You'd think playback of copied Blu-Ray and DVD files would be a no-no for commercial PVR boxes. Not these new TViX players, which play ripped Blu-Ray and DVD "backups", with VOB, ISO and H.264 compatibility.
Of course, the new TViX range is meant to play "backups" of movie disc, which you've got stored in your cupboard, though we suspect not every user who gets their hands on this thing will bother with the pesky issue of ownership.
The main selling point of DViCO's new TViX PVR range are that the baby TViX R-2230 ($399, onsale in November) plays ripped VOB and ISO files from DVD movies. And in the case of the "Swiss Army Knife" TViX-HD 6500 ($599), this also includes Blu-Ray rips, with H.264 MKV playback.
DViCO's own press demo was a rip-fest, with the company showing off clips from several moves, including House of Flying Daggers and School of Rock - via an onscreen menu displaying various "backup" files stored on the PVR's internal hard drive.
The DViCO demo was long on thumping base, super slo-mo action scenes, though short on any discussion of the legalities, bar the reference to "backed up" discs.
Of course, you'll need to know how to backup your DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs, but the advantage being, you'll be able to do all sorts of things you can't on a more restricted (though some might argue, slicker), system like Apple TV.
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| Casino Royale, and the TViX R-2230 2.5" SATA PVR, which claims to be the smallest in the world |
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| Unboxed: the R-2230 up close. |
The smaller TViX R-2230 (pictured) includes:
- AVI, MPEG 1/2/4, IFO, VOB, ISO, DAT
- 1080i
- HDMI 1.1, composite out
- DTS pass through
- USB port for plugging in media directly
Highlights for the TViX HD M-6500 include:
- HDMI 1.3, Component, S-Video, Composite Video
- MKV, WMV, AVI, MPG, VOB, ISO, IFO, MP4
- MPEG1/2/4, AVI, XVID, WMV9, H.264
- 1080p
- DTS pass through
- USB port for plugging in media directly
- Optional digital TV tuner