVD with Windows and the current SP without the crud.

It's like if you go to some fast food places they try to force you get mustard relish onion ketchup and pickles on your hamburg or else you have to wait 10 minutes to get a plain one. Might as well go to a real restaurant if you're going to wait 10 minutes.

If I didn't come from Dos and have all the time invested in using and programming Dos and its follow on OSs I'd just get a Linux one CD install and go with it. But Dos derived systems are kind of grandfathered in now. I'm stuck with it.

[dr_ml422]

No wonder doc was doing a backup of his recovery partition also from his laptop. He also has a HP laptop. Is this a HP thing w/the recovery partition or across the board w/Vista?

I've been saying the same thing about M$ and how if it wasn't because they are so compatible and akind to most software, I'd go another route myself. When it comes to video though I wouldn't try to adapt to what any other system has.

Our best bet right now is waiting to see how this chrome .exe os is going to fair. I'd trust Google 4 a changeover.

It's crap like that and they're exuberant pricing that actually forced me to learn and get involved w/aspects of Rule 19 if you know what i mean. $300.00 + for any os is crazy, and for just 1 pc is absolutely insane.

You're so right about making those backup images. It's a pita to remove all that crud, and you usually need a 3rd party app. like Revo uninstaller w/Ccleaner etc... to make sure nothing lingers in the registry.

They're so greedy and slick that only us veterans would know better as of right now to even think about getting 32 vista or 32 7. It's basically going the way of the dinosaur, and w/64 7 accepting 32 apps. it's definitely history soon. But those that don't follow will have a serious wake up call really soon.

[MilesAhead]

When I got my first 486 a guy I worked with built it for me. That was his side business. So naturally I asked him if I got a legit Win95 CD with the machine. He said he was a licensed reseller and the Windows was totally legit. He claimed if you were a licensed reseller you could pick up software like Windows for a fraction of the cost. I should have found out more about it. That would have been a good way of buying the full install DVDs instead of messing with upgrade hassles. I don't know if they changed it if people got wise to that angle. This was in the early 90s. Anyway, one thing I kick myself in the ass about is not checking into it at the time.

[dr_ml422]

How's that Black x coming along? I must admit it's been one of my best purchases so far hardware wise. Just finished cloning 7 Home Premium x64 w/true and a WD 80GB in the docking station. Couldn't of come out better.

[MilesAhead]

How's that Black x coming along? I must admit it's been one of my best purchases so far hardware wise. Just finished cloning 7 Home Premium x64 w/true and a WD 80GB in the docking station. Couldn't of come out better.

Going well. In fact the 2nd one is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I got a WD player for USB drives and I tried my BlacX with it. Works fine. Now I can play .avi at greater than 720x576 resolution and it plays .mkv files. I've been plugging in my USB external HD or USB key drives to copy on videos then play them on the WD. Once I get the BlacX set up then I'll be able to just swap the HDs. No messing with wires.

I've had this HDTV for several years. It's nice to see some real HD video on it finally!!

Just waitin' for the 2nd one to be delivered.

[dr_ml422]

That's good, and I think you just indirectly answered/gave me a idea for a alternative format to use as a way of watching/copying movies. I've heard of the WD player for a while now. I will be looking into that and some other things asai get some cc bills squared away. Have to admit, I even see/feel the crisis more clearly now. Streets here in the Apple are practically ghost ridden. That's crazy given Tues. or even Mon. was the new Friday here.

[MilesAhead]

There's a new model out that I didn't notice until I ordered the one I have. Added features include DTS down mixing and support for additional subtitle types.

[dr_ml422]

Okie doke. Have to wait a bit before getting new toys.

[MilesAhead]

Okie doke. Have to wait a bit before getting new toys.

That will give you a chance to monitor user feedback on the new one. Got my 2nd BlacX. Works as well as I hoped. Also got a 5 wire component cable set. I found that if I do upconverting DVD player through the HDMI, the player upconverts the video. My TV only has one HDMI connection but I found that if the movie is 16x9 and I feed it to the TV using component connection with Progressive Scan enabled, the TV does the upconversion and it looks just about the same. Doesn't work as well for 4x3 but at least this way I don't have to keep swapping the cable or buy a switch. I'm pretty happy with how it's working out.

[dr_ml422]

That's great. I have not tried the component cables w/progressive scan even on a regular TV set w/my DVD player. I'm going to start making full use of all the features that come w/the hardware I have, including my new build which is ready for just about anything, except no Blu-Ray readers/burners. I think though I can shoot a dl'd HD flic to a HDTV through my build. That's another wait for the HDTV. Seeing how the Samsung LED plays out, and how much really better it is for the going price. It's a helluva set, although like anything else it's good to wait, and see so you could really compare the noticeable differences if much.

Btw, did you get the BlacX w/the E-Sata port? That also increases speed on data transfer. I put a E-Sata card in my 1st build, which cost a few dollars, just to have it available for my BlacX. I have 2 Docking Stations also. 1 w/and 1 w/out a E-Sata port.

SSD drives are still too expensive imo, but that's the next move. I really want to see how those babies pan out.

[MilesAhead]

I just stuck with the USB 2.0 BlacX. I'd enjoy faster write speed, but I really don't need it. The read is fast enough for source on conversions or 16x burns. Mostly I use them for image backups. Main thing is the convenience. I tend to make a lot more image backups when I can isolate a set of backups just by pulling the drive.

None of my TVs have digital tuners. I'm just curious. Are all the new digital TVs compatible with progressive scan these days?

[dr_ml422]

Idk if all the Digital TVs are progressive scan ready or compatible. I also just stood w/1 Sony Wega 20in. standard, no digital Tuner. I couldn't barely even give away my other Sony Wega. Lucky my mom n pop guy took it for a couple of bucks. This one does have progressive scan though I think, and I need to try my standalone DVD player w/the component cables to see if there's some higher difference in output. i don't have a upscale DVD player.

Then again they have Digital TVs that are just Digital, and not HDTVs, so maybe those have the progressive option.

[MilesAhead]

I have 2 Sony Wega TVs. One is HD with up to 1080i resolution and 27" CRT picture tube. The other is SD with 20". The part that helps with the SD TV is it has a component input and manual 16x9 mode. If I play a 16x9 DVD or .avi file and put it in 16x9 mode it sharpens up the picture quite a bit. It doesn't seem like much at first but after I got used to it I hated to play old 4x3 letterboxed video.

Fortunately AutoGK will take a letterboxed title set and auto crop it to produce a 16x9 .avi video. Just that much less fuzzy when you watch it.

The weird thing is every now and then you see a channel on the cable with the aspect ratio messed up. People are way too tall and skinny. Right away I know they are putting a 16x9 signal out instead of regular 4x3 SD signal, so I put the TV in 16x9 mode and get a nice looking display.

[MilesAhead]

Hmmmmm, maybe USB 3.0 isn't so far away? I'm seeing docking stations and PCI cards in news reports if not on NewEgg yet that implement USB 3.0. Wonder how long it will take for mainstream PCs like HP to have them as standard?

Looks like it might not be that long a wait.

[doctorhardware]

I think that it is going to be a very long wait. I have not see even any motherboards that have the usb 3.0 on them.