Cingular 8525 Video/Music Quality?

[LouMessina]

How does everyone find the video quality on the Cingular 8525 (& mobile phones in general) as opposed to an iPod or similar device? Before I start investing in videos & TV for my Cingular 8525, I'm wondering whether it's worth it, or should I invest in an additional device for that purpose.

Whenever I use my mobile phone to access the two URLs Microsoft links to as their Windows Media Player Website (Mobile Version), I either get very poor quality, small videos, or error messages. Does anyone get the same?

http://www.windowsmedia.com/mobile
http://www.windowsmediamobile.theplatform.com

Regardless of your luck with the above two sites & WMP, can I work around WMP to get video & TV on this device comparable to an iPod or similar device?

Is it necessary to work around WMP? Is that the problem, or is the device just not adequate for this purpose?

Thanks.

[SteveHoward999]

I don't view video over the web on my phone or PDA. Quality is too poor.

That's not to say that they cannot play great quality video. I'm just saying that any you get over the web is horrible.

There are scores of tools for converting video to a format that is good for your pocket device. Since my PDA (Toshiba E830, 4 inch VGA screen) and phone (Nokia E62, 2.8 inch QVGA screen) both have bigger screens than the iPod, and each can play exxcellent quality video, I'd say both are able to to a great job.

But where you lose out is not in the facility to play great video, but in the storage space to carry a great deal ov video about. I have a total of 12 Gb storage on my PDA, but only 2 Gb on my phone. Still - that's enougvh for 10 full seasons of The Simpsons, plus a season of SCRUBS on my PDA, plus hundreds of books, some music and goodness knows what else on the PDA, - and on the phone I also have a full season of Simpsons, plus a ton of music, more books and sundry other stuff ...

Anyway - if you want to watch on-line video, use your PC or wait until Flash Lite 3 comes to mobile devices towards the end of the year.

On the other hand, if you want to rip your DVDs, and you really want the versatility of a phone+PDA device, then the 8525 should be just fine!