[FTWrath]

Hey guys, in this tutorial I will use a FREE application to provide optimal results for the iPhone 3GS/3G.
Lets start with the basics.

I used:
HandBrake
NOTE: Handbreak will not convert Mpegs. Why? Because the output is an Mpeg. Unless they fixed this in an update that I don't know of it will give you a black screen that disappears right away. Again... YOU CAN'T USE HANDBREAK TO CONVERT MPEGS TO MPEG-4 For iPhone! It's meant primarily for tv, hd, and movie sources.

Though it says 640x480 you can convert higher. "The iPhone and new iPod models (Sep 2007) now suport the higher Baseline 3.0 profile that allows for higher bit-rates and video resolutions up to 720x480. You can therefore push the video to a 720x404 resolution, for instance (in the case of a 16:9 video). "

Next, frame rate supported is 30 fps. ONLY use 30 fps if you are converting a tv source, HD or your own camera recording (digital camera). DVD's have 24 fps as they are originally shot on film. HD uses 24/30/60 fps. So you can use 30 FPS for an HD DVD but 24 will suffice as well. Do not use 60 as iPhone doesn't support this.

Aspect Ration are next. Tv shows, music videos (as they play on tv) mostly use a standard 4:3 aspect ration so you can select that.
16:9 is used for HD and DVDs.
If you are encoding dvds (usually in widescreen) I suggest using letterbox, otherwise portions of left/right video will be cropped off.

Let's run down a quick conversion for a DVD.

Framerate: Same as source. (Will make a 24 fps output for NTSC DVDs)
Encoding: Use h.264 iPod (for iPod and iPhone)
Bitrate (Quality): Use 1.5 Mb or 1500 kbps. It can play 2.5 but you have to keep in mind that this is an AVERAGE number and parts of the video WILL play higher, so keep the number lower otherwise if it exceeds maximum settings your video will lag, loose sync or not play at all.
I also suggest using 2 - pass encoding so Handbreak (or whatever encoder you are using) can better determine the bitrate to use in different parts of the video which will lead to a higher quality.
As far as Aspect Ratio is concerned use "Keep Aspect Ratio" unchecking the box and adding your own settings will lead to a stretched video.

I suggest leaving the audio alone.
It's that simple and it will give you the best results possible without experiencing audio/video lag.
You can bump up bitrate to 2 mbps (2000 kbps) to raise your quality but note the output size will increase by 25%.
You can use this as a formula to determine the output size of the video.
size = (bit-rate / 8) * (length in minutes * 60)
So a 8 minute music video converted at the above settings would look like this.
(1500/8) * (8 * 60)
(187.5) * 480
= 90000 (or 90 Mb)
This is approximate.


I've been converting for myself for a long time now and a lot of it is just knowledge I picked up as I went along. A big thank you, however, to iLounge.com for providing the images and formula. This was new to me and they did play a part in creating this short walk through.

The Grammy Video is 6 minutes Long and took roughly 15 minutes to convert using the above settings.
CLICK LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD SAMPLE!
2010 Grammy Awards - Lil Wayne, Drake, Eminem - Forever HIGH QUALITY!

That's a screenshot on my laptop so the quality is a bit blurred (Since frames in motion are stopped). It's crystal clear when on iPhone with no audio sync loss and constant quality throughout.
Test it out!

[FTWrath]

Hey guys just added a sample! Quality is amazing!
CLICK LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD SAMPLE!
2010 Grammy Awards - Lil Wayne, Drake, Eminem - Forever HIGH QUALITY!

[Entrical]

Handbrake is a great app. I use it on my iMac and love it. I converted a 20 minute mkv (had 1 video track and 3 audio tracks) to an xbox 360-compatable mp4 in 5 minutes. Good stuff.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[osugsxr]

going to give it a shot, seems pretty simple....

[FTWrath]

Awesome, feel free to post your results.

[osugsxr]

not good at all..... lol....little choppy.... maybe post a walkthrough step by step..

[FTWrath]

It all depends on your SOURCE. If your source sucks so will outcome. Those settings are the OPTIMAL settings an iPhone can play. 30fps and 2.5 Mb bitrate (which determines quality/size) You're obviously doing something wrong.
Download the example I posted. It's converted with same as source fps and 1500 kbs (1.5 mb) bit rate.
here's step by step.
Set frame rate to same as source or 25 fps (doesn't really matter which) and set bit rate to 1500 kbs.
Use the iPhone preset on the right (figure you'd do this since you are converting for an iphone...) then select "keep aspect ratio" and click convert. If the quality sucks then hit your head on the table or find a better source.
Just did the office last night with bit rate at 1000 and this was the result:
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Awesome quality... all depends on the source.