While there are many reviews about netbooks after a few days of use, you hardly find any indication on how the person continues to use it. We all know that new toys are cool in the beginning, but how do new toys affect our habits after a certain period of time?

Over the years, I’ve used numerous devices for different purposes. My first true gadget was a 3com Palm Personal, which I later upgraded to a Pro, so I could use it with my cell phone (infrared) and use the internet on the go. I ten went on to a Handspring Visor Platinum. It was not until I got an iPaq 2210 PocketPC when I started getting into portable video and software development, and after a while, I was forced to get a few devices people requested support for. When I got a PSP, the iPaq was the first gadget that ended up in the drawer next to the Handspring. Due to the bigger screen, as well as the better video format, the PSP became my gadget of choice to watch movies on the go. Bulkier than the iPaq, but it made up for it with the bigger screen. When Apple came out with the first Video iPod (5G) I needed one to make DVD Catalyst work with it (I love this job) and opted for the 60GB model. Eventhough the iPod had a smaller screen, it replaced the PSP due to the storage size. It was great to carry around 1 device filled with more video content than I could watch in a week of non-stop viewing. 10 seasons of Friends, Southpark, Futurama etc, and still have lots of music on there to boot.Next came the Microsoft Zune 30. The first Zune. While it features a slightly bigger screen, it never managed to replace my iPod. The colors looked bad and washed out, and the Zune desktop software was (still is in my opinion) a resource hog and a pain to navigate. I picked it up, made it work with DVD Catalyst, and then it went straight to the gadget drawer.

After the Zune came the Apple iPod Touch. If you have used DVD Catalyst for a while, and followed the website(s) you know how much I love my iPod Touch. While it’s only the 8GB first model, it has replaced all my portable devices with it’s capabilities. It even replaced my computer for answering support questions at nights. Bigger screen, better video quality, and while not as much room as my 60GB iPod, it still has room enough to fit a season of 24 on it with room for a few apps.

Unfortunately, the one thing that caused me to look into a replacement for it is due to some “google labs” options I use in Gmail for providing support. While I type all support questions by hand, there are a few things that are always the same, so I use something called “canned responses” for those whenever needed. Reset DVD Catalyst to it’s defaults, and a thank you note for a PayPal purchase with the link (paypal doesn’t send these out by itself, so I have to do that manually). Unfortunately, for some reason, this did not work in gmail/safari on the iPod Touch, so for sending out those emails, I always had to go back to my computer to answer.

So, because of the Gmail issue, and because I wanted one since they came out, I picked up an Asus eeePC.

I wrote a few articles already on the eeePC, please refer to those for initial impressions, and impressions after a few weeks.

2 Months later.

The eeePC has settled in nicely into my life.

It has replaced my gadgets for the most part. It plays video’s in whatever format I have, and because it runs a full webbrowser (firefox) I have no issues using it for work-emails. During the day, it sits next to my development system, and I use it for emails and non-work stuff, such as checking certain websites for news (slashdot for example). During software testing, when my development system is basically in use, I use it for minor development stuff, and at nights, when I turn off my workstation, I close the screen of the eeePC to put it in standby, and have it close by when watching TV. Once in while I pick it up to check for support emails, or look something up about what’s on TV and such.

When I go somewhere, I usually take it with me, depending on where I have to go and what I have to do. It allows me to keep myself entertained, or do work (if an internet connection is available).

While it has a few games on it, the most used application on the eee is Firefox. It’s always open, and even when the netbook wakes up from standby, it responds fast.

Essential upgrades:

The only issues I have with the eeePC is the out-of-the-box performance and battery life.

I picked up the cheapest 8.9″ harddrive-version of the eeePCs, the 900HD, so it came with the smaller battery. I replaced that with one I picked up from eBay. The replacement battery ($60 or so) is quite big, and sticks out at the back, which is a bit annoying, but the increased batterylife is well worth it. With the defalt battery, it was not capable of playing 1 full movie. The battery ran out near the end of a 2hour movie. The new battery enables me to watch about 4 hours of videos.

The hard drive, while decent in size, was quite slow. The seagate 160gb I replaced with a 320GB 7200rpm Western Digital, and the whole system is a lot more responsive. Especially with Firefox getting bigger and bigger, and a virus scanner running in the background, the difference in speed is phenomenal.

The memory. The eee came with 1GB of memory, which is plenty for Windows XP, however, with the video card taking a share, as well as a few startup programs such as a virus scanner, you will notice a slowdown when you have a few programs running (or firefox with 10 tabs open) I expanded this to 2GB, and everything feels a lot smoother. Switching between running programs is a breeze.

The size:

The 8.9″ eeePC is just the right size for me. The screen is big enough to show me information I need and use without having to scroll, and the physical size of the device is just small enough to make it easy to pick up.

All in all, I’m quite satisfied with my $250 netbook, now if only it had a dual-core processor and a better video card. I hope they come out with a 9″ ION based netbook.

Unbelievable Product!

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I had to purchase 2 others that promised to work.. and be easy.. NEITHER worked.. or were easy and support stunk! I then purchased this one DVD CATALYST.. I first did the trial.. and I had a few questions about how to get it to work.. and the support at dvd catalyst was INSTANT and very helpful.. I had the problem solved and was using it right away! I couldn’t believe how helpful they were ..and I hadn’t even bought it yet.. I have since purchased it.. DO NOT even bother buying another one.. This is it. works great for my palm TX and on my sons video ipod. cool.

GREAT PRODUCT. Only issue I had with it was I didnt know what I was doing at first! I did 3 movies last night and each took about 70 mins to put on my hard drive and 5 to put on my PPC!My largest file was 170mb’’s. I”m still learning how to do the movies in chapters but thats no biggie becuase you can just slide the progress bar to where you left off. This is a MUST HAVE for PPC owners.

This product is simply amazing!!! I’ve tried other products claiming to do the job better, but was not only disappointed by speed and quality of them, but the price as well. This is a serious steal for half the price of its competitors!!! I was extremely amazed at the speed with which it ripped a dvd! At first i thought that the quality would be severely dimished by the incredible conversion speed, but when i played [a movie] at 140 megabytes on my card (A meg a minute), i was impressed. This means that you can easily fit 6 quality movies on a 1 gigabyte sd card!!! As well as this, it comes with a bonus program that the developer made called PocketVideo! Pocketvideo compresses regular movie files (avi,wma,mpeg, and many more) to customizabe sizes and formats! Its too good to be true! The summary? Quality: 5… Speed: 5… And support: 10 (out of five)!

A few months ago I made the decision to donate my laptop to charity because I thought I could use my IPAQ 6315 for everything my laptop could do. It was almost a dream come true. The internet, Bluetooth, WiFi and general usefulness of 6315 (after ROM update of course) has been fantastic but with one notable exception: the inability to reliably convert DVD’s into a format that would work on my IPAQ. My dream of watching movies on my IPAQ was fading fast! I ran the gamut of different simple to use DVD to PPC programs (not specifying a particular program) but they shared a common theme: they did not work. Several I tried would crash or get tripped up by a slightly scratched disk and take most of the night to convert a 1.5 hour movie. While some other programs had a decent interface and seemed simple enough to use that did not dull the frustration I was feeling after waking up to find out the conversion failed for no apparent reason. I was beginning to regret my decision to get rid of my laptop and divorce myself of watching movies while I am gone on a trip, that is, until I tried PocketDVD 1.1!

Note, this review is for PocketDVD, the predecessor of DVD Catalyst

Over the past several years, many developers have released DVD ripping applications which allowed users to copy a DVD to their hard disk for playback directly on their PC, their iPod or Windows Mobile device.  While the legality of such software – especially in the United States – has been a subject of debate, the developers have continued to produce these applications with ever increasing performance and quality.

As part of this growth in DVD copying was and continues to be DVD Catalyst.  With the award winning 2.0 version currently available – and a new version on the horizon – DVD Catalyst has been one of the stronger applications in this genre.  The problem facing DVD Catalyst has been the same however for all of the applications:  complexity.  Simply put, there are dozens of variables that can go into the ripping of a DVD or the conversion of a video file to another format.  For new users, the overwhelming amount of features in DVD Catalyst 2 can seem a bit intimidating.

With this in mind and a goal of ease-of-use in mind, the makers of DVD Catalyst have released DVD Catalyst GT.  In a nutshell, it is the quickest and easiest DVD conversion software application I have had the opportunity to use to date.  Unlike it’s more sophisticated older sibling, DVD Catalyst GT makes conversion of a DVD or video file as simple as a few mouse clicks.  While it does have some small customization ability, the idea behind GT is to make it simple – literally for anyone to use.  This means that GT does not have many of the advanced editing features of DVD Catalyst but has all of the features that the majority of users will want and need.  For the professional, DVD Catalyst 2 is still the best choice.

In addition, GT also provides you the ability to crop a video to be viewed on different devices ranging from Windows Mobile devices to Sony’s PSP or an Apple iPod.  This is all done in a preview window, allowing you to see exactly how a file is going to look on your device before you convert it.  It is a nice touch to a well written and easy-to-use application that can make DVD ripping and file conversion simple, fun and rewarding for any level of user.

DVD Catalyst GT is installed on your desktop PC and requires approximately 20MB of hard disk space.  Since there is no Windows Mobile component to the installation, there is no space requirement on your device.  The only storage you will need on your device is for the output files created by GT.  After installation and GT is started, you are provided two options:  “I want to Convert a DVD” or “I want to Convert a File”.  As the names suggest, Convert a DVD is to be used to rip a DVD and make it into a file on your hard disk while Convert a File is designed to allow you to convert an existing video file on your hard disk to another format.  For example, you could convert an AVI file to WMV (note that in order to convert file to WMV, you will need the Windows Media Encoder which is a free download from http://www.windowsmedia.com)

Figure 1:  The DVD Catalyst GT Start Screen

To use the convert to DVD function you must first have the DVD in your computer’s DVD drive then select the convert a DVD option.  The main display of GT is split into two sections:  The preview pane on the left and the conversion settings in the right hand pane.  On the preview pane you will see the DVD playing, which is automatically started by GT.  It is on this pane that you select the type of device that you are going to be using to view the video file.  For example, you can choose a Windows Mobile 5 device, an Apple iPod or a Sony PSP and you will see how the video will look on that type of device.  The selection of the device is critical as the codec that GT will use will be based on your selection.  If you choose a Windows Mobile 5 device, GT will automatically use the Windows Media Video (WMV) codec so it can be played on your device.  The same is true for iPods or PSPs as it will put the video in the proprietary format of these devices.  This automatic step by GT takes the guesswork out of how to configure or which codec to use when converting a DVD.

Figure 2:  DVD Catalyst Configured for a Windows Mobile Device

Figure 3:  DVD Catalyst Configured for an Apple iPod

You will also note that there is a PocketPC DIVX output option as well instead of Windows Mobile 2003 or 5.0.  This will allow you to convert the file into a properly proportioned file for Windows Mobile devices using the DIVX codec which can then be played on your device with the TCPMP player.  The TCPMP player can be downloaded directly from the DVD Catalyst website at http://www.dvdcatalyst.com/support/downloads/.

Once the format is chosen on the left-hand pane, the file name, location, video and audio qualities can be adjusted on the right-hand pane.  By using the slide bars, you can choose how high you want the video or audio quality and can see in the information window above how big the file is going to be based on your settings.  So, for example, a 300Kbps file is going to be smaller than a 600Kbps file.  You will also note in the information window four options for cropping the video file.  By default GT will automatically crop the video viewing to fit your device.  However you can override this to make it full screen or have no cropping at all.  By doing this it is possible you will cut out some of the video edges so be sure to use the preview window to see exactly what you will get before doing a conversion.  Once the settings are to your liking click the Start Conversion button to have GT begin converting the DVD to a file on your PC.

Figure 4:  Auto Cropping of The Video File…

Figure 5:  Full Screen with no Borders on the Video File When the conversion process starts, DVD Catalyst GT will display a window showing you the file names being created and the progress being made on that conversion.  Most DVDs can be ripped in less than 1 hour depending on the codec being used.  If you are ripping to WMV then the conversion process can take up to 3 hours.  This is one reason the developer of GT has recommended the use of the TCPMP player and a DIVX output for Windows Mobile device users.  Once the DVD is converted, the outputted file can then be viewed on your PC or copied to your Windows Mobile device and played.  Moving a file to your Windows Mobile device can be done via a storage card reader on your PC or through Explorer in ActiveSync. You will also note that you can change the priority of your conversion process on the status window.  By changing the priority, you can instruct DVD Catalyst GT to have a normal priority, a lower processing priority or a high processing priority.  This will essentially instruct your PC how much processing power to put into the program, speeding up or slowing down the conversion process based on your choice.  It is usually best to leave it in Normal mode for conversion and the ability to use your PC while it is working in the background. Figure 6:  The Conversion Status Window Figure 7:  A Converted File on a Windows Mobile device In essence, DVD Catalyst GT is that simple!  With only a handful of mouse clicks you can convert a video or DVD for your favorite device, copy it to that device and view it.  There are no other adjustments or settings required and the output quality is fantastic.  It is clear that the developers at DVD Catalyst have hit the mark when it comes to simplicity but they have also hit on the application being feature rich and not stripped down in order to reach the simplicity goal.  As impressed as I was with DVD Catalyst (See my review at http://www.clintonfitch.com/reviews/dvdcat/dvdcat-3-0/default.asp) I’m even more so with GT because it opens up a whole new world for many Windows Mobile users who are new to video conversions. To be sure, DVD Catalyst GT is not for everyone.  For the serious video converter who wants to have the ability to tweak every aspect of the output file, you need to look at DVD Catalyst 2 as GT simply does not have the “knobs” to turn as it’s bigger sibling.  If you want to convert your DVDs and files but don’t have the desire to do all the custom tweaking, GT is definitely the right choice.  Make no mistake however; GT is not a crippled version of Catalyst 2.  They are intended for a different type of user and both meet their intended audience exceptionally well. Source link Tools4Movies Addition: DVD Catalyst GT is the predecessor of DVD Catalyst 3, and is no longer available.

Over the past two years, several developers have released DVD ripping applications which allowed users to copy a DVD to their hard disk for playback directly on their PC or laptop.  While the legality of such software – especially in the United States – has been a subject of debate, the developers have continued to produce these applications with ever increasing performance and quality.

DVD Catalyst installed on any Windows XP based system and requires approximately 40 megabytes of space.  Since there is no Windows Mobile component to the application – only the outputted files – there is no installation required on the mobile device itself.  When the application is started the DVD Catalyst start screen is displayed providing users with two options – Convert DVD and Convert Video (Figure 1).  For Windows Media conversion, Windows Media Encoder 9 is required as well.  This can be downloaded from the Windows Media website at http://www.windowsmedia.com.

Figure 1:  DVD Catalyst Main Screen

Essentially, the differences between the Convert DVD and Convert Video options are minimal and relate only to the difference in source material and location. However, in both modes, DVD Catalyst allows users to either select a minimal amount of input to create the video file or a high level of advanced settings.

When converting a DVD, the DVD must be in an attached DVD drive and cannot be playing with any other DVD player on the PC.  When the Convert DVD option is selected, DVD Catalyst’s primary display is shown (Figure 2).  The display includes the output options, a preview display, audio sample rates and video quality.  Automatically DVD Catalyst will select the first track of the DVD, the primary movie track.  All users need to do is select the Convert button and after selecting a name for the file, the application will begin creating the video file.  Essentially this is all that users need to do to convert a DVD to a file. This ease of use is what makes DVD Catalyst stand above many other similar applications.

Figure 2:  DVD Catalyst’s Conversion Screen

Whether converting a DVD or a file, users have a wide range of output formats and maximum screen sizes available to them within DVD Catalyst.  The variety of output formats include Windows Media Video 7, 8 and 9, DIVX, XVID, PSP and Apple iPod (Figure 3).  Once the format is selected, the output size can also be selected (Figure 4).  Users will find that videos can be formatted for Windows Mobile devices, Handheld PC devices, Smartphones, Apple’s iPods and PSP.

Figure 3:  The Output Format Menu

Figure 4:  The Maximum Screensize Menu

On DVD Catalyst’s conversion screen, users will note two slide bars to adjust the Video Quality and Audio Settings.  By adjusting these sliders, users can increase or decrease the video or audio quality of a converted file which greatly impacts the size of the created file (note that the estimated size of the file is at the top of the display in DVD Catalyst).  It is important to remember that while the quality of the audio and video is impacted by these adjustments it does not radically impact the video or audio as seen and heard on a mobile device.  This is due to the somewhat limited video and audio quality on the devices themselves.  Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! Recommends that users learn what is best for them by using a small file and working with the video and audio quality and see which is best for their particular device.

For users who want to more finely tune their output videos, DVD Catalyst offers a highly detailed advanced menu (Figure 5).  The controls and options on the advanced menu are for those who are true videophiles and for the casual user, most of these settings will have little impact.  It is important to note though that by changing the frame rate of the video, users can dramatically increase the video performance on devices with slower processors.

Figure 5:  DVD Catalyst’s Advanced Menu

Once all settings are made and the Convert button is clicked, DVD Catalyst begins converting the source file to the output type selected.  Before this process is started, users are prompted to select either a Fast-Mode or Normal conversion mode (Figure 6).  Essentially this setting allows users to determine amount of processing power of their PC that will be given to the application during the conversion process.  Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! Does recommend that users select the Fast-Mode setting and solely dedicate their PC to the conversion process.  This mode is considerably faster although using the normal mode will not impact quality.

Figure 6:  Fast-Mode option allows DVD Catalyst to Convert Files Faster

During the conversion process, DVD Catalyst provides a display with a progress bar to allow users to see where their file is in the process (Figure 7). Regardless of if Fast-Mode is used or not, the conversion process does take time but considerably less than previously reviewed applications.

Figure 7:  The Progress Screen

As with any video conversion application, the proof of how well it works is in the output file’s quality.  The quality of the end product out of DVD Catalyst is nothing short of impressive (Figure 8).

Figure 8:  640×480 WMV 9 Converted DVD

Overall there is little not to like about DVD Catalyst.  Building on the already successful PocketDVD application, the refinements in this newly branded version of the application make it stand well above similar applications.  Backed by responsive support, the application should be worry free for users even if an issue is encountered.  DVD Catalyst also includes a nice link to support pages on the DVD Catalyst website by clicking on the cat eyes of the main display (Figure 9).  This handy menu makes getting information quick and users can be sure it is the most up-to-date as it is based off of the website and not a static help file within the application.

Figure 9:  Help and Support Menu of DVD Catalyst

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Tools4Movies Addition:

DVD Catalyst 1.0 is a VERY old version. A lot has changed.

The boosterpack installs a new conversion engine, which can speed up conversions quite a bit, for both older computers, as well as newer multi-core computers.

(Note, boosterpack is NOT compatible with Zune 30 devices)

Below a few conversion speed indications performed by some beta testers:

on a core2duo 2.16Ghz system, conversion speed using the Apple iPhone format at it’s default settings went up by 30%

DVD conversion speed: a 2 hour movie in about 30 minutes!

on a Core i7-920, 2,66MHz, Quad Core system, the Apple iPhone conversion format went up from 4x speed to 12x speed (66%)

DVD conversion speed: a 2 hour movie in about 10 minutes!

on a Dual Quad Core Xeon, the HTC Touch HD HQ format at it’s defaults went up by about 20% (note this is for the HQ format, not the standard)

DVD conversion speed: a 2 hour movie in about 15 minutes!

The reason why the booster pack is provided as a separate download is because there *might* be issues with some conversions. While all the commonly used formats have been tested successfully, not all of the less-commonly used formats have been tested at all, so there is a slight possibility that issues can occeur. We decided to release it as-is, due to the significant performance boost it offers on newer as well as older computer systems.

If you only use DVD Catalyst for popular devices, it’s definitely worth the download.

Use the download link on the side to download it.