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Watch PocketPC Video "To hell with the Video iPod. I want video and I want it now and I want it on the PocketPC I already own.
When I take my TV shows to the gym, my PocketPC is a great way to do it. My Axim x50v has a huge 640x480 screen that outperforms any teeny-tiny iPod.
And, thanks to The Core Pocket Media Player, I can play damn near any kind of video. The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP, formerly BetaPlayer) is an open-source media player distributed under the GNU General Public License."
I've watched my share of movies on my Pocket PCs over the years. Mainly, I've used Snapstream to do my captures for watching while on the plane or in transit. I'll admit getting your videos into your Pocket PC have become much easier over the years as Erica Sadun's column points that out.
Anyone with a media center computer interested in getting their ms-dvr files onto their PPC, should look into a program called My TV ToGo. It is available on Handango for 19.95. A trial is available, but will only convert a few minutes of a clip.
The program has an interface similar to the media center, and converts ms-dvr files into smaller device friendly wmv files for viewing on a PPC. The conversion process takes about the same amount of time to convert as the original program, and is somewhat memory intensive. Although I was able to use Pocket DVD studio and My Tv ToGo at the same time using a P4ht 3.0ghz media center PC w/ 1 gig of ram.
I really enjoy the program, and have used it quite successfully to convert entire seasons of programming to take with me on my PPC.
One additional comment, when I originally purchased the program, Ihad some trouble getting it to convert. (something to do with a codec I downloaded somewhere for something else and could not get rid of until I reformatted the computer) and wrote to them for support. They replied within hours (on a Saturday) and had me up and running in no time.
I just purchased a Sony Vaio with WMC from Circuit City and love it. I still use Tivo for weekly shows that I watch, skip thru commercials, and delete. But the cartoons and shows I record with WMC I transfer to DVD (mainly cartoons for my grand daughter.) We have many store bought DVDs but have to wait for all of the warnings and ads before she can start watching (Dora, Blue's Clues, etc).
The DVDs that I burn open up to the Menu and have two selections: Play All or Select Episode (these are naturally configuable when you're burning the DVD).
Yesterday I downloaded a plugin to Remotely schedule recordings through the tv.msn website. Pretty cool.
I use the TVtoGo program, but I'm having slight audio sync issues-but it is watchable. I have the HP 6315 and it might be a processor problem. I play plenty of movies that I've encoded just fine with other software.
The Sony comes with a great DVD burning software. Also, the DVD burner on the PC is dual layer so I can record longer video.
The Media Center interface is pretty clean and easy to use. You plug in your zip code, select your tv service provider, and your tv guide is downloaded. You can select a single show or select "series" (can't remember the exact wording). That's it.
-Webidiot
Run 124: Most movies that I convert with Pocket DVD Studio are about 300mb for a VGA machine, although you can certainly make them smaller. I suggest you play with the settings and see what settings work well for you. I recommend this program highly, as the conversion time is very quick compared to some, about the same time as the run time of the movie or program. It also has a pause feature, where you can transfer the clip to your device and check out the quality before you convert the whole thing.
Brad: There are different levels on the WMC machines. If you plan to use one as your primary computer, or if you are planning on adding to to your living room as a PVR with your existing home entertainment system, or as a stand alone PVR.
I tried out several units before I chose the one I currently own. I bought an HP model first, with an AMD 64 processor and 512 ram. The performance was pretty miserable. If you were using the media center to record a show, it took up about 85-95% of the processing power and left you unable to do much of anything else at all. I took it back, and showed the salespeople on the floor why it would not be a great system as primary PC, by showing them how much of the processor was taken up by using the media center.
Then, I tried a Sony Viao, with a TV Tuner, but NOT media center 2005. (P4, 512 ram)The trouble I ran into with that was that while I could download some programming information with the included software, it would not recognize any channel except channel 3 (which my TV had to be tuned to to work with my satellite) so I could not change channels. This meant that I had to be there to initiate and recording, and could not take advantage of some of the features I really wanted.
So, back to the store again. This time I went back to HP, and chose a model with P4(hyper-threading) 3.00mhz processor and 512 ram, and upgraded the ram myself to 1gig. There is a HUGE performance difference between the AMD64 and the P4. This model allows me to record programs, and still do anything else I woudl like to on my PC. Comparing the processing needeed, recording on this PC took up between 15 to 25% of the available processing power, and that dropped after I added the extra ram.
So, processors matter! When shopping for a MCE PC, I suggest you play the sample movie (Mysteries of the Nile, or something like that) and then do the ctrl, alt, delete to bring up the Task Manager, and then click on the Performance Tab to view how much of the system resources are being used to play to video.
So, if you are going to add the MCE PC to your entertainment center, and only use it as a PVR, then a barebones system that takes up significant resources of the PC would be fine, since you are not using it to surf the web or anything else while you are using it.
But, if you are adding a new PC that you will use for other things besides the media center, you definitely want to go with something more than a barebones system.
As far as the interface goes, Microsoft has just released a major update to the MCE software, and the update gives you the ability to run more tuners , currently limited to 2, and now to 4. (Not sure why you would need 4 tuners, but what the hell...) It also addresses some bug fixes. Check out either Microsoft's website or TheGreenButton.com for more info.
One other thing to be aware of: Viewing TV on an analog monitor can be disappointing in quality. Using an S-Video cable can significantly increase the quality, but the shows themselves are nowhere near DVD quality when viewing. (Although the MCE test video while setting up is amazingly clear, I get nowhere near that quality when viewing programs.) I don't now if that has something to do with the user, it's certainly possible, but I have tried everything I could think of to imporve the quality, but it's still not that clear crisp picture I would have expected.
Another thing to keep in mind is this: MCE will only record in ms-dvr format which is about 3gig per hour of programming. If you set it up to automatically record seasons of programming, you can find your HD crammed pretty quickly! Also, there are only so many programs out there that can convert the ms-dvr format to DVD. Intervideo is one that works quite well, but it is a little slow. To convert a one hour program to DVD takes about 2 hours at the highest quality setting. Using their DVD building software, you can choose the background, buttons and menu yourself to create a spiffy DVD. You can also edit your program, but to be honest, I haven't tried to really edit with the program, but when I did, I didn't find the editing process to be "instinctive" and would require more searching and/or reading manuals to figure out how to do it, so I can't speak to how easy it is to do.
My Tv ToGo will take a 1 hour program (about 3 gig at highest quality) and convert it to WMV at about 65mb/hour (also at highest quality setting) in about the same run time as the original program to use one your PPC.
One of the features of WMP 10 is the ability to sync your programming (including recorded programming) to a portable device. I do not have a portable device with WMP10, so I would love to know from someone who does if it converts the programs into a smaller format. It wouldn't really be helpful for PPC users if it does not, but portable Media Centers with 40 or more gig would be fine, I suppose.
Anyway...sorry to go on for so long, but these are some things that should really be considered for anyone considering purchasing a MCE PC.
ok....the site is working now....but please forgive my naivte'...I moved last week's THE OFFICE file to my storage card and all that shows up is a still picture that they probably took for a commercial....does an mp4 file have to be converted or something? thanks
Matt
ok ive downloaded "tune bites" which seems to do what it claims...i was able to convert to a wmv file....but it also captured the screen interface! ugh.... if anyone has been thru this process and can lend some tips that would be great...as it is now when I try to convert o mp4 file every file gets an error message....ugh
hey youre wright TCPMP is the way to go I have an old ipaq 5555 and watch alot alot of videos and just yesterday I found this site to watch "you tube pocket"and also "veoh pocket" whats also great they show you step by step how to make your adjustments on your tcpmp to play all the files also they have a link to "my space music". I am a newbee to this but I am enjoying every moment of it.. the site is GoPckt
I found this great "quick media converter"from cocoonvideos.I am new to all this but this software help me alot it could convert to wmv,ipod,dvd,pocket pc,smartphones,and many more also to pal,and secam format I believe I got it from cnet.check it out
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