CONVERTING A DVD USING FAIRUSE WIZARD LE
By Lance Wehrung

UPDATE (2/10/05): I plead ignorance. As I said in my guide, I am not an expert. I found out some new information, and THERE IS NO NEED TO USE DVD DECRYPTER. FairUse Wizard LE decrypts the movie and copies the necessary information from the DVD when it builds the index. Thus, the movie does not need to be decrypted before opened with FairUse. In addition, after the index is built, FairUse no longer needs to read any information from the DVD. Anyway, I apologize for missing the mark on this. However, converting a DVD just became easier. I have updated the article accordingly. I apologize for the inconvenience.

I have been playing with video for quite a while. Now, I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form. However, I have been in search of the simplest and easiest way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a portable device, such as a Palm OS5 device or a Pocket PC device. So far in my search, I have come across a very simple way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a handheld that only requires approximately 242 MB (i.e. blank 256 MB memory card). You will need two pieces of software. For a Palm OS5 device, I recommend the following:

Desktop: FairUse Wizard LE
Palm OS5 Device: MMPlayer

For a Pocket PC device, I recommend the following:

Desktop: FairUse Wizard LE
Pocket PC Device: Betaplayer

Both titles are freeware for a Pocket PC device. However, I encourage you to donate to the developers for their hard work and long hours. For a Palm OS5 device, you will have to purchase MMPlayer for $14.95 USD.

The first software title is installed on the desktop (i.e. FairUse Wizard LE). The second software title is installed on the handheld (i.e. Betaplayer or MMPlayer). I will explain the basic process of taking a DVD and making a video viewing on the handheld.

Before You Start

1. You will need approximately 6 to 8 GB of free hard drive space on your computer. This varies on the DVD and the conversion settings.
   
2. You will need approximately 242 MB of free space on a SD or CF card to convert a 2 hour movie. A blank 256 MB card will work. You can make due with less if you are willing to live with a lower quality video. I find 242 MB works well for Palm OS5 devices and Pocket PC devices, and this gives me the ability to put multiple movies on higher capacity memory cards (i.e. 2 movies on a 512 MB card and 4 movies on a 1 GB card). Anything higher than 242 MB needs to be reserved for Pocket PC devices. Most Palm OS5 devices cannot handle anything larger. I will discuss the actual settings for each device further in this tutorial.
3. You will need approximately four hours to complete the process. The time I quote is based on my computer (2.0 GHz Pentium IV with 512 MB of RAM running Windows XP, Professional Edition). Depending on your machine, it could take less time or more time. Fortunately, most of the steps can run without you being there or can run in the background.