Gameshark Media Player, Omfgpwn!

DOOManiac

<div class="IPBDescription">Attention PS2 owners, you must buy this!</div>I bought a PS2 today (MGS3 is coming out in September and they aren't getting any cheaper, so why not eh? I mean I own 2 PS2 games already so I might as well get to play em).

The really exciting thing though is what else I bought!

<a href='http://www.gameshark.com/?s=362_8d18f812-2c0d-45ca-97a5-e63f5b9acda&a=products&id=134' target='_blank'>Gameshark Media Player</a>
- Listen to MP3's on your PS2!!!
- Watch any AVI, MPEG1,2,4, or DivX 3,4,5 file on your freakin PS2!!!!
- No modchips/any bs required. Just put the disc in, boom it works.
- It uses the PS2 network adapter to stream the files over the network!
- Server program you install on your PC uses Java (eww) so it works with Mac, Windows, and even Linux (yay).
- No problem streaming files perfectly over the 54mbs 802.11g connection! My laptop couldn't even stream them this good!
- Divx video stays in sync with the audio! woot.

The only downsides:
- Sometimes badly encoded divx's can stop playing. This isn't really the players fault, and there are tons of programs to repair divx's anyway.
- Doesn't support Quicktime or Windows Media files. This could change in the future though as the program can auto update itself.
- Server program you install on your PC uses Java (eww) so it works with Mac, Windows, and even Linux. Java is eww. Its not so bad though.
- Server program installs itself as a system server. Gotta set that to manual.
- Program takes a bit longer than you'd think would be required to load, and also larger movies can take about 20 seconds to precache (but that's plenty of a price to pay considering how well it streams, see above)

So now I can watch all the E3 game trailers on the TV! Movie trailers I can watch on the TV! Downloaded videos, all on the tv! :D
And the porn...... All on the tv!! ;)

This thing just pwns. PWNS. FREAKING PWNS. If you own a PS2 and you have a network adapter, GO BUY THIS NOW. GOGOGOGO.

Oh and the PS2 is nice.

[edit]
Tommorrow I'll get pics of it in action on my TV
[/edit]

Cold_NiTe

Does this require you to go out and buy a hard drive? I'm assuming that this program is not likely to fit on a memory card, but then again I don't know how large those cards get or how small some of these media players can be.

DOOManiac

Nope, it streams it all across the network. Meaning, it requires a PS2 network adapter (any new PS2 comes with them now, even the $149 one) and also a computer on said network to serve the files.

Ugly_Jim

I can't find any info on this thing, so I'll just ask here. Does it play mkv and ogm? I have tons of these... Also, divx/xvid with ac3 audio?

DOOManiac

Here's what's on the back of the box:

Audio:
MP3
OOG
AC3 (Video Only)

Video:
MPEG-1
MPEG-2
MPEG-4
DivX 3.11
DivX 4.x
DivX 5.x
OGM
and more

Pictures:
JPEG
PNG


The "and more" being that it can connect to the interweb and dl updates.

panda_de_malheureux

So it's like a line out card, but not so?

Starchy

It'll perform about as well as the dvd player, which is awful. The ps2 can't handle mpeg 4 decoding anyway.


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twoflow

Can't beat Xbox Media Center.

Cold_NiTe

Ok wait just a darned moment DOOM....

<b>YOU</b> have a computer hooked up to your television. <i>Surely</i> you can just play whatever you want directly from your computer to your television??

How on earth is this necessary for you?

Talesin

If he doesn't want to mess with turning on the secondary display so the TV will work, which can screw up some programs... alternately, he might have a second monitor hooked up, and very few video cards have three RAMDACs.

Hell, it'd be incredibly useful for me, if I had a PS2 with net adapter, rather than using my sibling's now and again when I get the urge.

Cold_NiTe

<!--QuoteBegin-Talesin+Jun 1 2004, 10:42 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Talesin @ Jun 1 2004, 10:42 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If he doesn't want to mess with turning on the secondary display so the TV will work, which can screw up some programs... alternately, he might have a second monitor hooked up, and very few video cards have three RAMDACs. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think if he used the K-Lite Mega Codec pack thing, it should be ok, and it plays pretty much all those file types.

Essentially he could do the same thing without the ps2. Though I guess there is bound to be some other reason.

Talesin

Uh... no. Each display requires a dedicated RAMDAC. You can swap them between output modes (so you can have two monitors, or a monitor and a TV, but not two monitors and a TV)... it's a hardware limitation. And a number of programs will glitch if they're used in multimonitor mode. Some even with a mirror-display on the second.
As well, sometimes it's easiest to just have a dedicated machine, rather than draining system resources.

CForrester

You guys are forgetting the two most important reasons here:
1) It's cool.
2) He can.

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DOOManiac

I don't have a practical method to TV out...

And even if I did, TV out from the PC is crap. It always rapes the resolution or whatnot, or has refresh problems, or has issues with getting the screen the right size/position on the screen. And you have to run cables all over the apartment.

This doesn't do that. Its just perfect.

BigBull

Picatars!

So its like a PC now?

Nice

Epidemic

Why dont you just use the computer if it requires a PC anyway <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> I mean on the PC, not tv out <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Thansal

<!--QuoteBegin-Epidemic+Jun 1 2004, 12:54 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Epidemic @ Jun 1 2004, 12:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Why dont you just use the computer if it requires a PC anyway <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> I mean on the PC, not tv out <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
b/c TVs are more fun then monitors?

also, most people have a couch or something at their TV, and not one for their 'puter.



Then again, I just have a second computer that I use for media stuff on the TV <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->

DOOManiac

Big screen TV + couch > 19" monitor + 80 people msg'ing me on irc.

:P

baconflaps

DOOM is becoming too popular for us D:

DOOManiac

if by popular you mean "WTH please unban me u nazi" then yes. :P

But anyway, this thing just absolutely rocks. I can't believe I'm the only one excited about this thing. It freaking pwns.

panda_de_malheureux

I'm blown away.

Quaunaut

<!--QuoteBegin-CForrester+Jun 1 2004, 09:36 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CForrester @ Jun 1 2004, 09:36 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> You guys are forgetting the two most important reasons here:
1) It's cool.
2) He can.

<!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Amen brutha.

This thing sounds whicked cool. I may get it when I put all my consoles online(which'll be nice...mm....FFXI on PS2 and PC? Yayx0r[PC for when parents awake, ps2 for when....not)