Suggest a format/resolution to suite ipod, zune, pc, all at the same time?

[vumpler]

What format/resolution would you suggest to suite ipod, zune, pc, all at the same time?

I have these DVDs that I want to convert to my ipod, as well as my wifes zune, and also be able to view on my pc without having to use the dvd and or iso.

Basically my question is: What are a couple of options (or what you would prefer) for a format and resolution(s) to pretty much suite all our needs: ipod, zune, pc, and (reasonably fast PC-DVD encoding would be nice too if possible). One that when full screened on a PC doesn't look like complete crap. Is 720x320 about right?

I have a zune and know that .m4v should be fine for that, but the ipod seems to talk about H.264 as being their standard. I don't really know what H.264 is but after a quick wikipedia it sounds like its mpeg4 just like .m4v except it has part 10? I don't understand that part. Also is .m4v and .mp4 the same thing just a different extension?

Also is Any Video Converter a reasonable option to consider? Or if you have a suggestion for a purchase application I will definitely consider it.
http://www.any-video-converter.com/p...or_video_free/

[vumpler]

I tried to follow the sticky as to how to propose questions and also did a search over about 10 minutes and didn't find anything exactly like my question so your input is highly requested

Thank you for your time

[GMaq]

Hi,
I'm afraid I don't know the specifics of what formats the Zune plays, but I'm kind of doing what you are talking about in that I make H.264 and XviD/DivX/3ivX/Nero Digital files that are iPod compliant and also at high enough resolutions to look good on a HTPC and HDTV. H.264 is probably your best bet if the Zune supports it, An iPod will be limited to 640x480 for fullscreen and 640x352 for widescreen and 640x272 for anamorphic widescreen. I do most of my encoding in Linux now, but I've heard good things about DVDFab Decrypter and Videora iPod Converter. I really like Nero Recode as well but it is part of Nero 7 now and fairly expensive with a lot of bloatware.

[vumpler]

Ok wikipedia tells us:
Software capable of audio/video playback should recognize files with either .m4a or .mp4 file extensions, as would be expected, as there are no file format differences between the two.

So I guess I can assume they are practically the same thing...


Zune plays these:

• Windows Media Video files (.wmv)
• MPEG-4 Video files (.m4v)
• Some QuickTime video files (.mov)

So since it plays .m4v does that mean it will play H.264?

[redwudz]

I'm not familiar with the formats those devices use for playback. For Ipod, Videora iPod Converter is popular. And you might look into SUPER as it can accept and output quite a few formats. There are more converters in: https://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/portable-mobile-psp-ipod

I would try the freeware ones first after you determine the formats needed. There may not be a universal format that works with all players. Most of the pay converters have a free trial period and you can try them out also.

H264 is very compact, but takes a lot of CPU power to encode and playback. You will spend a lot of time encoding. If those devices with accept Xvid, it's freeware and a fairly fast codec that can generate a small file. If you are doing conversions from a DVD, try AutoGK or FairUse Wizard. FUW has a freeware version available on it's tool page.

[vumpler]

Thanks redwudz

Thanks for letting me know that H264 will take a while :/ I only have an opteron 150 and 2gigs of ram so my system isn't exactly encoding ready. Everything takes forever so the lower the time the better.

So here are the formats supported:

Zune:
• Windows Media Video files (.wmv)
• MPEG-4 Video files (.m4v)
• Some QuickTime video files (.mov)

Ipod:
H.264 mp4
480x160 784x288
432x176 752x304
400x192 720x320
368x208 672x336
336x224 640x352
320x240 624x368
288x256 592x384
272x272 576x400

So this brings me back to the question If I encode a movie to mp4 is it as simple as right clicking the file and changing the extension to .m4v for the file to read as m4v?

[kevo777]

Your question does not have simple "1-2-3" answer. You're wanting to convert a DVD one time to a format that will play and look good on three different platforms -- not gonna happen. Your one gleam of hope in this matter is that the iPod and the Zune share some support in the MPEG-4 arena. Don't focus on file extensions as much. Focus more on codecs. A file extension often does not reflect what codecs make up the file itself.

If I were you I'd gear up for some serious testing -- trial and error if you will. A good idea might be to use legit video files from each devices "mother ship" as reference i.e. purchase videos from iTunes and the Zune Marketplace, if possible (never used it). See what similarities they have with MediaInfo or GSpot.

My guess is that ultimately what looks good on one device may only look "decent" on another of a different brand if it plays at all. It's always best to dive into encoding video with one specific target platform in mind, especially when it comes to portable devices.