Watch Personal TV on Your Pocket PC

Richard Baguley

Watching TV on your PDA may sound far-fetched, but you can do it with PocketPVS, a new program included with the latest version of SnapStream PVS (Personal Video Station) software. When used on a PC equipped with a TV tuner card and hooked up to cable, broadcast, or satellite TV input, SnapStream PVS lets you record TV shows to your PC and play them back when you wish. PocketPVS allows you to watch the shows on a Pocket PC (but not on a Palm). I looked at a beta version included with the $50 SnapStream PVS.

The system is fairly straightforward: You record shows onto your PC and select the ones to transfer to the Pocket PC; then the software converts the video into a Pocket PC-ready format. In my informal tests using a PC with a 500-MHz CPU, conversion time roughly matched the recorded video's length. When I synced the Pocket PC, the PocketPVS software transferred the video files to the PDA. To view, just select the show you want.

Though not DVD quality, the video was definitely watchable on the small, 240-by-320 screen of a PocketPC. The only problems were a rather low frame rate and occasionally jerky video playback (the audio sounded fine).

Because a half-hour clip requires about 30MB of storage, springing for extra storage for your PDA might be worth it.

Buying Information

PocketPVS Easy to set up and use. PDA video is a bit jerky; for Pocket PCs only. Good for commuters who would rather watch video than read. List price: Beta is included with $50 SnapStream PVS SnapStream Media 713/644-6240 http://www.snapstream.com