iPod Converting .AVI file to MPEG or H.264 for iTunes/iPod?

[BoyBach]

Hi, is there a way that I can convert a .AVI file to MPEG or H.264 or a similar file that I can import into iTunes and possibly playback on an iPod?

I really don't know where to start and would be grateful for any help.

Thanks, Andrew.

 

[lighthouse_man]

Mpegstream clip
http://www.squared5.com/

 

[gloss]

I'd recommend iSquint (free) or VisualHub ($24).

Same folks, I think, but VisualHub is the more robust of the two apps.

 

[GuntherS]

Yep, iSquint should do the trick and it's very easy to use.

 

[BoyBach]

Thanks for the responses!

 

[nirvana06]

just remember that H.264 will take up a lot of space and unless you want to watch it on a TV its not needed.

 

[gloss]

just remember that H.264 will take up a lot of space and unless you want to watch it on a TV its not needed.

Pretty sure h.264 is both smaller and looks better than plain ffmpeg mp4 video.

 

[clevin]

just remember that H.264 will take up a lot of space and unless you want to watch it on a TV its not needed.

no, size is only decided by bitrate. H.264 will not be bigger or smaller than others like xvid or divx.

 

[TimJim]

iSquint

 

[gloss]

no, size is only decided by bitrate. H.264 will not be bigger or smaller than others like xvid or divx.

Quite, but h.264 provides equivalent picture quality at lower bitrates, effectively offering smaller file sizes.

 

[clevin]

Quite, but h.264 provides equivalent picture quality at lower bitrates, effectively offering smaller file sizes.

mmm.... theoretically you are right. I wonder how much bitrate can that video quality enhancement save. 20? not much IMHO.

 

[stuff99]

how do you convert mpgs into ipod video format though?

 

[gloss]

how do you convert mpgs into ipod video format though?

mpegs are iPod video format.

 

[stuff99]

it won't let me 'drop' the mpg file to my video ipod though...

 

[milo]

it won't let me 'drop' the mpg file to my video ipod though...

Then use isquint or if it's already in itunes you can use itunes itself to convert it to ipod format. Right click the file in itunes or look under the advanced menu.

 

[madmaxmedia]

mmm.... theoretically you are right. I wonder how much bitrate can that video quality enhancement save. 20? not much IMHO.

1. As long as you have a relatively recent Mac, you may as well use H.264, even if the improvement is not that great.

2. One real advantage of H.264 is that as a modern codec it largely eliminates the need for 2-pass encoding- it's much better at allocating variable bits based on the complexity of the scene. With MPEG4 variants, 2-pass is definitely recommended (which really increases total encoding time.)

On my 1.83 CD MacBook, I get faster than real-time with H.264 encoding straight from DVD's, which is good enough for me.

 

[giganten]

If i want to make a animation for the ipod is it iSquint I should use then and make a h.264 file?

 

[stuff99]

what is a h.264 file?

 

[milo]

what is a h.264 file?

A quicktime file in the h.264 codec, which is one of the ones ipod and apple TV support.

 

[RumMunkey]

Why make such an easy task so difficult with all these 3rd party apps?

1) Drag your movie into iTunes
2) Right click on it and take "Convert selection for iPod" or "convert selection for Apple TV".

Couldn't be simpler.

 

[gloss]

Why make such an easy task so difficult with all these 3rd party apps?

1) Drag your movie into iTunes
2) Right click on it and take "Convert selection for iPod" or "convert selection for Apple TV".

Couldn't be simpler.

iTunes only reads files readable by Quicktime, unfortunately. No MKV.

 

[milo]

Plus itunes doesn't let you pick any video settings, particularly whether you want 320 or 640.

iSquint is a piece of cake, it will even put the video into itunes when you're done.