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Watch DVD video on your Pocket PC (or Portable Media Center!) Pocket DVD Wizard Review: The Pocket DVD Wizard lets you use your computer to make backup copies of your personal DVDs, Mpeg, Avi and DivX® video and then play them on your Windows Mobile™ Pocket PC, Portable Media Center, Smartphone or Windows CE handheld device. Imagine the possibilities! You can now record your favourite TV program with your DVD recorder and transfer it to your Pocket PC, then watch it later in the office, or on the beach! About the Pocket DVD Wizard The Pocket DVD Wizard is designed for Microsoft Windows based PCs (Windows XP, 98, ME, NT, and 2000 are supported in the latest version), and all Pocket Pcs running Windows Mobile™ 2003 or later. Using the Pocket DVD Wizard you can easily fit over 90 minutes of compressed DVD recording, Mpeg, Avi or DivX® video on a single 128Mb memory card, then take the recording on the road. The Pocket DVD Wizard works with both standard Pocket PCs and high resolution 640x480 VGA Pocket PCs, allowing you to select the quality level you want, and to watch the converted video 'full screen' without black bars above and below the picture. Windows based Portable Media Center players, such as the Creative Labs Zen PMC or the iRiver PMP-120 are also fully supported, as are Windows based Smartphones such as the iJam and Motorola MPX handsets. Think of it as the ultimate in time shift TV - you can watch your favourite soap or sci-fi thriller anywhere, when you have the time!
The Pocket DVD Wizard allows you to make backup copies of your personal DVD recordings, and then play then back on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC. Unlike other solutions, no additional software if required on you Pocket PC, all the conversion and file handling is done using the speed and power of your main Windows PC. The Pocket DVD Wizard software uses advanced compression techniques to fit a whole DVD on a memory card the size of a postage stamp. You can then play back the resulting movie file using the standard Windows Media Player already installed on your Pocket PC. Easy to use! The Pocket DVD Wizard has been designed from start to finish to be very easy to use. It will take you through the whole process in a simple, step by step basis. Powerful functions If you want to select some of the more powerful options, such as playback language selection, legible subtitle addition or even alter aspect ratios or clip the original DVD content, you can. Simply click the 'options' tab in the software. High quality conversion The quality of the conversion is very high, and can be set it the software to different levels, depending on the size of memory card you have, and how much room you would like to use to store your videos. More than just a DVD conversion tool... Version 2 can also now convert MPEG and AVI files! Forget expensive, and bulky portable DVD players, if you already have a Pocket PC you can keep the kids quiet for hours! System Requirements: What do I need? You are going to need a few things to make the most of the Pocket DVD Wizard.
What is the minimum specification for my desktop pc? As long as you are running Windows 2000 or Windows XP you should have no problems. We recommend a minimum PC specification of a Pentium 500+mhz processor, 128Mb ram and 1Gb of free disk space.
What about the Pocket Pc? The Pocket Pc needs to be using Windows Mobile 2002 or 2003 software. Generally speaking, you will need approximately 1Mb of memory card space per minute of video converted, so if you have a 30 minute TV recording, you would need approximately 30Mb of memory card space on your device or card. If you have an older Pocket PC, you may still be able to use the Pocket DVD Wizard, but will need to select the Windows CE settings in the software, and install a MPG player on your Pocket PC, such as Pocket TV. Once the conversion has finished, you can transfer the file to your Pocket PC like any other file. Most users choose Active Sync.
Will it work with my Portable Media Center? Yes Support for the Portable Media Center players, such as the Creative Labs Zen PMC, or iRiver PMP-120 was added in version 2.6. This is a free upgrade to existing users , and adds new options specifically for the Portable Media Centers for both DVD, and mpeg / avi video conversions.
Which Pocket PC's work with files created by the Pocket DVD Wizard? Basically any Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 or later or any Portable Media Center. This includes Acer, Compaq, Dell Axim, HP iPAQ, Samsung and Toshiba palm devices and phones such as the O2 XDA II. If you have an older Pocket PC, you may still be able to use the Pocket DVD Wizard, but will need to select the Windows CE settings in the software, and install a MPG player on your Pocket PC, such as Pocket TV.
What about battery life? Tests using a Toshiba e400 (a very slim line Pocket PC) showed on full volume, with full screen playback, the battery lasted just over 4 hours. Obviously this will vary from device to device, but it shows you can watch a lot of content before your Pocket PC runs flat. Testing with a Creative Labs Zen PMC, the video played back for approximately 6.5 hours before a recharge was necessary.
Can I transfer movies? The terms and conditions do not allow you to convert material that is subject to copyright. This includes many movies, you should always check copyright issues first.
Will the Pocket DVD Wizard work with high resolution, VGA Pocket PC's? We added support for 640x480 VGA devices in version 2.4. The upgrade to this version is free for all customers who have purchased version 2 (all later versions include support), simply visit the members page to obtain a new key for the later version, and obtain the download link for the latest version your license allows (Version 2.7 for V2 customers).
What about TV? As a general rule, if you can record the broadcast on your DVD recorder, then you will be able, and allowed to back it up to view it on your Pocket PC. Some channels send macro vision 'do not record' messages to the DVD recorder and most DVD recorders will honour this. Generally speaking, if the DVD recorder says yes the content will not be encoded and you will be able to backup the DVD recording with the Pocket PC Wizard and watch it later.
Can I encode files encoded using DivX® video using the Pocket DVD Wizard? Absolutely. As long as you have the DivX® codec installed on your system, and usually the AC3 codec, you can simply process any DivX® video content as if it were a normal Avi file. If you encounter any problems with the DivX® codec, we recommend you try un-installing the codec, then obtain the latest version direct from http://www.alldigitalguide.com/divx.htmIf a DivX® video will play in Windows Media player, and you are using the DivX® codec from the above site, you should find conversion works well.
The online
help link uses frames, which my browser does not support. The best way to view the help file is by pressing the 'F1' key at any time in the Pocket DVD Wizard software to bring up the help file. If you would like to view the help file without downloading and installing the Pocket DVD Wizard, there is a copy available for download in PDF format here. About the Pocket DVD Wizard The Pocket DVD Wizard is a software application written by The Coding Workshop Ltd. The Coding Workshop was formed in 2001, and initially released software designed for mobile cell phones. As phones became more advanced, many started to include PDA's such as Pocket PC or Palm technology. Many of these phones were able to use MP3 ringtones, and play full motion video. The Pocket DVD Wizard was born! In 2003 the Pocket DVD Wizard was born. Built on the existing knowledge from the latest phone and PDA technology and the easy to use interfaces from the existing products, the Pocket DVD Wizard allows you to convert full length DVD, mpeg, avi and even DivX® video content to work on your phone. The Pocket DVD Wizard was initially created because we didn't want to carry round a bulky portable DVD player and the DVD library from home, when instead we could use our existing Pocket PC's, and memory cards the size of postage stamps. Now, with bigger and bigger memory cards available for less and less you can even get up to 6 hours of TV onto your Pocket PC - enough for the longest car or rail journey, or even a transatlantic flight. With the advent, and support of the new Pocket Media Center players, featuring large hard drives and powerful playback software, watching your DVD's when you are on the move is getting better and better!
Pocket DVD Wizard
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