[HOWTO] Converting films for the Galaxy Tab

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 26, 2011

Ok, I present to you what I believe to be the best trade off between file-size and quality, given when I'm likely to watch a film on this thing. Feel free to disagree, everyone has their own preferences.

Why have I chosen these settings?
Well, given that I normally watch films on a television, watching them on the Tab is only gonna happen when I'm on the move. So a >1GB video seems pointless, as on a screen that size you'll barely notice the difference in quality. So I aimed to get a film in to ~500MB and to a quality that is still watchable. I went for 500MB as a target because a film that's ~700MB on a 15.6" laptop screen is perfectly watchable. On the Tab the screen is smaller, and the pixel density higher, so we can afford a smaller file size for a video of the same dimensions. I chose to upscale during the encode instead of during playback because the Tab does a really bad job of upscaling (horribly pixilated, especially in high contrast). I think that you could get a film to 400MB, but that's too far for my taste.

To reiterate, I use these settings to keep file size to a minimum while maintaining a watchable quality. I do not need a 2GB HD film when I can fit 4-5 films in that space. If I want to watch a film at a high quality I use my 42" TV, not a 7" tablet.

What you need:

A film to convert for use on your tablet
Handbrake
Time

How do I do it then?

Load up handbrake, and select your source and destination files.
Ensure the preset is set to "Normal"
On the "Picture" tab make sure "Anamorphic" is set to "None"
Ensure "Keep aspect ratio" is ticked
Set the height of the output to the max it'll allow (assuming you're using an SD film. If not, set the width to 1024)
Switch to the "Video" tab
Ensure "Constant Quality" is used, and set the RF value to ~27. Larger numbers mean lower quality, and it's a logarithmic scale.
Switch to the "Audio" tab
Change the mixdown to stereo and the sampling rate to 48
Hit "Start"

After a number of hours (at least the length of the film you're converting) you'll have a ~500MB video file (depends on the length of the film, and genre) ready for playback on your tab. When you hit play tap the screen, then tap the zoom setting button (top right) once. This will correct the aspect ratio.

For higher quality (and larger file sizes) make the RF lower (eg: 22).

Feedback is welcomed, I want to know how you guys do it.

Interesting posts
A few interesting posts are littered through the thread, here are a few:
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=10934317&postcount=5
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11021354&postcount=28
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11022128&postcount=30
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11044836&postcount=35
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11046438&postcount=38

my_username · Jan 27, 2011

Sounds like pretty solid advice to me. When I convert I just use a freeware converter called iWisoft which has a ton of preset options for different media devices.

I've never worried too much about trying to cut their size down though because you're right, a 700 mb movie on a laptop is perfectly watchable. And to this day, with multiple movies, backed up images and ROMs, pics, backed up apps, etc, I've yet to run out of space on my 16 gig SD.

Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

agentdr8 · Jan 27, 2011

Thumbs up on the howto. This is how I've been converting videos for my SGS and SGT. Handbrake is great software.

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 27, 2011

Cool. Glad you like this.

I've just done a few more and the lowest I've seen is 306 MB. Lol (short film, not action) EDIT: And I forgot to upscale. Damn

spartacusrex · Jan 27, 2011

Well. On Linux (Ubuntu 10.10) this is what I do..

Had a load of .ogm files that won't play on default player.. so...

I have a file called convert_vids.sh

Code:

> touch convert_vids.sh

Make sure you can run it..

Code:

> chmod +x convert_vids.sh

Open in a text editor

Code:

> nano convert_vids.sh

Then copy & paste this into it..

Code:

#!/bin/sh

for z in *.ogm
do

echo Converting file "$z" to "$z".avi

mencoder "$z" -aid 1 -slang en -ovc xvid -oac mp3lame -lameopts br=192 -mc 0 -xvidencopts pass=1:bitrate=1000 -o "$z".avi
 
done

And run it in the directory you wish to convert

Just use the main function if you only want to convert a single file or to test it works first!

Code:

mencoder thefilm.ogm -aid 1 -slang en -ovc xvid -oac mp3lame -lameopts br=192 -mc 0 -xvidencopts pass=1:bitrate=1000 -o thefilm.avi

You can play with the settings but basically it'll pick the first audio track, English subtitles, and encode it to xvid with a video bitrate of 1000kbps and mp3 audio of 192kbps and output the file with the same name as before but .avi added to the end. (These settings might be higher than some people want, but I like to future proof them..)

I like my manga in the original language with subs..

Enjoy.

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 27, 2011

A very elegant solution.

brilldoctor · Jan 27, 2011

(mac only) Or downliad the handvrake nightly and update the presets. remove it and download and open 0.9.4 and use the ipad preset (tab has a 1024 * 600 screen compared to the ipads 1024*768)

Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

slamorte · Jan 30, 2011

Is there any way to upscale standard DVDs using Handbrake or something else? I'm less concerned about the size of the file as I am with the quality of the video.

Everything I do rips only to 720 wide. It always looks pretty junky on the Tab's screen.

Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

will6316 · Jan 30, 2011

Ripbot264 is an excellant tool. With a lot of features and simple to use.

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 30, 2011

slamorte said:
Is there any way to upscale standard DVDs using Handbrake or something else? I'm less concerned about the size of the file as I am with the quality of the video.

Everything I do rips only to 720 wide. It always looks pretty junky on the Tab's screen.

Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

Yeah, follow these instructions. Use the arrows on the height field, and click the up one until it maxes out

Sent from my Legend using XDA App

dansus72 · Jan 30, 2011

slamorte said:
Is there any way to upscale standard DVDs using Handbrake or something else? I'm less concerned about the size of the file as I am with the quality of the video.

Everything I do rips only to 720 wide. It always looks pretty junky on the Tab's screen.

Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

Why would you want to upscale for the Tab?

DVD's are 1024x576 (480 US), so its the perfect size for the Tab, just throw it into a decent x264 front end like Handbrake or Ripbot and set video quality to 21, AAC 160kb audio and it should a transparent copy.

dansus72 · Jan 30, 2011

TheGrammarFreak said:
Cool. Glad you like this.

I've just done a few more and the lowest I've seen is 306 MB. Lol (short film, not action) EDIT: And I forgot to upscale. Damn

Size means nothing, just quality.

If you set it to constant quality of around 21, it will be pretty transparent and the size will be whatever it will be.

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 30, 2011

dansus72 said:
Size means nothing, just quality.

If you set it to constant quality of around 21, it will be pretty transparent and the size will be whatever it will be.

The size doesn't bother me too much, as long as it's below 600mb. That example threw me, as I was expecting about 450mb for the film. With upscaling it was 430

dansus72 said:
Why would you want to upscale for the Tab?

DVD's are 1024x576 (480 US), so its the perfect size for the Tab, just throw it into a decent x264 front end like Handbrake or Ripbot and set video quality to 21, AAC 160kb audio and it should a transparent copy.

I upscale because, in the UK, films are stored in a frame that is 720*480, so widescreen films are squashed into that. When played back it's stretched lengthways to restore the aspect ratio, resulting in a display size of ~1024*480. Seeing as Android ignores PAR and just stretches the footage to fullscreen, actual size or full width we need to fix the aspect ratio in Handbrake. However, this results in films that are 720*3xx. Which looks awful, especially when you let the Tab scale it up to fullscreen. So I upscale in handbrake, because it does a better job of it, and it results in a film that's about the same size as the Tab's screen

Sent from my Legend using XDA App

dansus72 · Jan 30, 2011

TheGrammarFreak said:
I upscale because, in the UK, films are stored in a frame that is 720*480, so widescreen films are squashed into that. When played back it's stretched lengthways to restore the aspect ratio, resulting in a display size of ~1024*480. Seeing as Android ignores PAR and just stretched footage to fullscreen, actual size or full width we need to fix the aspect ratio in Handbrake. However, this results in films that are 720*3xx. Which looks awful, especially when you let the Tab scale it up to fullscreen. So I upscale in handbrake, because it does a better job of it, and it results in a film that's about the same size as the Tab's screen

If your encoding a 16:9 pixel (Anamorphic), and Android doesnt read the PAR, just force 1024x576 (PAL) or x480 (NTSC) in the settings and it should be fine.

If you cant force 1:1 pixel in your program of choice, i suggest you try Megui.

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 30, 2011

That forcing it essentially what I'm doing. Handbrake doesn't add padding though, which is why I max out the height

quattr0 · Jan 30, 2011

Do me a favor, go dl bourne ultimatum hd trailer u will know y

Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

TheGrammarFreak · Jan 30, 2011

I'd much rather you explained why. I assume you're wanting me to witness the joy of 1080p footage on the tab? My answer to this would be thus: if I wanted to watch 1080p footage I'd watch it on my 42" TV with surround sound

quattr0 · Jan 30, 2011

To each of his own. My point is it doesn't matter where I watch it (TV or the tab), I always have the highest quality video and it looks gorgeous on either output

jeremyr62 · Jan 31, 2011

Upscale in handbrake

I must be thick cos I can't get Handbrake (0.9.5 on Win 7 64 bit) to upscale at all. If I load a film which is say 720x304, then (turning anamorphic to none) use the arrows to up the height (or width) it just defaults back to the original width and height. Am I missing something?

{EDIT.. If you use custom in the Anamorphic setttings it lets you upscale}

dansus72 · Jan 31, 2011

quattr0 said:
To each of his own. My point is it doesn't matter where I watch it (TV or the tab), I always have the highest quality video and it looks gorgeous on either output

And twice the battery drain.

[HOWTO] Converting films for the Galaxy Tab

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