Summary

With Duo memory cards dropping in price (4 gig ones can be had for $50 or so) the idea of having multiple movies to watch on your PSP actually makes sense.

If, that is, you can find the software to make it happen. And if the claims that are made by the developers of that software hold up.

You can spend a lot of time and money trying to do things like back up your DVDs, or trying to convert your current movie collection for viewing on the PSP. It's not easy, because the studios are hell bent on preventing you from doing it.

Now, to my thinking, being able to view a DVD movie you already own on your PSP is functionally no different from converting audio CDs to MP3 format for listening to on your iPod. The concept has been around for decades. When audio cassette recorders came out in the 70s, millions of audiophiles made a cassette version of their vinyl albums.

So, the copy protection is a hassle, to put it mildly.

But I have good news.

123Movies 2PSP does what is says. It will convert your existing DVD movies to beautiful, and I do mean nice looking, movies on your PSP.

But, a few things need to be considered. One, you need a Windows PC with a DVD player and a high speed internet connection. 123Movies2PSP is Windows software, but it is not a complete package.

In the box is a mini-CD, in a plastic pouch with the registration number on it (don't lose it), a USB cable for attaching your PSP to your computer, and a small printed page of directions.

You install the software while you are online, and the software directs you to a website where you will find a 'plug-in'. This is, in fact, the all important decryption module you need to rip copy protected DVDs. You download this module (it's an .exe file), install it, and you are good to go. The module is largish, 13 megs or so, so it's possible to get it via dial-up but time consuming.

Once everything is installed, you pop your DVD movie into your PC's DVD drive, fire up the software, and you are off and running.

The interface of 123 Movies2PSP for converting your DVDs for viewing on your PSP is utter simplicity. There are two DVD conversion options, Simple and Advanced. But even the Advanced consists of only three sliders, Video Quality, Audio Quality, and Loudness. I use the advanced, because the highest quality setting is noticeably better than the Simple, and also because now and then there will be a DVD that needs a bit of TLC to convert.

In addition to the DVD conversion, there is a music conversion module for ripping your audio CDs to the PSP (mp3) and a nice file management utility. There is also a module for converting AVIs, WMVs and stuff on your hard drive for viewing on your PSP. The software converts the DVD movies to MP4 format, and you store them on your PC, where you have unrestricted access to them. Once you've built up a library of movies, you simply delete recently viewed movies from your PSP, then hook up your PSP to your PC via the USB cable, open the file management utility, and copy other movies from your PC to the PSP.

One thing I absolutely love about this package is the fact that it takes care of the DVD based menu issues for you. If you've ever tried to rip DVDs before, when you get to the point where you can actually view the directory structure on the DVD, it usually is a bewildering mess of Titles and Chapters and VOB files and so on. That is because most DVDs have material on them beyond just the movie, and it's also part of the copy protection scheme. But 123Movies2PSP will automatically seek and find the directory that has the actual movie files in it, and it's highlighted as the the default every time you do a conversion. Very sweet indeed.

A few things need to be mentioned here. Firstly, the movie files are big. A wide screen full length movie at the highest quality can go to about 700 megs. Secondly, the conversion process is time consuming. My older 1.6ghz XP machine takes about 2.5 hours to do a typical movie. So it's definitely a set it and forget it kind of thing, while you go do something else.

I have converted many DVDs so far, and the only one that gave me problems was a PAL import. But with the Advanced tools I was finally able to do it after several tries.

One thing I have to mention again is the quality. The video quality is spectacular. and so is the audio quality. But the ability to manage your video with the same ease as your music is simply awesome. With a four gig Duo, you can easily keep six or seven movies on your PSP with room to spare. and unlike UMDs, they start playing right away, using less power. The PSP's built in video tools work great with the converted movies.

123Movies2PSP is not an ultra simple, plug and play kind of product, but it's the best quality and easiest to use that I've seen. Anyone with a normal PC skill set can use this software to watch their movies on the go. It's truly a fantastic package.

Strength

Allows you to mange your video on your PSP with the same ease as managing your audio. The quality of the movies it converts is incredible.

Weakness

Conversions take a long time. Requires software that is included in the price but is not on the mini-CD, probably for legal reasons.