MSGID: 2:221/1.58@fidonet f8437a0d   
   REPLY: 1:153/757.0 7a546fd8   
   PID: OpenXP/5.0.51 (Win32)   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   TZUTC: -0500   
   Hello George Pope!   
      
   ** On Sunday 09.01.22 - 16:48, George Pope wrote to August Abolins:   
      
    >> My DVR must pre-date yours. I would have loved to have a   
    >> DVR/DVD machine that can read video "files" directly from a   
    >> DVD.  I spent a lot of time burning and reusing DVD/RW   
    >> discs for the machine.   
      
    GP> Right, one movie to one DVD at one time, eh? My wife   
    GP> started doing that, luckily I had found a great source for   
    GP> brand new blank DVDRs.   
      
   Not really. I discovered FreeMake. It allows multiple video     
   files to be coded as a proper playable DVD + a menu to pick     
   each video.  The more you stash onto the DVD, the lower the     
   quality, but I've never noticed a quality change until I exceed     
   the 6hr point.   
      
    GP> So, with 5 movies to a disk, each   
    GP> movie, playable on our DVR, cost 3.5c!   
      
   I just used DVD/RW discs at the time. I didn't really need to     
   keep previously watched YT videos or TEDx lectures or     
   documentaries or movies.  Infact.. I'm sick and tired of all     
   the standard DVD/R discs laying around. Nobody else needs them.     
   They'll just end up in landfill eventually.   
      
   I really enjoyed erasing the DVD/RWs and reusing them.   
      
      
    >> Later, I acquired a small media player that accepts SD   
    >> cards and USB drives and plug that directly into the TV.   
    >> That's not bad 'cuz it accepts up to 64GB SDD devices.   
      
    GP> Ours reads my 512Gb USB thumb just fine -- much nicer than   
    GP> going through multiple DVDs! But I can't get the right   
    GP> format down, so a lot jhust dn't show  up on the DVD play   
    GP> menu. . .   
      
   Mine handles MKV files ok, but they can't be the 11-bit     
   variety.  One way I found out how to "test" a MKV to be     
   compatible for my player is with Freemake. If I can see the     
   preview/thumbnail of the vid in Fremake's edit window, then I     
   know the file will be viewable on my media player or as a DVD.   
      
      
    GP> Pretty sure MKV is too new. . . (most files come as this   
    GP> now, with subtitles or captions built right in, instead of   
    GP> needing two separate files as previously.)   
      
   See above. There are different MKV types.  Avoid the 11-bit     
   ones and you should be fine.   
      
      
    GP> Yeah, right, Shaw, trying to charge me $6 for a 30-minute   
    GP> epiosode on PPV! GL  with that pricing plan. . .   
      
   2.99 to 14.99 seems to be the standard for many ppv solutions:     
   ApplePay, AmazonTV, etc..  even for a short film.  They call it     
   "renting", and you get about 14 days to watch it as many times     
   as you want.   
      
      
    GP> I prefer free for my books, movies, & TV shows.   
      
   Have you started into Dirt Birds yet?  It's hilarious. The     
   author intersperses quite a bit of Canadiana/trivia/history in     
   the mix. It makes for a very Canadian read.   
      
   --   
     ../|ug   
   --- OpenXP 5.0.51   
    * Origin: Creditors have better memories than debtors. (2:221/1.58)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 14/0 15/0 30/0 80/1 90/1 103/705 105/81 106/201 120/340   
   SEEN-BY: 123/131 129/305 153/7715 154/10 203/0 218/700 221/1 6 360   
   SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 307 424 426 428 452 664 700 240/1120   
   SEEN-BY: 240/5832 249/206 317 400 266/512 280/464 5003 282/464 1038   
   SEEN-BY: 292/854 301/0 1 101 113 123 317/3 320/219 322/757 335/364   
   SEEN-BY: 341/66 342/200 396/45 423/81 633/280 712/848 920/1 5020/1042   
   SEEN-BY: 5058/104   
   PATH: 221/1 301/1 229/426