yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Captivate General] caelestis2:
Just a hint. Galaxy S can play a lot of formats no problem. But sometimes it can't play an avi file. Use avidemux for windows and open it, set audio and video to copy (meaning no recompression) and change format to mp4 container instead of avi. I found when I did this, it would play all my media without a problem.
[Captivate General] decepticon:
I have been able to knock out Divx files as well. Most of my videos are in x.264 already though since I have my AppleTV setup so I just re-encoded them for the smaller screen.

I just used the iPhone preset and have had no issues with bad AR or anything.
[Captivate General] wpb2:
This is great, and all, but I just use the Apple TV preset for all my movies, because I stream them to my ATV, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Galaxy S (Captivate). The movies look great on the Captivate. I couldn't ask for any better. The simulated 5.1 surround via headset make them sound even better. I actually couldn't believe they sounded so good.
[Captivate General] decepticon:
I could use the ATV files I already have but I want to save some space for music lol

Assuming you have a Mac I suggest using MediaLink to stream to AllShare as well, great little app if you have kids annoying you to watch cartoons :)
[Captivate General] TGA_Gunnman:
If you have a HD source you can convert to 720P on Classic works and looks great for me. This howto is just for regular standard video. I think aspect is limited by the source you start with, you can also try Classic to unlock aspect. Feel free to play around with audio downmix , etc... I just thought I would get ya going in the right direction.
[Captivate General] madjsp:
I put a copy of a tv show 720p on my phone without doing any editing. about a 3.5 gig for 50 some odd minutes.

I actually like the fact that does not stay in wide screen, since the screen is only 4 inches.

It worked just fine. No conversion needed. It plays the movies i play on my laptop.
[Captivate General] TGA_Gunnman:
if size doesn't matter :p go for it

Gunnman from Galaxy S
[Captivate General] big3:
newb

hey guys. I am a newb to this only slightly. I used HandBrake originally to copy my movies to one of my hd's. I followed the instructions but keep running into a small hiccup. I have tried several movies and they all only allow a certain max height and width; normally not even close to the 720*400. Why is this/ will this matter? Also, I noticed that once the file was converted, it was actually larger than the original....anyone? I will say is did play, looked wonderful and sounded amazing (plugged into my surround sound).

Thanks a ton for the help guys....this should be stickied!
[Captivate General] kennethpenn:
I haven't been re-encoding any of my TV shows or movies and they look fantastic. I'd only do this if I was running out of SD card space...
[Captivate General] Battlehymn:
I haven't found the need to recode anything yet either ...

I have played .mp4, divx, xvid etc. with no difficulties.

From what i understand the phone will handle .mkv also, but I've not tried that yet.

I have also been using the video out to display on the DVD player in my truck without any problems.

On that note, it seems that if you use the ear buds that come with the phone you have to go into audio/display settings and re-enable TV out.
[Captivate General] DraxusD:
I don't think you should be unchecking "keep aspect ratio". If your source is 720p or 1080p it's already 16:9, the same aspect ratio as the captivate's screen, so it wouldn't matter. If your source is standard definition the result will be a very stretched video that will look terrible (fat short people, etc). Stretching video is never a good thing.
[Captivate General] madjsp:
I forgot to say the file that I used was an mkv file
[Captivate General] TGA_Gunnman:
Nice, small file size?
[Captivate General] gshaw_:
Help

My captivate does not play any of my .divx files or .avi files natively as I thought it should any suggestions besides converting.
[Captivate General] sremick:
Stretching is the problem I'm having with Handbrake right now. I can successfully make videos that look great... but if they're 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the Captivate stretches it vertically to fill the screen.

I can't find any option to tell it to not do this. I see such distortion as unwanted corruption. I view in native AR.

Is there a way to fix this, or a free alternative video player that doesn't have this issue?
[Captivate General] networkdood:
ERRORS

ok, so I put in a DVD and choose source and then when I check the activity window because the DVD takes forever to load i see the following errors:

libdvdnav: Suspected RCE Region Protection!!!

libdvdnav: Suspected RCE Region Protection!!!

libdvdnav: Suspected RCE Region Protection!!!

[16:22:29] scan: title angle(s) 1

Scanning title 1 of 20...

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

Scanning title 1 of 20...

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

[16:22:29] dvdnav: Read Error, Error reading NAV packet.

I had a bigger error log but I forgot how to post it without creating a huge post.

so, now what - delete and reinstall? Get WINDOWS 7, as VISTA sucks? :-):D
[Captivate General] networkdood:
For those not able to play DIVX movies on the CAPTIVATE - try ROCK PLAYER or ARC MEDIA - it plays it great, but not all file types...the native player does most file types...
[Captivate General] a_fuegon:
Seems like you need to use something to the effect of ANYDVD or any of the free alternatives out there.
[Captivate General] scottlinux:
This guide is a little bit overkill. In Handbrake just use the preset 'Regular > Normal'. Done.

:)

If you need a smaller file size, choose Video tab > Target File size and set as desired.
[Captivate General] sremick:
This will not produce optimum results. Not only will you end up with video not sized ideally for the phone's screen, but you also risk having excess data encoded in (subtitles, other audio tracks, etc) that are not needed. It's better to remove these and keep the size down, or use that space for better video quality.
[Captivate General] JagoRacing:
anyone know why it rips from my dvd all choppy and wont play right even on the computer.
[Captivate General] scottlinux:
I suggest you click on the normal preset and see what it actually does before making assumptions.
[Captivate General] torred:
How do you convert DVD files using handbrake so they are either .3gp or .mp4 instead of .m4v.

Thanks.
[Captivate General] sremick:
What makes you think I hadn't?

"Normal", besides lacking some quality optimizations that the Captivate supports just fine, sets 2 B-frames which can cause audio sync issues.

After much, much experimentation and testing, I've come up with a set of settings that do produce optimum results, along with step-by-step instructions. See here:

http://capfaq.com/w/Transferring_movies_from_DVD

Enjoy.
[Captivate General] paulbh:
Anyone having problems playing MKV created by handbrake? For me, the file will play for a few seconds and then message pops up saying "Unsupported format". However, any MKV rips that I download play perfectly fine. Also in Handbrake if I change the container to m4v the file will play without any issue.
[Captivate General] sremick:
MKV has more limitations as far as codecs go, and the Captivate doesn't support it as well. When you make videos with Handbrake, just make MP4s instead using the settings I posted and you'll be fine. The x264 support is much better.
[Captivate General] paulbh:
MKV is just a container for video, audio and subtitles. It can basically contain video encoded in any codec (xvid, mpeg2, VC1, x264, etc) so saying I should use MP4 is pointless since the video file (encoded in x264) contained in both (mkv and mp4) is the same since I am using handbrake to create the file. But thanks for the input.

After messing around with handbrake, I've narrowed the issue to it not creating MKVs correctly since those created in the last version play without any problems.
[Captivate General] staySICK:
I did everything on this howto, but I keep having issues with the audio being super slow.

I've also tried dvdfab and about a dozen different settings but its the same thing every time.

players used: galaxy s video player, arc player, rock player, mvideo player, same thing every time.

suggestions?
[Captivate General] sremick:
Use this guide instead:

http://capfaq.com/w/Transferring_movies_from_DVD
[Captivate General] staySICK:
that one didn't work either.
[Captivate General] sremick:
Not sure what's going on at your end then. Numerous people have successfully used it. I myself have converted at least a dozen or so DVDs so far using those settings and all have come out working perfectly on the Captivate with audio in-sync.
[Captivate General] cbasse:
I too have converted videos using the method on your guide and ended up with what appears to be an audio delay (its like they're lip-syncing)
[Captivate General] sremick:
Double-check all your settings to see they match the screenshots. This is usually caused by settings on the Advanced tab.
[Captivate General] Dungeon47:
I can vouch for Handbrake on Captivate. I've used it to convert tons of stuff with 100% success. I use the built-in iPhone preset, then change the resolution width to 800, and hey-presto.
[Captivate General] staySICK:
I'm thinking it had something to do with that I was trying to convert a 720p bluray rip, I got a dvd rip and put it on with no converting, it works fine. The blu ray rip would cause super slow audio and the movie would stretch to 5 hours long because of the audio.

ah well.
[Captivate General] sremick:
That shouldn't matter. Did you make sure your audio settings tab looked like this?
[Captivate General] Mac11700:
Definatly the best settings for my Captivate..Love the guide too..it works great..and have a backed up copies of both full disc and the compressed one to load when ever I choose..I've done 12 hd movies so far and love how they look. All the guys at work wonder what I'll bring in next to watch on my lunch break :D:D:D

Mac
[Captivate General] spartan062984:
I was having the same exact issue. I have converted Dozens of regular/ hd dvd movies before with no problem. Then i ran into a 720 blu ray rip and a 1080 blu ray, and thats when everything started to go haywire. The Videos from thr BR conversions would come out ok....that I have no Problem with. The Audo <----after numerous trial and errors and failed attempts, would not work. It would either be slow and garbled (distorted), or just nothing at all.

Question: Is the Image above Optimal Audio settings for a Regular/ HD movie or Blu Ray? I've had no issues with regular movies, its the Blu Ray that has the distorted sound issue. File Source = 3GB/ 1080 Blu Ray AAC/ mp4 format with 5.1 dolby sound. Cannot figure out why audio wont work.

Note: i have also tried both mp4 and mkv containers as well as using different audio codecs. I will however try your suggested post. Reporting back in a few days.

Hey Mac, just curious. Any of those 12 movies include Blu Ray?

Thanks all!

"To Android...."
[Captivate General] Shammyh:
Again, the primary purpose for transcoding video files would be to save size on the 16 GB MoviNAND (aka internal SD card), or to save space on your external SD card.

The Captivate (along with all other GalaxyS devices) uses GPU accelerated decoding when watching content with the stock "Video Player" app, and as such, can playback pretty much anything smoothly (up to 1080p even). There are a few exceptions where a weird option enabled somewhere in a codec will cause problems, but in those cases, transcoding the entire stream usually isn't necessary.

Oh and FWIW, I know that everyone likes to downgrade quality when watching on a mobile 4" screen, but personally, I notice a big difference in quality watching 720p movies/tv as opposed to 480p.
[Captivate General] mav814:
Vplayer works great for me. It plays basically every movie format and it's free.
[Captivate General] sremick:
Shouldn't matter. The settings define what you are converting to, irrespective of the source material. That said, I don't have any ripped Blu-rays to test (I have plenty of Blu-ray discs, but no drive in a PC).

If I can get my hands on a BD rip, I can try testing this myself.

Not entirely. While the Captivate can play video that is a higher-resolution than its screen, as a result it has to process a higher overall bitrate throughput. By lowering the resolution to match the screen, it frees up more CPU power to handle things like higher-quality compression methods of the video. H.264 is a complex beast with lots of options, and while you can tweak the knobs high to get better quality, it comes at the cost of CPU processing power of the playback device. Lowering the resolution bitrate lets you utilize more of the H.264 quality features resulting in better picture.

I can totally understand situations where a 480p video with too much compression can look worse than a 720p movie with the same compression method then downsized to 480p by the Captivate, since the downsizing masks the compression artifacts from the poor compression. However, using the settings I listed, this is not the case, and all my 480p video looks absolutely stunning and perfect.
[Captivate General] spartan062984:
Thanks for clarifying sremick! If you do have the time, I would greatly appreciate any feedbacks on your own BR rips/ conversions. I want to be positive that I am not encoding something wrong. As i mentioned before, i have had numerous successful conversions with Handbrake for the Captivate, but I always seem to have no luck with some....not all....BR ripped/ mp4 formatting videos.
[Captivate General] iceman198:
Just wanted to say thanks for this post! Don't know why I didn't search here first for a how-to. Definitely going to be trying this tonight!
[Captivate General] luposurfer:
Help

Hi guys,please help me out with this,it's driving me crazy.

I did everything on this howto, I converted some avi files to mp4 but my SGS doesn't play it at all,I keep getting the message "I can't open this file" or "file not supported"

players used: galaxy s video player,Vplayer,Meridian, same thing every time.

suggestions?

Thanks
[Captivate General] sremick:
Triple-check that your video settings match that outlined at the Captivate FAQ site. Everyone who's used those settings have had success. Anyone who had issues ended up discovering they missed a setting.
[Captivate General] luposurfer:
Thanks for the quick reply.

I followed step by step the guide,the files seem to be converted well,I can easily play it on my Imac but once moved in the phone there's no way to play it,I can see the files in the phone but it keeps saying that the file is not supported.

Any idea sremick?

I checked the video settings in handbrake,I also tried Any Video Converter but the result is the same:(
[Captivate General] sremick:
Sorry, not enough info to answer your question. I'd need to have access to the original video and the resulting video to even have a chance in guessing what might have gone wrong.

If you've got a small example video that you can put both the original and output versions up on FTP, maybe myself or someone else can look at it and see if anything is obvious.
[Captivate General] Kionic:
This actually takes a long time for me .

SO long that i stopped using handbrake .
[Captivate General] sublimaze:
how old is your system? i was using handbrake on a core duo laptop, and encoding took forever. i got a core i3 which reduced encoding time by 25-30%
[Captivate General] mty2608:
Hi Guys

Wonder can u help. I have used Handbrake and converted my original DVD of Casino on 4 occasions now, and every time it turns out blocky and you cant see the film, anyone know what to do. I have palyed it on both my PC and my Galaxy S.
[Captivate General] enkays:
Excellent solution !!! Bravo
[Nexus One Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Blueman101:
I know many Android devices do TV-Out but does the Nexus One?
[Nexus One Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] alehemer:
NOPE, at least mine doesn't.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] TGA_Gunnman:
Team,

Thought I would throw this out here so people don't have to hunt it down.

The Samsung Galaxy S has a big, beautiful screen that just begs for some quality video to show off. But what is the best way for you to convert your favorite videos and transfer them to your Galaxy S? In this guide, we show you what software you need to convert videos for viewing on the Galaxy S, and we also show you how to get your newly converted videos onto your handset.

Requirements:

1. Installed copy of Handbrake software from here http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

2. Video files and or DVD of your choice

3. Samsung Galaxy S with microUSB cable​

Step I: Launch the Handbrake application on your computer and select the video source

1. Launch Handbrake (figure 1)

2. In the menu on the right-hand side, select the iPod Legacy preset (figure 1)

3. Select your video source by clicking on the Source dropdown menu (we used a DVD for our testing purposes)

4. Select the destination and name for the file once it has been converted (both the .mp4 and .m4v extension work for the Galaxy S)

5. Confirm that the container is set to MP4 File and that Large file size, Web optimized, and iPod 5G support are unchecked​

Step II: Adjust Handbrake's Video Settings

Picture Tab:

1. Uncheck Keep Aspect Ratio

2. Set the Galaxy Sd Width and Height (the Galaxy S supports a maximum of 800 x 480 pixels)
​

Video Tab:

1. Set Handbrake's encoding settings by clicking on the Video tab (figure 2)

2. Confirm the Video Codec is set as H.264 (x264)

3. Framerate (FPS) should be set to Same as source

4. Under Quality, select the Avg Bitrate (kbps) and change it to 1500​

Step III: Adjust audio settings

1. Set Handbrake's audio settings by clicking on the Audio tab (figure 3)

2. Confirm the Audio Codec is AAC (faac)

3. Mixdown should be set to Stereo.

4. Change the Samplerate to 48

5. Change the Bitrate to 160​

Step IV: Save as a preset for future use

1. Click on the Presets menu and select New Preset

2. Enter Galaxy S in the dialog box and click Add

3. "Galaxy S" will now be saved as a preset and listed on the right hand side in Handbrake to be used in the future
​

Step V: Convert the video and copy to your Galaxy S

1. Click on the Start button in Handbrake

2. A command line/DOS window will open and start to process the video conversion

3. Once the conversion is done, mount your Galaxy S on to your computer via USB (figure 4)

4. Once mounted, create a folder named Video in the root folder on the Galaxy S

5. Copy converted file into the Video folder​

That's it! The converted video can now be played on your Galaxy S using the Gallery app. It should look fantastic on the Galaxy S's screen as long as the original source was of good quality.

A few things to keep in mind when converting video:

1. The Galaxy S does not like video file sizes over 2GB (the settings in Step II should help insure that the file size is kept under 2GB)

2. Your converted video will only be as good as the source video

3. If your source is over 800 x 480, you must be sure to set the width and height to a maximum of 800 x 480 as noted in Step II​
[Galaxy S I9000 General] INeedYourHelp:
This program crashed whenever i try to convert a vob file that is over 1gb in size. Smaller vob files convert just fine.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] jokuvuan:
Great guide TGA_Gunnman thanks!

But since Galaxy S supports Matroska files, why don't some of them work on the phone? Example episodes of the Simpsons and TopGear work just fine if I throw them to my fone in 720p format. But Futurama, Band of Brothers and such do not. Even if I convert the Furutama episodes to the native resolution, BUT keep the mkv-format: still they don’t work. But they work in .mp4-format ofcourse, but this conversion method takes a a lot of processin power and a LOT of time.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Arkymedes:
Correct me if I'm wrong but are not MKV files just containers for audio/video/subs?

So you can have in a MKV an AVI+MP3, or MP4+AAC and so on...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] sany:
Thanks but it did not work. I actually tried to convert a 2.6 GB mp4 file using handbrake following a guide by someone in the forum to convert videos to play in the SGS. It produced a 2.1 GB mp4 but SGS will not play it just skips over to the next video file.

I even tried to convert the video using Kies but the video quality is so crap, can't believe how samsung can provide such a software where it converts all movie frames not above 300 pixels whereas SGS is having 800!!?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Tachikoma_kun:
Worked for me, ripped my Avatar DVD into a 2.5GB file with Handbrake and it plays perfectly.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] distortedloop:
That's my understanding as well.

Some mkv files play on my PS3, some do not; just depends on the underlying codecs used. Same thing for the Galaxy S.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] fredphoesh:
?????????? convert???????? why???????

Guys,

One of the main points of having an SGS is that you DONT HAVE TO CONVERT "videos".

EDIT: I see you are referring to DVD's!!

aah, ok

DVD is different from "videos", DVD is just one kind of way to deliver videos.

Of my +1200 divx, xvid, wmv, mkv, mp4 videos, VERY few have been unable to play, I have not even considered the hassle of a conversion software, this isnt an iphone after all ;-) Even some 720p HD videos play with no conversion with my SGS... awesome phone.

Mark
[Galaxy S I9000 General] drizek:
I think it is an issue more with the audio than the video for why some mkvs don't play. There is a program, can't remember the name ATM, that is used I icon vert mkvs into xbox compatible mp4s. Ot takes about ten or twenty minutes, I think it only modifies the audio but does nto transcode the video.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] sany:
yeah I used Popcorn mkv converter http://www.videohelp.com/tools/PopCorn_MKV_AudioConverter, it was so simple, I don't have to do extract audio - reencode - repatch manually all was taken care of the software like a breeze, great work by the developer and he is worth to be appreciated with some gift as he saved me now. The fix was so easy it just took some 5 + mins for a movie and around less than a minute for my song video. Now it plays in my SGS. Remember it only supports mkv files. Audio codec that was not supported by SGS was VORBIS in those files.

My only problem is to reencode my mp4 avatar which is great quality but audio missing in SGS, anyone suggest how I can do this easily like the above.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] MXQBLGH:
Hey guys

this program works great and all but I noticed some videos show up in the mediaplayer with length of 0:00? They play fine and in the actual video the correct length shows up, but when browsing through the media player library the length shows up as 0:00.

anyone know how to fix this? For some vids I don't have thsi problem, but for a lot I do.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] luposurfer:
Hi guys,please help me out with this,it's driving me crazy.

I did everything on this howto, I converted some avi files to mp4 but my SGS doesn't play it at all,I keep getting the message "I can't open this file" or "file not supported"

players used: galaxy s video player,Vplayer,Meridian, same thing every time.

suggestions?

Thanks
[Galaxy S I9000 General] sonci:
Just buy an external memory card

You dont have to convert nothing it almost plays everything. Converting is time and energy lost and you sure in theory loose video quality..

The only problem galaxy have is to downmix 5.1 channel movies to stereo, but you can do that with tools that just change the audio file without touching video, like yamb and audio transcoder.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] luposurfer:
Thanks for the quick reply.

I already have an 8gb kingston card.

I tried to play avi,mp4,mkv with different players.nothing at all.

Am I missing something?

Please help.