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Best .avi to .mp4 converter?

G

G.O.B

macrumors member
Original poster
May 15, 2010
73
0
Hi,

Loving my new iPad so far, I just want to put some videos on it to watch when out and about. I hear the best way to do this is to convert the .avi files (or other extensions) which are on my MacBook into .mp4 so they can be viewed on the iPad.

Which program best does this? It doesn't have to be free, but good quality of video is an issue. Thanks everyone!
 
As previous post Handbrake is great. However for the iPad in the house i'm using AirVideo and converting avi's on the fly. Works great.
 
I used handbrake to convert a bunch of .avi files to .mp4. I've noticed the voice track is off on quite a bunch of them. Is this a common issue?
 
There's a low volume issue with Handbrake rips too, which discourages me from continuing to use it.

I've been considering the Elgato Turbo solution instead.
 
I'd recommend trying to demux .avi files before going through the hassle of converting them to another format. I'm not a video expert, but I think demuxing basically just changes the container and converts the audio. It has worked for every .avi I've tried so far and it takes a couple minutes at most.

I believe the program I use is called avidemux.
 
I can recommend handbrake too. You'll have to make a custom profile I think for the iPad to get it to encode in HD. I had some issues with ImTOO and 6 channel audio. It seemed to down mix it so the voice track was in my left ear and everything else in my right, pretty awful.
 
I use handbrake or video monkey, video monkey proven to be best so far, but it doesn't rip dvds so you have to rip them first in mactheripper but after that it's all good:D
 
iSquint is pretty good, if you get hold of a copy of it. The dev stopped supporting it a while ago. i think the suped up version was called visual hub.

If not you can you the export feature of QT7 Pro to do it, I think.
 
M87 said:
I'd recommend trying to demux .avi files before going through the hassle of converting them to another format. I'm not a video expert, but I think demuxing basically just changes the container and converts the audio. It has worked for every .avi I've tried so far and it takes a couple minutes at most.

I believe the program I use is called avidemux.
Click to expand...

Downloaded it, but it looks like the sort of thing where you need to know something about video editing to use it. Horrendously complicated for a layperson like my self to use. I'm going to have to stick to something simple like handbreak
 
freitas said:
Try Air Video. You have no control over the conversion settings but it i drop dead simple and fast.
Click to expand...
You have quite a bit control, if you click the Global Settings button, on the top left. ;) There's sliders for the resolution and bit rate, very good cropping options, a wide selection of audio bit rates to choose from, you can send to iTunes and because it converts practically every common video format, I use it to convert everything, except DVD rips(I use Handbrake for that).
 
You may want to also try MPEG Streamclip to convert. I have had good luck with AVI-MPV conversion for the iPad with both it and Handbrake, with Handbrake winning on the time to convert and an easy to use queue function for multiple files. I use the Apple TV preset which produces the desired output for the iPad.

http://www.squared5.com/
 
I use QuickTime:)
Just start the video in QuickTime, click share, then iphone.
boom! Goes into itunes automatically, and it keeps the quality.
 
swisspolo said:
iSquint is pretty good, if you get hold of a copy of it. The dev stopped supporting it a while ago. i think the suped up version was called visual hub.

If not you can you the export feature of QT7 Pro to do it, I think.
Click to expand...

These are my choices...I use visual hub for lots of stuff, but I've had it since the day and was a beta tester for Audial Hub. iSquint is pretty good for a no fuss conversion.
 
Without a doubt the best program is Handbrake - it is what a lot of the other programs are based on. If you go with Handbrake, you will also need VLC.
 
Actual Test Results

So, I searched and found this thread, (and many others) wondering, which is the fastest... and not really finding anything empirical. So, I ran a test:

Source File: 1.89 GB avi movie file
System: rMBP 13" dual core i7 2.9 GHz

I tested the conversion to mp4 with three conversion tools:

HandBrake, v0.9.8 x86_64
convert time 0:18:19.1
output size 1.5GB

iFunia, v3.9.0
convert time 1:07:40.0
output size 3.01 GB

WonderShare Video Converter Ultimate, v3.0.2
convert time 0:44:45.5
output size 1.88 GB

All were converting to HD mp4. Some functionality notes:
iFunia, I like iFunia because it gives you the ability to set the aspect and crop properly to 16:9 which is what works best (for me) on AppleTV. It removes black to the left and right of the image on the TV.

WonderShare, is a great interface


I should point out... my first and foremost concern was speed. I am certain the cropping features of HandBrake are great, I didn't really play with it (but will have to now). During this testing, I did not crop or conert aspect ratio's at all.
 
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