ALL Secrets of making Pocket PC screenshots

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

Windows Ce Remote ZoomIn can't actually see the camera preview (I mean the moving image seen while trying to obtain the shot). On my XDAIImini all I see is the brown mask colour and the icons. The image that I can see on the device is not seen on the monitor. Any way to grab this data would be very usefull. I have a use for close to real time screen data from the camera but cant get it. I can set the device up to take a shot at close intervals, then read the screen when it shows the result but that is not fast enough and the timing can be affected by other things going on in the device.

[Menneisyys]

Originally Posted by OdeeanRDeathshead Windows Ce Remote ZoomIn can't actually see the camera preview (I mean the moving image seen while trying to obtain the shot). On my XDAIImini all I see is the brown mask colour and the icons.

Here too (tested on a Pocket Loox 720). Besides, it's QVGA only in SE (standard) VGA - it's only in native VGA that it delivers hi-res VGA shots. (Yes, I've tried "hacking" all the EXE's and DLL's into VGA.)

Neither can the two other grab-only clients; also tested Soti Pocket Controller in this respect. (No-go either)

[Menneisyys]

Originally Posted by Menneisyys Neither can the two other grab-only clients; also tested Soti Pocket Controller in this respect. (No-go either)

I've tested stand-alone, PPC-only clients on the Pocket PC too (this time on a HTC Universal); none of them was able to take a screnshot of the camera.

[levenum]

Hmm, I tried it on HP 6915 and it go the preview. I guess, HP camera app works differently than the XDA one.

[Menneisyys]

Originally Posted by levenum Hmm, I tried it on HP 6915 and it go the preview. I guess, HP camera app works differently than the XDA one.

BTW, have you managed to get Hi-Res (VGA, not crappy QVGA) images in SE (standard) VGA mode with CEZoom?

[Menneisyys]

Originally Posted by OdeeanRDeathshead The image that I can see on the device is not seen on the monitor. Any way to grab this data would be very usefull. I have a use for close to real time screen data from the camera but cant get it.

Use CoolCamera - please read the latest version of the article on this.

[Menneisyys]

Added a lengthy section on how you can take shots of the built-in HTC Camera application (if it exists). I’ve also elaborated a lot on CEZoom, Microsoft’s own desktop-based, free screen grabber tool.

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

Thanks, thats one program I would actually pay for. I just wish I knew how to access the memory the camera was using myself. Still, at the end of the day $14 is not that much.

[Menneisyys]

How do I take screenshots of great multimedia player TCPMP (or, any other decent video player) playing videos on my Dell Axim x50v/x51v?

Now, after publishing my roundup of capturing the screen of Pocket PC’s where I’ve also elaborated on the chances of capturing the screen of HTC Camera, I’ve received a question regarding doing the same with the great multimedia / video player TCPMP on Dell Axim x50v/x51v devices.

On these devices, by default, TCPMP playing videos can not be captured – the active video area shows the same symptoms as that of HTC Camera (that is, nothing can be seen on the capture, let it be captured on the PDA itself or through a Pocket PC controller application). An example screenshot of this situation is here.

Fortunately, as opposed to HTC Camera, there is a very simple solution to this problem: go to Options/Video and select anything but the default Intel 2700G Decoder (and Intel 2700G); that is, DirectDraw, Raw Framebuffer and GDI will all work. (Of course, after you've made the screenshots, switch back for optimal performance if you watch a lot of videos on your device.)

After this setting, the video playback can be captured as can be seen in here.

What about other devices?

All of them can be captured in all modes. A breakdown and a lot of examples (packed with screenshots so that you can see they do work) follows, separating Pocket PC’s on the ground of the default (most optimal) play mode TCPMP defaults to on them:

1. Intel XScale: for example, the Pocket Loox 720
2. ATI ImageOn (GPU): for example, the HP iPAQ hx4700 (here with WM5)
3. Direct (screen access): for example, the Compaq iPAQ 36xx/37xx series
4. DirectDraw: for example, the HTC Universal
5. Raw Framebuffer: for example, the HTC Wizard
6. GAPI: for example, the HP iPAQ 2210 and the Pocket PC 2000 Casio Cassiopeia E-125.

[Menneisyys]

Article slightly updated.