The sad ending of the movie on mobile devices

Like the MP3 in the phone, many people hope to watch videos anytime, anywhere. Some products currently support videos such as iPods, PDAs, gaming devices . but the quality is only "compromised", meaning users think "that's okay, it's better than nothing".

It can be said, at this time, only new laptops are compatible with all videos downloaded to the hard drive for viewing on a large screen with high quality. The biggest challenge here is putting movies into small devices.

Users who require video downloading must be as easy as downloading MP3 music: plug in the cable, turn on the button and wait. But MP3 is a popular digital music format and all music devices support it. Even if Apple and Microsoft always promote AAC and WMA technology, their products are still compatible with MP3. Not accepting this format means that they will "kill" their music business.

And the video world is still complicated. In addition to popular technologies such as AVI and MPEG4 (MP4), users must also learn the appropriate method of compressing content, such as DivX, XviD and MPEG4 "codec" by portable video devices that only support a few certain codecs and formats.

Player

Apple iPod is not the first MP3 or mobile video device on the market but it is one of the most consumed products in the world. iPod video has a 30 GB or 80 GB hard drive with a 6.35 cm screen. Users can purchase movies and TV shows on Apple iTunes. If you want to download videos from other sources, they will need special support software to convert videos into MPEG4 or MOV files, such as the free tool of iSquint (isquint.org) and Videora iPod Converter (videora.com ).

Pocket communication device (PMP)

This product line is equipped with a large screen, built-in speaker and can be connected to a TV. PMP is divided into 2 categories: operating on Windows operating system and running on the manufacturer's own program.

The first type may include the Toshiba Gigabeat V version with Microsoft Portable Media Center interface. In theory, it is compatible with files still running on Windows PC like DivX and VxiD. But users will have to wait patiently for Media Player 11 software on the computer Windows XP converts the file to the size appropriate for the handset.

Meanwhile, the Creative Zen Vision: W is popular because it works on a Linux operating system with a 4.3-inch screen, 60 GB hard drive and supports many video formats like MPEG4, AVI, DivX and XviD.

Cellular phone

Mobile phones promise to act as a personal video device. This is because 3G networks have some common technical standards, as all 3rd generation phones are compatible with 3GP video format and users can easily find free 3GP conversion software on Google.

However, in addition to the small screen problem, the device also needs a memory card that is large enough to hold video. In addition, many manufacturers design the location of the memory card inside the case, even under the battery, so users have to turn off the computer if they want to remove the memory card.

Game player

When referring to an "all-in-one" device, it is hard to ignore the Sony PSP (US $ 350). The Japanese electronics company originally planned to release PSP movies with UMD technology, but the format was almost nonexistent, except in Japan where "adult" films were still produced under UMD.

PSP currently supports MPEG4 and users can download videos from the Internet via peer-to-peer network BitTorrent or 3rd party DVD conversion software.