Apple TV HD Video Methods

[glennoc91]

I have a 1080p video file I want to convert and play on my Apple TV (original)
I'm just wondering what the best methods are for this and what peoples experiences with the various methods.

So far I've used...

- Handbrake: "AppleTV" Setting
- Quicktime 10: "Apple TV" Setting
- iTunes 10: "Create iPad or Apple TV Version"

I feel safest using the iTunes converter as I know it will work (Had a few mishaps using Handbrake), but surely I'd get a better quality output from an application dedicated to encoding like Handbrake?

Roughly, how big should the resulting file be? From a 260mb, Quicktime produced a 357mb file and Handbrake a 239mb file - the bigger the better?

Also, for peace of mind, is the encoder built into iTunes 10 and the encoder in Quicktime 10 the same? Or do they have slight differences?

I'm new to the HD aspect of iTunes, so any feedback and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Che Castro]

Easiest thing to do is jailbreak the apple tv and use xbmc

You can play all your video files

No need to convert

 

[ayzee]

My advice would be to check the atv wiki to see exactly what video settings it can play. For e.g maximum bitrate, resolution etc. I'm surprised the atv setting in handbrake isnt doing it for you

If your constantly dealing with 1080p videos you could just cut your losses and get an atv2.
I'm sure atv2 plays 1080p files but downscales it to 720p first.
What format is the 1080p video file originally in? MKV, AVI?

Instead of re-encoding or your process which must take hours, you could use a application like mkvtools which just strips out the video & audio file and makes an atv friendly MP4 file within 10mins, with no loss on quality

I have just recently purchased the atv and the videos play beautifully