Video view on Pocket PC (Pocket PC platform)

Video view on Pocket PC (Pocket PC platform).

The contemporary user of desktop computer long ago learnt to use it as multimedia studio to listen to music; view and edit movies; create, edit, and print pictures.

The short time has been passed, and mobile telephone turned into the same multimedia center employed more frequently for entertainment than for creative work, and now the pocket computer may be easily called as the center of music, video, game, and network technologies. This article will be related to the player programs to replay various video formats on Pocket PC under Windows Mobile.

The first question, user could ask himself, is why to view movies on the display with resolution QVGA 320x240 pixels (or at best – 640x480 pixels), when they could be viewed at the desktop computer? The answer is simple, Pocket PC in contrast to smart-phone is full-scale computer, and the function to view video movies is provided by the way accustomed to user as in desktop systems called as "Big Brother" (BB) in the computer spheres. Pocket computer which you use in the routine activity, may be changed into multi-purpose center at leisure with which you may manage graphic, audio, and video.
After streaming broadcasting appearance in Internet, as well as the network of "third generation" (3G) developing which allow broadcasting in system 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project, participants are the US, South Korea, China, and Japan), the serials' sale spreading in Internet and telecast issues (in iTunes store for Apple iPod), the possibility to view video movies on devices like Pocket PC is present-day and demanded. If user buys player with facility to replay video movie, and in some time is accustomed to view it on a small size screen, viewing the same movie on Pocket PC would be more convenient technically and more aesthetic than on iPod (nevertheless, Pocket PC is a computer with its own graphic subsystem, processor, comparatively better display, and UI system).

The second question is related to hardware for process. The possibility to enhance memory in Pocket PC is restricted by the memory card specification, which it supports, and also availability of slots and ports for peripheral devices such as flash-storage, pocket-HDD, music attachment, etc. For the standard timekeeping movie (120 minutes) with resolution 320x240 pixels, the memory card 256 MB is sufficient. However, it is necessary to take into account that on Pocket PC you will view movies that have video- and audio-tracks compressed with, as a rule, MPEG-4 and MPEG-3, respectively, which are known by many users of computers after experience of viewing AVI-files before mass DVD expansion. Maximal frame size for QVGA is 320x240 pixels. Even if the display of your Pocket PC has VGA (640x480) resolution, there is no sense to code video because of small difference in size and resolution of screen: matrix sizes of QVGA and VGA are the same and at present time reach roughly 3.5". Movie bit-rate (number of information bit per a time unit) should be chosen on the basis of the original file bit-rate (your Pocket PC must have resources enough for replaying video, about what we tell below), and the ideal variant is to leave it the same, but there may be some variants, especially if the movie has trick effects or rash activity of heroes. The audio track of movie may be kept without changes. For decreasing the output file size, it may only be advised MP3 format with alternating bit-rate: more compact parts of sound take more bit rate than pauses, roles, voices on background do.

The attention should be drawn to power supply for Pocket PC, because the charge of common batteries may be not enough, it is resulted in money expense to buy additional battery or batteries of higher capacity, or in decreasing autonomy related to the alternating power supply (electric network). Important condition also is a transfer of converted file to Pocket PC, for that you will need a card reader allowing to copy at higher rate than the rate of Active Sync or IR, or Bluetooth.

In conclusion, I would like to indicate minimal and maximal system requirements for Pocket PC to fulfill a video movie view.

Maximal requirements and mini-computers suitable:
CPU 312 MHz, RAM - 64 Mb, ROM - 32 Mb, display 320x240, Windows Mobile, SD/MMC, CF, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or IR-port. (Acer n 50, HP iPAQ rz 3715, HP iPAQ 2190, HP iPAQ 2410, HP iPAQ 2110, Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX 420).

Optimal requirements and mini-computers suitable:
CPU 520 MHz, RAM 128 Mb, ROM - 128 Mb, display 480x640. Windows Mobile, SD/MMC, CF, Bluetooth (Dell Axim X50, Dell Axim X51v, Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 560, HP iPAQ hx4700).