Best way to save/watch movies on my bionic

[piratefan83]

Hello everyone! This is my first post. I am glad to be a part of this forum. So far it looks like there is a wealth of helpful information regarding my new motorola bionic. I look forward to learning as much as possible and hopefully eventually contribute. So here goes my first participation...

Sorry if this has been posted before (many times probably) but I am new to all of this and can't seem to find the info I'm looking for through the search feature.

What is the best/fastest way to save high quality full length movies to my droid bionic? I want to be able to watch good quality movies while I travel by car, train, air, whatever

Can someone please help me out and point me in the direction of where I can find a tutorial of how to best do this the easiest way? Is there a link to a previous post that explains the process?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Through my research I have discovered the following 2 methods:

1. I can download bit torrents to my home computer using a popular bittorrent site
Find/download and use a program on the computer to convert the torrents and make them viewable using a suitable video player
Next, find/download and use another program to convert the video files to a format suitable for my bionic
Is there a way/place to locate downloadable movie files that are already saved in the correct format so I can eliminate this step?
Lastly, hook up my bionic to my pc using the usb cable and save the movie on my phone's sd card

Question- do I need to load a special app onto my bionic to play these files once they are saved on the device in the proper format or will they play automatically when I open them from my sd card


2. The second option is zumocast but its not really the ideal method since I am trying to watch movies during flights and I can only access files on my home computer through zumocast when I have 4g, wifi (preferably) or some kind of service.So, I guess this is kind of a second topic (maybe I should create another thread) but at least it will help me understand how to watch movies from my phone when I do have service.

If I understand zumocast correctly, it allows me to access any movies saved to my home computers hard drive, correct? But here are my questions regarding this option

- does the host computer (the one with the files are saved on it) have to be up and running for me to access the movies or any other content? for example, if I am out of town for a week but want to access the files during that time, the computer containing the files needs to be up and running at my house the entire time I am gone?

- can i access content saved to an external hard drive (a mybook) that is hooked up to the same home pc? or do I need to move the files from the removable disk to the c drive?

Thanks again everyone! I greatly appreciate the help. I am leaving town for a week tomorrow and will be spending a lot of time in transit so, if I can get everything set up properly before I leave, this will be awesome for passing the time quicker.

 

[1812dave]

I could tell you how, but if this site is like apple's when it comes to mentioning ripping movies, my post may get deleted and I might even face disciplinary action. sorry, but I'm not willing to find out.

GOOGLE IT!!

 

[p08757]

In not touching this one with a 10 foot bionic!

 

[SonicJoe]

I'll answer the legal questions. For offline viewing, simply hook your bionic to your pc and copy the files to your sd card or internal storage. Most video formats, QQ Player will handle it.

Yes, your PC would need to be on and running for you to stream using Zumocast. You might be able to leave the files on an external hd, as long as its connected to your pc, but I haven't tried.

For the rest, Google is your best option, but watch your back.

 

[piratefan83]

ripping? sorry total noob :/

does that include pay/private movie download sites that are 100% legal? or is that assuming I'm referring to "pirated" movies?

Im just trying to get movies on my phone for a realistic price rather than paying 3.99 for each on the blockbuster app that came with the phone

either way, I apologize. I didn't realize I was breaking forum rules

mods you can close if this thread is not a legit/allowed question

 

[piratefan83]

also...

thanks for the replies

guess I need to keep researching

 

[mbentley3]

Not sure if you would be able to access the external HD, I know I cannot access the network drive on my work computer with Zumocast. would be interesting to know if its possible though.

 

[SonicJoe]

ripping? sorry total noob :/

does that include pay/private movie download sites that are 100% legal? or is that assuming I'm referring to "pirated" movies?

Im just trying to get movies on my phone for a realistic price rather than paying 3.99 for each on the blockbuster app that came with the phone

either way, I apologize. I didn't realize I was breaking forum rules

mods you can close if this thread is not a legit/allowed question

Yes, we assume you mean pirated movies. I don't know of any legit sites that allow you to pay for a movie and download it to your pc, unless you are required to watch it only on that pc. So even if you legitimately purchased it, trying to convert it and place it on your phone would require circumventing drm, which is still illegal.

If a site exists where you can legally obtain a movie and watch it on any device, then Google will help you find it and that site would probably have information about converting it for your phone.

 

[SonicJoe]

Not sure if you would be able to access the external HD, I know I cannot access the network drive on my work computer with Zumocast. would be interesting to know if its possible though.

If it was mapped as a network drive, and you left yourself signed in, but with the pc locked, it should be possible in theory. But, as I said, I haven't tested it. And it would probably be pretty laggy. After all, your PC would have to read it off the network drive, them convert it and stream it back through the network.

 

[Cvballa3g0]

Safest way to watch HD full length movies on the Bionic = Netflix.

 

[mjforte]

Safest way to watch HD full length movies on the Bionic = Netflix.

That's if the constant "popping" noise doesn't get on your nerves. Did anyone find out if the Netflix issue had to do with hardware, software, a Netflix issue, etc?

 

[p08757]

ripping? sorry total noob :/

does that include pay/private movie download sites that are 100% legal? or is that assuming I'm referring to "pirated" movies?

Im just trying to get movies on my phone for a realistic price rather than paying 3.99 for each on the blockbuster app that came with the phone

either way, I apologize. I didn't realize I was breaking forum rules

mods you can close if this thread is not a legit/allowed question

Google movies may be an option, but their movies are about 3.99 each as well.

 

[GBH2]

Not sure if you would be able to access the external HD, I know I cannot access the network drive on my work computer with Zumocast. would be interesting to know if its possible though.

In addition to accessing my main hard Drive (C through Zumocast, I am able to access my DAS - Direct Attached Storage - External Hard Drive (D through USB and I am also able to access my NAS - Network Attached Storage - by mapping the individual Hard Drives in the server. Everything plays great so far. I had problems until, through the Zumocast setup, I delete the "share" folders and addedindividual drives and mapped drives for the server - it worked like a charm.

Also, theoretically, if a home computer is capable of "S3" sleep and has WOL - Wake on Lan functionality there are apps that can be used to wake the home computer. I have heard some mentioned before, maybe PC Monitor?

 

[choop]

Uploaded a 720p avi movie to the sd card and played it with QQ. The sound pops but the image looks great.

Any tips on the best way to optimize a movie file for the Bionic?

 

[choop]

Also, what type of video file is best for the phone? Avi, mpeg4, xvid, etc?

 

[KoukiFC3S]

You can use zumocast to download a movie from your pc for offline viewing.

It doesnt matter what codec is used. Mx video player can play almost any type.

 

[1812dave]

That's if the constant "popping" noise doesn't get on your nerves. Did anyone find out if the Netflix issue had to do with hardware, software, a Netflix issue, etc?

I called netflix a couple days ago. they admitted that the problem is on their end