SanDisk kills TakeTV dead
By Paul Miller 
posted June 6th 2008 7:14PM
posted June 6th 2008 7:14PM
posted June 6th 2008 7:14PM
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It just took them too long to get this thing to market. I did a beta test of this something like 2 years ago. While there were media centers back then they were just not that prevalent. Plus this setup was cheaper and simpler for the average user. But now their product just got overshadowed by much more capable devices.
It is a shame, the idea was a good one, it just came too late.
I don't pay much attention to SanDisk. Was I supposed to?
i remember when they had an a flash ad on appleinsider or something (or maybe even on this website). it was weird.
How much did this thing cost?
Because I bought some cheap Magnavox DVD player at Walmart ($27 I think) and it plays every divx file I throw at it, perfectly. Download, burn to CD or DVD, and go. Generally I burn stuff I don't plan on keeping to RW media.
Never had a problem with it, and it seems a good bit easier than this dock thing. Sneakernet, indeed.
Jeez, why the hate on this device? Snobby much? I never had one (or even touched one) but it seems like it was a nice simple way to quickly & painlessly transfer downloaded content to your tv in a pinch without having to set up media extenders or whatever. Sometimes there's a place for simple, quick, & dirty tech. I guess not in this case...
I think the perceived "hate" is because many of us who would use this product, already had/have a better solution in place and thus no interest comes from a product, esp. a dead one (at least that's my reason).
OMG my TakeTV suddenly disappeared!
That would've been freaky if it happened for real.
With some sub-$100 Divx-capable DVD players out there with a USB port, the only real advantage this seemed to have out of the gate is portability. The catch is that most of these folks interested in that aspect likely have a laptop, and would use it for portable video playback.
Although 70% more expensive, the Neuros OSD can duplicate the functionality, and much more (i.e. recording capbility).
If the TakeTV had been a $29.95 device that worked with any USB flash drive, perhaps it would have had a chance. Alternately, supporting at least the 960x540 higher definition podcast formats, and H.264 would have given it a fighting chance at this price level.
I bought the 8GB model for a close friend of mine who didn't have the ability to hook up their computer to their plasma, so I got this as a Christmas gift.
Turns out, the processor in the little (or should I say big) unit was even good enough to keep up with matching the audio and the video. I didnt even try high def files, just normal divx files, some movies worked perfect, other movies couldnt stay in sync. It doesnt seem worth the hastle to start a movie and not know if you'll be able to finish it cause your so annoyed with the audio not matching.
I had one. Graduated to the Popcorn Hour. Plays anything and 1080p HDMI out.
I got one, I really like it as a product. They needed to make some improvements to the content. The product was damn near perfect for usability and the video coming out of it was really, really clean. 480p on this was better than HD comcast cable. How F'd up is that?
Last time I checked it was too expensive for what it did. Was very tempted by the idea cos I was getting really tired of having to hook up via S-video but for that price I was willing to endure the agony of S-video.
Man, that's so weird. I love my TakeTV. I bought one when they first came out (before Christmas) for my roommate, but I ended up using it a lot more. It plays any DIVX file format I've thrown at it and takes up practically no space. I can't understand why these didn't do well. They're a simple and elegant solution for people who prefer to get their tv shows and movies off a torrent.
I own one. And I love it. I also own an Xbox 360. But I have more than one television, and I travel often. I'm not going to buy another 360, much less lug it around on trips. I'm thoroughly pleased with it. It was a gift, but if I'd paid for it, I'd love it nonetheless.
Amazon's still got em on sale for only $104.99 for the 8GB player. I wanted one for a while, and since they're going out of style now, I might as well get one.
I understand some people don't see a point to it, but I certainly do. I frequently visit friend's places where they might not want to pay to download content onto a 360 or PS3, and don't have the movie we wanna watch downloaded yet in order to stream it, so this is a perfect solution. I usually have to bring my laptop over and run it to the VGA or DVI port on their tv, assuming they even have one. This is as portable as an iPod, and plays a lot more formats. And those that complain that you have to plug in a few wires, it isn't like most tvs don't have a front or side input now that you can jack into.
I have one and I love it! It holds several avi movies and plays directly into the TV. It's easy to use - just hook it up to a USB port and transfer videos to it, then remove it and take it over to the base unit attached to the TV. It's small, easy to use, and it works well. I don't understand why it didn't sell well.
I bought one 8GB model. I had a heck of a time finding videos. Stage 6 vids worked but then they shut down. Now it's a matter of converting them to DIvx which is a pain. Anyway it's not very useful and I regret spending the $149. Now if I could hack the firmware then maybe it could be better.
Suggestions on a good player?
ok, i understand everyone's trouble with not finding content and blah blah blah.. personally, when i first saw this back in november i knew i had to get my hands on one.. why? for $100, i could finally watch everything i've downloaded on my tv instead of my pc.. i think this device was more for the pirates.. THERE IS PLENTY of content.. you just gotta know where it is... i use my TakeTV religiously.. almost every single day watching tv shows and/or movies on my 42" flat screen, as opposed to my 20" computer screen.. this thing definitely had its perks. too bad it didn't last long...
and for those saying this thing is complicated or too big of a hassle, are you freaking kidding me? you have one part that permanently stays hooked up to your tv via component/s-video connections.. and (basically) a portable hard drive that you plug into a usb port on ur comp. you transfer whatever file w/ USB 2.0 (so even a movie only takes 5 mins if that) then plug the hard drive back into the device on the tv... if that complicates you, you have a long life ahead of you..