don't know if anyone will enjoy this as much as i do
but this type of item is new and really cool
it is the Vantec Avox
http://vantecusa.com/home.html
it is a 2.5" hard drive enclosure that doubles as a media player
this unit will play
Movie: MPEG 1, 2, 4 (MPG, MPEG, AVI, M2V, DAT, VOB, IFO etc.) DivX, XviD (except GMC, Qpel option applied)
Music: MP3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, WMA (except WMA9 pro.lossless)
Photo: JPG(JPEG)

i have not tried this particular unit yet, but it got outstanding reviews from a few places here's one
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=ODY2

i do own this unit from BYTECC, it is similar but not as configurable or user friendly
http://www.byteccusa.com/product/enclosure/25pmp.htm
it will play most things flawlessly, others not so flawlessly
no online reviews, they had this in town so i bought it
just got it yesterday (^), so give me time to play some more

these are fabulous for in-car video the unit outputs straight to RCA audio and video
a small (not really) remote is all that is needed to control them

I do plan on getting the Vantec Avox when i get tired of this one
so i'll post more info on that one when it arrives (probably next pay week...)

your thoughts comments and questions are wanted

EDITED 01-09-06
READ LAST POST!!!

 

Wouldn't transfer of the file between the hard drive to let's say your computer be a pain in the butt?

 

nope
both support full USB2.0 high speed transfer rates
i moved the entire 1st season of Battlestar Galactica(Divx encoded) in about 6 minutes

this beats discs anyday
and try finding a car DVD player that will play AVI's
or any other file for that matter

 

Pretty cool, i prefer my CarPC setup instead ^_^

Only advantage that this has is it could be more reliable in a sense of a media player, i'd glady have windows freeze up if it only does it maybe once a month .. for all the other features it's worth it.

 

carPC costs how much???
this unit was $85+2.5" HD ($30-60)
and i can take this into anyone's home and play video/music there too!

 

Interesting device. I could be tempted for the price. Do you know if the IR is on the unit or on a remote cord? If it is on the unit it would have to be mounted where the remote could hit it.

 

IR on unit
the range of the remote on the BYTECC is not so hot
60° wide, maybe 5-8' away

i really want the Vantec device now
my Japanese TV shows are still too big for my tv
the Vantec lets you adjust the screen size

 

i'm not really understanding what this thing does. is it basically a hrad drive you can connect to an indash dvd player/monitor and watch whatever you want? i think that's the jist of it but i'm a little puzzled.

 

exactly.....no PC needed
just a screen with RCA inputs for audio/video
or can connect audio to amps
and will play most PC video files
size of a PDA

 

that is seriously hot. i might buy one since i'm having an lcd molded in my dash right now. with this thing, i might as well go vga andd see what's what. should be cool as hell. awesome find.

 

go for the Vantec
it is only about $20-30 more and way more features
i have mixed feelings about the BYTECC
it works....but...
that kind of thing, ya know?.?.?.

 

There is no vga output on this unit. It is meant to hook up to tv's. I'm going to order one this weekend and see how I like it.

I looked at the pictures closer. One of the ports on the back may be a IR in/out port allowing a remote eye.

 

i hope those of you who buy or have bought this keep everyone posted on it's performance and pros and cons. this sucker seems like an awesome piece of hardware.

 

it obviously would need a power inverter to work in the car right? although hard OCP said its a DC type setup...which indicates its setup for straight wired install into a vehicle..I'm lost..

 

Not bad, i though it would be much more.... by the way, you have to use the remote to change between songs/videos? How do you control it if it's just RCA'd to a screen?

For my CarPC all i did was buy a 7" vga touchscreen. i used my own made PC that i've had for over a year so i didn't really have to buy a puter for it (makes me feel better in my head at least ). In the end if you do everything yourself your looking at around $900~ for the screen, PC, DC-DC PSU, cables etc. It is a major project though, the device you posted is MUCH easier to install like you said, i just don't get how you navigate through the songs/videos

 

I would assume you would need a plug and something to drop the voltage down to 5V. You could put a 3.5" a/v jack and a power jack in one of the button plugs and use this. Im going to work on it for the DVD setups.

 

well it comes with the a/c adapter to drop it down to 5 volts and it says its dc, so you could cut the plug off and wire it up for 5 volts I would think...err I'm no electrician haha

 

its nice but you'll have to use a 2.5inch laptop hard drive, which is more expensive than the regular 3.5inch. I would buy this if they had another version that supported 3.5inch hard drives.

 

I don't believe that will work.

The power specs are 5v/2a. It looks like there is a Audiovox device with a car adapter outputting those specs as well as the adapter for the TomTom.

I don't mind it using a laptop drive. They draw less power.

 

correct just looked it up, TOMTOM uses 5v/2v cigerette lighter adapter so that could be torn apart and hardwired. Good find