Answers to frequently asked questions.

What do I need?

You are going to need a few things to make the most of the Pocket DVD Wizard.

• The first is obviously the software, but you can try this for free by downloading from here.
• A desktop or laptop PC running Microsoft Windows 98, ME, XP, Vista, NT or 2000.
• A pocket media player such as a Pocket PC, PSP, Portable Media Player, Palm or Treo, iPod Video, iPhone, Smartphone / Cellphone with video, Archos or other portable media device.
• A source of personal DVD material, such as a disc recorded using a DVD Recorder or an Mpeg or Avi file.

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 as follows:

• Pentium 500+mhz processor, 128Mb ram,  1Gb of free disk space.

Pocket PC Device Support

The Pocket PC needs to be using Windows Mobile 2002, 2003, WM5 or WM6 software.  All Pocket PCs made in the past three years should comply with this requirement.

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.

Palm OS Devices & Treo Device Support

The Pocket DVD Wizard works well with most Palm devices,  including the popular LifeDrive and Treo phones.

We have a specific help page with simple step by step instructions for Palm OS Devices.

Click here to access this help page.

Blackberry Support

The Pocket DVD Wizard creates video files that work with the Blackberry Pearl, Curve and 8800 series handsets.

If you have any problems playing files on these models it may be your network provider is running a custom firmware on the phone which prevents playback of third party video.  The best option is to try the free trial version to check your Blackberry is compatible.

Will it work with a 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.

Devices such as the Zen Vision and Vision:M were added in version 4.

Upgrades are free for existing customers (download here), and add new options specifically for the Portable Media Centers for both DVD, and MPEG / AVI video conversions.

Which makes of Pocket PC's work with files created by the Pocket DVD Wizard?

The Pocket PC manufacturer is not important,  any Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 or later or any Portable Media Center should play the video files back without problem.

This includes models from 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 and a HP (a very slim line Pocket PC) showed on full volume, with full screen playback, the battery lasted just over 4 hours.  Most models from HP and other manufacturers appear to have a similar battery life.

Testing with a Creative Labs Zen PMC, the video played back for approximately 6.5 hours before a recharge was necessary.

We encode at an optimum bit-rate to both keep quality high,  and maintain a good battery life on the device.

Can I transfer movies?

If they are not subject to copyright,  this should not be a problem,  however 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, 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.

What about TV?

As a general rule, if you can record the broadcast on your DVD recorder, then you should be able 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.divx.com/

If 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.

Help Files

How can I view the help file without downloading the Pocket DVD Wizard ?

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.