GBA / DS Movie Player

[splash_fx]

Has anyone tried one of these "Movie Player" carts from Lik-Sang?

check it out here:
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=246&products_id=3983&

Seems like a cool idea, uses my existing Compact Flash cards, and supposedly supports limited NES (Famincom) emulation.

[allenfrisch]

I haven't actually bought one, but I've looked into these and can let you in on a couple of important facts. Unless you are willing to invest a lot of money in blank media large enough for you to fit movie files you shouldn't buy one. Also, if you aren't willing to invest long periods of time to convert the files to a format that the GBA can read, then it isn't worth it. It can take up to 6 hours to convert a DVD movie to a .divx file with a decent PC and even longer to convert to .wmv. I can't image that the process would be any quicker using the software from Lik-Sang.

[splash_fx]

I'm more interested in playing MP3s, and I already have a 512MB Compact Flash cart for my digital camera, and since the DS has a "real" headphone jack - it seems like a $20 MP3 player with some cool bonus features like NES emulation.

I don't know how the video thing would be on a DS. I suspect that since the screens are so small that the quality wouldn't be that great, or if you have to compress a two hour movie to fit on a 512MB cart then you wouldn't have room for much else... The encoding time is always an issue for any video - but it's a one time thing, and it might be cool to have some of your favorite videos to watch while your out and about.

I know Shane you preach against the dreaded "convergence" and I know this probably falls heavily in that catagory. I see it as a way to increase the functionality of an excellent machine without detracting from it's original purpose of playing games.

[allenfrisch]

Exactly! I suppose using it as an .mp3 would be practical at $20! There's actually a Nintendo-sanctioned .mp3 player for the GBA but costs around $100!!! I think that's a joke!

[Shane R. Monroe]

Video on the GBA/DS isn't practical - the medium makes no sense. Even a HUGE flash cart wouldn't hold more than maybe an hour with MAX compression. And if you've ever WRITTEN a full 512 flashcart, its not something you would want to 'routinely' do. Even MP3s .... how many do you fit on that? That's 64 MB on a 512 card right? That's like 12 songs in decent quality. If you resample it to nothing ... you might not want it ... Its just NOT made for digital media. Just like making a GBA a web server - sure, you CAN do it, but how PRACTICAL is it? It just isn't. MOST of the time, if you really look at it - Convergence IN GENERAL is like that; a cell phone screen ain't practical for gaming on. Streaming music over your cell doesn't make sense. Cell phone cameras don't often offer any sort of features - its best used for catching a drunk chick at the bar flashing her boobs but not much else (really).

I've only seen one REAL convergance device I care for - the new Blackberrys that allow phone, PDA, email, and text browsing on one device. BUt you'll notice there is no camera on there ... no MP3 player ... no games ... its designed for COMMUNICATIONS and it works for that.

[splash_fx]

I read this review:

http://207.44.176.77/~admin28/gbaemu/articles/movieplayer.htm

and it doesn't sound too bad, but I would've liked some info on the NES emulation.

[Shane R. Monroe]

If you have an EZ FLASH cart, get the 3.03 version of the software... It has built in emulation for GB/C, PCE, NES playing - and its good.

[allenfrisch]

Yah, I have the EZ Flash cart and can say authoritatively that it's worth every cent! Hey, speaking of Blackberry's and such, I have found some really good emulators for my Pocket PC. I find that my Pocket PC does a better job as a multimedia device that most other convergience thingies out there. It's as good as any mp3 player out there. It plays NES and many other vintage games as well as the GBA and BETTER than most of the compilations put together for the PS2 and X-Box. The big exception is MAME which absolutely sucks on the Pocket PC (NO SOUND?!?). Of course, I'm also able to view photos, read books, and surf the internet without having to lug around my laptop. Like Shane says, it's got its limitations too. Even it's ABLE to play divx and avi files, they really don't run all that smoothly. Plus one movie normally takes up at least 700MB of memory. My CF card only has 512 megs total. So if I want, I could watch a TV show or two, but then I won't have much room left for anything else!

[splash_fx]

Thanks for the info on the EZ Flash cart - I'll have to look into it or perhaps I'll wait for something that will be native to the DS.

Either way, it's good to get everyone's views on this type of hardware.

[splash_fx]

okay, I'm not trying to beat a dead-horse (no, really, I'm not!) - but has anyone had any experience with either the "Supercard" or the "X-Rom" for the GBA? I would appreciate any info anyone has on either of these.

I really like the idea of a Compact Flash (like the supercard or the movie player card), but if I have to get a card with internal memory so that everything works correctly, then so be it.

[splash_fx]

I bought an X-ROM just to see what it was like ($89+s/h) and so far I'm very impressed. It's a 512Mb cart with clock and a USB interface. I installed PocketNES and tried some emulation on it (Zelda, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, Galaga, Pac, Ms Pac) and so far it's great. I also tried out an actual GBA ROM and that worked very well, too. Looking forward to trying it out with the DS (as soon as Christmas gets here).

[Shane R. Monroe]

Honestly, I can't wait for NES emulation on Nintendo DS NATIVE. Then .. no more SQUISHING .. how I HATE playing NES on the GBA with the screen crap.

[sci]

Shane loving NES games? Kidhype is right, you've changed man!

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Shane loving NES games? Kidhype is right, you've changed man!
I am sure hes playing stuff like Galaga, Dig Dug and Pacman. He aint playing Super Mario Bros or Zelda. Trust me on that :)

[Shane R. Monroe]

Bryan hits the nail on the head.

Dont' forget Popeye

[DaMenace]

Well he IS playing Mario DS right? :-)
Actually I got a question Brian, what games do you have for the Gamecube and what would you recommend?
I've already put forth my list in another thread.. but I can relist them if you want...

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Well he IS playing Mario DS right? :-)
Actually I got a question Brian, what games do you have for the Gamecube and what would you recommend?
I've already put forth my list in another thread.. but I can relist them if you want...
I don't own a gamecube but I heard super monkeyball is good and i liked super smash melee and mario party.

[DaMenace]

Oh I thought Shane said you had a Gamecube in one other thread..
I've been playing Metroid Prime 2 a lot along with the occasional F-Zero which I recommend highly that you check out sometime if you got the time :-)

[Shane R. Monroe]

Brien vs Bryan ... SOOO many Bryans ....

the guy Brien at ArcadeRestoration.com (leet dude) has one ... he loves it. I played Super Monkey Ball on it - it was a good time.