Converting DVD's to Ipod format on a MAC
Adapting your DVD movies to video iPod format is a quite effortless procedure nowadays, particularly with the new dedicated software that has been developed for both PC's and Macs.
One of the most impressive programs developed for the MAC is 'Handbrake' - a program that makes changing DVDs into video iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files extremely simple.
REQUIREMENTS:
* An iPod Video Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later 500 mhz G4 processor or better
* At least 16MB of video RAM
* QuickTime 7.0.3 or later iTunes 6.0.1 or more recent.
Here's the process, step-by-step:
1. Download and install
First you'll need to download the Handbrake program files. You can get them from any of these sites: VersionTracker.com, handbrake.m0k.org, and MacUpdate.com. After download, install Handbrake by just copying the program into your OS X Applications folder.
2. Load your DVD video
After Handbrake is installed, grab a copy of your chosen video DVD and put it into your computer. One critical thing to note is that Handbrake can only convert standard video DVD's such as you typically play in a DVD player. You can't convert video files in any other formats, such as AVI, MPG, WMV, MOV, etc.
Then, launch Handbrake, select 'Detected volume' and press 'Open'
3. Adjusting your Source Settings
Clicking on the 'Open' button will trigger Handbrake to start scanning your DVD. Depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive, this may take about a minute or two. After scanning, Handbrake will select the longest title in the list by default. You can unselect that if that isn't the video that you want. If you're not sure which piece of content to rip, you can click on the 'Picture Settings' button found at the bottom right of the Handbrake interface and manually step through several frames of the title to find what you're looking for.
4. Set you Destination Settings
Handbrake's 'Destination Settings' option has three settings that you can modify: file format, codec, and file destination. For file format, select MP4 file so you can play this video on your iPod. For Codec, you can choose either AVC/H.2.64 or MPEG-4. For File Destination, just type in a name for the video file and choose its destination using the box provided. On average, you need about 300MB disk space per hour of video so try to select a position that has enough space.
5. Video Settings
You have four choices at this point. For Frame Rate, you can just leave the fps set to 'Same as source' or choose 29.97 as you like. For Encoder, if you choose H264 as your codec, you must also choose 'Baseline profile' for the Encoder. For Quality, set it to 'Average bitrate' and enter anything between 400 and 600. And lastly, at the lower part of the interface, you are given two boxes for Grayscale encoding and 2-pass encoding. Select 2-pass encoding if you really want a high quality file, but remember that it would take the encoding twice as long.
6. Audio Settings.
This is where you click around for the language settings of your DVD. Language 1 should represent the language for the region you live in, which is English if you in America. Language 2 is usually ancillary commentary given by the Director and actors. If you only want to convert the movie, just select 'None' for this option.
7. Picture Settings
Your iPod wants video files that are 320 pixels wide by 240 wide. Turn on the 'Keep aspect ratio' button and change the Width to 320. Handbrake will immediately change the height to match the width.
And finally, click on the 'Rip' button and let Handbrake do its job.
There are numerous variables that can affect the encoding time, such as the duration of the video file, the speed of your computer, what other activity your computer is currently doing, the codec you selected (H264 or MP4) and if you decided to do a 2-pass encoding or not, but following the above procedure and leaving everything else at the default settings should prove adequate for novices and ought to result in some entertaining videos.
If you find the Handbrake process monotonous, take a look at the other choices. More video conversion programs for the ipod are being developed all the time, and as the popularity of the video iPod looks set to continue to grow, the future for iPod accessories looks fine indeed.
One of the most impressive programs developed for the MAC is 'Handbrake' - a program that makes changing DVDs into video iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files extremely simple.
REQUIREMENTS:
* An iPod Video Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later 500 mhz G4 processor or better
* At least 16MB of video RAM
* QuickTime 7.0.3 or later iTunes 6.0.1 or more recent.
Here's the process, step-by-step:
1. Download and install
First you'll need to download the Handbrake program files. You can get them from any of these sites: VersionTracker.com, handbrake.m0k.org, and MacUpdate.com. After download, install Handbrake by just copying the program into your OS X Applications folder.
2. Load your DVD video
After Handbrake is installed, grab a copy of your chosen video DVD and put it into your computer. One critical thing to note is that Handbrake can only convert standard video DVD's such as you typically play in a DVD player. You can't convert video files in any other formats, such as AVI, MPG, WMV, MOV, etc.
Then, launch Handbrake, select 'Detected volume' and press 'Open'
3. Adjusting your Source Settings
Clicking on the 'Open' button will trigger Handbrake to start scanning your DVD. Depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive, this may take about a minute or two. After scanning, Handbrake will select the longest title in the list by default. You can unselect that if that isn't the video that you want. If you're not sure which piece of content to rip, you can click on the 'Picture Settings' button found at the bottom right of the Handbrake interface and manually step through several frames of the title to find what you're looking for.
4. Set you Destination Settings
Handbrake's 'Destination Settings' option has three settings that you can modify: file format, codec, and file destination. For file format, select MP4 file so you can play this video on your iPod. For Codec, you can choose either AVC/H.2.64 or MPEG-4. For File Destination, just type in a name for the video file and choose its destination using the box provided. On average, you need about 300MB disk space per hour of video so try to select a position that has enough space.
5. Video Settings
You have four choices at this point. For Frame Rate, you can just leave the fps set to 'Same as source' or choose 29.97 as you like. For Encoder, if you choose H264 as your codec, you must also choose 'Baseline profile' for the Encoder. For Quality, set it to 'Average bitrate' and enter anything between 400 and 600. And lastly, at the lower part of the interface, you are given two boxes for Grayscale encoding and 2-pass encoding. Select 2-pass encoding if you really want a high quality file, but remember that it would take the encoding twice as long.
6. Audio Settings.
This is where you click around for the language settings of your DVD. Language 1 should represent the language for the region you live in, which is English if you in America. Language 2 is usually ancillary commentary given by the Director and actors. If you only want to convert the movie, just select 'None' for this option.
7. Picture Settings
Your iPod wants video files that are 320 pixels wide by 240 wide. Turn on the 'Keep aspect ratio' button and change the Width to 320. Handbrake will immediately change the height to match the width.
And finally, click on the 'Rip' button and let Handbrake do its job.
There are numerous variables that can affect the encoding time, such as the duration of the video file, the speed of your computer, what other activity your computer is currently doing, the codec you selected (H264 or MP4) and if you decided to do a 2-pass encoding or not, but following the above procedure and leaving everything else at the default settings should prove adequate for novices and ought to result in some entertaining videos.
If you find the Handbrake process monotonous, take a look at the other choices. More video conversion programs for the ipod are being developed all the time, and as the popularity of the video iPod looks set to continue to grow, the future for iPod accessories looks fine indeed.
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For more information on watching movies on ipods visit http://www.freeipodsnstuff.com/dvd_to_ipod_for_windows.php
posted by Marcondes Allen at 7:12 AM
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