Many of our readers asked us through e-mail if we know any free of charge tools which work on Windows Vista that can be used to convert movies to the format(s) supported by iPhone. So, we determined to test some free video converting software’s and after that make a tutorial on how to utilize the best tool we could locate. In this article I will provide you a step by step guide for a tool called Handbrake. At the ending, I will also give you a list of other feasible alternatives.

NOTE: The iPhone can only play movies that are encoded by means of MPEG-4 as well as H.264 codecs as well as have the extensions '.mp4' or '.m4v'. In this tutorial I will explain you how to convert movies that are in additional formats (such as, wmv, avi, mkv, etc.) to iPhone playable movies.

How To Use HandBrake To Convert Movies To The iPhone Format

HandBrake is a free of charge available software that can convert movies from several DVD-like sources for example: VIDEO_TS folders, DVD images, real DVDs, .VOB as well as .TS files plus some additional multimedia formats. It can convert them to MP4, MKV, AVI or else OGM by means of the MPEG-4, H.264, Theora video codecs as well as the subsequent audio codecs: AAC, MP3, Vorbis or else AC-3.

You can download the software from Handbrake.fr. Download the newest version for Windows Vista (choose the GUI download link) as well as set up it. Currently launch Handbrake as well as let's see how we can convert a normal .avi picture into a playable iPhone one.

When you launch Handbrake, click on the 'Source' key from the menu bar, to choose the picture which you want to convert. As you can notice, you have two options: a video file or else a DVD/VIDEO_TS folder. Select what you wish and after that browse to the preferred video folder.

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Now click on the Browse button as well as select a objective folder for the fresh video as well as type its file name.

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Next, choose the output settings for the video file. This can be completed from the presets panel on the right. Just click on the 'iPhone & iPod Touch' selection as well as all the output settings will be set in automatically. Also, if you will make use of this software only for this job, you can click on the 'Set Default' button at the conclusion of the panel and create the 'iPhone & iPod Touch' preset the default one.

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At last, click the Start button, found near Source. Handbrake will start on the encoding procedure as well as a command window will open with facts about the procedure.

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If you want a smaller file with fewer minutes for the encoding procedure you can choose a unique codec, like MPEG-4 XviD or MPEG-4 FFmpeg, from the Video tab.

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Such as, the MPEG-4 FFmpeg codec made from the unique file a fresh video that had only 38.7MB in 2 minutes. Unluckily the image quality was reasonably underprivileged.

MPEG-4 XviD codec would seem to be the 'compromise' solution. Unluckily it isn't. The encoding time is 3 minutes long and the file size 39,7MB, but the image quality is extremely related to the MPEG-4 FFmpeg codec.

The last step is to hook up your iPhone to the computer, start iTunes or else other substitute as well as upload the movie.


Other Alternatives

The first software that I tested was Agree Free AVI WMV MPEG ASF MOV to MP4 Converter, a name as bad as the product itself:

• In order to complete the installation I had to install K-Lite Codec Pack;

• Every time I opened and closed the software I was being continually reminded that I'm using a free of charge version as well as I have the risk to register as well as pay for the complete version;

• The free of charge version had all the settings locked;

• You could only convert a video file with the default settings;

• The conversion of a 22 minutes video file with 175MB, by means of MPEG-4 codec, took 10 minutes as well as formed a 132MB file size;

• The image quality was poor.

The second software that I used for this test was DVDVideoSoft Free Studio which is in fact the name of a whole suite of software. The one in charge for video to iPhone conversion is called Free Video to iPhone Converter:

• The software is easy, with only 3 presets: High quality, Standard quality as well as Economic quality;

• Even if the software has DVD in its given name I could not discover a way to convert DVD's;

• The conversion of a 22 minutes video file with 175MB, using Standard quality, took 4 minutes and created a 190MB file size;

• The video quality was excellent;

• The only show up of this software is the risk to choose as well as encode numerous files, in sequence.

Kvip is the third software that I tried:

• The software is not easy to use, because you have to make use of single file for the settings as well as one more file to choose as well as convert a movie;

• You can choose only among MPEG-4 XviD as well as H.264 codecs;

• There are extremely only some configurable selections;

• The test file (22 minutes, 175MB) was converted with MPEG-4 XviD in 7 minutes (112MB) as well as with H.264 in 10 minutes (76.5MB);

• The image quality for the video file encoded with MPEG-4 XviD was excellent as well as for the video file encoded with H.264 was outstanding (equivalent to the image quality of the video file encoded with HandBrake by means of the same codec, H.264).

If you know other good software, don't be doubtful to share them with us.