Automated Continuous Video Playback, Direct to Display

[monsieurblack]

hi all
i'm just trying to get my head round a problem and was hoping someone here could help...
*MODS* Please feel free to move thread if posted in wrong place
basically i'm after using the least amount of equipment as possible to get a video file playing through a display [happens to be an lcd panel...] so everthing was hidden apart from the '?______?' that was feeding the video, this would be its only purpose. whether that required a 'mini pc' of sorts to then have a custom 'startup' item load the video upon powering up and played fullscreen continuously without user intervention? but it all seems a little overkill and would love to be able for it to just be played off of a memory card/usb drive jobby. but obviously theres no interface there to instruct the video to play, so would it be an idea to use one of the small portable video players with a video out option? but again i'm up against the issue of it needing to loop play without anyone actually pressing any buttons oh...and aren't they a little pricey?
sorry to run on! but just kinda 'thinking out loud' as it were
i'd love to here anyones thoughts/ideas/suggestions on the problem
many thanks
regards
monsieurblack

[owain_thomas]

is this thing going to run constantly? if it is would it be ok to have a little user intervention to start it, then just let it run forever?

if that would be ok then a chipped xbox is probably the cheapest way to do this, you can install the media player for it and have this just loop your video continuosly.

what is the idea that you're trying to achieve?

[monsieurblack]

hi owain_thomas
thanks for your reply/suggestion, much appreciated.
yeah it will be running constantly...but unfortunately, not 'forever' so it needs to be able to run straight in to the video loop every time the 'unit' were to be powered up. any more brainwaves?
thanks again!
keep all your ideas coming people!
regards
monsieurblack

[hornydragon]

you would need some thing that you could program, linux is the place to start you need an embedded system that could run like an MP3/Photoveiwr but that you can rewrite the program for so it plays the file in a loop from start-up, an easy task for somone who knows what they doing, would being able to do this via an IR remote at startup work? you can also code DVD's to play in loops demo discs use this and if you find a dvd player that plays on power up this would be the simplest way to go!

[monsieurblack]

hi there matey
thanks for your post.
i wasn't aware that dvd's could be coded to run in loops and that would be ideal...like you say, its just trying to source a player that plays the inserted disc on startup. hhhmmm...i wonder if more do this than not? [just thinking out loud again ] but when i select on my setup to go to dvd/cd mode, as it were, it just plays whatever disc i have in the tray at that time...heres to hoping the same is true if it were powered on from 'the off'. so if the dvd were coded in such a way that it instructed the player to just play over and repeat then an 'el cheapo' wee dvd player sounds like the solution
so anyone have any exprience/know how the best way is to find out? i'm guessing no spec sheets would list such a 'feature' lol. so it may be best to contact the manufacturers direct...perhaps worth a shot at richer sounds as they're always pretty damn helpful
thanks again for you help guys, it really is very much appreciated.
don't feel as though you have to stop though...shoot those solutions and crazy ideas my way!
regards
monsieurblack

[bridgehouse]

Hi,
I have had a continuous play dvd display up & running for over a year. I used a cheap Alba DVD45 player connected to a LCD TV. Best of all, it runs on a timer switch from the mains so it turns on automatically. The dvd disc is one that I made myself with no start up menu - this means that it doesn't need to be activated - it self launches and plays until the electricity is turned off by the timer and then comes back on the following day! No human intervention necessary.
That was the good news - now for the bad!!
That cheap little Alba 45 has just packed up - you can't blame it - it has been working about 8 hours a day for the past 15 months. I cannot find a replacement which will do the same thing though! It looks as though the model has been discontinued and all the others I have tried need human intervention (some even insist on displaying the word "repeat" in the corner too!). So if anyone knows of a cheap player that does what my Alba 45 did, can you let me know?