Pocket PC Films Review & Interview

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1217' target='_blank'>http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1217</a><br /><br /></div>"I’m often asked the question by Pocket PC users that goes something like this, “I have this great device that I use for normal business functions and playing solitaire to pass the time now and again, but what am I missing and what else can this device do?”<!> There are many answers to this question, but one use that many don’t often consider is using the Pocket PC as a movie playing device. That’s right, watching a full feature length film on your Pocket PC with excellent playback quality. Pocket PC Films is the company pioneering bringing movie content to your handheld. In this review I cover a product review and a recent interview with Pocket PC Films CEO Darrell Griffin."

[disconnected]

Ok, I see the reference to 25,000 titles, but where are they? I can only see a handful of them under the various categories.

I also think the prices are awfully high for something you can really only watch on a Pocket PC. What I'd rather have is the option to buy a regular, full-size DVD (preferably current) and, for a small extra cost, be able to download the same movie in PPC format. I know I can convert my own DVDs, but I'm lazy and would be willing to pay a small amount for the convenience of pre-converted movies.

[Gerard]

Ah good, it's not just me seeing only a small number of available movies. I asked the same thing over on PocketPCPassion, and the answer was not really clear. Seems they have 'an interest' in thousands of older titles which are not of interest to most users. Well, that's sort of useless. What are they, military training films form the '50's? Orchid tending seminars? Budgie repair workshops? ;) Teasing. But seriously, how do I know whether or not I'm interested in these supposedly 25,000 films if there is no way to read the titles?

[jizmo]

I totally agree with Disconnected ..

Normal price for the DVD film and a small charge of getting it in compact PPC format.

/jizmo

[bargainPDA]

The deal is that most of the 25,000 films are public domain pieces. You're right, not much value, but there are more titles coming. I saw the SI Swimsuit video on an h1910 and was quite impressed. It's a fun concept and will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Brian

[bdegroodt]

The deal is that most of the 25,000 films are public domain pieces. You're right, not much value, but there are more titles coming. I saw the SI Swimsuit video on an h1910 and was quite impressed. It's a fun concept and will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Brian

I'm encouraged, just like the home market and VHS porn will move those films off the shelf like hotcakes.

Sorry Jason, couldn't pass up the porn/pda comment. :P

[Gerard]

Um, well, that's still not an answer. I see 22 titles available from the main movie menu page. On linked pages I see perhaps another 100 films. That leaves the vast bulk of the supposedly 25,000 titles totally unavailable, unless I am missing something. Is there a concealed link to the entire catalogue, something disguised as some other link? I can't find it. I see a few categories, with a dozen or two films in each one. That's it, right? How about a straight answer, business 'puff' or not.

[pocketpcdude1024]

I've tried watching movies on my Pocket PC, but it just wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it was going to be. The first 5 minutes it was like "Wow! This is so cool! I'm watching a movie on my Pocket PC!" After that, it wasn't really great, seeing as I encoded the movie into WMV format (8fps, 160x208 pixels) and only was able to fit half the movie on my 128MB SD card.

[Macguy59]

I know what you mean. It's a catch 22. You want the file sizes wmv gives you, but doing so you sacrifice quality. I have pretty well decided to use higher capacity SD cards and stick with mpeg format. Even using speedstepper and running my 1910 @ 300mhz, wmv encoded video still stutters and pauses. Mpeg video however plays very well using PocketTV.

[Jason Dunn]

Um, well, that's still not an answer...How about a straight answer, business 'puff' or not.

Why don't you go ask them Gerard?

[Gerard]

Sorry Jason, guess I overstepped again? Or did I?
The thread starter has quoted the figure of 25,000 titles in his article/interview, and at the same time hints that not much is available except a few little collections and the models in swimsuits thing and some public domain stuff. Thrice (here and elsewhere) he has made this evasive sort of answer, making me question the veracity of the interview/review/article/promotional spot... whatever it is.
I asked nothing controversial, just a simple question with hopes of maybe getting a link to this fabulous collection of 25,000 movies. Who knows, there may be something there I'd like to purchase! But of the few dozen titles which seem to be the total offering, I see nothing I'd buy. If numbers are going to be bandied about by not only a publicity department but also a journalist covering what the distributor is selling, I kind of want to know if there are actually even a sizeable portion of that number available to the public. Their website seems not to suport the truth of such a claim. If it is in fact not accurate, the consuming public needs to know about it. Right?
For what it's worth, Tom Dugan has spent almost 5 years doing battle with content owners and media conglomerates and device OEMs and Microsoft and anyone who would listen, desperately and skilfully trying to get rights for distribution of high quality mobile movies and TV shows. He has been thwarted at every turn, almost. He's still at it, contributing every bit of spare time he can, in the belief that movies should be available while preserving the copyright of content owners. If this very knowledgeable and connected person cannot manage the feat, I am somewhat skeptical that PocketPCMovies has outdone him. Maybe they have, but I don't see the evidence on their site nor in this review/interview.
I am all for PPC boosterism, provided it is from a defensible standpoint. This one seems not to be such a position. It'd be unfortunate if the enterprise failed, just because of false advertising and the inevitable disillusionment of the impatient buying public. Let's have some honesty here. Are there, or are there not, a huge number of videos currently available???

[Tari Akpodiete]

one of the most common questions i get from 'Rocketeers', is where they can get full-length features or tv shows. i'd hazard a guess that they're talking about current/recent material.

and for sure, right now, mpeg/pocket tv is the way to go for quality and to get bigger dimensions, although perhaps not file size.

in my experiments, i have several one hour tv shows, 45 minutes or so without commercials, coming in at between 120 and 140 megs at 320x240. the visual quality is quite good.