GUIDES TO: Converting Video for iPod - Mac & Window

[honeybee1236]

DO NOT POST PROBLEMS ON THIS THREAD.

I've posted other software links I found while searching for information to convert my VHS tapes so I thought I'd post them here just in case others are seeking information for both MAC & WINDOWS.

NOTE: I will update the software listed thread as new information is found.

Updated video formats:

iPod can play the following video formats:

* H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Low-Complexity Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

* H.264 video, up to 768 kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

* MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats


See the iPod 101/201 Tutorials here (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/more/C125)

WINDOWS UPDATED: Handbrake Tutorial:

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows) (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-conversion-win/)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac) (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-conversion-mac/)

**The new version of Videora settings that work in iTunes and on the iPod see my post here. (http://forums.ilounge.com/showpost.php?p=1103364&postcount=2)**

MAC
The Complete Guide to iPod Video Formats and Display Resolutions (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-formats-and-display-resolutions/)
The Complete Guide to Converting DVDs toiPod Format -Mac (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-converting-dvds-to-ipod-format-mac/)
The Complete Guide To Converting Video to iPod Format - Mac (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-converting-video-to-ipod-format-mac/)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

SUPER (http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html#Avis) - Free

See website for additional details. This software will also rip the audio from DVD's.

SUPER download page (http://www.erightsoft.com/S6Kg1.html)



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FREEWARE CONVERTERS AND RIPPERS THAT WORK

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC, WINDOWS & LINUX:

Handbrake (http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8)
The complete change set is available and well worth a read (PDF), but here’s a summary for the impatient:

• User presets (Mac)
• AppleTV and PS3 support
• Anamorphic, even in QuickTime
• Surround sound (both AAC 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic II)
• Chapter markers (QuickTime-style)
• Official support for the Windows GUI
• PPC Linux support
• High profile H.264

baggss has provided a tutorial at the links below:

How To Rip A Movie with Mediafork (http://www.phoppe.com/HB/movie/movie.html)

How To Rip TV Shows with Mediafork (http://www.phoppe.com/HB/tv/tv.html)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS


Videora Apple TV Converter Released (http://www.redkawa.com/blog/post.php?t=461)

We are happy to announce the first release of our new Videora Apple TV Converter. With this software you will be able to convert your many different types of videos into a format that is playable on the Apple TV.

Click Here To Download (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/AppleTV/download.php)

Apple TV Video Codec Support:
MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile
H.264: 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3
H.264: 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile
H.264: 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile.

The current version of Videora Apple TV Converter already has profiles to convert video into the first three SDTV formats. We are working on profiles that will convert video into the fourth HDTV format but these likely won't be ready until the Apple TV hardware is released and we are able to find out it's exact main profile support.

Just a note, there is absolutely no point in converting low resolution video (say 624x352) to HDTV resolution (1280x720). Such a conversion does NOT create sharper video, it just scales the video up and takes a lot longer to convert. The Apple TV hardware should have a high quality video scaler and will be able to do this itself. Time will tell whether the Apple TV will provide a better quality upconversion

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS The New

Videora iPod Converter (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/iPod/)


Click Here To Download Current Version (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/iPod/download.php)

Videora iPod Converter is a free video conversion application developed by the creators of Videora. It allows you to convert your regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into the proper video format that your iPod understands.

When combined with Videora, a video search and download program, Videora iPod Converter + Videora allows you to download, convert and (in some cases) copy video to your device automatically, using BitTorrent and RSS technology. See ITVCasting for more details.

Conversion Guide (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/guides.html) - Use this link to set up DVD Decrypter to rip DVD movies for iPod use.

Forums for support help (http://www.redkawa.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=29)

Release Notes:
With this latest version, Videora iPod Converter will now automatically add your video files to iTunes once your video conversion is complete. If iTunes is not open, Videora iPod Converter will automatically open it and then add the file to your Movies Library. This removes the added step of having to import it on your own through iTunes. You can turn off this feature by going to Settings > Devices > iPod, un-checking the box and hitting save.

If you do end up turning this new feature off, but at some later time want to add some files you’ve converted to iTunes, you can now do this easily through the Library section. We have added an “Add to iTunes” button which does exactly what it says when you click a file. We have also added an “Open Folder” button which will open a new Windows Explorer window in the folder where the video you clicked on resides.

The program icons should show up properly now as they have been included in the installer. We also forgot to make the Apple TV Device settings editable in the last release and that has now been corrected.

NOTE: We have added 2-Pass support for both MPEG-4 and H.264 encodes. To activate it for your specific profile, you must select the proper encoder with “2-Pass” in its name. The mode “Automated 2-Pass” setting doesn’t do anything at the moment but will be used in the future for error checking. So once again, to enable 2 Pass support, select the proper encoder in Settings > Edit Profiles > General section.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

3GP Converter - Freeware
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/3gp_converter.html

3GP Converter

This software will also convert .VOB files to an iPod compatible format. So you can rip your DVD and then use this software to convert the files.

1) After downloading 3GP Converter you will see a Setup.exe file. You need to open this file.

2) You will see the 3GP_Converter configuration Manager here:
http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=avi2ipod10qm.png

3) You first need to select the language of your choosing then click 'Apply'
http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=avi2ipod21jc.png

4) Once that is done select "Model: MP4, for iPod" then click 'Apply' to set.
http://img476.imageshack.us/my.php?image=avi2ipod44se.png

5) When done the 3GP_Converter will open. Then click on the 'browse' button in the Output Directory section located in the middle of the application to select the destination for the output file.

6) Then click on the drop down button to select one of the conversion options.

7) When done you can then select your movie/video file or Video_TS folder and drag-n-drop it into the top window and 3GP will begin the converting process.

8) When 3GP is done converting the movie it will automatically open iTunes and transfer the converted movie directly into the iTunes library.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

Free iPod Video Converter 1.32 build 852 - Jodix
http://www.download.com/Free-iPod-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-10498771.html

What is Free iPod Video Converter
Free iPod Video Converter provides an easy and completed way to convert all popular video formats to iPod video. You can enjoy DVD/VCD and AVI, MPEG, WMV, RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB video files in your iPod with few clicks. The program is a freeware and does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors.

Key Features
-It's clean and free, without any adware or spyware.
-It supports all popular video formats including AVI, MPEG, WMV (ASF), RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB etc.
-It's stable and fast.
-Easy-to-use wizard-like user interface helps you setup conversion process easily.
-The output video has excellent image and sound quality.
-ID3 Tag can be derived from the input files automatically.
-Batch Processing is supported, it can process an unlimited number of files at one time.
-Detailed HTML help file is included.
-The installing and uninstalling process is very easy.

Download link: (http://dw.com.com/redir?pid=10498771&merid=6279381&mfgid=6279381&ltype=dl_dlnow&lop=btn&edId=3&siteId=4&oId=3040-2194_4-10498771&ontId=2194_4&destUrl=http://www.download.com%2F3001-2194_4-10498771.html)

Step-By-Step (http://www.ipod-video-converter.org/help.html)

Requirements:
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003 Server, DirectX 8.0 or higher

There are links to these other applications on the site:
- Free DVD MP3 Ripper
- Free WMA to MP3 Converter
- Free RM to MP3 Converter

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

MediaCoder (http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/) - Freeware

Introduction

MediaCoder is an open source universal audio/video batch transcoder (converter), which puts together lots of excellent audio/video codecs and tools from the open source community into an all-in-one solution, capable of transcoding among different audio/video formats. With many extra features and a expandable architecture, MediaCoder is more than a GUI of a bunch of command line tools.

Feature Highlights

* Convert to and from many audio and video compression formats and re-multiplex into various container formats, on the fly, in batch
* Give you the control over the transcoding process and all the parameters of the transcoded files, so you can learn about, compare among and play with various codecs
* Specific user interfaces for specific devices with device plug-ins and extensions
* Fully standalone, no dependent on any media player, filter or codec, no registration of any components into system
* Multilingual user interface

Typical Applications

* Improving compression / reducing file size
* Converting for audio/video portable devices (digital audio player, MP4 player, mobile phone, PDA, PSP, VCD/DVD player etc.)
* Extracting audio tracks from video files
* Ripping audio/video discs


Supported Fomats

* MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, AAC+, AAC+V2, MusePack, WMA, RealAudio
* FLAC, WavPack, Monkey's Audio, OptimFrog, AAC Lossless, WMA Lossless, WAV/PCM
* H.264, Xvid, DivX, MPEG 1/2/4, H.263, Flash Video, 3ivx*, RealVideo*, Windows Media
* AVI, MPEG/VOB, Matroska, MP4, RealMedia*, ASF/WMV, Quicktime*, OGM*
* CD*, VCD*, DVD*, CUE Sheet*

The latest MediaCoder Full Edition includes:

MPlayer, MEncoder, FFMPEG, Nero reference audio encoder, 3GPP AAC+ encoder, Lame MP3 encoder, Vorbis encoder, FAAC encoder, MusePack encoder, OptimFROG encoder, WavPack encoder, FLAC encoder, Monkey's Audio (APE) encoder, AAC lossless encoder, Matroska Muxer, MP4Box, PMP/PMPAVC Muxer

Download page (http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/download.htm) and direct Download link of full version. (http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/dlfull.htm) See website for more details

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS - RIPPERS

RipIt4Me Version 1.7.1.0
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/RipIt4Me

What is RipIt4Me?
It is a freeware utility that helps you backup your copy protected DVDs.

Recently released DVDs are now very often equipped with stronger copy protections - such as ARccOS™ and RipGuard DVD. Programs like DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter cannot handle these types of discs.

With the help of RipIt4Me, ripping these DVDs will be a very easy task. The program is fully automated and the wizard will guide you through all the necessary steps involved. If you prefer, there is also a true "1-Click" mode that will perform all the involved steps automatically for you.

Please refer to the official RipIt4Me Guide and FAQ for more information on how to use this program.

Here is the original thread for additional information:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123393

I used it to rip a movie and it worked great w/o any problems and was very easy to use. Read the user's guide first. It's very detailed. Both modes of ripping are on the guide so take the time to read the whole guide. Some Sony DVD's may give you an error message when trying to rip them. This is where this software will work to successfully rip the DVD so you can convert it. If the converted DVD has audio problems then try ripping in 'movie only' mode instead of ripping the whole DVD.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you first open RipIt4Me and then load the DVD. I must be done in this order. As stated on the Doom9 thread it will prevent the "Autorun.inf" from running.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

Download link for DVD Decrypter thanks to 'thenickster' here:
http://www.thenickster.net/DVDDecrypter.exe

The easiest ripper to use and will give you one .vob file to transcode. Use the guide to set on the Videora site.

Set up guide for DVD Decrypter. (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/guides.html) This set up will give you one (1) .vob file to transcode.

or

DVD Shrink - DVD Shrink v3.2.0.15

DVD Shrink is a versatile freeware tool for fitting a DVD-Video disc on a single DVDR disc.

DVD Shrink is capable of both re-authoring and re-encoding the movie. It features an intuitive user interface which makes it easy to choose what to keep, and what to lose.

DVD Shrinks allow the user to select compression level for each video track separately to obtain the desired disc size (which is usually below 4.38GB). The software is capable of producing either an ISO image of the ripped DVD, or a VIDEO_TS folder for further processing, viewing or burning.

See interactive guides here:
Guides (http://www.dvdshrink.info/guides.php)

Download Shrink here. (http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_shrink.cfm)

or

DVDFab Decrypter - Freeware (http://www.dvdidle.net/free.htm)

This has been updated with the lastest encryption busters.

Rips the whole DVD only. Best for those problematic DVD's that you have trouble ripping.
DVDFab Decrypter is a simple version of DVDFab Express . It copies entire DVD movie to hard disk, and removes all the protections (CSS, RC, RCE, Macrovision, UOPs and Sony ARccOS) while copying.

Operating Systems: Win2k/ Win98/ WinME/ WinNT/ WinXP

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

NERO 7 (http://www.nero.com/nero7/enu/Nero_7_Premium_New_Features.html) - Shareware $79USD or $99 Retail Version

Some of the applications included:
http://www.nero.com/nero7/enu/Nero_Recode_2_Features.html

This will successfully transcode .WMV files as well. You can try it out the trial version. This software will transcode files with the new format 640x480 .MP4 and the files will work on the iPod. The AVC settings will not work on the iPod using 640x480 settings.

Use this link for a guide posted by kornchild:
Nero Recode 2 Guide (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=201947)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

PQ DVD CONVERTER (http://www.pqdvd.com/dvd-to-ipod-video-converter.html) - Shareware $34.95USD Free to try

NOTE: PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter Suite now supports high quality 640x480 H.264 and MPEG4 video. It is the first and the only iPod DVD, video converter available on the market supporting 640x480 H.264 iPod Video.


PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter is released. It's a One-Click, All-In-One solution to convert DVD, Tivo, DivX, MPEG, WMV, AVI, RealMedia and many more to iPod Video. Super fast (300% faster than other solutions) DVD conversion speed with high quality plus advanced video editing features gives you everything you need to turn iPod into a portable media center. Watch iPod movies, TVs, home videos on the go - a new lifestyle to experience.

* PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter supports all kinds of video formats including: DVD, DivX/XviD video, avi, wmv, mpg, mpeg, dat(VCD), rm, rmvb, Tivo2Go, dvr-ms, qt, mov(ver 2) and more. DVD subtitle is supported.

Software Requirements:
-PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter software run on PC (Microsoft Windows 9 8/ME/NT/2000/XP) to convert DVD movies, videos into iPod video.
-(No Mac OS version has been planed yet)
-Apple iPod (with video) is required. (It is a new iPod model released in Oct, 2005.) Other iPod models (e.g. nano, shuffle, etc) does support video playback. For these models, see the upcoming iPod Video Photo solution.

Download link (http://www.pqdvd.com/download/pqdvd_ipod.exe)

DVD to iPod, video to iPod conversion tutorial posted by deskvideo here:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=57515&highlight=audio+sync+video

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC'S

Video Monkey
http://videomonkey.org/Video_Monkey/About.html

Video Monkey is a free video encoding application exclusively for Mac. It was created after the demise of the great tool Visual Hub. Video Monkey borrows heavily from the Visual Hub video conversion tool, both conceptually and from the original code dump posted to SourceForge as TranscoderRedux.
There’s new stuff coming all the time, so check back often!!!

Download (http://sourceforge.net/projects/videomonkey/files/videomonkey/)


VISUAL HUB and iSQUINT are NO LONGER AVAILABLE




----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC, WINDOWS & LINUX:

Handbrake 0.8.5 Beta 1 (http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8)
The complete change set is available and well worth a read (PDF), but here’s a summary for the impatient:

• User presets (Mac)
• AppleTV and PS3 support
• Anamorphic, even in QuickTime
• Surround sound (both AAC 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic II)
• Chapter markers (QuickTime-style)
• Official support for the Windows GUI
• PPC Linux support
• High profile H.264

baggss has provided a tutorial at the links below:

How To Rip A Movie with Mediafork (http://www.phoppe.com/HB/movie/movie.html)

How To Rip TV Shows with Mediafork (http://www.phoppe.com/HB/tv/tv.html)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC:

MacTheRipper 2.6.6 (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14414) - Freeware

MacTheRipper is a DVD ripper (extractor). It removes CSS encryption, Macrovision protection, sets the disc's region to '0' for region-free, and is capable of removing RCE region checking. It can also copy ARccOS copy-protected DVDs. This is to backup your legally-purchased DVDs onto your hard drive.

REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
RELATED LINKS
MacTheRipper's user forum is available here (http://www.ripdifferent.com/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=26).

Working Download link (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22715) - When downloaded please burn to a disk. See Official MacTheRipper download site shut down (http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/6833.cfm)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR MAC:

ffMPEGX

ffMPEGX (http://homepage.mac.com/major4/download.html) - Video/Audio Encoder for Mac OSX - freeware.

-As simple as 1.2.3 : Drop a file, choose a destination format, and click "Encode".
-Reads the following input formats: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DIVX, XviD, non-encrypted VOB and VIDEO_TS, Quicktime .MOV, .DV, .WAV, Real Audio, Real Video, H.263, MP4 H.264, PGM, YUV, PPM, AC3, PCM8/16 bits, mulaw/Alaw, WMA-1/2, SUN AU format, MP2, MP3, AAC, 3GP, FPS1, ALAC, and even more formats
-Converts the above formats to DivX, AVI XviD, H.264 MP4, MOV, DV, 3GP, Sony PSP, MP2, MP3, AAC, AC3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VCD, CVD, SVCD, KVCD, KSVCD, DVD, KDVD and MPEG-TS with complete control over encoding options.

Step-By-Step Guides (http://homepage.mac.com/major4/howtos.html) are listed on this page for:

-converting to DVD/SVCD/VCD
-converting to XviD/DivX/H.264
-converting to handheld devices
-about converting to audio formats
-guides about subtitles
-guides about authoring, joining, cutting, fixing..

They also have a forum for additional aid.

Product requirements:
-Mac OS X 10.3 or higher (an older version 0.0.9k is available for Mac OS X 10.2).
-To playback DivX, use codecs from www.3ivx.com or www.divx.com
-To playback mpeg-2, use VLC (http://www.videolan.org) Media Player or the Apple MPEG-2 (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2) player component. To comply with applicable laws and licensing terms, the mpeg2enc, mencoder and mplayer components are not distributed with ffmpegX, and must be downloaded and installed separately. In addition, to comply with copyright laws, ffmpegX doesn't allow to select a DVD disk device as input and doesn't contain any DVD decryption software. Please make sure that you comply with all laws applicables in your country concerning copyright protection.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MACS

MovieChapterizer (http://js8media.com/moviechapterizer/index.html)

MovieChapterizer opens up a world of cool chapter usage in QuickTime Player. Use MovieChapterizer to create chapter names for favorite sections of your movies. It's a snap to use. When you're done, open the movie in QuickTime Player and use the chapter popup button to jump instantly to any chapter markers you added. Check out the pictures below for how easy it is.

You can download and try MovieChapterizer for free, and add a small number of chapters. To use it to add up to 50 chapters you can also purchase a license code for $15 from our store page or by clicking the Buy Now button on this page.

See website for additional information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR MAC

PSPWare for Mac OS X - (ver. 2.1.4) - Movie Conversion - Shareware $15USD w/ a free trial offer.
http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/pspware

-Sync your music, movies and photos and back up your game saves with ease. You specify what you want synced and PSPWare takes care of the rest automatically. PSPWare integrates your Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) with your Mac.
-Tunes on the go: PSPWare integrates with iTunes. When you make changes to your music library, PSPWare will make the same changes on your PSP.
-Features include syncing of AAC and WAV audio formats, syncing of PNG, TIFF, GIF & BMP image formats as well as syncing of Safari Bookmarks to the new PSP web browser.

WINDOWS version is here (http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/pspware.win)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC & WINDOWS

MoviePod (http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/moviepod) - Shareware $10

What formats are supported?
MoviePod supports every common movie format* (MOV, MPG, AVI, ASF, WMV, VOB, DV and QuickTime plugins) so you can easily get your movie collection onto your iPod!

Windows version
Windows users stay tuned, a Windows version of MoviePod is coming really soon!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC

ViddyUp!
http://www.splasm.com/viddyup/index.html

Here's what ViddyUp! can do:

UPDATE: Supports 640x480 MPEG-4 & H264 formats (http://www.splasm.com/viddyup/update.html)

* Works with all QuickTime-compatible files, and then some, but doesn't require QuickTime Pro.
* Creates MPEG-4 and H.264 files for iPod. You decide between MPEG-4's quick processing and average quality and H.264's slower performance and outstanding quality.
* Batch processing
* MPEG muxed audio support
* Cropping - choose from automatic 4:3, constrained 4:3 and manual.
* High-quality presets for iPod
* Low-quality presets for Podcasts
* H.264 single-pass and multi-pass, with better multi-pass performance than other QuickTime-based solutions.
* Sets each video clip's poster frame during encoding
* Sends each file to a special ViddyUp! playlist in iTunes.

Minimum System Requirements:

* Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. ViddyUp! is not compatible with Windows®.
* iTunes 6 or later
* QuickTime 7.1.3 or later
* Temporary hard drive space equivalent to 3x the size of each video clip

Recommended:

* iTunes 7 or later
* iPod firmware 1.2 or later
Pricing:

ViddyUp! is only US $9.95. That's a bargain compared to almost $30.00 for QuickTime Pro!

Upgrading from Podner 1.x:

ViddyUp! 1.x is free for registered Podner 1.x users. Download and install the latest version of ViddyUp! and it will automatically recognize your Podner 1.x license and preferences.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS:

PSP Movie Creator (http://www.pqdvd.com/download) - shareware $34.99 USD

Software Requirements:

-PSP Movie Creator and PSP Video Express video converter software run on PC (Microsoft Windows 9 8/ME/NT/2000/XP) to record video into Sony PSP movie/video format (*.MP4). (No Mac OS version has been planed yet)
-PSP Movie Creator / PSP Video Express requires a USB cable or memory stick reader to transfer movies/video file onto Sony PSP.
-PSP Movie Creator requires a DVD-ROM, a DVD video player software installed in your PC (e.g. WinDVD, PowerDVD, etc)

A full length DVD movie/video can be compressed into a 256MB or larger PSP Memory Stick using PSP Movie Creator / PSP Video Express software. PSP UMD video disc is not required.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS AND MAC

YOUTUBE VIDEO DOWNLOADERS & CONVERTERS

FLV Online Converter - ver.0.5.1229
http://vixy.net/flv_converter

This service converts a Flash Video / FLV file (Youtube's movie,etc) to MPEG4 (AVI/MOV/MP4/MP3/3GP) file. The service is using a compressed domain transcoder technology (outline in Japanese). (http://vixy.net/blog/archives/42) Converts FLV to MPEG4 faster and losslessy than a typical transcoder.

When you submit an url, this service will download and convert to the video format. Then you can download the converted file.

FLV to MPEG4 Conveter engine is now OpenSource! (http://sourceforge.net/projects/vixynet/) You can download the source code via subversion: http://sourceforge.net/svn/?group_id=183657


FireFox Extension
http://www.downloadhelper.net/

It will download videos from YouTube and save it as a flash file so you can convert it the iPod.

SaveVid
http://www.savevid.com/

Download online videos with Savevid.com
Savevid.com is a tool which gives you the ability to download videos from streaming video sites. You can download videos from Youtube, Google Videos, Metacafe, Spike and more in FLV, AVI, MOV, MPG or WMV formats.

Help/FAQ: http://www.savevid.com/help/

KeepVid
http://keepvid.com/

See FAQ (http://keepvid.com/faq)

DVDVideoSoft
http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/free-dvd-video-software.htm

AnyVideo Converter
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Input formats:
avi, asf, mov, rm, rmvb, flv, mkv, mpg, 3gp, m4v, vob, YouTube videos and more

Output formats:
avi, mp4, wmv, swf, flv, mkv, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, mpg (PAL or NTSC), mp3, wma, ogg, aac, wave, m4a

See website for additional information.

iDesktop.TV
http://www.idesktop.tv/#

You will have to register giving a user name & email address after being allowed 10 downloads without doing so. You can try it out.


TubeTV
http://www.chimoosoft.com/products/tubetv/

TubeTV is a new freeware program for Mac OS X Tiger and above which enables you to search for, save, and convert Google Video and YouTube videos to a format suitable for playback on your favorite devices.

Note: I have and use TubeTV for YouTube videos and it works great. Haven't had any problems with it and it is for Mac.

Tooble
http://tooble.tv/

Tried this and it works well for both Mac & Windows.

Zamzar
http://www.zamzar.com/
It is an online converter. See the blog (http://blog.zamzar.com/2007/02/16/support-launched-for-youtube-video-conversion/) for more details.

You can see this thread:
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=214607

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[HalloweenOnXmas]

thanks m8.

[honeybee1236]

FOR WINDOWS & MAC

VLC - Freeware

VideoLan Media Player (http://www.videolan.org/) for both Windows & Mac (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html)

VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. Here is a full list of features. (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html) Just click on the icons of your choice to download.

Using VLC:

1-Open VLC & go to File > Open File (Not the Quick Open File)
2-Then choose the mov file & click Advanced Output.
3-Change the Encapsulation Mode to Quicktime
4-Then under Output options, choose File and hit Browse and choose a path and name.
5-Set the Transcode options as follows:
---Video: mp4v - bitrate 512kbps scale 1
---Audio: mp4a - bitrate 128kbps channels 2
6-Click OK to close. VLC will open your file and play it & the progress bar will start going but no video will play unless you have play locally on.
7-Once it's done click on the output file you saved to open it in QT. Now you can export the file to another format.

You can check the -play locally- box to watch the video while it's being encoded but it may be jerky while doing so. I suggest you leave it unchecked so it won't play during the processing part. Used this method with a file I encoded as an .avi file to fix the audio being out of sync.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC:

MPEG STREAMCLIP 1.3.1 (http://www.alfanet.it/squared5/mpegstreamclip.html) - Freeware that will edit footage from a DVD (see website for more info)

MPEG Streamclip is an application that converts MPEG files (including transport streams) and also includes a player to set In and Out points, cut unwanted parts and perform a partial conversion.

Using MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 in Mac OS X is now easier than ever with MPEG Streamclip!

A complete user's guide is included in the application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

To convert .RM files you can use:

1- Xilisoft - Shareware - $35USD with a free trial to try before you buy
http://www.xilisoft.com/dvd-ripper.html

Xilisoft Video Converter is a powerful video conversion tool, extremely easy to use. It can convert between almost all popular video formats including DVD, VCD, SVCD, MOV, RM, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MPEG1/2/4, 3GP etc, and also convert video files to all popular audio files such as MP2, MP3, AC3, RA, M4A, OGG, AAC etc.

See this tip posted by "spr02072" for when you videos are 'out of sync' when using Xilisoft converter:
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=217205


Their is other software on the site to do conversions for audio & video.

2- IMTOO - Shareware - $35USD
http://www.imtoo.com/mpeg-encoder.html

Supported file format
Video: MPEG(mpg, mpeg, dat, vob); WMV; ASF; AVI; QuichTime(mov, qt); MPEG4(mp4); 3GP; DV(dv, dif); Real Video(rm); Animated GIF(gif - decoding only); Macromedia Flash(swf - decoding audio only);
Audio: MPEG Audio(mp2, mp3); WMA; WAV; AU; MPEG4 Audio(m4a); Real Audio(ra); OGG; AAC(will support soon); Raw AC3(ac3); NUT Open Container Format(nut);

You will need to first convert the file to .AVI or MPEG then to VCD or DVD. Check the guides for more information and take advantage of the free trial offer.

3- Xilisoft 3GP Video Converter - Shareware - $29.00USD with a free trial offer.
http://www.xilisoft.com/3gp-video-converter.html

The 3GP converter allows users to convert AVI to 3GP, MPEG to 3GP. The 3GP Converter supports almost all popular video formats including mpeg1, mpeg2, mpeg4, wmv, mp4, 3gp, mov, rm, dv, yuv, h264 to 3GP file conversion. Xilisoft 3GP Video Converter also convert 3GP video file to popular video formats such as 3GP to AVI, 3GP to MPEG, 3GP to Divx. The 3GP Converter supports convert audio-only 3GP file to MP3, WAV, and vice versa.

-Supports all mobile phone video formats including 3GP, 3G2 (3GPP2) and MPEG-4;
-Convert various formats including DVD, VCD, SVCD, MOV, RM, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MPEG to 3GP, 3G2 and MPEG-4;
-Convert 3GP to popular audio files, including MP3 and WAV;
-Support batch conversion;
-Support multithreading,you can convert multiple files at the same time;
-When converting 3gp and Mpeg-4 files, you can pause, stop and continue at any moment;
-You can use the default settings or set parameters of the video and audio codec by yourself;
-The 3GP Converter supports preview. Users can choose to preview the input files before conversion.
-Converts any clip or segment of input file. The software allows users to choose start point and duration at will.

Download link (http://www.xilisoft.com/downloads/x-3gp-video-converter.exe)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

VOB Merge (http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=VOBMerge) - Freeware

Application will merge your .vob files extracted from a DVD. It is easy to use and quickly merges the files. Save the merged file to your internal HD & don't use an external if it's format is FAT32 since that has a limitation on file size. A HD format NTFS doesn't have the same limitations and you can avoid the I/O error during merger.

Click on the 'program homepage' link & then the link that says "hier" to download the zip file. Unzip & open the app, find your files & make sure they are in the right order. If they aren't then highlight the one you want to move and use the move arrow keys to move the file into the correct order. Click the merge button and when the window opens just select the place you want to save the merged file to and type in the name you want the file to have & click ok. The files will quickly merge into one .VOB file. Then you can convert the one file for the iPod.

This is good to use when you have a DVD that has multiple programs on one DVD.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC

QTAmateur for MacOS X (http://www.mikeash.com/?page=software/qtamateur/index.html) - Freeware

QTAmateur is a small, simple QuickTime video player. It can play any format that QuickTime can understand, handle fullscreen video playback, and export files to any format that QuickTime can write.

QTAmateur includes a Batch Export function which can convert any number of movies at a time to another format. Simply drag the desired movies into the window, choose the desired format, configure the output, and let QTAmateur take care of the rest.

Download link (http://www.mikeash.com/software/qtamateur/QTAmateur.app.zip)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC

iSquint (http://www.isquint.org/) - Freeware
An iPod video conversion application.

iSquint is an iPod video conversion app. It's up to 5 times faster than Apple's method, works well with AVIs and MPEGs, and it's infinitely free-er. It's also really easy.
Drag in your file, click "Start", and away you go. You can even set Screen-size and quality preferences. On a 1.5GHz G4, iSquint can convert most video files to iPod-screen-sized videos in realtime. Depending on a few factors, a 20 minute video will take up anywhere from 50-150MB of disk space.

Features:
-Update for 640x480 support.
- Fast MPEG-4 and H.264 conversion from almost every popular video format, from 3GP to XviD.
- QuickTime Pro and DivX codec not required.
- DivX/XviD AVIs, all forms of MPEG video, and many other formats QuickTime chokes on are supported.
- WMV 7/8 files supported. With the Flip4Mac plugin, all WMV files are supported - including WMV9.
- Batch Processing of multiple files. Save in-place, or to a different folder.
- Automatic aspect ratio detection. Anamorphic MPEG-2 and HDV detected too.
- Quality slider. Leave it as is to trust me, mess with it if you know better, or completely ignore it and play with the...
- Advanced settings drawer. Change every aspect of the conversion process.
- Just a few of the supported formats: .mov .mp4 .avi .dv .mpg .vob .3gp .asf .wmv .flv .m4v

Download link (http://www.isquint.org/iSquint0.9j.dmg)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If your looking for a way to convert your video or movies on the Mac this is just one way to do it using QuickTime Pro. If you don't already own this software then you will have to purchase it for a price of $29.99 US price. Check the Apple store for the price if you live outside the USA.

FOR MAC & WINDOWS

QuickTime Pro - Shareware $29.95USD purchased along with
MPEG2 - $19.99 - Support for MPEG-2

The QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component provides QuickTime users with the ability to import and play back MPEG-2 content, including both multiplexed (a.k.a. muxed, where the audio and video tracks are interleaved together into one track) and non-multiplexed (a.k.a. elementary) streams.

(1) Note that the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component will not demux audio and video, nor will it enable audio transcoding.

(2) Only VOB files containing MPEG audio layers I and II are supported.

Learn how to work with various QuickTime track types, create media skins and even create a slideshow with a soundtrack. Creating Video for iPod tutorial. (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/creatingvideo.html)

Here's a list of other QuickTime Tutorials that are available:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/tutorials.html

QuickTime, QuickTime Pro and iPod FAQ's
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/faq.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDING SUBTITLES TO MOVIES

How To Add Subtitles to a DVD (The Complete Working Guide) (http://forum.videohelp.com/topic219535.html)

How To add permanent subtitles with VobSub (http://forum.videohelp.com/topic87065.html)

See the guides listed here for tutorials:
http://forum.videohelp.com/viewforum.php?f=15

Adding Permanent Subtitles
http://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=153058


Ripping and Converting with English Subtitle

I had the movie Pan's Labyrinth which is a movie in Spanish with English subtitle available. Since I needed the English subtitle I ripped the movie with "DVD Decrypter" in ISO (Read R) mode and used the default settings under the "Tools">"Settings" option.

I clicked on the ISO Read Mode tab.

-File Splitting is set to "Auto"
-DVD + File Capacity is set to "File System"
.
These boxes are checked:
-Create MDS File box
-Remove IFO RC Protection
-Remove IFO RCE Protection
All other boxes are UNchecked in that section.

Once the ripping part was done I then used "Handbrake" to convert the movie. I opened it up under Handbrakes "ISO" option. This allowed the English Subtitle to show up in which I then just selected it. I used the Handbrake settings listed here (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-conversion-win/).

I left it overnight to convert using 2 pass option. The movie converted, transferred to the iPod and played successfully in iTunes and the iPod with subtitle viewable. The file size for the 1:59:07 movie was 1.35GB.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VEMoDe
http://vemode.coreforge.org/

VEMoDe is a free program that gives you a quick and easy way to turn your videos and movies into portable videos. It will convert from many formats and includes settings for several mobile devices.

Features:
Easy to use interface. Just pick your file and go!
Very fast, high quality encoder (using FFmpeg)
Existing settings for several popular devices (iPhone, PSP, iPod Touch, iPod Classic / Video, Palm, Pocket PC, Zodiac, Treo, GP2X), plus you can create settings for other devices.
Support for optional subtitles
"Encode by Size" to get the most quality for your memory cards.
"Split by Size" to maximize quality and portability
Easy to configure encoding options.
Cropping options to get the best screen usage.
Select the start and end positions to remove those long credits.
Batch Processing and Auto-shutdown for overnight encoding.
It's free!

Download (1.2 beta)

Setup for Windows XP/Vista/2000/98 (http://vemode.coreforge.org/VEMoDe12b.exe)
Zipped File (http://vemode.coreforge.org/VEMoDe12b.zip)

Includes support for the iPhone and iPod Touch as well as several improvements / fixes. See details in the README File:
http://vemode.coreforge.org/README.txt

[Happy Buddha]

I just discovered that if you have Nero (Windows) you can use Recode to convert files too. Takes about an hour for the recoding.

[honeybee1236]

Found some great guides while searching for information on the best way to convert and transfer videos to the iPod. These guides were written by CLINT ECKER (thanks for the helpful information) on the website ars technica (http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/ipod-video.ars/1).

Getting video onto your iPod by Clint Ecker Monday, October 24, 2005

This is a step-by-step guide using various softwares to convert files into an iPod compatible video.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DUDDING VHS TAPES TO DVD

This will work fine for VS tapes that are not copy-protected. If they are and you want to copy the programs onto DVD's to preserve them then there are several ways to do this. You can get a Video Capture Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Manufactory=1126&SubCategory=48&Submit=Property&CMP=KNC-GoogleAdwords&ATT=ATI+Video+Cards) and plug the VCR into the computer and import the movies. You can also use such devices as this which work also but is a little more expense: DVD Red PRO. (http://www.xdimax.com/dvd/dvdredpro.html)

I've been dubbing my VHS tapes to DVD and ran into a problem. My VCR has only one video & audio out plug. I connected it to my VCR/DVD combo deck. After dubbing I found that the audio played out of the right side only when played on the iPod using ear/headphones. Found a way to correct the problem but using QT Pro which is very slow:

1-Open movie in QT Pro.
2-On toolbar go to window>show movie properties.
3-Highlight the audio track in the upper section of the window.
4-Then select the audio settings tab in the lower section of the window.
5-Go to the Channel Assignment sub-window on the right of the lower section of the main window.
6-Click & hold on line that says '1 left' (or 2 right if applicable to your situation). My audio is on the right channel only & this is to add audio to the left channel.
7-When the pop-up window opens select right (or left) & release mouse button.
8-Save As a 'Self-Contained' movie. This gave me a .MOV file. (This part of the process went fast).

At this point play the movie and listen to it through your headphones and see if the sound is coming through both the left and the right. If the audio is playing from both then open iTunes select File>Add folder/file to library>highlight the movie & add it to the library. Then transfer the movie to the iPod. This file should work fine on the iPod since it has already been converted and nothing has changed but the audio assignment and all other aspects are the same for iPod format. If the movie was never recorded with audio on both channels then you will probably have to then use the "export to iPod" feature in QT Pro which is what I had to do next.

9-I then had to convert the .MOV file for use on the iPod using QT Pro "export to ipod" feature.

I tested the converted file on the iPod and the audio plays out of both the left & right earphone. The down side to this is that QT Pro is way to slow in converting so I load it up at night and let it convert the files I've alread dubbed.

I have found that the best way to do this is to get an audio adapter and plug it into the back of the VCR so that the audio can be recorded on both the left and the right channels and this process will not be needed.

Here is a place I found that sells cables and adapters. The 5th one down is an audio adapter that you can plug into a VCR audio out if you only have one out and you need to have two audio out to plug in both left & right (red & white) 'out' to the recorder 'in'.
http://www.cablewholesale.com/catalog/audiovideoadaptors.htm


You can also use DAZZLE and DAZZLE Platinum (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Dazzle/?dz=1) and connect it to your computer to transfer VHS movies directly to a DVD that can be used in any DVD player and viewed on any TV. I use the Dazzle Platinum connected to my PC.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS


MyTVToGo (http://www.mytvtogo.com/)

Features

Runs on Windows MCE 2004, Windows MCE 2005, or Windows XP running TiVoToGo Desktop or connected to a Windows MCE PC over a network
ReadySync converts your shows as soon as they are recorded, so you always have TV ready to go
Converts and copies Windows Media Center Edition and TiVo recorded content to your Pocket PC
Converts and copies television shows directly to your iPod, PSP, Pocket PC, Smartphone, Laptop, Storage Card or creates a library of shows in your "My Videos" folder
Select from four different playback quality settings: Compatible, Good, Better, or Best
Records up to 8 hours of television shows on a single 512MB card to a Pocket PC
Records up to 3 hours of television shows on a single 512MB card to a VGA Pocket PC
Records up to 11 hours of television shows on a single 512MB card to a Smartphone
Converts either Standard definition (SDTV) or high definition (HDTV) television shows
Copies and converts television shows in the background while you use Media Center
Works with or without a Pocket PC, Smartphone, or Storage Card connected to your Windows PC
Automatically detects Pocket PC, Smartphone, and Storage Card connectivity
Video decoder validation automatically scans for the most compatible video decoder installed on your PC
Video preview window to view TV show during selection process
Optimized support for VGA displays (640 x 480)
Optimized support for QVGA displays (320 x 240)
Optimized support for Smartphone displays (208 x 160)
Help assistant: a direct link to Proxure's email support
Installation package includes: Quick Start Guide, MyTV ToGo, and MyTV ToGo Activation Utility

Requirements

Windows Media Center Edition + iPod, PSP, PC laptop, Windows Mobile based Pocket PC or Smartphone running at 200MHz or greater.

[Tom Honey]

Have you tried these programs?

wihh is best?

im looking for the simplest and quickest method for Mac.

i dont have time to try all of them.

so far i have tried ffmpegx unsucesessfuly.

[honeybee1236]

I'm using:
1- MTR - Mac The Ripper
2- DVD2oneX - to prepare the files for compression
3- Handbrake or ffmpegX - to convert the files after the above.

So far this combination has worked for me. If your just converting files already on your computer instead of ripping from a DVD then make sure the files are prepared by using CD/DVD prep software. That may be why that software isn't working for you. I had that problem and used DVD2oneX and then was able to converter the VOB files that wouldn't converter using ffmpegX before. DVD2one has a free trial 30 day use so you can try it and see. There are other ones listed on the link below.

See the info here:
http://www.pure-mac.com/video.html

Also, you can try Handbrake. This worked for me also. If it doesn't work for you then get a CDDVD prep software and use it first. Then use ffmpegX after and see if the file will convert.

[yinyang]

For Mac Users

If it's playable in QT then you can use this applescript to export from QT to iPod format...

http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~ari/scripts/Quicktime2iTunesVideo.html

you do NOT need QT Pro :)

[jaydon34]

Whats the best setting for converting wide screen tv shows to the ipod using ffmpegx . I tried different settings but the video just looks wierd.

[0x0]

I can not select "Export" in QT Pro because it is greyed out. What am I doing wrong?

[honeybee1236]

The file your using is not being recognized. It probably needs to be converted first to .avi. What type of file is it that your trying to transfer and is it a downloaded file from the internet?

[honeybee1236]

Originally posted by jaydon34
Whats the best setting for converting wide screen tv shows to the ipod using ffmpegx . I tried different settings but the video just looks wierd.

If your having problems with widescreen make sure you keep it within the Apple specs for video/movies.

H.264 video

File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: Up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3
Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

MPEG-4 video

File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: Up to 2.5 Mbps, 480 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile
Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

Edit I found some info for you.
For widescreen it's 320 x 176 and
extra widescreen it's 736 x 313 = 2.35:1

[BiReL41r]

Great guide, just one thing.

I've been using DVD Decrypter, AutoGK and 3GP Convertor. It all works perfect and the quality is superb. The size is usually between 300-400mb per movie, but I'm just wondering if there are better programs then what I am using? Thanks!

[honeybee1236]

First, use what works for you especially if your getting great results and the picture quality is superb.

If it's not broke then don't fix it. :)

[crosswalkryan]

Hey, I'm having problems putting video onto my new ipod vid.

I read about the videora program and downloaded it, then read the tutorial. I had a couple different videos i tried to convert, a .wmv, an existing mpeg-4, and another one. I selected H264/320x240/768kbps/stereo/128kbps, converted it, added it to i-tunes, but i can't add it to my ipod now. Help?


edit: I managed to get ONE of them on, but its only a picture with the audio going, and its under music...

[writeous]

Which of the formats provide the best quality visually? I'm not really up to par as far as video codecs go :-(

[yinyang]

Another App for Mac

D-Vision 3 (http://www.objectifmac.com/dvision.php)...

"D-Vision is composed of two different parts. The first part, which is the one available by default when launching the software, is made for:

- encoding DVD movies in Divx, Xvid or h264.
- extract sound of a DVD in MP3 or AC3.

The second part of D-Vision is composed of some tools which allow you to:

- encode AVI and MPG files in Divx, Xvid or h264
- cut AVI files
- merge AVI or VOB files
- encode audio file in MP3 or AC3
- modify fourcc code of an AVI file
- embed subtitles from a SRT file on a movie (MPG or AVI)
- demux OGM files"

enjoy :)

[honeybee1236]

DO NOT POST YOUR PROBLEMS ON THIS THREAD. PLEASE START A SEPARATE THREAD. THIS THREAD IS FOR TUTORIALS ONLY.

[honeybee1236]

Converter Guide:
Mov to AVI with RAD Video Tools (http://www.videohelp.com/mov2avi.htm)


Tom's Download - DVD Converter Tools
http://www.tomdownload.com/dvd_converter.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

To convert Flash Video file (.flv) see this guide:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=259578

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS:

AFTERDAWN - Listing of Software for Windows Users:

Afterdawn (http://www.afterdawn.com/software/) - both freeware & shareware listings. See site for details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS:

PSP Video 9 1.73 Download - freeware

PSP Video 9 (http://www.pspvideo9.com/) is a free video conversion and management application. It can convert regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into PSP video files, as well as manage/copy these PSP video files between your PC and PSP.

When combined with another application, Videora (http://www.videora.com/) + PSP Video 9 form the first PSPcasting solution, allowing you to download, convert and copy video to your PSP, automatically using BitTorrent and RSS technology.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CD COVERS

Here's a link to download CD/DVD covers as well as others if your making copies of commerical DVD's as a back up:
http://www.cdcovers.cc/covers.php

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS & MAC

Here is a listing of software:

RIP HELP (http://www.riphelp.com/downloads/index.html)

Website has a good list of a varity of software for ripping, editing, converting, copying, encoding, etc. Just click on the links. Most of the listed is for windows but I found one
MPEG2DECODER (http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/mpeg2decoder.html) that will work on OS 9 & it's freeware. The listings are both freeware and shareware.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MPEG-4 ASP Information - just incase you wanna know:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=73022

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

ANYDVD (http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html) - Shareware $39USD

AnyDVD is a driver, which unprotects DVD-Movies automatically in the background. This DVD appears unprotected and region code free for all applications and the Windows operating system as well. With AnyDVD's help copy tools like CloneDVD, Pinnacle Instant Copy, InterVideo DVD-Copy, etc. are able to copy CSS protected Movies. With the help of AnyDVD you can watch movies with non matching region codes with every DVD Player Software you like!

AnyDVD decrypts not just DVDs: AnyDVD allows you also to play, copy and rip protected Audio CDs! But AnyDVD does much more, of course. For example, it is possible to control the rotational speed of your DVD drive, so you can watch DVDs on your PC with far less noise!
AnyDVD is the perfect Add-On for your HTPC (Home Theater PC). It can prevent the automatic launch of software from your Video DVDs (e.g., PC-Friendly) and you can start user defined programs on disc insertion and removal. AnyDVD can adjust your monitor's vertical refresh rate (e.g. 72 Hz with NTSC and 75 Hz with PAL) automatically if you wish!

AnyDVD can remove unwanted user prohibitions, e.g. it removes forced subtitles or it lets you skip copyright messages and FBI Warnings.

Features
-Works as a driver automatically in the background
-Removes encryption (CSS) and region code (RPC) from DVDs
-Removes analogue copy protection (Macrovision)
-Removes prohibited user operations like forced subtitles and other limitations
-Decrypts WITHOUT having to save the data onto the hard disk
-Decrypts "on the fly"
-Prevents launch of software from your Video DVDs (e.g., PC-Friendly)
-Allows setting of your vertical refresh rate depending on the video material
-Allows execution of programs on disc insertion and removal
-Allows speed control of your DVD drives
-Works with all DVDs
-Works with all DVD-drives, no matter what region code it has
-Works with every DVD copying and player software (e.g. CloneDVD)
-Works transparently for the operating system: DVDs can be shared over the network, they can be copied with the command prompt or with Windows Explorer, etc.
-Proven to be stable and fast, does not need an ASPI driver
-New Feature AnyCDDA: play, copy and rip protected Audio CDs!

System Requirements
IBM compatible personal computer with a 500 MHz Pentium and 64 MB RAM
Windows 95/98/SE/ME/2000/XP
Harddisk space needed: 2 MB

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[bigshot]

Guide for Compressor settings?

Thanks
Steve

[primo2594]

does ne1 have a easy to understand guide for some1 that is trying to but a DVD onto his ipod....dont know to much about anything related to this so easy to understand is a must

[yinyang]

More apps for Mac users....

Handbrake Lite (http://www.isquint.org/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=1;t=14)

ReelBean (http://www.js8media.com/reelbean/index.html)

DVD2Pod (http://www.kainjow.com/downloads/DVD2Pod.zip)

all apprently very easy to use, and ReelBean is free until 10th Jan, whilst the others are freeware

[SGMD1]

Originally posted by primo2594
does ne1 have a easy to understand guide for some1 that is trying to but a DVD onto his ipod....dont know to much about anything related to this so easy to understand is a must

I was in the same boat (not knowing anything about video conversion), but after reading these forums I've found that this is probably the easiest FREE conversion method you'll find.

Flawless iPod DVD/Video Conversion for Dummies:

After 15-30 minutes with DVD Decrypter and 3-5 hours of Videora, you will have a perfect quality MPEG4 ready for upload to your iPod! (Final video size will be about 400MB per hour).

DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 (www dot doom9 dot org/Soft21/Rippers/SetupDVDDecrypter_3.5.4.0.exe)

1. Click Mode -> IFO
2. Click Tools -> Settings -> IFO Mode -> File Splitting -> None
3. On the main screen click the “Stream Processing” tab, check the “Enable Stream Processing” box, and uncheck everything except the video track and desired audio track.
4. Decrypt!

Videora iPod Converter (www dot videora dot com/en-us/Converter/iPod/download.php)

1. Click Setup -> Profiles -> New Profile
2. Name the new profile for widescreen iPod movies and select the following options:
a. Mode: MPEG4 > A-VBR
b. Resolution: 320x180
c. Passes: Two
d. Bitrate: 900 kbps
e. Framerate: 29.97 fps
f. Min Rate: 128
g. Max Rate: 2500
h. Custom FFMPEG Flags: -async 1
i. Audio Bitrate: 160 kbps
j. Click “Apply”
3. Create a profile for standard iPod movies and change only the resolution to 320x240.
4. Make sure you select the correct profile before converting!
5. Go to Convert -> Transcode New Video and select the VOB file from your DVD, and click start. Your final MPEG4 for iPod will be ready within 3-5 hours.

For video files you already have on your computer (AVI, MPG, WMV, etc.), simply skip the DVD Decryption and use Videora. It will convert most common video files.

[chollywood]

For Windows ONLY!!!


After wrecking my brains with all the mess of errors, many failures, painstaking tests I've finally successfully converted my first DVD to iPod. Thought I'd go ahead and share with you guys what I have found to be the best so far for DVD to iPod conversion:

1. PQ DVD to iPod - Simply the best and Simply...Simple!!! Insert DVD, when main part of movie plays it will record. DVD file to MP4 instantly. Of course there's many other setting to suit your needs too. Very good user friendly interface. Tested it by playing the output on QT. Absolutely Amazing!!! Pay for it, it's worth it or just [edit], what do I care.

2. DVD Decrypter then VideoRA iPod Converter - (follow SGMD1's instructions above....) Flawless indeed...if you don't mind waiting for VideoRA to transcode your VOB file from DVD Decrypter for like a few hours...mine took nearly 2 hours for Finding Nemo and we're giving it 3-5 hours. So eventhough it says 100%, time is up, and file keeps increasing...just let it be!!! Then when "REALLY" done, it will just say "Transcode Complete"...and you're done!!!

3. Honeybee1236's method with various free applications in the 1st page of this tutorial. meGUI, DVD Decrypter, etc. Works pretty good...but still trying to figure out what to do or how to convert my finished product of a separate "video".mp4 and an "audio".mp4 of the same movie. The video file obviously doesn't have any sound and the audio doesn't have any picture. It's like I would have to play the video.mp4 file in one QT screen and audio.mp4 in the other screen to play the movie. So if anyone knows how to convert, merge?, the two files in one MP4. Please let me know...otherwise it's not a bad option at all...considering it's free.

Other than that I will keep on researching and testing and testing what others have done. Cuz I'm ALL about the MOST convenient and pain-free method. So when I say that the method works, it WILL work!!!

[honeybee1236]

FOR WINDOWS:

123 Audio Video Merger 1.00 - Freeware
http://www.allworldsoft.com/software/11-574-audio-video-merger.htm

Merge audio or video files into a single output file! 123 Audio Video Merger is a freeware utility that provides a fast and easy way to do this.

File merger audio video manager mp3, mpg, mpeg, avi, wma, wmv, wav, mov joiner multimedia split compress

123 Audio Video Merger software. Merge audio or video files into a single output file! 123 Audio Video Merger is a freeware utility that provides a fast and easy way to do this. Merge audio or video files into a single output file! Sometimes, you download audio and video files splitted in a lot of small parts. Now you can join these audio (MP3, WAV...) or video files (AVI, MPG, MPEG...) into a single file! 123 Audio Video Merger is a freeware utility that provides a fast and easy way to do this.

OS: Windows 95,98,ME,NT,2000,XP

Other software available:
http://www.manitools.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS

VideoEdit Converter Pro 1.3 - Shareware, $39.95
http://www.gold-software.com/download1953.html

Features:
-Convert, Merge, Split video/audio file to WAV,WMA File. Convert video/audio file to MPEG1, MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DVD, Custom MPEG File.
-Convert video/audio file to WMV/ASF/AVI.
-Output separate audio and video file for DVD authoring. Has ability select VBR /CBR mode in MPEG encoding.
-Provide Video Quality configuration in MPEG file.
-Provide Custom WMV Profile setting, you can define VBR, CBR mode, width, height, buffer window, video/audio bit rate.
-Resize video resolution, stretch mode selection.
-Export video frames to separate image files and resize to specific size.
-Export WAVE file from media file and save as specific number of channel, sample rate and bit per sample to what you need.
-Export WMA file from media file and save to specific WMA profile.
-Add a Transition (over 20 transition) between any combination of video clips, pictures.
-Preview the video/audio before conversion took place.
-Merge a lot of video/audio files into MPEG1, MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DVD, AVI or WMV file.
-Add a number of images ,sound files and then create MPEG1, MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DVD, AVI files or WMV files.
-Extract video/audio track from media files and then save as MPEG1, MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DVD, AVI or WMV files. Support any codec installed in your computer (e.g MPEG1, DivX, XVid, WMV9)

OS: Win98,WinME,Windows2000,WinXP,

Download link (http://www.gold-software.com/VideoEditConverterPro-file1953.html)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS

AVS Video Converter - $29.95 - €24.82 - £16.35
http://www.avsmedia.com/VideoConverter/index.aspx

This is THE ONLY SOFTWARE you need to turn your computer into a home movie production studio.

More than simply a video converter tool, AVS Video Converter possesses
new excellent possibilities for video capturing, DVD, SVCD or VCD burning and timeline based video editing. New skinable interface allows you not only to get advantage of all the excellent features AVS Video Converter offers, but also to customize the exterior of the program, bringing even more pleasure to your video processing work.

CONVERT BETWEEN ALL VIDEO FORMATS

Such as AVI (DivX, XviD, etc), MPEG 1,2, QuickTime, Real Video, WMV, 3GPP, MP4 and DVD, SVCD, VCD.
All formats (http://www.avsmedia.com/VideoConverter/specification.aspx)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS

Absolute Software (http://www.iaudiosoft.com/) - offers converters, splitters, joiners & recorders. Check website for more detailed information.

All software listed below has a free trial offer so that you can try it before buying it.

1- Absolute Video Converter - $24.95

Features:
· Convert VCD TO SVCD, DVD, AVI/ XDIV/ MPEG4, WMV/ ASV;
· Convert SVCD to VCD, DVD, AVI/ XDIV/ MPEG4,WMV/ ASF;
· Convert DVD to VCD, SVCD, AVI/ XDIV/ MPEG4,WMV/ ASF
· Convert AVI to VCD, SVCD, DVD, WMV/ ASF;
· Convert WMV/ASF to VCD, SVCD, AVI/ XDIV/ MPEG4;
· Setup output video width, height, framerate and audio bitrate, samplerate;
· Extract audio tracks from video files according to the start time and end time;
· Extract images from video files;
· Preview output file before converting;
· High speed video conversion;
· Right-Click quick convert;
· Smart and neat interface, very easy to use.

2- Absolute Video Splitter Joiner - $24.95

Features:
-Split video file:Split a large video file into small pieces in spite of the source format and target format.For example,you can split an AVI file into several small AVI files and even into MPEG,WMV files according to your settings;
-Join video files:join multiple video files to one large file in spite of the source format and target format. For example, you can join several AVI files and even MPEG,WMV files into a large AVI file according to your settings.
-Convert video formats:Convert video formats among MPEG1, MPEG2, AVI/DivX/Xvid, WMV/ASF.
-Various Splitting Mode:You can split a video file by three mode:
-1,by amounts:split in certain parts with the same length;
-2,by time:split by every certain time length;
-3,by user settings:You can set the start-time and end-time of cutting/joining as you preview the movie.
-Step by step Wizard:The step by step wizard makes splitting job very easy to understand.
-Output format settings:Absolute Video Splitter Joiner supports framerate, image size and video or audio codec settings. To get higher quality of target files, you can set the framerate, image size, and video or audio codec before splitting or joining.
-User-friendly interface,very easy to use.
-Split position is exactly located: The program use very accurate time calculation thus makes the splitting result very precise.
-Supports AVI/DivX/XVid, MPEG1,MPEG2, and WMV/ASF formats.

3- Absolute Sound Recorder - $24.95

Features:
-Powerful functions: Absolute Sound Recorder can record any signal played through your sound card in MP3 WMA or WAV files.
-Recording controls: You can select input device and set filter,make high quality output voice. You can also integrate the complete set of record volume control for your convenience.
-Sample and Bitrate settings: Support Sample and Bitrte settings. To get higher quality recording, you can set the Sample rate, Mono or Stereo, and the Sample Bit, before recording. With its powerful sound engine, Recorder produces recordings with CD quality.
-Visualization Recording: Provide visualization image of the input sound.You can adjust the record volume and decide to pause or resume to record as you like.
-File Information: You can view recording file information such as file size,play time,and so on;You can also edit Id3 tag information of the recording file.
-Direct-To-Disk long time recording: Can consecutively record for as long as your like without interrupt.
-User-friendly interface,very easy to use.

4- Absolute Video to Audio Converter - $19.95

Features:
· Extract audio tracks from VCD, SVCD, DVD, AVI, DIVX, WMV/ASF and Standard MPEG to MP3,WMA,OGG,WAV files.
· Setup output audio bitrate,frequency,channels,etc;
· Extract audio tracks from video files according to the start time and end time you set by preview;The start time and end time of each file is independent.
· Support VBR of MP3 and OGG;
· Batch convert;
· High speed convert;
· Right-Click quick convert;
· Smart and neat interface, very easy to use.

Video Pack 20% OFF !
Includes TWO products - Absolute Video Converter, Absolute Video Splitter Joiner.
Buy Now for only $39.95. You save $9.95!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR WINDOWS, LINUX & MAC

Gold Download (http://www.golddownload.com/)

Website that has a large amount of software listings that include rippers, converters, joiners & splitters as well as other types of software.

DVD To iPod (http://www.dvdtoipod.org/) - site has listing of Mac & Windows software at bottom of page.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC:

Toast 7 - shareware - $99.95USD - $20.00 (mail in rebate offer) = $79.95USD.
http://www.roxio.com/en/products/toast7/index.jhtml?ccid=google

Key New Features (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/toast7/features_key.jhtml;jsessionid=KPYFHRMHCXKZXLAQAMFR VQVMCABQYIV0) and New and Improved features (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/toast7/features_new_improved.jhtml).

Also see the list of other available software to buy:

Easy DVD Copy (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/dvdcopy/index.jhtml) - $49.95 USD Features (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/dvdcopy/features.jhtml)

Popcorn 2 (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/popcorn/index.jhtml) - $49.95USD

Now Popcorn will convert DVDs, DivX, AVI, MPEG and other video files to watch on an iPod, PSP, or other portable video player.

Can be downloaded on online after purchase or you can have the CD mailed to you. If downloaded don't forget to burn it to a disk.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[honeybee1236]

FOR WINDOWS:

How To: Put DVDs onto Your PSP
Posted by joshg (Joshua Grose) 05-27-2005 on the Mobile Deviant website:

DVD-to-PSP Guide (http://www.mobiledeviant.com/forum/showthread.php?t=901)

This article will guide you through the entire process of ripping video off of any DVD and getting it onto your PSP. Most steps contain actual screen shots that show you exactly what you will see on your screen and exactly where to click and/or what to look at to perform that step. I will continue to update this document as time permits. Comments & suggestions are appreciated and will be used to help improve the article for others.

NOTE: - This guide shows how to convert DVD & transfer to a PSP but is useful since all you have to do is convert and transfer to iPod.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC:

From VHS to DVD - Give New Life to Old Movies
By Jim Held at MacWorld

This is a step-by-step guide located here:
http://www.macworld.com/2004/05/features/fromvhstodvd/ -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

.WMV CONVERTERS

Shareware:

Smart Soft - http://www.smartsoftvideo.com/download.htm?id=ssvcgg
WinAvi - http://www.winavi.com/wmv-converter.htm
Tom Download - http://www.tomdownload.com/multimedia_design/video/videocharge.htm

Brother Soft - http://www.brothersoft.com/wmv-converter.html - listing of other apps that will convert .wmv files.

Also check Version Tracker (http://www.versiontracker.com) for converters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MAC:

Converting .WMV to MPEG or MOV Files

Flip4Mac Player Pro (http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv.htm) - Shareware

Check Version Tracker (http://www.versiontracker.com) as well for converters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR MAC

Pure Mac.com (http://www.pure-mac.com/)

Video Software for Mac (http://www.pure-mac.com/video.html)

Codecs, Editors, Players, Rippers, Encoders/Converters, CD/DVD Prep, & Utilitties. This page has links as well as descriptions of each software listed. Some of the software is for WINDOWS as well. There is a color code key at the bottom of the page. Other software links are to the right of the page.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Need To Convert Matroska MKV files - WINDOWS:

River Past (http://www.riverpast.com/)

1- Video Cleaner Download - US$ 29.95
2- Video Cleaner Lite Download - US$ 19.95
3- Video Cleaner Pro Download - US$ 79.95

Input Format

River Past Video Cleaner supports a wide range of input video file formats.

-3GPP/3GPP2 Mobile Phone Video (*.3gp, *.3g2)
-Audio Visual Interleave (*.avi)
-VCD Media File (*.dat)
-DivX Video (*.divx)
-Digital Video (*.dv)
-Autodesk Flic Animation (*.flc, *.fli)
-Animated GIF (*.gif)
-Intel Video Technology (*.ivt)
-Matroska(*.mkv)
-Apple QuickTime (*.mov, *.qt)
-MPEG-4 (*.mp4)
-MPEG-1 Video (*.mpeg, *.mpg, *.mp1)
-OGG Media(*.ogm)
-RealMedia (*.rm, *.ram)
-Windows Media Video (*.wmv)
-Xvid Video(*.xvid)

Output Format

River Past Video Cleaner supports the following output formats.

-AVI
-Animated GIF (Animated GIF/FLC Booster Pack required)
-DivX
-DV
-FLC Animiation (Animated GIF/FLC Booster Pack required)
-Image Sequence (Image Sequence Booster Pack required)
-OGM (OGG Media)
-MOV (MOV Booster Pack required)
-MPG (MPEG-1)
-MKV (Matroska)
-WMV (Windows Media Audio)
-XviD
You have the full control over the codec of the AVI file. You can choose the video compressor, and its compression quality.

Batch Converter

River Past Video Cleaner is a batch converter. You can add a list of files, set the output format, and let it run. A well organized progress dialog will predict how long it takes to convert all the files, so you can do something else and come back when it finishes.

River Past Video Cleaner Comparison Chart (http://www.riverpast.com/en/prod/videocleaner/compare.php)

Tutorials (http://www.riverpast.com/en/support/tutorials/index.php) and they have a support forum here. (http://forums.riverpast.com/) You can also view the FAQ'S (http://www.riverpast.com/en/support/faq/index.php) for help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

1- Movkit iPod Video Converter 1.6 - $29.99USD
iPod Video Converter (http://www.movkit.com)

The Easiest, iPod Video and Audio Converter Software There Is!
MovKit iPod Video Converter is the easiest-to-use video converter software for Apple iPod Video and iPod Audio. It can convert almost all video format, e.g. AVI, XviD, MOV,QT, rm, rmvb, DAT, MPEG, WMV, Divx to iPod Video and iPod Audio format. It is also a powerful iPod Video converter with fast conversion speed. And the output iPod Video file supports iPod interface, you can enjoy your favorite video file on your iPod as a MPEG-4 Player. Now you can get this iPod video converter at a very low price!


2- Movkit DVD To iPod Ripper - $29.99USD

The Easiest, DVD to iPod Software There Is!
Movkit DVD to iPod Ripper is a powerful converter supporting DVD VOB IFO format file.It helps you rip your DVDs to iPod 5G *Supporting AVC (H.264) for video*.Supports ripping by custom file size.It allows you to choose an audio channel and subtitle to rip which is convenient when ripping multi-language movies.The Individual,Visible,Crop setting is offered at the same time,You can view output in the program using Preview feature before converting.

3- MovKit Batch Video Converter - $29.99USD

-The Easiest, Most User-Friendly Video Converter Software There Is!
-MovKit Batch Video Converter is designed to meet all your needs of convert file between AVI,WMV, ASF,RealVideo,MPEG, MPEG1,MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DVD,QuickTime formats.Extreme fast conversion speed and friendly user interface let you convert video files between many formats with ease.
-The powerful features and unbeatable price make MovKit Batch Video Converter an affordable and powerful video conversion solution on personal computer.
-You can change the codec/System type between them including PAL<=> NTSC, Divx <==> cinpeak,as well as support for streaming media (WMV/ASF).
-The very user-firenldy and easy-to-use interface lets you easily preview video files and batch convert.

4- Power Bundle - MovKit iPod Suite - $45USD

MovKit iPod Video Converter + Movkit DVD to iPod Ripper bundle. There is also one for PSP users at the same price.

They also offer support as well as FAQ's. (http://www.movkit.com/faq.html)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

Videozilla - Shareware $29.99USD
http://www.videozilla.net/

Software Features:
-Convert to AVI Video
-Convert to MPEG Video
-Convert to WMV Video
-Convert to RealMedia Video
-Convert to FLASH Video - new
-Support ASF Video
-Support MOV Video
-Support AVI Video
-Support MPEG Video
-Support WMV Video
-Support RealMedia Video
-Support Flash 8 SWF - new
-Support Flash 8 FLV - new
-Support Flash MX SWF - new
-Support Flash MX FLV - new
-Support Flash 3-6 SWF - new
-Support Flash Vector SWF - new
-Right-Click convert from Windows Explorer
-Extract video to MP3 audio
-Extract video to WAV audio
-Advanced Video Player (Screenshot)
-Preview the video when converting - new
-Command-Line video conversion - NEW

The major supported video formats are:
-AVI (DivX, XviD, MS MPEG-4, Uncompressed, Cinepak and other);
-MPEG (MPEG (MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Video, VCD and SVCD, PAL, and NTSC)
-WMV (Windows Media Video)
-RM (Real Networks Video)
-DVD format
-ASF format
-QuickTime MOV format
-Flash 8 SWF / FLV
-Flash MX SWF / FLV
-Flash 3 - 6 SWF
-Flash Vector SWF

Tutorials (http://www.videozilla.net/tutorials.html)
Forums (http://www.softdivshareware.com/phpBB/index.php)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR LINUX

GTKPod (http://www.gtkpod.org/about.html)

What is gtkpod?
gtkpod is a platform independent Graphical User Interface for Apple's iPod using GTK2. It supports the first to fifth Generation including the iPod mini, iPod Photo, iPod Shuffle, iPod nano, and iPod Video..

gtkpod allows you to:
-Read your existing iTunesDB (i.e. import the existing contents of your iPod including playcounts, ratings and on-the-go playlists).
-Add MP3, WAV, M4A (non-protected AAC), M4B (audio book), podcasts, and various video files (single files, directories or existing playlists) to the iPod. You need a third party product to download podcasts, like 'bashpodder' or 'gpodder'
-View, add and modify Cover Art
-Browse the contents of your local harddisk by album/artist/genre by adding all your songs to the 'local' database. From there the tracks can be dragged over to the iPod/Shuffle easily.
-Create and modify playlists, including smart playlists.
-You can choose the charset the ID3 tags are encoded in from within gtkpod. The default is the charset currently used by your locale setting.
-Extract tag information (artist, album, title...) from the filename if you supply a template.
-Detect duplicates when adding songs (optional).
-Remove and export tracks from your iPod.
-Modify ID3 tags -- changes are also updated in the original file (optional).
-Refresh ID3 tags from file (if you have changed the tags in the original file).
-Sync directories.
-Normalize the volume of your tracks (uses mp3gain or the replay-gain tag)
-Write the updated iTunesDB and added songs to your iPod.
-Work offline and synchronize your new playlists / songs with the iPod at a later time.
-Export your korganizer/kaddressbook/thunderbird/evocalendar/evolution/webcalendar... data to the iPod (scripts for other programs can be added).

See this thread for some tips:
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=134424

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR LINUX

Easy iPod Linux Video Converter (http://faqoff.net/EILVC.06.rar) - Freeware.
See website for more information.

This is a Visual Basic Program that will take the location of mencoder.exe 2bppconv.exe an input video file. It will output an iPod Linux Compatible video. You won't have to use the command line or a batch file. Just choose your iPod type and encode away. Still in beta. Updated for Nano double encode. Updated. Now Supports splitting of video files and includes 2bppconv.exe and mencoder.exe

DOWNLOAD (http://faqoff.net/EILVC.06.rar)

Requirements:
-Windows
-.NET 2.0 Framework

[honeybee1236]

PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE THIS SOFTWARE ESPECIALLY FROM THE SITES LISTED BELOW:

I was at Apple discussions going through some of the threads and found out the their forums are being spammed by some people pushing this software from these sites:

Strongly recommend Super DVD to iPod Converter, The No.1 DVD to iPod Software from Best Buy Reviews(http://www.bestbuyreviews.com), the best of its kind all here.
http://www.bestbuyreviews.com/dvd-ipod-converter/

and this site also:

Strongly recommend Super DVD to iPod Converter (http://www.dvdipodconverter.com), the fastest, easiest, and most powerful of its kind in the world. I converted a whole DVD movie in 40 minutes, nearly perfect!

and this one:

See Best Seller DVD to ipod Converter Software from Best Seller Reviews:
http://www.best-seller-reviews.com/dvdtoipod/

The four people spamming the forums usernames are:
(1)maryrx
(2) Eliena anna
(3)Sophia-Apple
(4)Rose Long

They are also posting questions so that they can answer their own questions in order to post a link to one of these sites. Be on the lookout for any post with these sites link posted pushing this software. If they are spamming Apple discussions then they may find there way here.

Here is a post by someone who was taken by this ad:

Posted by Poofster (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1573725�)
Posted: Jan 21, 2006 1:29 AM

I bougt the Super DVD to iPod converter program and I'm having multiple problems.

First I couldn't figure out the registration code that I needed to enter from keeping lenogo charging me extra.

Then I think I finally figured it out because I was able to start the program but then after I pressed convert a large window popped up saying that all the conversion processes of the DVD failed. Every time.

And there is no phone number available to contact Lenogo support with, and the ticket I submitted, which I assume is a support email type thing, is not being replied to, and all the emails I send to their support email address, now totallying 5, maybe 6, has still yet to be replied to. I am very frustrated.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? If I can't get in touch I'm calling my credit card company, which I guess is the last resort. Ok, thanks

Posted by applemer in responce:

Hi man, have you bought this through our forum through the SPAM ad?? There are 2 or 3 spammers here trying to cheating others. You need to fight with them and post your information anywhere you can so others will not have your situation again.

Very sorry to know this.

Posted by Poofster:

Wow I feel like an ***, lol. Live and learn I guess!

Yeah that's probably what it is.

I have taken it up with my credit card company since I have not received any response from the company. I wonder if I'm gonna be able to get this taken care of. Argh.

Ok, thank you very much for your response, I now know for sure what I'm dealing with and can post this information for others so they don't make my mistake and also give this information to my credit card company.

Thanks!

See this thread also for another complaint about this software not working:
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139090

Here are the search results for "Super DVD to iPod Converter" at Apple discussion.
http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?search=Go&q=Super+DVD+to+iPod+Converter+

There have also been complaints posted of those who have contacted support and haven't received any responce or help with the problems they are experiencing.

[honeybee1236]

FOR WINDOWS

1-Cucusoft iPod Video Converter + DVD to iPod Converter Suite 3.6.3.13 (http://www.avi-vcd.com/) - (new release, February-11-2006) DVD Ripper software is Inside. $39.99USD

Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite is an all-in-one iPod video Conversion solution. This Suite includes 2 software -- "Cucusoft iPod Video Converter" and "Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter"(DVD Ripper Included). So with this iPod Video Converter Suite, you can convert both DVD media and video file media to iPod video/iPod movie. You can enjoy your favorite DVD and video clip on your iPod as a portable DVD Player. Now you can get this DVD to iPod Converter Suite at a very competitive price!

Below all are $29.99USD:

2- Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter 3.13
(new release, February-11-2006) DVD Ripper is inside.

Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter is the easiest-to-use and fastest DVD to iPod converter software for Apple iPod Movie and iPod Video. It can convert almost all kinds of DVD to iPod Movie / iPod Video format. It is also a powerful DVD to iPod converter due to the conversion speed is far faster than real-time. And the output iPos movie/video supports iPod screen, you can enjoy your favorite DVD on your iPod as a portable DVD Player. Now you can get this DVD to iPod Converter at a very competitive price!


3- Cucusoft iPod Movie/Video Converter 3.06
(new release, February-11-2006)

Cucusoft iPod Video Converter/Movie Converter is the easiest-to-use video converter software for Apple iPod Movie and iPod Video. It can convert almost all video format, e.g. DivX, XviD, MOV, ,dvr-ms, MPEG, WMV, AVI to iPod Movie / iPod Video format. It is also a powerful iPod movie/video converter with fast conversion speed. And the output iPos movie/video supports iPod screen, you can enjoy your favorite movie on your iPod as a MPEG-4 Player. Now you can get this iPod video converter at a very competitive price

4- Cucusoft DVD Ripper 2.01

It's a powerful tool which can Convert DVD to AVI, DVD to DivX, DVD to VCD, DVD to SVCD
Cucusoft DVD Ripper is a DVD converter which can convert DVD to VCD, DVD to DivX, DVD to MPEG, DVD to AVI easily and quickly with excellent image and sound quality. It's the best DVD ripping software to convert DVD and rip it.

5- Cucusoft Free DVD Author - MPEG to VOB Converter 1.09 It's free.

"Cucusoft Free DVD Author - MPEG to VOB Converter" can convert MPEG-2 file to .VOB files. So that you can burn the output .VOB files onto a DVD+/-R(W). Then you can play it on your home DVD-Player.


See this link for instructions on use:
http://support.cucusoft.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[honeybee1236]

SOFTWARE FOR ADDING SUBTITLES TO MOVIES

Go to http://www.doom9.org./ and click on search. Type in 'subtitles' and leave the search in 'doom9' box checked. The guides will come up or click on 'links' in the menu.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR WINDOWS

video editing software dwonloads (http://www.mymusictools.com/download/video-editing-software/)

SplitMovie 1.2 - Shareware, $39.95
http://www.mymusictools.com/video_tools_31/splitmovie_25964.htm

REVIEW:
MOVAVI SplitMovie is a simple and fast video trimming and splitting software which cuts video files into fragments, enabling you to save your favorite episodes or split a large file for burning the fragments on CDs. With SplitMovie, you can split/cut/trim your video automatically by size, time or number of pieces and manually by selecting the beginning and ending points of the needed segments. SplitMovie uses the unique splitting technology of saving AVI and MPEG without recompression and quality loss for the fastest result. It supports all popular video formats: AVI, MPEG, MOV, VOB, ASF, WMV as Input Formats and AVI, MPEG, WMV as Output Formats.

Features:
1. Supported formats:
SplitMovie works with all popular video formats.
You can open and split/cut/trim the following types of files: AVI, MPEG, VOB, MOV, WMV, ASF formats. Your video fragments can be saved as: AVI, MPEG, WMV formats.

2. Fast splitting:
SplitMovie uses the unique splitting technology when splitting AVI file to AVI segments or MPEG file to MPEG segments without recompression and quality loss. This allows to speed up the splitting process in at least 5 times!

3. Automatic split:
Automatic split mode cuts fragments depending on the specified size, time and number of parts.

4. Manual split:
Manual split mode allows selecting beginning and end of fragments and output format. You can select as many fragments as you want at once, including the intersecting fragments!

5. Preview:
You can view and playback your video files directly in the program using the large preview window. This allows you to select the exact frames for the segments.

6. Intuitive and simple interface:
You don't have to figure out the purpose of many different buttons. SplitMovie features a simple interface of 3 buttons that is clear to everyone.

----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
------------------

[Nader172]

Honeybee1236, you are the best. Now I can watch various TV shows off my iPod. Best of all, I don't have to pay for them again off iTunes. Your tutorial in the tutorial section of iLounge gave me the best detail on this topic. I'm slow on the computer and I found out how to convert formats and decrypt videos all on my first time.

Now, I need to convince my friend that it's easy so he can send me That 70's Show. He's a little slow to learning this stuff, but Honeybee's tutorial is easy and the directions are very well said.

Nate

[honeybee1236]

:) Thank you for kind words. It is much appreciated and I'm glad it helped you get your movies converted.

[Noe]

when using Videora and DVD Decrypter, how do I make it so that the Widescreen movies come out widescreen on the ipod? I selected 16:9 and it still came out fullscreen, so the image was kinda stretched looking...any help?

[honeybee1236]

The settings are in this thread stickied at the top of the forum: Bitrate Combinations -- Post Successful Ones Here

Please don't post your questions here. Start a thread in the future in the forums.

[thouey]

hi honeybee1236,
I appreciated your help. i found imtoo ipod movie converter which it is very perfact.

[Blo0mingdale]

I just use DVD Decrypter and then 3GP converter.
I got my movies ready to get imported on my iPod in less then 45 minutes.

[AMSam]

Hi honeybee,

I wanted to give you a BIG thank you for the guide. It helped me to decide on which program to use for my video conversions. I ended up using the DVD Decrypter and Videora iPod Converter, which worked beautifully!!!

[honeybee1236]

:) Thank you - much appreciated.

[honeybee1236]

Here's a post at Apple discussions by "Ralph Huston" (thanks for the helpful guide)giving step-by-step instructions on "Converting DVD To MPEG-4" using a DV camera and Quicktime w/ the Pro key-
(I was gonna just link to it but I don't know if it will be there in the future since the Mods have already closed the thread and may remove it from the boards in the future so I copied it here)

THE ANSWER TO: Converting DVD to MPEG-4 Using a DVD Camera & QT Pro by Ralph Huston (http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?14@866.fBuzauKb1xP.4@.68bbd878/15)

Alright, I get a little long winded at times so I'll try to keep it short!!! (yeah right) I do recommend you read it all, I did mix in tips and tricks all through-out that can be used with several different Options. (plus i may have to paste this as two posts, so make sure you get it all)

You do have several options available, but in my opinion the first one i mention is the easiest IF you already have a couple required items.

Option 1: using a DV camera and Quicktime w/ the Pro key-

Step 1 - Hook up your DV camcorder to both a DVD player with a set of AV cables, and then to your Mac with a Firewire cable. Set the DV camera up for DV passthrough. What that means is that it will take whatever AV signal is entering the camera and convert it to DV and pass it on out the Firewire cable to the computer. Set the DV camera to VTR or Play mode not Camera mode. DO NOT PUT A TAPE IN THE CAMERA!!! One reason for this is most cameras will shut off after a few minutes if a tape is present and no functions are in use. Without a tape most cameras will stay on indefinitely.

Step 2 - Open QT Pro and choose Preferences from the QT Player menu. Under the Recording tab choose Better (H.264) for the Quality and then close Preferences.

Step 3 - From the File menu choose New Movie Recording. A QT window with a 320x240 screen will pop up. Under it is a Record button.

Step 4 - Start playing your DVD in the player. You should be able to see the DVD and hear the audio on your DV cameras built in display and speaker. If this is working correctlly you should also be able to see the video and hear the audio in the QT record window.

Step 5 - This is a matter of judgement, and does not have to be precise because trimming can be done later. At the appropriate time you want to click the Record button in the QT window to start recording the DVD signal that is being passed through to your computer. Again you pick the time, I doubt you want to record you click through the Menus on the DVD trying to get the movie to play. Starting the recording too early however is not a concern, I'll explain later.

Step 6 - When the movie is done, click the Record button again to stop it. Choose Save As from the File menu and choose the location on your harddrive you would like to place it.

Step 7 - If you would like to trim the recording down, maybe you started recording too soon or let it go too long, just open the file and using the editting features of QT you can select segments (in increments of single frames or more) and use the Cut option from the Edit menu. Once you've trimmed it down just save it again.

Step 8 - That's it!!! Just be aware that it is 320x240 H.264 AAC but it will be at 32khz not 44.1khz and it will only be at about 22 fps normally, not 30fps.

BUT I've used this process for more than just DVDs. Any source that you can connect to your DV camera can utilize this process. I've used VHS, TIVO, Comcast DVR recordings, DV tapes in the camera, and also to record Live from the TV broadcasts to skip the step of having to record anything to tape or DVR or TIVO first.

I've been doing this for a long time now, even before QT had the record feature, I just manually set the codec up and used a different workflow to get the same result. I've never noticed or been concerned with the slower frame rate with this new QT Recoerding function, I used to set it manually to 30fps before this easier workflow with QT record came available.

Option 2: basically like Option 1 but with some minor modifications.

Step 1 - The workflow is very similiar but what you are trying to accomplish here is a higher quality final product. This is more time consuming because you will need to capture the Video source to the computer, then using QT Pro, Export it to the format you want. So instead of Recording it as H.264 with the QT default settings, you will want to set QT Preferences to Quality-Device Native.

Step 2 - Once you have recorded your source. Save it to the hardd


As expected it got cut off, here's some more. Might need three parts to get this across!!!

Option 2: basically like Option 1 but with some minor modifications.

Step 1 - The workflow is very similiar but what you are trying to accomplish here is a higher quality final product. This is more time consuming because you will need to capture the Video source to the computer, then using QT Pro, Export it to the format you want. So instead of Recording it as H.264 with the QT default settings, you will want to set QT Preferences to Quality-Device Native.

Step 2 - Once you have recorded your source. Save it to the harddrive. Again open it up again and make any cuts that you wish to do. For example, if you were recording Live TV, then you can go through the recording and cut out the commercials. It is important with this Option that you make cuts before you go to the next step. If you don't you will waste a lot of time exporting(converting) material that you plan to cut anyway. Depending on your processor and other factors this could mean a lot of time wasted.

Step 3 - After Saving the final recorded video, open it up once again. Choose Export from the File menu. Expand out the Export dialog box if need be to see all available options. From the Codec list you can do several things. The easiest of course would be to choose the one that says "Movie to iPod (320x240)". Otherwise you could choose "Movie to Mpeg4" then customize your compression settings. I caution you that the Mpeg option is not for the Novice, if you're not carefull, your options may turn out to be incompatible with the iPod and/or other computers. And if the goal here is to use these on a iPod then why not just go with that option. By the way, it will encode at 30fps, AAC, 44.1khz 320x240 of course.

Step 4 - Grab a newspaper a pitcher of beer, the remote control and the TV guide. EXPORTING MAY TAKE SOME TIME!!! Everyone's computer is different in one way or another. Processors, amounts of RAM, harddrive performance and fragmentation, and many other factors will affect how long it takes your computer to export the movie. I'm not even going to speculate so no one gets their hopes up only to be dissapointed with the time they end up spending. BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO DEAL WITH THIS TOO, see below!!!!!!

Step 5 - Once the Export is done, then make sure the File is located on the Harddrive where you chose to save it, and open it up. BUT READ THIS FIRST....the resulting file, as you will notice, is an iTunes document. If you double-click it, iTunes will open it, and proceed to add it to the Library. This is not the way to test it. With QT open, just drag the file onto the QT icon in the Dock and it will open in QT. There you can play it and test it all you want. Make sure it is operating normally and then, AND ONLY THEN, go back and delete the massive DV file that you originally recorded to the computer. DV by-the-way takes up about 12gigs per hour, or about 1gig per 5minutes. So make sure you have some spare room available before you get going. If you do add it to your iTunes Library, then depending on your settings if it Copies it to the Library folder then you can go back to the Finder and delete it from where you exported it to. This should make sense to those already familaiar with iTunes and adding songs to the Library. Also something I didn't mention before is these proceedures do work when using external Firewire drives in your workflow. You may see a decrease in Read/Write performance while Exporting, but if you are short on drive space and can borrow someone's external drive on occassion, then know that it works. Not sure about the USB drives, don't use them, but I can tell you that a USB 1.1 is out of the question.

Obviously Option 1 has the clear advantage over the 2nd one in that there is no additional time wasted Exporting. But even though I said i was happy with the quality arrived at with Option 1, I do notice a difference with the quality gotten from Opt

Holy Crap I wrote a lot....here's part 3. Might need another still!!!!!

Obviously Option 1 has the clear advantage over the 2nd one in that there is no additional time wasted Exporting. But even though I said i was happy with the quality arrived at with Option 1, I do notice a difference with the quality gotten from Option 2. You will have to be the judge of what you would be happy with. Keep in mind the Video iPod specs support a spread with the codec settings, so pay attention to that if setting manually. I have not bought a iPod yet, obviously, so I have not had the opportunity to test the files I configured manually to see how they perform on the iPod.

I'm sure there are plenty of other Options on the web for actually Ripping DVDs straight to MPEG4 or other codecs, but I choose not to deal with them. Firstly, I'm so used to my workflow, and I'm also not only dealing with DVDs but other video sources as well, that it would only complicate my life keeping up with all the methods. Plus, from what I've seen some of those programs degrade the quality of the final product unless you go and pay the Shareware fees they ask for, but only a few do this. And maybe the most important reason is my workflow relies on Apple not some 3rd party developer. As Apple changes firmware on the iPod or adds new codecs to QT, my workflow will always be up-to-date, I won't have to wait for updates to 3rd party software to meet the changes.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, the reason I like my workflow is the feature in Tiger called Automator. This basically all but wipes out any time I may spend sitting around waiting on each step of the workflow. This really only applies to Option 2, since only that is required in Option 1 is to hit the Play and Record buttons and when done click Stop.

My workflow using Automator now with Option 2 is as follows:

The basics stay the same but plug in these steps at the appropriate times.
1- Rather than doing one Movie at a time, take the time through your week or over a weekend to periodically to go to the computer and just keep Recording your sources to the computer in Device Native mode (DV in the above examples). This really just requires you to take a look at the computer ever hour or so to see if its time to pop in the next DVD, and Record another file.

2- Do the above step for as many movies as you have harddrive space, but don't forget to leave a few gigs left over for Exporting. And also create one folder on your desktop, or external drive, that all these recordings will be located in. This makes the process of Automating so much easier.

3- Once you've you've got a bunch of Recording ready then use Automator to tell the computer to take each of these into QT and Export as a "Movie to iPod" and tell it to place the Exported files in yet another folder, being certain that you have sufficient space for the resulting files. The last thing you want to do while you head out for the day is to return and see that 6 hours has been wasted because you ran out of drive space. I would recommend you export one or two movies individually before setting up an Automated workflow. This will give you a good baseline for how much space is needed for a 60min or 90min or even a 3hr clip. I would not set up automator to Delete the original DV file. I would wait and do that manually after you've had a chance to check your files and make sure they are working properly. Then go back and repeat the steps. I have about 2TB of Firewire external drives, so I was able to spend a couple weeks just DVing everything in my free time, then went back and started to Export things. I am not prepared to explain the use of Automator beyond that. It's pretty easy on tasks like this, so jump in there and get your hands dirty.

Another trick I also have done that I didn't mention above, is to Record the Special Features of my DVDs also. Then using QT Pro, trim them down to the content I want and then paste them to the end of my recordin

Hopefully this has got it!!!

Another trick I also have done that I didn't mention above, is to Record the Special Features of my DVDs also. Then using QT Pro, trim them down to the content I want and then paste them to the end of my recording for the movie itself.

I can't say it anymore clearly than this, DO NOT PIRATE OR DISTRIBUTE FOR MONETARY GAIN OR FOR FREE ANYTHING THAT YOU YOURSELF DO NOT OWN THE INTELLECTUAL RIGHTS TO OR WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE INTELLECTUAL OWNER OF THE MATERIAL TO DO SO!!! The information i provided above is for entertainment and educational purposes only. What you choose to do with the mini-videos you generate is your choice and in no way am I endorsing or responsible for any illegal activity resulting from the use of this posting. If it concerns you, let it be known that I have only used and will only use the mini-videos I create for my own personal use, and consider them merely an extension of the personal use rights afforded to me when I purchase movies or record broadcasts. I began this practice long before the Video iPod was on the market and have only used methods (hardware, software and source material) afforded to me legally to perform the steps described above. I am in no way doing anything that provides me the ability to avoid any payment that is due to the intellectual owners of the programs that I am converting. I have purchased the DVDs and possess them. My actions do not provide me the ability to avoid payment for the right to view the material that I possess. I neither distribute, loan, or share my mini-videos with others. Once a mini-video is made, I do not then sell the DVD, VHS, or source material to someone and still retain the mini-video for myself. However, the original recordings of broadcast programs and those recorded live to the computer, are subsequently deleted from the machine (TIVO, Comcast DVR, harddrive, VHS etc) and only the resulting mini-video is retained for my future entertainment and educational purposes, or for their historical value. I have treated this much the same way as the music industry did for decades before the advent of digital recording. I used cassettes then to record radio broadcasts or to mix songs from various tapes. I din't distribute the resulting tapes for profit or to aid anyone in the attempt to avoid purchase the music themselves. Now that music can be bought through iTunes, I use it. The period CD I buy, I rip to my computer under the same premis that it is for my own personal use and retain possession of the original CD. I have on many occassions written Apple, encouraging and suggesting that they go the way of video content distribution with the iTunes Music Store or some other software for that purpose. As content becomes available, I will and encourage others to purchase it. By doing so, as consumers we participate in the very mechanism that encourages the movie and broadcast industry to generate more content for us to access online. My time is money too, and if I can relatively get the same content from online through a legal source for less than the investment of my time that I may need to put into the steps described above, then I'll get it online. To sum this all up in people talk, DON'T STEAL, AND DON'T AID IN THE THEFT OF SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU. Right or wrong, agree with it or not, it is the law, and you only have purchased the right to view or hear the content, you do not actually own the content.

I hope this has helped, and sorry for the legal fine print. I felt compelled, hoping that Apple would not see fit to censor my post if they understood better my reasons for doing it.

Ralph
so much for short!!!!

Sorry for all the typos and grammar mistakes, but i didn't want to proof it!!!!

My workflow using Automator now with Option 2 is as follows:

The basics stay the same but plug in these steps at the appropriate times.
1- Rather than doing one Movie at a time, take the time through your week or over a weekend to periodically to go to the computer and just keep Recording your sources to the computer in Device Native mode (DV in the above examples). This really just requires you to take a look at the computer ever hour or so to see if its time to pop in the next DVD, and Record another file.

2- Do the above step for as many movies as you have harddrive space, but don't forget to leave a few gigs left over for Exporting. And also create one folder on your desktop, or external drive, that all these recordings will be located in. This makes the process of Automating so much easier.

3- Once you've you've got a bunch of Recording ready then use Automator to tell the computer to take each of these into QT and Export as a "Movie to iPod" and tell it to place the Exported files in yet another folder, being certain that you have sufficient space for the resulting files. The last thing you want to do while you head out for the day is to return and see that 6 hours has been wasted because you ran out of drive space. I would recommend you export one or two movies individually before setting up an Automated workflow. This will give you a good baseline for how much space is needed for a 60min or 90min or even a 3hr clip. I would not set up automator to Delete the original DV file. I would wait and do that manually after you've had a chance to check your files and make sure they are working properly. Then go back and repeat the steps. I have about 2TB of Firewire external drives, so I was able to spend a couple weeks just DVing everything in my free time, then went back and started to Export things. I am not prepared to explain the use of Automator beyond that. It's pretty easy on tasks like this, so jump in there and get your hands dirty.

Another trick I also have done that I didn't mention above, is to Record the Special Features of my DVDs also. Then using QT Pro, trim them down to the content I want and then paste them to the end of my recordin

Hopefully this has got it!!!

Another trick I also have done that I didn't mention above, is to Record the Special Features of my DVDs also. Then using QT Pro, trim them down to the content I want and then paste them to the end of my recording for the movie itself.

I can't say it anymore clearly than this, DO NOT PIRATE OR DISTRIBUTE FOR MONETARY GAIN OR FOR FREE ANYTHING THAT YOU YOURSELF DO NOT OWN THE INTELLECTUAL RIGHTS TO OR WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE INTELLECTUAL OWNER OF THE MATERIAL TO DO SO!!! The information i provided above is for entertainment and educational purposes only. What you choose to do with the mini-videos you generate is your choice and in no way am I endorsing or responsible for any illegal activity resulting from the use of this posting. If it concerns you, let it be known that I have only used and will only use the mini-videos I create for my own personal use, and consider them merely an extension of the personal use rights afforded to me when I purchase movies or record broadcasts. I began this practice long before the Video iPod was on the market and have only used methods (hardware, software and source material) afforded to me legally to perform the steps described above. I am in no way doing anything that provides me the ability to avoid any payment that is due to the intellectual owners of the programs that I am converting. I have purchased the DVDs and possess them. My actions do not provide me the ability to avoid payment for the right to view the material that I possess. I neither distribute, loan, or share my mini-videos with others. Once a mini-video is made, I do not then sell the DVD, VHS, or source material to someone and still retain the mini-video for myself. However, the original recordings of broadcast programs and those recorded live to the computer, are subsequently deleted from the machine (TIVO, Comcast DVR, harddrive, VHS etc) and only the resulting mini-video is retained for my future entertainment and educational purposes, or for their historical value. I have treated this much the same way as the music industry did for decades before the advent of digital recording. I used cassettes then to record radio broadcasts or to mix songs from various tapes. I din't distribute the resulting tapes for profit or to aid anyone in the attempt to avoid purchase the music themselves. Now that music can be bought through iTunes, I use it. The period CD I buy, I rip to my computer under the same premis that it is for my own personal use and retain possession of the original CD. I have on many occassions written Apple, encouraging and suggesting that they go the way of video content distribution with the iTunes Music Store or some other software for that purpose. As content becomes available, I will and encourage others to purchase it. By doing so, as consumers we participate in the very mechanism that encourages the movie and broadcast industry to generate more content for us to access online. My time is money too, and if I can relatively get the same content from online through a legal source for less than the investment of my time that I may need to put into the steps described above, then I'll get it online. To sum this all up in people talk, DON'T STEAL, AND DON'T AID IN THE THEFT OF SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU. Right or wrong, agree with it or not, it is the law, and you only have purchased the right to view or hear the content, you do not actually own the content.

I hope this has helped, and sorry for the legal fine print. I felt compelled, hoping that Apple would not see fit to censor my post if they understood better my reasons for doing it.

Ralph
so much for short!!!!

Sorry for all the typos and grammar mistakes, but i didn't want to proof it!!!!

[Eric Lewis]

How do i convert friends seasons to easy simple episodes?

[totosquirt]

are there any converters that convert into the 640 x 480 format? the ones similar to the new iTunes music videos and their movies.

[honeybee1236]

Do not post your questions on this thread. Use the forum.

Converting episodic DVD's is on page 1 tutorial for windows and you can search this forum to view other posts in which this is explained.

For software that will convert using the new settings check the software site for any ungrades to the software. This info is posted for Mac software already.

[LittleBuddha]

Hi honeybee1236,

I was having some trouble getting videos with sound into the iPod I gave to my step-daughter for Christmas. Just wanted to tell you that your thread is very comprehensive and your information really helped me out a lot. :D

I downloaded the free Jodix converter and it has worked perfectly so far. Thanks! :)

Best Regards,
LittleBuddha

[honeybee1236]

Thanks I'm glad it helped.

[baggss]

There's a link for Handbrake in my sig if you want to use it Audrey.

HB 0.72 (Mac only, Universal Binary) should be released shortly, so I'll update it once that is out.

[honeybee1236]

Ok thanks, I'll add it to the Handbrake section.

[Sumea]

Thanks for the thread, i wanted to find a way to get some of my anime collection to new and fresh iPod touch, and i found the Media Coder in this thread best. It had even it's own version just for iPhone/iPod Touch.

Good job, appreciated!