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Video Encoding Advice for iPad

J

johndango

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 27, 2010
88
0
Redmond, Wa
So I'm a PC user. The iPad will be my very first Apple product. I will definitely be getting the iPad. In preparation for it's arrival, I wanted to rip some DVDs and encode them so that I cna sync them with the iPad the day I get it and just enjoy them instead of mess with converters all day. Which brings me to my questions.

1. What file type should I either try to rip to or convert to?

2. Is there a suggested program I should try? Free would be better :p

3. Is there any special advice for a first timer? Resolution? Any tips?

Thanks guys.
 
johndango said:
So I'm a PC user. The iPad will be my very first Apple product. I will definitely be getting the iPad. In preparation for it's arrival, I wanted to rip some DVDs and encode them so that I cna sync them with the iPad the day I get it and just enjoy them instead of mess with converters all day. Which brings me to my questions.

1. What file type should I either try to rip to or convert to?

2. Is there a suggested program I should try? Free would be better :p

3. Is there any special advice for a first timer? Resolution? Any tips?

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Just been doing this myself with my Blu-Ray and DVD collections (not all but the stuff I really like). I have been using Handbrake for the encoding which I believe is also available for Windows. It's free.

The format you want is H.264 coding in the .m4v container (MPEG-4).

I have been dropping BR stuff down to 1280x720 as that is the max the iPad can handle and for DVD I've been leaving it at native res and allowing the anamorphic thing to do it's job. DVD's I run the decomb filter over. For animated stuff (anime in my case) I've been using a constant quality setting of 19% in handbrake and for traditional content I have been using a constant quality of 24%. In both cases I am downmixing the audio to 48KHz/160kbps which is again the highest the iPad can handle.

Not sure how different the mac and windows versions of handbrake are but I just created a couple of presets to make the whole process easier.

I also use MetaX on the Mac to tag everything properly (TV Shows, Movies, Music Videos, etc) and have scanned and embedded all my BR/DVD covers as well...have to do something to pass the time while waiting for release :D

Hope that helps :)
 
Is there a handbrake eq for windows? If there is there is an iPhone setting that scales perfectly for the ipad. Tbh you wouldn't notice any quality difference between the iPhones native res and the ipads.
 
WytRaven said:
Hi,

Just been doing this myself with my Blu-Ray and DVD collections (not all but the stuff I really like). I have been using Handbrake for the encoding which I believe is also available for Windows. It's free.

The format you want is H.264 coding in the .m4v container (MPEG-4).

I have been dropping BR stuff down to 1280x720 as that is the max the iPad can handle and for DVD I've been leaving it at native res and allowing the anamorphic thing to do it's job. DVD's I run the decomb filter over. For animated stuff (anime in my case) I've been using a constant quality setting of 19% in handbrake and for traditional content I have been using a constant quality of 24%. In both cases I am downmixing the audio to 48KHz/160kbps which is again the highest the iPad can handle.

Not sure how different the mac and windows versions of handbrake are but I just created a couple of presets to make the whole process easier.

I also use MetaX on the Mac to tag everything properly (TV Shows, Movies, Music Videos, etc) and have scanned and embedded all my BR/DVD covers as well...have to do something to pass the time while waiting for release :D

Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the help! This is the exact info I was hoping to get. I will try this! Thanks!
 
Gav2k said:
Is there a handbrake eq for windows? If there is there is an iPhone setting that scales perfectly for the ipad. Tbh you wouldn't notice any quality difference between the iPhones native res and the ipads.
Click to expand...

There is a Handbrake for Windows. I'm not sure of the sys req, but it does work in XP.

HTH
 
Rip your DVDs to h.264 mp4 videos with Handbrake. Use the Universal setting... you will get files that will play on everything except the first (5G) iPod video. The iPhone, iPod Touch, Apple TV and iPad will play them just fine. And they will look good on everything... near DVD-quality (in many cases transparent to the DVD). And the file size will be low as well.

You can also add extra audio channels (like commentary and a 5.1 AC3 audio track so you can listen in surround sound if you play with an Apple TV).
 
I would still stick with universal, but that's certainly nice to know and I'm sure is an option for many.
 
I'm keeping hold of my MKVs until Handbrake issue a new present or someone figures out what the limits are.

It would be nice to have videos ready for launch but I'll just wait a month before I start a new regime. The iPad and Apple TV are the most important devices, iPhone 3GS which I don't own yet would just be a bonus.
 
Most people who need to encode video on the go likely don't use tablets or netbooks, they use laptops.
 
I haven't been able to get Handbrake for Windows to work right. I've been trying to rip and encode episodes of FoftheCC but everything ends up busted. I can hear the audio but the video looks like big squares no matter what setting I've tried. Any ideas on why this could be happening?
 
johndango said:
I haven't been able to get Handbrake for Windows to work right. I've been trying to rip and encode episodes of FoftheCC but everything ends up busted. I can hear the audio but the video looks like big squares no matter what setting I've tried. Any ideas on why this could be happening?
Click to expand...

DVD's have copy protection on them... if you're trying to encode off a commercial DVD, you need install a free program like DVD43 (http://www.dvd43.com/) which will decrypt the DVD in the background, allowing you to encode directly off the disc with Handbrake, or rip the video to your hard drive with DVD Shrink (http://www.afterdawn.com/software/download_splash.cfm/dvd_shrink) and then use Handbrake with the files you ripped.

I always refer Windows users to this article:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-conversion-win/

It's a bit outdated when it comes to some of the resolutions and aspect ratios that will work across Apple's newer devices (iPod Classic, iPhone, etc.), but I suppose they are afraid of updating since I'm sure a lot of people still use 5G video iPods. If you follow the guide though, everything will work fine.
 
GermanSuplex said:
DVD's have copy protection on them... if you're trying to encode off a commercial DVD, you need install a free program like DVD43 (http://www.dvd43.com/) which will decrypt the DVD in the background, allowing you to encode directly off the disc with Handbrake, or rip the video to your hard drive with DVD Shrink (http://www.afterdawn.com/software/download_splash.cfm/dvd_shrink) and then use Handbrake with the files you ripped.

I always refer Windows users to this article:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-ipod-video-conversion-win/

It's a bit outdated when it comes to some of the resolutions and aspect ratios that will work across Apple's newer devices (iPod Classic, iPhone, etc.), but I suppose they are afraid of updating since I'm sure a lot of people still use 5G video iPods. If you follow the guide though, everything will work fine.
Click to expand...

That was the info I needed. I will try this again in the morning. Thanks for the tip!
 
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