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RJ Tech RJ4000 DVD/DivX player review

Discussion in 'DivX / XviD' started by mrxonix, Oct 21, 2003.

  1. jfaust97

    jfaust97 Member

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  2. afrisch

    afrisch Member

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    First Impressions:

    I just received my RJ4000 yesterday after paying a paltry $90 on eBay. Overall, I'm impressed by the player's capabilities and performance. The sheer number of file types this machine is capable of handling is extraordinary. However, I have also noticed a few faults which I'll delineate in more detail promptly. Check out my initial review and then come back tomorrow for my follow-up statements.

    1. Set up/Installation - No problems! The necessary cables are included in the box, and the illustrated manual did a good job of explaining how to get everything up and running.

    2. Hardware - On the one hand, the player and the remote both seem to be rather cheaply made. But on the OTHER hand, this is the lightest player I've ever used--which is a good thing when you have to move it around and pack it up. I read the review by mrxonix included in this forum and will refer to many of the criticisms he points out. The first is concerning the remote control. The big red button Mr. X refers to is clearly labeled "Open", so I'm not sure about why he was so baffled by this feature. I agree that it would be nice be able to power down from the remote, however I've used at least 4 other DVD players previously and they ALL required the user to get off of his or her bottom and press a button on the box to completely shut down. C'est la vi! I think it's fantastic that RJ Tech included TWO jacks for microphones since one of the machine's uses is karaoke. Duets are SO much more fun than solos! FYI: Karaoke DVDs are about a dime a dozen at your local music store now, and a decent mike can be picked up for less than $20.

    3. Playback

    A. DVD - Nothing much to report here except that I too noticed "Moire" patterns at certain points during DVD playback. Last night I only used the A/V cables and have not attempted to use the S-video output which should result in a better picture. I'll let you know what happens.

    B. DivX - AH! Here's the big question... I previewed about 50 movies of various lengths and sizes last night. So far my experience using video file playback has been VERY positive! The directory may be confusing to newbies at first, however it's precisely the same as the one used in every Apex DVD player for maneuvering around CD-R data discs. My advice is to READ THE MANUAL and do not treat DivX (and other media files) as casually as you treat DVD movies. I'll give you some practical tips at the end of this review so that you won't have to go through the same frustrations as some of the users on this forum. The "short coma" refered to by Mr. X is no more than ten seconds and (again) is quite standard when a DVD player is attempting to read computer generated files! Anyway, how long does it take to get to the actual movie on a DVD in most cases? Upward of thirty seconds!! Think about it... As far as compatability goes, so far so good! Without any fiddling around with my files whatsoever, AT LEAST 90% of my video files (including .avi, .divx, .mpg, and others) worked beautifully! I will report on why the other %10 didn't work as soon as I'm able to check them out. One thing that should be understood before viewing a DivX file is that the picture and sound will ONLY be as good as the specs of the individual file. Don't expect DVD quality and surround sound from a two hour movie that's only 100MB in size! Again, I'll let you know more specifics when I have them. Two other things worthy of note: 1) This player was able to access files from absolutely HORRIBLY scratched CDs which my computer was unable to get to! 2) Subtitles worked on every movie I tried with only one exception (which, incidentally, I don't think is the player's fault).

    4. Technical Support - One word: Fuggetaboutit!! Although their corporate offices may be on the West Coast of the United States, I can tell just by glancing at their website that RJ Tech is a group of Asian folks who speak very little English. If you are like me and have bought other merchandise from importers than you know that (in general) Tech Support and Customer Service is NOT their strong point. I don't understand why RJ Tech's website has a link to a firmware update for the RJ4000 but no file attached. Not cool, but for less than a hundred bucks, what do you expect?

    *Tips:

    A couple of handy tips for playing multimedia files on this or any other DVD player:

    1. Don't be in a hurry. If you press a bunch of buttons in impatience, the player WILL freeze up on you. THIS IS STANDARD for using both music AND video files. Remember, DivX playback is a relatively new technology so expect some performance difficulties!

    2. Don't be afraid to experiment. If a file doesn't work at first but SHOULD, try burning it at a slower rate and/or using better quality media.

    In general DVD media will work better than CD-R/RW.

    Also, CD-Rs work immeasurable better than CD-RWs! Not sure why, but it has ALWAYS been this way!

    Lastly, burning onto CDs and DVDs designed by respectable companies like Sony etc. will produce far better results than CDs made by Tinker Technologies and other generic brands. Always remember: you get what you pay for!!

    That's all for now... More to follow maƱana!

    P.S. Please email me at allenfrisch@hotmail.com with your thoughts. Peace out!
     
  3. afrisch

    afrisch Member

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    Anybody know how to apply firmware upgrades to the RJ4000? RJ Tech currently has one available on their website.
     
  4. AishaDad

    AishaDad Member

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    I couldn't find the update. Do you have the link for it? Or any other place that this update (ie bittorrent or edonkey link)?
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2004
  5. afrisch

    afrisch Member

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    Go to http://www.rjtech.net. Run your cursor over "Supports" at the top of the page. Then choose "Firmware Upgrades." Click on your model. On the following page, simply right-click on the .rom file and select "Save Target As..." so that you can put it on your hard drive. From there I'm not positive how your supposed to go about applying the upgrade. I tried burning the file on to a cd-r as a data disc then running it through my RJ-4000 but didn't notice any difference.
     
  6. jfaust97

    jfaust97 Member

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    Where did you jind one of these for under $100?
    Also, have you had better luck with DVD-R or DVD+R?
    I am new to the movie burning and not sure qhich standard to use....

    Thanks
     
  7. afrisch

    afrisch Member

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    I bought it directly from an individual on E*Bay. I've only tried DVD+Rs so far because they are compatible with more DVD Players. I've created Data discs of DivX and MPEG movies as well as actual DVDs, VCDs, and SVCDs. Everything I've tried works beautifully so long as the original file is encoded in a format that's compatible with the player (no .wma files or .avi files encoded in DivX 5.11). Have had some trouble with the sound being synced with certain higher quality DivX files but haven't tried to re-encode the files yet. If anyone has any suggestions on what specs to use when encoding DivX stuff I would be very appreciative!
     
  8. jfaust97

    jfaust97 Member

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    I have been using Flask to encode my movies since Divx 3.1 was available...

    Recently I have been doing them in Divx 5.1...
    I have always saved them as *.AVI...
    Are you saying that these won't work?

    Have you had any experience with the RJ1500DVX?
    How does it compare does anyone know?
     

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