Watch Pocket PC Movies The Easy Way

Bob Russell · 02-01-2005, 01:13 AM

I've just discovered a very fun and simple way to watch movies for free on a Pocket PC. All you have to do is

1) Download your chosen public domain movie from a Free Public Domain Movie Archive. Think there's nothing worth watching there? Think again. From 15min Three Stooges shorts to full length feature films with David Niven to other fun flicks, there's sure to be something you'll find worth watching. Note: You'll want a broadband connection to do this.

2) Copy it to your SD card. A full length movie takes just over 200meg, so you'll need at least a 256meg card for the best resolution MPEG4. But in a pinch you can use a lower resolution version that takes about 1/4 the space.

3) Make sure you have a player installed that can handle MPEG4. One very good one is free - BetaPlayer. I haven't tried Media Player, but it's possible that Media Player can even play these videos.

4) Enjoy! That's all there is to it!

5) Extend your fun...
--> Do the same thing with PalmOS. If you find the appropriate video player software. Anyone know of one that works?
--> Convert your own DVDs for viewing on your PDA. I just bought a copy of DVD Studio 3.0, but wasn't able to convert the first DVD I tried. It only converted the trailers. But then again, I couldn't even play the movie on my laptop using the DVD player, so I think the problem was not related to DVD studio or my PDA. When I get a chance I'll try other DVDs and will do it with my desktop PC instead of the laptop. I fully expect to have more success. If you're more daring or short on cash, you can find free versions of software to do the conversions. Check out the BetaPlayer web page for some recommended software.
--> Use an analog to digital converter or a video card with video in to convert vhs tapes to pda format. Even home movies are possibilities for your handheld. Just think... you can bore all your friends at work with handheld versions of your last family vacation!

If anyone else gives these things a try, let us know how it works for you. I'm sure there are many of our readers that already have a lot of experience doing this.

TadW · 02-01-2005, 03:34 AM

Thanks for the link, Bob. Always nice to have some freebies, even if it is "just" public domain

I know BetaPlayer and from what I've seen it rocks! I would like to know as well how Palm OS people here watch movies on their handhelds? Do you have to reencode the movie first or can you play native XviD/DivX/Mpeg4?

Bob Russell · 02-01-2005, 08:12 AM

On PPC, BetaPlayer lets you see native XviD/DivX/Mpeg4 with no conversion necessary. Don't know about PalmOS.

I've seen ads for movies on line that aren't public domain. I wonder if anyone has tried any of them, or has any links for us?

Or alternatively, if you're willing to do the conversions yourself and have a lot of downtime to watch PDA videos, you could try NetFlix or Blockbuster's DVD by mail programs, which would probably be a nice way to get content also.

02-01-2005, 01:13 AM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Watch Pocket PC Movies The Easy Way I've just discovered a very fun and simple way to watch movies for free on a Pocket PC. All you have to do is 1) Download your chosen public domain movie from a Free Public Domain Movie Archive. Think there's nothing worth watching there? Think again. From 15min Three Stooges shorts to full length feature films with David Niven to other fun flicks, there's sure to be something you'll find worth watching. Note: You'll want a broadband connection to do this. 2) Copy it to your SD card. A full length movie takes just over 200meg, so you'll need at least a 256meg card for the best resolution MPEG4. But in a pinch you can use a lower resolution version that takes about 1/4 the space. 3) Make sure you have a player installed that can handle MPEG4. One very good one is free - BetaPlayer. I haven't tried Media Player, but it's possible that Media Player can even play these videos. 4) Enjoy! That's all there is to it! 5) Extend your fun... --> Do the same thing with PalmOS. If you find the appropriate video player software. Anyone know of one that works? --> Convert your own DVDs for viewing on your PDA. I just bought a copy of DVD Studio 3.0, but wasn't able to convert the first DVD I tried. It only converted the trailers. But then again, I couldn't even play the movie on my laptop using the DVD player, so I think the problem was not related to DVD studio or my PDA. When I get a chance I'll try other DVDs and will do it with my desktop PC instead of the laptop. I fully expect to have more success. If you're more daring or short on cash, you can find free versions of software to do the conversions. Check out the BetaPlayer web page for some recommended software. --> Use an analog to digital converter or a video card with video in to convert vhs tapes to pda format. Even home movies are possibilities for your handheld. Just think... you can bore all your friends at work with handheld versions of your last family vacation! If anyone else gives these things a try, let us know how it works for you. I'm sure there are many of our readers that already have a lot of experience doing this.

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02-01-2005, 03:34 AM	#2
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Thanks for the link, Bob. Always nice to have some freebies, even if it is "just" public domain I know BetaPlayer and from what I've seen it rocks! I would like to know as well how Palm OS people here watch movies on their handhelds? Do you have to reencode the movie first or can you play native XviD/DivX/Mpeg4?

02-01-2005, 08:12 AM	#3
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	On PPC, BetaPlayer lets you see native XviD/DivX/Mpeg4 with no conversion necessary. Don't know about PalmOS. I've seen ads for movies on line that aren't public domain. I wonder if anyone has tried any of them, or has any links for us? Or alternatively, if you're willing to do the conversions yourself and have a lot of downtime to watch PDA videos, you could try NetFlix or Blockbuster's DVD by mail programs, which would probably be a nice way to get content also.

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