iPod Touch 2nd Gen Best Settings for Video

[cg1200]

Juse picked up a 2nd gen iPod touch. I have a lot of MKV files encoded at 128-x720 or 1980x1080 that i want to convert to work on the iPod. I've read that the max resolution supported is 640x480 on the 2nd gen which is fine. I have a couple of tools that will convert my MKV's but I'm not sure what resolution/aspect ratios i should be choosing. Most if not all of the MKV's are 16/9 though some are 2:35 to 1. I've been using anv video converter product which works pretty well. I accidentally encoded some MKV's using 720x480 and they played fine on the touch. I guess I'm just really confused. I'd like to preserve the aspect ratio of the original MKV and use the highest possible resoultion. i have some 16:9 titles that i think i encoded correctly but i get slight black bars on the top and bottom of touch (like a letterbox). I can zoom them out but was curious why they are there at all.

[Baldrick]

I would use xvid4psp or handbrake and just try the ipod profiles.

[orsetto]

The iPod touch is compatible with 480 x 720, although Apple does not say so officially. Whatever resolutions you choose, remember the native screen resolution is 320 x 480, or 3:2. So any files you have in 16:9 or 2.35 are going to be slightly letterboxed when played on the iPod screen. Handbrake is a very good iPod converter, its interface is a little confusing but its output is excellent: the only iPod converter I've tried that never loses lipsync. It runs slow as hell though.