DVD collections range from meager to impressive yet with all those discs in little plastic binders how can you comfortably take them with you? This is an age of convenience right? The best way to take your favorite DVD with you is to convert it into a format compatible and small enough to fit on your Shadow. This is where DVD Catalyst comes into play. Over the years I’ve used and tested many DVD conversion programs and I confidently say that DVD Catalyst is the best.
The main screen has no fluff and gets right down to business without confusing the process too much. Nearly every setting you need to mess with is displayed right at the start. To begin conversion run DVD Catalyst and insert the DVD you want to convert. DVD Catalyst will begin scanning the DVD and display the results. From there you will be able choose your settings and begin conversion. Keep reading to find out more.
There are many devices that DVD Catalyst can convert for and several profiles for each. Of interest now are the Microsoft and HTC profiles. For those you jamming around with iPods there are profiles for that as well. For my conversions I chose the Microsoft Device profile.
Within this profile are several settings optimized for different devices. From a few tests it quickly became evident that the PocketPC Divx setting was the best. To play this format back on the Shadow make sure you have TCPMP installed. You can find this in our post on Watching Online Video.
You might need to choose the correct screen size if it isn’t already selected (320 x 240).
As with most desktop conversion programs you will need to select an output folder. I use my default Video folder to store the converted files.
From here you should be ready to begin. Press Go to begin conversion. Depending on the length of the DVD and the speed of your PC the conversion can take a short time or a long time. If you have a slower computer I suggest beginning the conversion during a period when you don’t use your computer.
If you want more control over DVD Catalyst press the Global Settings button and you will have access to a multitude of choices.
Additionally you can adjust the video and audio quality by selecting the Modify Button under the Video Player device section. You will be able to increase/decrease Video Quality (Kbps) the number of passes, Audio quality, output Volume and Framerate.
Overall DVD Catalyst is an outstanding program and well worth purchasing. I’ve tried finding something wrong with it but can’t. It works exactly as advertised and worked flawlessly on both Vista and XP. I’ve encountered no bugs and have been very happy about the performance of DVD Catalyst. You can download a trial of DVD Catalyst or purchase it from our store for $24.95 which is well worth it. Check it out for yourself.
I am forced to give DVD Catalyst an unprecedented five out five Shadows!
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May 22nd, 2008 at 8:26 pm
nice. what do the file sizes range from after using the program? just so i know how much room i’d have to make on my microsd card.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
how does this purchasing thing work?
i mean when you purchase it does it just start downloading to your computer like a regular program??
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 am
Chris,
File Sizes range depending on settings but usually start at around 100MBS for about an hour’s worth. Live Free or Die Hard at 300KBs Video, 64000 Audio (mono) MP3, 25 FPS, single pass came out to about 384MB.
Alfredo,
When you purchase it you will be given a download link for the unlocked version.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:37 am
The review didn’t mention how practical this program is on for the shadow. While I am sure this program is great (possibly the best according to the review), there is no way the battery can handle watching the dvds and normal phone usage throughout the day. I may be wrong, but I think that should have been factored in.
I love the shadow to death and wish that options like this was possible, but the battery life is always an issue, which is always a problem with smartphones from any company (unless you decide to double up the battery capacity, but you would still be pushing it).
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:05 am
Hi Mike,
Thank you for reviewing DVD Catalyst 3.
I am very happy with the 5 shadow result, and I am impressed by your writing style, brief and detailed at the same time.
To Chris, Filesizes are completely up to you. The default values set in DVD Catalyst are designed to provide a good quality on a reasonable filesize, but you are completely free to adjust it to whatever you need. Playing with the settings for video and audio quality automatically reflect on the filesize indication. It is possible to fit a 3 hour movie on an 128MB memorycard (I’ve done it) but you dont want to know the quality at that point though.
To Alfredo, You can download a trial version which runs 100% identical to the retail version for 7 days (full conversions, not the 5 minute clips other products do) once you purchase the retail version, a download link is provided which you install over the trial version.
Thanks again for the great review, Mike,
Mitch
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:35 am
Great program, very simple to use.. Lot’s of options too.. I just converted a 3.82GB movie into a 320×240 367MB WMV.. Quality is still pretty good too..
Easily 5/5..
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
crazyyellowguy,
Your point is valid but I did not include battery life of the Shadow as part of the DVD Catalyst post because although they aren’t related enough.
For instance, I have three different battery sizes for the Shadow. The OEM, the BoxWave and a third *secret* battery. If you are going a long plane ride or plan heavy usage, I’d suggest the BoxWave
http://www.allshadow.com/2008/04/19/boxwaves-electraspan-extended-battery-for-the-shadow/
If you use mass transit and have a place to plug in your Shadow at your destination than the normal OEM battery should do the trick.
I agree with you, regardless of device, most of the time the battery is never enough. Maybe someone will design a kinetically or ambiently charged battery that change all our lives. Until then we have to pay attention.
Mitch, Thank you for the positive feedback. I appreciate it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
i tried downloading, but it wouldnt show on my phone, btw i didnt have to pay for it
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
derrick, this one runs on your desktop PC
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
I need help. Can someone help me find a install free emulator and DVD compression programs for my Shadow. My 6 yr old daughter likes to play SuperMario games while we are on the road. I am told that pocket nester. However, I have been unable to find the site, let alone dowloading it. I am not a tech savy guy. But I do love my Shadow.
June 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Absolutely excellent program - the 5/5 rating is spot on. XMen 3 at 64kbps (mono) sound and 369kbps 24-bit video came out to 288mb avi (XVID). I’ve also used it to convert videos for my wife’s BB Pearl and it worked just as well there. Well worth the $25.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:22 am
[...] back we posted a review on DVD Catalyst 3 and how to take your movies with you. In short, after the initial setup, the program offers [...]
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Will this work for anime episodes too, or are those small enough already that they do not need to be converted? Thanks!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
When you guys watch a movie, how do you keep the backlight from turning off without going all the way into the settings menus?
Thanks!
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:00 am
[...] else will have to test this. Let us know if it works in the comments. If you remember we posted about DVD Catalyst 3 awhile back and gave it a high rating. DVD Catalyst Free is not DVD Catalyst 3 but it comes from [...]
July 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
mike…have you herd of tvc _total video converter)?
i think that is a great software…it already knows the vodeo size for the screen how small to make the file size…its amazing
August 11th, 2008 at 9:26 am
When I try and sync the video to my shadow it tells me I dont have enough memory so how do I get it to sync with my memory card..Thanks