[Nook Color General] angomy:
Encoding time depends on the source vs output somewhat, but normally it takes anywhere from 1/2 to 1:1 the time length of the video to encode, regardless of the encoding software (I've used Handbrake, DVD Catalyst 4, Videodub(mod), and a handful of others over the years).

My solution for this is just to batch queue a bunch of files to be re-encoded and do the encoding overnight when I'm sleeping :p

My settings (for any encoder, but I'll put them in order for Handbrake here):

Container: MP4 file, Ipod 5G support

Picture:

1. If source > 854x480 then set Width: 854, Anamorphic: Loose, Modulus: 16.

2. If source < 854x480 and the bitrate of the original file is high, can upvert to higher res, otherwise same settings.

3. If source< 854x480 and the bitrate of the original file is low, encode at the original resolution with the same settings as 1.

Video Filters: None

Video Codec: H.264

Framerate: Generally same as source, if you have issues force to 24 (or 23.976)

Regarding 1-pass vs 2-pass encoding, see below

Quality/Bitrates:

(Here's the tricky part for quality issues)

For high-action lots of changes animation / non-animated video I prefer:

1. - average bitrate of 1500 kbps

a) 2-pass encoding if I'm concerned about overall quality (I usually batch jobs overnight when I'm sleeping). *Caveat: This will increase encoding time to ~2x versus ~1:1*

b) 1-pass encoding if I'm in a hurry, it's good enough for many videos

For things that don't require a lot of movement and have large areas of flat color, like say, South Park*:

2. - (constant) RF:20 resulting in 1/2 the file size of the bitrate used in 1.

**** Out of all the parts of encoding a video, this is your most subjective part. If you want to find a sweet spot for yourself I would suggest setting the encoder to encode a small section of a sample video and play around with these settings to find what you like best. This is what works best for me ****

Caveat: RF:0 (lossless H.264) videos will not work on your Nook Color without resorting to software decoding, which currently does not work anywhere near as well or smoothly as hardware decoding. You will most likely get video stutter, audio desync, and other issues (plus the default movies android player won't play them at all.)

Audio:

- Source: Choose your desired (language) track.

- Audio codec: AAC encoding

- Mixdown: Stereo or your choice. Dolby Pro Logic II works fine on the Nook as well.

- Samplerate: Downsample the usual 48k to 44.1. 48k with high bitrates can cause issues on NC.

- Bitrate: 128 if you want to save space, 160 otherwise.

- DRC: 0

Subtitles:

- If you don't watch foreign language (that you don't speak) videos, you don't need to be concerned with this section.

In-depth explanation of subtitling in Handbrake: https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/Subtitles

1. Select the correct subtitle track, if it's included in the original file.

1a. If not, find and select the subtitle file (usually a .srt) to include as a track. Make sure this SRT is actually meant for the (original) video that you are encoding, or you will have desync issues with audio / video

2. The default video player in CM7 doesn't seem to support soft subs, and many players do not (Mobo is one that does but only for selective formats). If you find one that does and care about soft (can be turned on and off) subbing, then ignore 2a.

2a. Burned In is checked on. This hard-writes the subtitles track onto the actual images so they become part of the video. This means you cannot turn them off. This might be an issue if you decide to watch the video on a larger screen, e.g., 1080p tv (jagged edges from being upverted) , but why you would want to watch a low res non-HD video encoded for the Nook on there is beyond me :p

Forced Only and Default are not checked.

2b. If soft subbing, don't enable Burned In. Regarding Forced Only see the Handbrake guide linked above.

3. Handbrake specific: Click on Add to make sure it's actually added as a track to your encoding.

Chapters:

If you want to be able to move around your video the way you can on a regular DVD (divided into sections that you can >> to rather than manually dragging the bar), you can enable chapter markers. This may or may not be supported on your choice of video app for Android. What this also does is force the extension (.xyz) to change from .mp4 to m4v, which (in short) is the correct nomenclature anyway but we're used to the .mp4 extension thanks to Apple.

If your player is having issues with the m4v extension, keep Chapter Markers unchecked (also make sure that Handbrake is set to name the file as .mp4).

Advanced: (Handbrake) Leave as is.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions :)

* - I am not in any way endorsing the copying or re-encoding of copyrighted materials, even for personal use.