This is the first of a regular column where we will offer some "how-to" guidance to help you get the most out of your Smartphone or Pocket PC. We will be including how-to's, step-by-step tutorials, links to online resources and free stuff, and more.
(In September we will be publishing our first annual "How-To Guide," which will be a bonus issue for subscribers and will provide a wealth of information to help you get started and get the most out of your Windows Mobile device. We have set up a special How-to section on our Web site that will be available to subscribers and newsstand purchasers of our magazine. If you would like to contribute a how-to or tip, or preview some of the content, visit our how-to blog (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/guide). You'll be asked to register, but it's free.)
How to stream personal content over the Web
Prerequisites:
- Windows XP PC
- Windows Mobile device
- Live broadband Internet connections on both devices.
Glossary:
Stream: A technique of transferring a data file over a Web connection that allows an application to process the data as it is received, as opposed to waiting for the entire data file to be completely downloaded before processing.
Normally if you want to view video and photos, or listen to music on your device, you have to transfer those files to your storage card or main memory. In the case large files, this takes time and occupies precious storage space. One solution is to stream content from your PC to your Windows Mobile device over the Web.
Orb (http://www.orb.com) is a free online service that lets you stream the digital media content from your personal computer to virtually any Internet-connected device. All you have to do is:
- Sign up for the Orb service
- Install a server application on your personal PC (running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed) or Media Center PC.
This server application links your PC with the My.Orb Web-based portal, which in turn lets you stream the content you select over the Internet to any Web-enabled device. For a smooth, uninterrupted experience, both your personal PC and your Windows Mobile device should have a high-speed connection to the Web.
TCPMP (top) and Pocket TV (bottom) are alternative media players for the Pocket PC.
Note: Media Player Mobile can only play video in ASF (Advanced Streaming Format) or WMV (Windows Media Video) formats. In addition, it can only handle audio in WMA (Windows Media Audio) and MP3 formats. If you want to stream content saved in another format, you will have to first convert it to one of the supported formats, or install a media player application that does support the other format. Check out the following free applications:
- Movie Maker (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx): A free desktop PC application from Microsoft that allows you to convert a variety of video, audio, and image file formats into WMV formatted videos.
- TCPMP(http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/download), a Windows Mobile media player that supports WMV, AVI, DivX, XViD, and MPEG video files, and MP3, WMA, Ogg, and other audio files.
- Pocket TV (http://www.pocketv.com), a Windows Mobile media player that supports MPEG-formatted video files.
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