SP3 DVD Redux

[silkrooster]

Why should Microsoft use low powered batteries, when portable DVD players and laptops have no problem with DVD drives. Even external batteries are getting better and look at how small they are.
I understand that lighter batteries are important, but I believe that they can provide enough power if they use a better battery than they do now.

 

[silkrooster]

Sorry if it sounds like I am arguing, I am just interested in this subject, and therefore keeping the conversation going.

 

[GreyFox7]

Why should Microsoft use low powered batteries, when portable DVD players and laptops have no problem with DVD drives. Even external batteries are getting better and look at how small they are.
I understand that lighter batteries are important, but I believe that they can provide enough power if they use a better battery than they do now.

What makes you think the battery is deficient? Based on what technical evaluation?

 

[silkrooster]

Based mostly on what you said. Technically I believe it has to do with the amperage of the usb connector. Apparently the drive requires the higher amperage. I think it is 5 amp and 1.2 amp but don't recall at the moment.
Even if the battery is low amperage, the drive should still connect, but should run down fairly quickly compared to a higher amperage battery.

 

[jnjroach]

The SP3 has one of the highest quality battery in the industry, the USB port on the other hand is under powered by design, many thin and light machines have done this. DVDs while on battery would be suboptimal at best.

 

[GreyFox7]

Based mostly on what you said. Technically I believe it has to do with the amperage of the usb connector. Apparently the drive requires the higher amperage. I think it is 5 amp and 1.2 amp but don't recall at the moment.
Even if the battery is low amperage, the drive should still connect, but should run down fairly quickly compared to a higher amperage battery.

They are limiting the power out on the USB port. Its not that the battery cant provide the power but the circuitry limits it. of course the more power provided to the USB port the shorter the battery life will be.

lots of devices require more than 900ma. USB has several specs and laptop vendors don't often mark power ports so they often look the same. Standard ports: USB 2.0 500ma, USB 3.0 900ma, power ports 1.5A but some vendors supply more.

 

[silkrooster]

To bad they did not make it an option via software. Then the user could make up their mind if they wanted longer battery time or more power for devices.
Probably just wishful thinking.

 

[kundas1]

but MOST people when carrying around their tablets do not want to carry around another device such as a portable dvd player, MOST people want light as possible which is why they put their movies on a memory stick or cloud or on the tablet itself and view their movies from that... it isn't feasible to increase the power of the USB for small percentage of people who can't move forward with new technology and insist on using a dvd player for viewing movies when there is a plethora of other ways such as cloud/Netflix/memory card ect ect ect... you can wish all you want but in reality you only represent a very small and shrinking group...

 

[silkrooster]

Problem is the reality is nothing like that. As mentioned earlier ripping movies is illegal. This means you have 4 choices, carry the external dvd drive, carry a portable dvd player, carry a laptop, or have full time wifi access.
I am one of those that do not have a data plan on the cell phone service. Now we are finding out some providers are limiting bandwidth after so many days in the month, making video watching questionable.
I am not saying to carry the external drive all the time, just on the road/traveling.
On location, odds are fairly good of having a wifi connection. So that is not an issue (most of the time)
So it looks like the small number of people who require such a thing just increased dramatically.

 

[kozak79]

You can get an external battery, there are some that others have recomended for the SP3. Using a powered dvd player or a dvd player with a usb y cable, you can plug it into the external battery, as most come with a usb charing port as well. This would keep you completely portable, like if you are watching on a plane.

 

[kundas1]

Problem is the reality is nothing like that. As mentioned earlier ripping movies is illegal. This means you have 4 choices, carry the external dvd drive, carry a portable dvd player, carry a laptop, or have full time wifi access.
I am one of those that do not have a data plan on the cell phone service. Now we are finding out some providers are limiting bandwidth after so many days in the month, making video watching questionable.
I am not saying to carry the external drive all the time, just on the road/traveling.
On location, odds are fairly good of having a wifi connection. So that is not an issue (most of the time)
So it looks like the small number of people who require such a thing just increased dramatically.

ummm NO that's false! you are allowed to rip movies that you PURCHASED, your just not allowed to redistribute or sale or share the movie... as long as your not sharing the movie and only watching it yourself then its fine.. which is why all movies give you a digital copy with your hard copy...

 

[grumpy]

ummm NO that's false! you are allowed to rip movies that you PURCHASED, your just not allowed to redistribute or sale or share the movie... as long as your not sharing the movie and only watching it yourself then its fine.. which is why all movies give you a digital copy with your hard copy...

Actually, in the US, the DCMA criminalizes circumvention of copy protection technologies (and there is no fair use exception). Virtually all commercial media is encrypted thus requiring software to decrypt the disc (e.g circumvent the copy protection) in order to rip the movie. I find it easier to just skip the middle man...