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By teamkingsley
#198362
Hello, I am new to the forum so please excuse me if I am not following protocol.

I have prototyped a shield for Arduino Uno that can play high definition 1080p video at up to 60fps.
I am hoping for some input and opinions from this forum to help determine if I should have them produced to sell.

Quick facts:
We expect the price to around US $75 each in single quantities
Will play most all popular audio or video files from a micro SD memory card.
There is no blank space, no black space, when looping or when changing files. It will hold the last frame until the first frame shows.
Composite output, NTSC or PAL, HDMI output at resolutions from 720p50, 720p60, 1080i, 1080p, 24, 50, 60 fps, selectable by serial command
Stereo audio output on HDMI cable or on 3.5mm jack, selectable by serial command
On screen menu for setup using 4 inputs for external pushbuttons, or use optional IR remote control
Stacks on Arduino Uno R3 and passes all pins* to next level up. All 4 mounting holes match the Uno R3
By jumper selection, can be powered from the UNO R3, or can supply power to the Uno R3, or be powered separately (5 Volt regulated)
When power is applied it will loop the file named 000
Up to 200 more files can be controlled from serial command
Simple 1 byte serial commands, 8N1 at baud rates from 2400 to 38.4K
Serial commands for Pause, Play, FF, FW, Next, Previous, Volume up, Volume down, Mute, initial setup and more
Has serial feedback - will echo commands, will report file number playing, will report when the End of File is reached
Multiple pins from the Uno R3 can be assigned to the RX and TX by shunt jumpers
In Address Mode, up to 5 Sprite Shields may be stacked on the same RX line and be set to different addresses (2 byte commands, address, command)
Can be used stand alone without the Arduino with looping file 000, and up to 5 pushbutton or TTL low inputs to play 5 other files
After a selected / commanded file finishes, the file named 000 will begin looping again until the next input.

This prototype is based on our MedeaWiz Sprite production video player, a proven design, which has sold over 3000 units in under 2 years
You can find out more about the production Sprite at our website or just search "medeawiz sprite"
We have distribution in North America, United Kingdom, Europe, and soon India

Now the "bad news"
The prototype is a bit larger than the Uno R3, measuring 3.070 x 2.475 inches (78 x 63 mm). The edge of our board that has the power, HDMI and AV jacks lines up to edge of the Uno R3 where the USB and power jacks are located. So all cables exit the same end in the same plane. The micro SD slot is at the opposite end, along with the 2 x 5 pin header for 5 external pushbuttons. We can possibly make it smaller with some more tweaking of the layout or limiting the jumper pins to select which Arduino pins to use for the TX and RX.

* It does not pass either of the 2 x 3 headers for ICSP or SPI bus to the next level

To summarize
I think we have a good product. We have built on the success of a proven product. Everything is in place to begin production within a few weeks. However, since we are new to the Arduino world, we are not certain of potential sales. We are looking for opinions to determine if we will invest in a production run, or possibly do a Kickstarter, with a lower price for supporters.

I' will try to post pictures following this first post.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bill Kingsley

Please let us know your thoughts.
By lyndon
#198367
What was the motivation for this? Whenever I need that kind of resolution, I use a Raspberry Pi. Existing solution and ends up far less expensive and with more options.
By teamkingsley
#198372
Thanks for your reply.

We had some people ask us about making them. Since we had the video player design, it basically was just a matter of a new PCB layout with a few minor changes. I am aware of the pi solution, but I think some people love the Arduino and don't want to switch. It could very well be that there is not much interest in this type of shield. That is why we have not put it into production without further opinions.