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BlackBerry Connection > Tips & Tricks: All About Media on Your BlackBerry Smartphone

Tips & Tricks: All About Media on Your BlackBerry Smartphone

Streaming video, music, photos, podcasts, TV shows—these are quickly becoming highly popular BlackBerry® smartphone entertainment options. So what are some tips and best practices for getting the most from media? This article gives you answers.

• Tip 1: Audio and video shortcuts
• Tip 2: Playing large videos
• Tip 3: Display closed captions in videos
• Tip 4: Improve sound quality for songs

Tip 1: Audio and video shortcuts

Note: Depending on your BlackBerry smartphone model, and the typing input language that you use, some shortcuts might not be available.

Audio and video files

• To pause an audio or video file, press the Mute key or Play/Pause/Mute key on the top of your BlackBerry smartphone. To resume playing an audio or video file, press the Mute key or Play/Pause/Mute key again.
• To play the next song, press and hold the Volume Up key on the right side of your device (if available).
• To play the previous song, press and hold the Volume Down key.
• If you are using a headset, to turn on the audio boost feature to amplify the volume for songs, ring tones, and videos, simply press the Volume Up key until audio boost turns on (for touch screen devices with v5.0) or until you reach the highest volume setting, and then press the Volume Up key four times quickly.

Camera and video camera

• To zoom in to a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Up key (if available).
• To zoom out from a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Down key (if available).

Tip 2: Playing large videos over the air

Here are some tips for watching videos over the air on your BlackBerry smartphone. These tips may vary depending upon the app you are using and your smartphone.

• Use a fast Wi-Fi® connection whenever possible. Using the Bitbop TV app, for example, you can download a 50MB half-hour TV show in about 2-3 minutes over Wi-Fi, according to Bitbop.
• For best viewing performance, first download videos to your media card rather than streaming them, if possible.
• But if your media card is full you should stream rather than download. Or first try deleting unwanted files from you media card. Also consider purchasing a larger media card.
• For a limited data plan, use Wi-Fi or transfer files from your desktop computer using BlackBerry® Media Sync. You can also set many apps to only download while not roaming (check the app's options).
• When you don't want to wait, stream over your carrier connection. Sometimes Wi-Fi isn't available and you just want to go for it.

Comparison charts

Wi-Fi vs. wireless service provider connection

Wi-Fi	Carrier connection
Pros Faster download speeds Conserves data minutes in limited plans	Pros Access virtually any location covered by your plan No worries for unlimited data plans
Cons May not be available May need to pay for access	Cons Slower download speeds Eats up minutes in limited plans

Download vs. streaming

Download	Streaming
Pros Better playback experience Does not need a connection for playback	Pros You can watch it now
Cons Takes up lots of space in your media card	Cons Playback can be less smooth Eats up minutes in limited plans

Tip 3: Display closed captions in videos

You can turn on closed captioning so that text displays on the screen when you play video files that support closed captioning. This is great for situations in which you have a difficult time hearing the audio.

1. On the Home screen, click the Media icon.
2. (For BlackBerry® 6 OS only) Click a media type.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Options.
5. Change the Display Closed Captions field to Yes. (For BlackBerry 6 OS, select the checkbox.)
6. If necessary, change the Appearance, Position and Font Scale fields.
7. Press the Menu key, then click Save.

Tip 4: Improve song sound quality

You can adjust the sound settings to match different styles of music—rock or jazz for example. You must be using stereo headphones with your smartphone. Note that depending on your BlackBerry smartphone, this feature might not be supported.

1. On the Home screen, click the Media icon.
2. (For BlackBerry 6 OS only) Click a media type.
3. Press the Menu key, then click Options.
4. Change the Headset Music EQ field.
5. Press the Menu key, then click Save.

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