As my daughters get older and more tech saavy, I am challenged to keep them entertained. On our last trip, I brought not one, but TWO laptops to keep the DVDs rolling on the flights. Still, we ran out of batteries.
I thought about other options and stumbled onto the GBA Movie Player. It allows you to convert video down to low bitrates, put it on an compact flash card, and play the video on your Gameboy Advance. That sounds cool, but the conversion on media seems like asking for some headaches.
Last weekend I stumbled upon Majesco Gameboy Advance Video. It looks like the conversion headache is solved. The cartridges have episodes on them and are ready to roll.
I picked up a cartridge this week and gave it a try. At $20 a pop it’s comparable to a DVD, but without the expensive player.
The playback couldn’t be simpler. Zoe & Mira had no trouble understanding what I was showing them and promptly ran off with it. To the kids, the quality is good and it’s a dream come true. The only trouble is that the screen is just too small for two children to watch it at the same time.
I had a little free time today and made up a little video to show how it works.
Demo of Gameboy Advance Video (1.8 MB WMV file)
Demo of Gameboy Advance Video (4.6 MB MPEG file, for the WMV impaired)
You’re seeing the future here folks. Just imagine in a few more years when this kind of portable video and players will be widely available.
Ever heard of this funny thing called a book? It is great at entertaining kids for hours 🙂
I’m heading on a cross-country flight with an 8 year old in two days, and we already have the 4 books for the flight picked out. Works great. I expect it will be the wave of the future.
/A luddite in the technology business.
So is there a way for you to make your own cartridges? burn full length movies?
Something to bide our time until the PSP comes out. Now my GBA has new life.
How long does the battery last watching the movie? How long are the movies? For $20 I would hope its at least 60 minutes????
Are there any other videos out there?