Playing games on your PSP is a great way to pass the time. Especially with its high-resolution picture quality. But this same great resolution is the reason why it plays your favorite movies so well, too. And at some point, you're going to get tired of just playing games and want to watch a movie. Lucky for you, you have in your hand a device that makes most dedicated handheld DVD players seem low-tech in comparison.

But how do you transfer digital movies onto your PSP? Fortunately, people have already thought of how to do this and come up with software that will help you do this pretty easy. Nevertheless, like anything involving technical stuff, there's a "recipe" of items and actions to do to make this a hassle-free task...

Here's what you'll need:
1. Computer

2. DVD player installed in the computer.

3. DVD "Ripper" software (which takes the movie from the DVD and puts it on the computer).

4. 512 MB Pro Duo memory stick for your PSP (this holds the MP4 type of movie on your PSP).

5. PSP Video Converter software (which will convert the movie and audio files to the MP4 format).

6. USB cable (to hook up the computer to the PSP).

So, there's two different types of software needed--the "ripper" software and the converter software. But there is software that has both the DVD Ripper and Converter combined.

So now that you have the right components for your movie transfer, here's how to go about it:

1. Put the movie you want into the DVD player and start the DVD ripper. Click on "extract" or "rip" and tell the computer where to save the file to (your desktop would be easiest.) 2. Select this file and hit the "encode or extract" button from the PSP video converter and save the file. Note that if you have PSP video converter/DVD ripper combination software these steps are combined into one easy interface.

It's important to note that the movie you want to transfer from your PC to your PSP needs to be an unencrypted file. If you don't have the video conversion software, you'll need to name the file properly and place it in just the right spot in the right folder on the memory stick. One single error could result in improper playback of your PSP video.

This hassle is completely avoidable because now there's video conversion software that will allow you to take your unencrypted video file and transform it into a PSP video in no time at all.

When looking for a proper PSP video conversion software, make sure that the tool you use is going to give you the best picture quality and audio for the final file size. Also that it keeps the proper aspect ratio for the video. If you want a thumbnail image for your PSP video, a good PSP video conversion tool could make it in mere moments and will make the transfer from your memory stick to your PSP simple.

Some companies charge a fairly high price for this video conversion software as the PSP increases in popularity. There are, however, companies that offer the conversion software absolutely free. There is debate in PSP forums about the best conversion software, but the best way to find the right conversion software is simply by trial and error. This may be in fact the only way to know if it works for you. So it's probably worth your time to download free conversion software and test it to see if it works properly. If you're not satisfied with the results, then look into buying the software.

You can now have video and TV on the go with your iPod. To download iPod movie video has never been easier. Many people are asking how to download music video to iPods. It's easier than you may think. It only takes a couple clicks of your mouse!

Physical updates aside, the biggest feature of this new iPod model is that it now plays video. What? Yes, you can download iPod movie videos.

Does this new iPod do something radical with video playback to put PSP and other similar devices to shame?

Well, not exactly. The new iPod plays videos, and that?s about it. There is nothing remotely revolutionary about the way it plays video. Ah, but when you take the ease of use of getting videos onto those portable devices into account when you go to download iPod movie video, that?s where the new Video iPod truly shines.

For all of PSP?s widescreen glory, you cannot yet output that video to an external display. The new iPod however makes video output seem like the easiest thing to do. What?s more, you can even hook up your iPod to your PC, open an Apple video store, and upload last night?s episode of your favorite TV show with one or two clicks of your mouse. It?s that simple.

For the new video content, there is a new ?Videos? menu available on the iPod, and under that are options for ?Video playlists,? ?Music Videos,? ?Movies,? ?TV Shows,? and ?Video Podcasts.?

As another plus to this nifty device, Apple has made the interface for playing movies extremely similar to playing music. Just click the middle wheel once and you control the volume with the scroll wheel. Click it a second time and you?re surfing through video.

What It Can Play?

Here are the new iPod?s supported video formats to consider when you download iPod music videos.

? H.264 video: up to 768 kbps, 320x240, 30 frames per sec, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

? MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480x480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC p to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

Apple advertised 14 hours of battery life for the 30 GB model. That?s for music, of course. That and provided that you play it at about ? volume.

At ? volume, the new iPod can be trusted to play and play for six hours straight without any problems before it gets into the ?red? colored section of the battery indicator. That?s far from what has been advertised but for most people, that seems to be enough. For what it?s worth, the 60 GB model is rated by Apple for 20 hours of life. That?s 3 hours worth of video playback.

As we strive to improve our PC?s with the latest in software, modifications, and upgrades, we sometimes overlook important concerns. Some can affect our computer?s speed, others its length of useful service, or in a worst case scenario, lead to catastrophic system failure.

Regarding speed, often we purchase the most memory demanding software and games without giving a thought to the amount of RAM our system has. If it performs sluggishly we blame the entire computer, when it is simply this one component that demands our attention.

One of the most striking examples of a sudden decrease in computer performance can come when the operating system is upgraded in a PC with insufficient RAM. This may prove to be a problem for many people upgrading from XP to Vista. Yet, with RAM so easy to install, and relatively cheap, it need not be.

Another concern are the things we can do to shorten our computer?s life spans, the most common of which is overheating. Everyone has heard tales of the ?smoked? PC, that overheated and crashed. Less appreciated is the stress electronic components suffer when operating at higher than recommended temperatures over long periods of time.

Often this starts when a new heat source is added during an upgrade, say a firecracker hot graphics card. Unless the case?s cooling system is very efficient, the temperature inside is going to go up. It may not go up enough to crash the computer suddenly, but it will start sapping the life from your PC. The cure can be as easy as installing an extra exhaust fan, costing perhaps $5.

Anyone attempting to significantly upgrade their machine, with a new graphics card, or CPU, must ask themselves if their power supply can handle the extra load. If it can?t, a catastrophic system failure might be the result.

If your power supply is borderline, the extra 40 to 50 watts a fast graphics card requires could push it over the edge. Rapid overheating would occur. To put things bluntly, your computer would be scorched.

The easiest way to avoid this is a survey of the computer?s parts. You can look through your computer?s spec sheet if you have it, or look up the information online. Add up the total wattage required now, and what it will be after the upgrade. Make sure your power supply?s output is larger by a comfortable margin.

CrossFire is the new dual graphics card system from ATI. It offers remarkable image quality improvements for game play and 3-D work.

People who demand the absolute highest levels of performance have tried every possible combination of CPU, motherboard, and graphics card in their gaming rigs. While results have often been excellent, there are those who are still unsatisfied.

In an effort to push beyond previous limitations of the PC, ATI has turned to the technology it uses in commercial flight simulators, creating a double card system. The new system can deliver up to a 100 percent increase in frame rates, and an 80 percent improvement in overall performance at high resolution settings.

For the gamer, it means dazzling image quality, while never again having to lower screen resolution in order to play a game.

You may be asking ?What do I need to set up my own CrossFire rig?? The only necessities are a CrossFire ready motherboard, and a pair of ATI Radeon graphics cards, or other compatible GPU?s.

In the best of all possible worlds, you?d build your system from the ground up, starting with the fastest CPU you could get your hands on. Mount it on a super motherboard, such as the Intel 975X Express, the Asus P5B, or the Gigabyte 965P-DQ6, all of which are CrossFire ready. Get top of the line ATI Radeon cards, and you?ll be in business.

An additional thought: get a big power supply, 500 watts or greater. The two cards and CPU could easily use 300 watts by themselves.