Anthony Gives DVD to Pocket PC 2 a Test Run

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.thepdaguy.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27' target='_blank'>http://www.thepdaguy.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27</a><br /><br /></div><i>"If you want to wow a prospective PDA user, one of the best things you can do is show off its multimedia capability. DVD to Pocket PC (DVD2PPC) takes the complex, multi-step process of DVD ripping and encoding and makes it into a simple two step process."</i><br /><br />Anthony Caruana, otherwise known as The PDA Guy, has spent some time looking at DVD to Pocket PC 2. So for those of you deciding which of the many DVD/Pocket PC products to purchase, <a href="http://www.thepdaguy.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27">this quick review</a> may help you along the way.

[reddeerguy]

By the looks of this review - I still prefer PocketDivX Encoder - free, fast, batch conversion friendly and good quality vids that play via BetaPlayer.

[Iznot Gold]

One omission in this review is that version 2 includes support for 640 x 480 displays! ie hx 4700.
I have to say I find DVD2PPC so fast and easy to use...its a joy!
David

[Warwick]

Been doing this with media encoder for a long time myself. Its no hastle as I have each setup saved.
It is good to see a quick and easy program to do it for those who dont like to mess about, but its too expensive to replace what I have already.

[jonathanchoo]

Nothing beats XMpeg for direct DVD to DivX encoding. And there is the support app of VirtuaDub too.

Anyway prefer to use Windows Media Encoder as a standalone program if I want to go WMV. More control. Not sure why people are paying for something that can be done for free.

[Philip Colmer]

Not sure why people are paying for something that can be done for free.
Because not everyone can either perform the individual steps themselves or are patient enough to take the process through each step in turn.

A tool like this just requires you to point it at the appropriate file on the DVD and then n hours later, you've got a file ready for your Pocket PC without any fuss or messing about.

This is also, incidentally, why tools like this tend to create Windows Media files, since the player is included in the device. Any other file format would require further work on the part of the user, i.e. installation of software on the Pocket PC.

Personally, I think I probably would go for a tool like this if it gave good results and if I didn't end up watching DVDs on my laptop as much as I did.

--Philip

[Vincent M Ferrari]

Well, I sprung for it for exactly the reasons mentioned above.

1. It's easy.
2. It works.
3. I don't have to sit in front of the computer while it goes.

Anything else is gravy, but those three reasons alone made it worth it for me.

[Phillip Dyson]

[quote=jonathanchoo]
Because not everyone can either perform the individual steps themselves or are patient enough to take the process through each step in turn.

{snip}

--Philip

Unfortunately I may fall in the ability part of your statement. :oops:
I spent hours last night trying to get XMPEG to work and can't get anything bigger than a 7mb avi which causes my windows explorer to crash if I try to look at the properties.

Which of course caused me to reconsider one of the laymen's (sp?) tools. :oops:

I haven't given up but the outlook seems bleak.

[tigga]

You guys seen FairUse Wizards, absolutley spiffing for dvd -> xvid conversion... and a useful batch mode :)

http://www.fairusewizard.com/

Take a peek (its free for files created under 700mb!)

Tig.

[jonathanchoo]

A tool like this just requires you to point it at the appropriate file on the DVD and then n hours later, you've got a file ready for your Pocket PC without any fuss or messing about

--Philip

Actually tools like XMPeg allows batch conversion. Just queue them up. Same goes with VirtuaDub. i much prefer to use these applications because I have more control on the quality and file size.

The problem with all of these commericial products that I have tried is almost everytime my output files would have aspect ratio problems.

Speaking of Windows Media, if you are planning to encode videos at high bitrate videos then you might as well forget it.

On my Jam, WMP10 has serious problem playing videos encoded at higher than 700kbps (peak: 1300kbps), it just keeps stuttering, where as BetaPlayer has no problem with 2000kbps DivX files.

[Phillip Dyson]

I just checked out FairUse.
I tried it out on Hero. I figured its got color, action, sound. All fantastic.

I must say that when I looked at on my PDA, it was fantastic. Smooth.
And it was so easy.

I think this one may be a keeper. I may even pay and get the commercial one. But for my PDA, 700MB is perfect.

It took my battery from 93% to 20% to let it play, but it made it.

There were 2 points out of 1 hour and 39 minutes that it jumped, but I don't think that had anything to do with the encoding. Because my hour glass came up both times.

Excellent product. :way to go:

[Damion Chaplin]

From FairUse:

"If you know for sure that your country has laws that prevent you from copying copy-protected discs your own for your own personal use, you are not allowed to download or use the CSS-enabled version of this tool."

Has everyone forgotten the DMCA?
The DMCA rules that ANY software that defeats DVD encryption, even for personal use on your own DVDs, is illegal. :(

That means all programs like this are inherently illegal.

'Course, the DMCA can kiss my A**. :)

So just be careful.
It would suck to go to prison for backing up your own DVDs.

[MaximumPDA]

'Course, the DMCA can kiss my A**. :)




Ditto!!!

I got a new toy called ReplayTV and a program called DVArchive that allows me to copy my TV shows and burn them to DVD (among other things)...this software tool (DVD to PocketPC) looks it will allow me to take those MPEG's and shrink them to my PocketPC...Whoohoo, Alias on the go!

BTW I now live in Brazil.... :wink: ...if anyone asks LOL

I am temped to step up on my soapbox and talk about how our government needs to stop protecting us from ourselves and stop pandering to big business and how it my right to watch stuff I purchase on whatever medium I see fit...its not like they offer movies on SD card... (Talking foot off of the soapbox before the other one finds its way there and this turns into a two page post)

---Bill