Conaxsat Trio Initial Review

[Anole]

is this a hint of what we can expect with mpeg4 ?

Every time you comment on the Trio, you mention the DivX capablility.

I just received some DVD (data discs) with DivX recordings on them.
Since I have a top notch up-converting DVD player that speaks Ultra DivX 6, I tried them.
I can certainly see why you like the DivX capability.
On my 42" LCD, the pictures are outstanding!

Most have the following specs:
512x384 @ 25 fps, 128kbps, 48kb stereo mp3 sound, and are 270kb for 25 minutes.
Some are the Euro standard, 720x576, and 480kb for 25 minutes.
There are 5.8 hours of great video on 4.2gb!

I can see some users augmenting their reception with downloads, and playing them back through the DivX capability of that Trio!

 

[SatinKzo]

Yeah, I love the divx part. Like I said a few times, it's saved me a bunch of time and money by my kids not scratching their DVD's. I just get their DVD's an rip em to divx format.

Also the Trio upconverts to 1080i on divx side. Literally it's like a completely different machine when in divx mode.

Obviously like most FTA boxes these days, they have features for the other markets and the Trio ultimately appeals to 2 less than upstanding markets. Not quite sure how downloading a movie is worthwhile, but then again I only have a 5meg HSI setup and prefer PQ and AQ over seeing it cheap.

What I can say though is that while this FTA unit (as many others) have a market outside FTA. Conaxsat does have a solid unit for real FTA. It's honestly the first unit I have owned since my Fortec MercII that makes me happy in FTA and not looking for more features. The pansat 3500 was nice cause it had the SD card and I put my kids CD's on some cards (same reason, they are brutal on CD's too).

 

[garryk]

Can't Get DIVX To Recognize The HDD In My New Trio

I just received my new Trio and I love it. The FTA part works flawlessly.
However, I can't get the DIVX side to play my HDD. It plays files from
a USB flash drive but won't play the same files from the HDD. It just says
"Checking Media-Please Wait" repeatedly. The HDD plays properly on my
computer. It is formatted in NTFS but the guides all say that DIVX can play
either NTFS or FAT32 formats. I also upgraded the DIVX side with the
newest file - 1.18u8.upd. What do I have to do to make it work?
Thanks.

 

[SatinKzo]

Yeah, NTFS should be fine for the divx side, but PVR part needs to be Fat32.
I use Fat32 for my HD that I attach to the divx side (I honestly rarely use the PVR side unless PBS has a concert on).

Are you attaching the drive BEFORE swiching to divx mode? I found that to be my initial problem. Can't attach the drive after going into divx mode.

Edit:
Wait, where did you get that upgrade file for the divx side? I don't see it on their website (maybe I'm blind as I missed stuff there before)

 

[garryk]

I don't remember which site I got the file from. However, I did what you said and it works. It plays all of my files except that my home movies which I took with my Sony HDD camcorder play with jerking movements. Is there any way to fix this? I think this is a fantastic machine and when I get the bugs out I will be very happy. Thanks for your help.

 

[SatinKzo]

Jerky video from a camcorder? I don't mean to sound mean, but it just screams for me to day "hold your hand still"

Honestly I don't know, I would assume on the handycam it's something with the conversion if all other video is playing fine.

Btw, I emailed conaxsat on the divx side upgrade and they emailed me the same file you got. The also said it's not on the website due to people bricking their unit by trying to load it though the wrong USB port (needs to be done on the divx port only) Not sure what it fixed, but I think the PQ improved a bit.

 

[garryk]

By jerky video from the camcorder I don't mean camera shake. I have taken video for 30 years so I know what camera shake is. By jerky video I mean it doesn't play smoothly - it appears that it skips a frame or does some type of frame advance. My camcorder is just a year old HDD model so it is about as up to date as it gets. I am at a loss as to what to do. I emailed the Conaxsat site for their help a few days ago and they haven't responded. I hope this isn't a trend.

 

[SatinKzo]

Garryk, I was just joking with ya on the shaky hands. I have an idea what you are talking about on video shake, but honestly I have not experieced anything like that at all on my Trio and I've ripped numerous DVD's and transferred over 20 or so home movies to the USB hard drive and watched them on the TRIO with no problems.

I use video-redo, convert to x, and TMG utilities for my video conversion

Does the video play fine on a PC? What format is it on the camera? What program are you using to convert it to divx? I am not able to fill in the blanks on your setup.

Also, I don't think conaxsat not responding immediately is a trend... it takes 3 data points to form a trend and I have never heard any bad things about the conaxsat tech support. My experiences have been top notch.