HD video player with 5" screen, support for HDMI, subtitles, and good battery life?

[crumblium]

I made a thread requesting input on which portable video player I should buy.

Since I made that thread, my "requirements" have changed somewhat, so I thought it was a good idea to post a new thread.

What I'm looking for now is a 5" PVP with support for HD video, and with external subtitle support and HDMI output:

• Screen size around 5"
• Support for 720p playback
• HDMI output (to plug it into my TV)
• Support for loads of video formats/codecs/containers, including DivX, XviD, MP4, MKV, H264, AVI, etc. (yes, I know, some of these are containers, others are codecs, and so on)
• Support for subtitles (.srt or .smi, etc.)
• Good battery life (for viewing videos on the go)
• Should show up as a regular hard disk when connected to a PC

I don't care if it's touch or not.

It should probably support SD cards to expand the storage.

So far I'm strongly considering the Archos 43, but it only has a 4.3" screen. Arcos also has a 7" player, but that seems a bit too big.

So 5" would be about right for me, I think.

Does the perfect player exist out there somewhere?

Other than the smaller than ideal screen, the Archos 43 really seems tempting. It supposedly even has decent battery life when viewing video (10 hours).

[crumblium]

I'm very close to purchasing the Archos 43, but I wish it had a 5" screen. I may still get it, though, if no better device with a 5" screen pops up. Any idea?

I'll post a thread on the player I end up buying.

[chengdude]

Have you looked at any Chinese players? At the very least they're an entertaining change from the typical CowonArchosCowonArchosCowonArchos replies to these kinds of threads.

Lots of 5" models to choose from and many should meet your requirements as comprehensive video capability is their raison d'etre.

Have a look on the MP4Nation forums; lots of similar questions there. Not a recommendation; they're just by far the most active forums for Chinese brands. It can be a rather daunting task to get up to speed and separate the wheat from the chaff, but who knows, you might find something that screams "buy me!"

[crumblium]

Chinese players aren't easily available where I live. However, one never knows... Thanks for the tip.

[crumblium]

Quick update here...

I have investigated these Chinese players, and the Ainol V6000HDT seems to be an amazing device with a superb screen, and it even supports 1080p output. It has a 4.8" screen, and you get something like 8 hours of battery watching 720p videos. The only problem is that it's impossible to find it anywhere.

Then there's the Ainol V9000HDA, which has a 4.3" screen (which is also supposed to be superb, but not as good as the V6000HDT). The battery life is supposed to be around 5 hours, which is decent but not mind-blowing.

If I can't find the V6000, I'll go for the V9000. I probably won't notice the slightly less excellent screen, and I guess I'll just have to live with the battery.

You can get these players with free shipping for less than $150 anywhere in the world, so...

[The DarkSide]

Google is our friend : Ainol V6000HDT

[crumblium]

Thanks for the tip. Is that a safe place to buy from?

[The DarkSide]

That I'm not sure of. Also check out mp4nation, as a few also order from there as well.

[crumblium]

Yeah, MP4 Nation seems like a good store, but they don't have it at the moment.

[crumblium]

Actually, when I look at that YesAsia page (it's apparently a well known and trusted shop, BTW), it doesn't really say "in stock" anywhere as far as I can tell. All it says is "Availability: Usually ships within 7 - 14 days", which is a bit worrying, since it sounds like they are making the assumption that they will be able to get the item from Ainol.