Converting a DVD using FairUse Wizard LE

[Reggie]

Lance: I have been in search of the simplest and easiest way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a portable device, such as a Palm OS5 device or a Pocket PC device. So far in my search, I have come across a very simple way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a handheld that only requires approximately 242 MB. [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=819)]

[tanker_bob]

Wow, this is awesome! I'm going to give this a shot this weekend. I love the idea of taking a movie that I LIKE with me to watch on airline flights on my T3. Or maybe even some Stargate SG-1 episodes. Many thanks to Lance!

[SuperSaiyan]

Very nice!
This sure sounds better than the other much longer and complicated conversion methods I've tried.

I'm porting The Last Samurai now :D Hope to have a nice result to watch on my T5 for the commute home this afternoon.........let ya know later

-SS

[SuperSaiyan]

Well I did it. Very easy to do and not nearly as time consuming as other methods.
I will have to play around with the bit rate to see how much my T5 can handle. The quality is a bit ragged but the full movie is under 300mb so I can't complain.

:D a thousand thank yous

[Lance]

Well I did it. Very easy to do and not nearly as time consuming as other methods.
I will have to play around with the bit rate to see how much my T5 can handle. The quality is a bit ragged but the full movie is under 300mb so I can't complain.

:D a thousand thank yousGlad to hear it! :D

I have been playing a little with some short videos for the T3 and T5. It appears they can handle about 250 kbps for the video bit rate. They really had fits at video bit rates over 300 kbps. Of course, you could drop the audio bit rate down to 64 kbps or even 48 kbps to make the CPU more available to handle the higher bit rate. I have been a little limited to finding just the right settings for different devices, but I did enough to know that the settings in the article give everyone an excellent place to start. If I get enough input, I would be more than happy to update the article with preferred settings for different devices.

Thanks,
Lance

[NX80vTiger]

Can the final file be sent through image converter to be used with the built in movie player?

[Lance]

Can the final file be sent through image converter to be used with the built in movie player?I had not thought about that since I do not have a Sony Clie. However, I do support a couple within the company. Thus, I have been able to install Image Converter 1.5. It appears to be working fine. I am converting a 484 MB XviD file created by FairUse Wizard LE right now. I am using the "high quality" setting, and it tells me the final file will be 442 MB. So far, the conversion is 12% complete.

Thanks,
Lance

[Lance]

Well, I needed to leave unexpectedly, so I took a music video that I converted using FairUse Wizard LE that would convert quickly (~ 5 minutes). It worked just fine. Here are details on the file I converted:

File Size: 49 MB
Video Size: 624 x 304 pixels
Length: 4:57 mm:ss
Audio Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Audio Format: MP3
Frame Rate: 23 fps
Video Bit Rate: 165kbps
Video Format: XviD

Here are the details after conversion:

File Size: 18 MB
Video Size: 320 x 240 pixels
Length: 4:57 mm:ss
Audio Bit Rate: NA
Audio Format: MPEG-4
Frame Rate: NA
Video Bit Rate: NA
Video Format: MPEG-4

It looked good playing it back on the computer using QuickTime. I am sure it will look good on an actual device. I hope this helps.

Thanks,
Lance

[AndrewP]

I'm trying to do the same thing: DVD Decrypter -> FairUse LE -> Image Converter 1.5, but when I try to add the XviD AVI from FairUse to Image Converter, it complains that "This file format is not supported".

It's a pretty big file (640MB, around 640x480 picture, 40mins long) but plays fine in Xine.

Am I missing a codec or is something else wrong?

Thanks,

Andrew

[Lance]

At the end of the article, it mentions you may have to install the XviD to playback the video on your computer. I believe you will need the same thing in order for the Image Converter to work. Here are the links:

XviD Codec - Default Used by FairUse Wizard LE (http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/)
DivX Codec (http://www.divxmovies.com/codec/)

Take care,
Lance

[palmhiker]

Lance, you rock, dude! This is great stuff!

[rudymc]

I have a Sony UX-50. I have tried this, but the audio is a little choppy. Any recommendations. My guess is that this has to do with the audio bitrate. I originally had the audio bitrate at 64. Is this too much for the Sony UX50 to process? I would really appreciate others' feedback. I am sooooo close to being able to watch movies on this thing. Thanks.

Rudy

[Lance]

I have a Sony UX-50. I have tried this, but the audio is a little choppy. Any recommendations. My guess is that this has to do with the audio bitrate. I originally had the audio bitrate at 64. Is this too much for the Sony UX50 to process? I would really appreciate others' feedback. I am sooooo close to being able to watch movies on this thing. Thanks.

RudyFor Sony Clie's, it maybe necessary to perform another step (i.e. convert the movie created by FairUse Wizard LE and run it through the Image Converter). There are three advantages with this. (1) You do not have to purchase MMPlayer. (2) The built-in video player takes advantage of the hardware built-in especially for audio and video playback. Third-party solutions rely on the CPU. For the UX series, you are relying on a 123 MHz CPU. (3) The files ize is reduced by around 10%.

If you use Image Converter, be sure to install Image Converter 1.5 and the XviD Codec. In addition, you will need QuickTime installed on your computer.

Note: All downloads are for Windows computers.

Download Image Converter 1.5 (http://www.css.ap.sony.com/CLIE/download/Detail.asp)
Download XviD Codec (http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/)
Download QuickTime 6.5 (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone/)

For PEG-NZ90, PEG-TG50, PEG-NX60, PEG-NX70V, PEG-NX73V, and PEG-NX80V devices, you will need to install the Movie Player System Update version 1.01.

Movie Player System Update version 1.01 (http://www.css.ap.sony.com/CLIE/download/summary.asp?Id=30757)

Thanks,
Lance

[AndrewP]

Well, thanks to Lance, I'm getting videos from DVD to my TH55 in three easy stages - DVD Decrypter > Fair Use > Image converter 1.5. Unfortunately, it takes ages (around 2 days in total for a 2 hour film) on my 500 MHz PIII. I feel an upgrade coming on.....

Anyway, what I wanted to discuss was how to best convert films which are in anamorphic widescreen. My problem is that if I use the "Auto set" for cropping and then tick the "Anamorphic mode" box, the films get stretched vertically, i.e. faces become tall and thin.

I suspect that what I need to do is either not crop at all or else crop in a fixed ratio, i.e. 16:9.

Does anyone else have any other thoughts?

Andrew

[Lance]

Well, thanks to Lance, I'm getting videos from DVD to my TH55 in three easy stages - DVD Decrypter > Fair Use > Image converter 1.5. Unfortunately, it takes ages (around 2 days in total for a 2 hour film) on my 500 MHz PIII. I feel an upgrade coming on.....

Anyway, what I wanted to discuss was how to best convert films which are in anamorphic widescreen. My problem is that if I use the "Auto set" for cropping and then tick the "Anamorphic mode" box, the films get stretched vertically, i.e. faces become tall and thin.

I suspect that what I need to do is either not crop at all or else crop in a fixed ratio, i.e. 16:9.

Does anyone else have any other thoughts?

AndrewFirst, I wanted to point out that you do not need run the DVD through DVD Decrypter. I have updated the article accordingly. Maybe, this will save you some time.

As for your stretched films, I would leave the the "Anamorphic mode" box unchecked. I believe you would only need to use this in special cases, such as playback on a high-definition TV. I am going to look at some of the conversions I did using image converter just to be sure, and I'll get back to you.

Thanks,
Lance

[QBa]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but it seems this is the logical place to post my question. I followed the directions, and after many hours I had a video on my ZZire 72. After aboout a minute or so, the screen darkened, with a notice that MMPlayer was in trial mode only. So far so goo. I turned the video off at that point. When I went to show someone the lastest great thing my pda would do, all I got was

"Fatal Alert DataMgr.c, Line 7399, DMWrite(colon)DMWriteCheck failed". (Replace the word colon with the symbol - when I do it in the line I get a smilie) Shrug

Now I am way out of my knowledge and comfort zone trying to do this, I have no idea what the message even means. Can anyone give me any ideas, steer me in the right direction for correcting this.

I'm sure there is probably more information I should put here but I don't even know what might be important. Thanks for any help you can give me.

(Darn, and the directions were so great, and I did have it running for a bit!)

[LittleBuddy]

Wow --- perfect. Follow the directions with a shorter movie to see if it works, and the jump right in with a longer feature.

[Mas]

how do I get movies that are Subtitled to show the subtitles? any extra steps?

I want to show the english subtites on "the last samurai". thanks!

[Unregi]

Glad to hear it! :D

I have been playing a little with some short videos for the T3 and T5. It appears they can handle about 250 kbps for the video bit rate. They really had fits at video bit rates over 300 kbps. Of course, you could drop the audio bit rate down to 64 kbps or even 48 kbps to make the CPU more available to handle the higher bit rate. I have been a little limited to finding just the right settings for different devices, but I did enough to know that the settings in the article give everyone an excellent place to start. If I get enough input, I would be more than happy to update the article with preferred settings for different devices.

Thanks,
Lance

Whoop, nice speech, but i love cookies, and my locks shall remain keyless

[cliemia]

Does this work with Image Converter v 1.0? Or do I have to hunt down and install 1.5? How about 2.1 on an NX80?

[tckober73]

Quick question:
I get the following error message:
The DVD could not be converted.
>>>Could not load codec settings.
Running Windows XP...
Thought I followed your guide.
Maybe I overlooked something?

[Lance]

Quick question:
I get the following error message:
The DVD could not be converted.
>>>Could not load codec settings.
Running Windows XP...
Thought I followed your guide.
Maybe I overlooked something?The most common problem is the codec is not installed properly. I would download and install both the DivX and XviD codecs, and then try conversion again.

DivX Codec (http://www.divxmovies.com/codec/)
XviD Codec (http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/)

Thanks,
Lance

[tckober73]

Thanks!
Works

[Romans8:38]

This is great. But I was using a 256 mb card which I found only really has 238mb available. So the video would not fully transfer via Image Converter although most of it did. Also I could not copy and paste to the card directly because it said there was not enough room. IC was the only way to go.
A couple of questions please. Can I just adjust the number for conversion to 234mb instead of 242 as suggested so that it would fit on a 256mb ms? And yes before you ask I will also look into getting a 1gb memory stick.
Question 2 is is there any way of getting a larger picture since half the space is taken up with the surrounding black space?

Thank you.

[Takufu]

I converted the DVD using FairUse.....I ran the convert movie through Image Convertor 2.0.....put the file on a MS....put the memory stick in my UX50...FullMoviePlayer says there are no movies on the MS.....what am I missing.....feel like I'm so close..... :rolleyes:

[Bob Ch]

Thanks for posting this guide. This is something I have wanted to do with my PDA for quite some time. The guide made this really EASY to do! I have converted four movies this weekend using Fairuse LE & played them on my Zire 72 using TCPMP. I still want to play around with the settings to see if I can improve the quality, but I am very satisfied with the results so far. Watching Blade Runner & Outland on my Zire 72 is way cool! I have nuked Kinoma from my Zire & I will now use this software combo exclusively.

[DCBAKER]

I converted the DVD using FairUse.....I ran the convert movie through Image Convertor 2.0.....put the file on a MS....put the memory stick in my UX50...FullMoviePlayer says there are no movies on the MS.....what am I missing.....feel like I'm so close..... :rolleyes:

What directory did you put the movie in? It should be in MP_ROOT/100MNV01

If you are using FMP you will also need the MP4 codecs installed on your UX which you can find under the Freeware link on this site under Applications -> Multimedia. IC2 outputs MP4s and not MQVs

[LupeValenz]

I love being able to watch Collateral on my THea now :D. I use the Fairuse, then Imageconverter 2.0. Although I have to admit, I didn't know bout this earlier, I just used the default formaat and got a pretty big 600MB movie that converted down to around 400MB. The image is great and sound is good, but will go back and try the instructions to see the movie quality. It be great to save several movies on a 1GBcard.

[jjesusfreak01]

I use UnLoGiCs movie converter. It encodes to Xvid I believe, and it has alot of features.

[LupeValenz]

Well, Image Converter 2 double the 250 avi file so instead just used TCMP to watch the avi file. Image quality is pretty good and the file size is excellent :D. Time to create a Movie Memory stick library. :D

[jjesusfreak01]

Well, Image Converter 2 double the 250 avi file so instead just used TCMP to watch the avi file. Image quality is pretty good and the file size is excellent :D. Time to create a Movie Memory stick library. :D
If eventually TCPMP gets DSP usage, then TCPMP could theoretically be just as fast as FMP or MoviePlayer. As I wrote on the Corecodec forums today, I was able to benchmark a 24FPS HVGA 756kbps video at 103% with audio. Without audio it is 140%, so with DSP usage I would imagine it would be around 130%. What this means is that the TH and UX should be able to perfectly handle fullscreen video without actually straining the processor. At this point TCPMP may actually be surpassing the capability of the built in player.

[LupeValenz]

I see what you mean with it straining. If you watch very closely you see that for a slight pause, less than a second, the image freeze for a bit. If your not looking for it, you won't notice it, but if you look closely, every 30 secs or so you will see that slight pause. Other than that, its pretty good, just need a slick interface hehehe, black be great as always LOL.

[Jesus is Lord!]

Lance,
Thanks sooo much for this tutorial. I have been longing to get my DVDs onto my handheld. I started off small- simply recorded "Mikes New Car" off of the "Monsters Inc." DVD (I used the exact minute length to figure out which file it was). It looks great on my T5 when in 320x320 mode. It looked pixelated at full screen- like a jpeg photo thats been too compressed. I gradually worked my way up. I now have "Clone Wars" playing at 539 kbps, the mp3 is set to 96 kbps, fps is 24 and it's 472x264 pixels- it is a whopping 324 Megs on my 1 Gb card for only 1 hour of video (the price you pay, I guess). This looks and sounds wonderful on my T5! It actually looks sorta bad at anything but full screen. I have Tron at 418 kbps and 480x216 (it has a much wider screen, so not as much info is on the screen as with Clone Wars). That 95 minute movie is a 353 Mb file. I am using the open source Core Media Player, not MMplayer. So, at least in the case of my T5- it can play much higher than 200 kbps.
Thanks again!! :)

[daver]

"Smooth Criminal"

As he came into the window
Was a sound of a crescendo
...
Are you OK, Anniewhat the heck is that doing here? and what for?

[gwittie]

Lance, thanks for great info. I have converted a couple of different movies, but have very (unaccceptably) low sound volume. This on a Sony Clie UX50. Do you (or anyone) have any ideas? Thanks.

[Jesus is Lord!]

gwittie,
I was having problems with very low volume using TCPMP. I noticed that I needed to increase the preamp in the audio section of the prefs screen. Hope this helps!
Louis :)

[pruss]

Lance: I have been in search of the simplest and easiest way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a portable device, such as a Palm OS5 device or a Pocket PC device. So far in my search, I have come across a very simple way to take a DVD and make a video that is viewable on a handheld that only requires approximately 242 MB. [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=819)]

Pocket DVD Studio seems a little easier (and has no DMCA problems, though it may have a GPL and patent problem with the bundled LAME).

[zAchry]

Downloaded fairview... works great!!! now i just transferred 3 good movies in my LD and alot more movies to transfer... using TCPMP... amazing...
Hands down to Lance

[Lance]

Downloaded fairview... works great!!! now i just transferred 3 good movies in my LD and alot more movies to transfer... using TCPMP... amazing...
Hands down to LanceGlad to help. I keep an updated version on my web site, PalmFocus.com (http://www.palmfocus.com/fairuse.php).

Best regards,
Lance

[lombard]

Thanks, Lance. You're a top man as far as I'm concerned. Got some music vids on my ux50 at last - keeps my daughter quiet in the back of the car on those long journeys!

Just a note in case anyone else had the same problem. Movie Player on the ux50 refused to acknowledge the presence of my painstakingly prepared files until I renamed them all as MOVnnnn.MQV (where nnnn is a sequence number like 0005). I knew they had to be MQV's and in the right directory but I thought it would see them with more descriptive names like the name of the band or the track.

Eventually I twigged and now it works perfectly.

Thanks again

[Sparx]

Howdy.

I have some .avi files that I want to lower the resolution for. Currently the file sizes are pretty big and lowering them to 320x480 or similar will make them smaller and less battery hungry on my Lifedrive. Anyone know of an easy and/or free way to do this.

Lance you rock !

:)

[Sjweise]

You can use virtual dub (google it, I'd post a link but I am on my T3 right now away from my pc) to resize the resolution. you need to add a resize filter to the virtual dub session in addition to defining the video compresion. I use fair Use myself and find that it works flawlessly. Now that I use TCPMP I don't even have to mess with rencoding t e files in Virtual Dub, I just set the video/audio settings as needed. I am also using Fairuse to convert select movies to store on my Ipod for rainy days. Oddly enough, Itunes does not like the xvikd format. I need to convert the xvid files to mpeg4 files using another 3rd party app,

[Lance]

I am also using Fairuse to convert select movies to store on my Ipod for rainy days. Oddly enough, Itunes does not like the xvikd format. I need to convert the xvid files to mpeg4 files using another 3rd party app,Not any longer. FairUse Wizard 2.2 has been released. It supports the iPod.

Take care,
Lance

[Sparx]

Thanx guys.

Much appreciated. :) :)

[shender]

Thanks for the info, and special thanks to Lance for the details. One specific question is, what ratio/resolution is best for the TH55. I seem to be randomly picking the aspect ratio (ie 320 X 240), but sometimes I don't have that as an option.

Any guidance from the TH55ers would be appreciated !

[makoman]

I'm tweaking the settings for FairUse so I can view a video "skip free" on my TH55. I have used below the settings suggested by Lance an I was wondering what others have seen. I have used 288x108 (approximate, as I am at work, but I have tried others), at ~200 kbits/sec, and ogg audio at 32kbs, which are all well below Lance's recommendations. I don't know what others have done -- I just want a few comparisons.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[makoman]

http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105414&highlight=video

What a lifesaver! Thanks!

[jreagles16]

does anyone know how to take protected itunes music and listen to them on your palm?
Also I have found probably a complicated way to watch dvds on your pda.
Guide-
First google TCPMP of Core Pocket MEdia player. This freeware which is still in production is the next best mmplayer but right now for free. (so please make donations). For a player for free to wathc on you pda download core pocket media player for palm os. Download zip Cr 72 and CR68. Take the ac3 and the acc audio code from zip68 and apply it with your cr 72 in the "quick install". Then hotsync and then take music or dvds and enjoy. PS. The volume is a little faint. To take a dvd and convert to watch on pda. is pretty easy. google dvd decrypters freeware and then take a dvd burn to hard drive then take some sort of compression tool ie. nero recode 2 then compress to what ever you want. 120mb or 400mb. (oh make sure if using nero go to more and make sure that it is being compressed for psp gives you the way to compress to palm) Right now I have 60 seconds and MRs and MR. Smith on a 1 gb with about 300mb left they are both compress to 350mb and they are fast action and don't slow down or skip at all. When you have transfer the file to your sd card you can then go to your hard drive and delete the movie off your hard drive so you don't waste space. if using nero when adding the film click audio and add the english or w/e launguage you want to. and it will come up on nero as Gone in 60 seconds title 1. then compress. a 1 gb card that writes at 32x is great for watching movies. oh the player does have a full screen mode. with wide screens a little hard to see. This is how I did it first. But by the sounds the fairuse wizard sounds simple and easy and great to use to compress. I'm new and not good at this stuff sorry if it is hard to read still a not old enough to see pg-13 movies. sorry. also this all may take like 45mins to decrypt dvd and then to compress another 45.

[jreagles16]

Does anyone out there know how to take purchased itunes music and play it on your palm? I would love to know. Thanks for your help. :)

[Sjweise]

You'd need to strip off the DRM Itunes adds to their aac files.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=remove+drm+from+aac+files&btnG=Google+Search

Or try this:

http://www.limewire.com/english/content/home.shtml ;)

[ssparks653]

I just tried FU wizard and it is great. I was wondering if there was a way to increase the image size. I have a lifedrive and the file created is a lot smaller than my screen.

[DCBAKER]

What player are you using to view the movie? TCMP allows you to set the viewing size. Other players may have that as a feature as well. Check the settings in your player.

[ssparks653]

I am using MMPlayer, I haven't seen anything in the preferences.

[Sjweise]

TCPMP will probably allow for smoother playback, which is why I no longer use MMPlayer ( though I am a registered owner of MMPLayer!).

In FU Wizard, once you select file size, you should then be able to select the frame size (I set mine to 480x320 or the closest ratio). As I recall MMPlayer has a zoom feature so even if the video file is not 480x320 you can "zoom" the frame up to full screen. I think its like 2/3, 1/2, etc.

[pedro_nf]

Hello all,
I just received a sony clie UX50, I know its an old model but its my first PDA and my first experience with Palm OS...
I used the original video recorder to make a movie with the built in camera and after downloading the film to my PC I saw its format is MPEG-1, can't see the sound format of the file (I'm using GSpot).
My question is: are there any video recorders for Palm OS (and UX50) to record video directly in other formats, like Xvid?
For the original file in MPEG-1 (extension .MQV) I can only play it using Quick Time and I only managed to convert it using Sony's Sound Forge 8.0. Are there any Open Source video converters for this type of file made by UX50 video recorder?
Many thanks in advance for any help, I'll keep on reading more about UX50 and Palm OS...

[Sjweise]

I do not believe there are any recorders that will allow you to encode in Xvid, though converting it to Xvid with Virtual Dub would be a cinch (even though it is an extra step). Perhaps as video becomes more and more the norm on pda/smart phones we'll see some great 3rd party recorders capable of encoding in Xvid or DivX. Perhaps Corecodec could reverse their great TCPMP (or whatever it is called now) and use the same programming skill to create a recorder.

[pedro_nf]

I didn't manage to open the video file with Virtual Dub... maybe I don't have the correct codecs...
It would be nice to have an application for Palm OS that would do it directly, don't know if its technicaly possible. Any Palm OS programmers out there?!? :-)

[Sjweise]

I suppose Sony made it so the video file is somewhat proprietary, though you'd think VDub would still swing it.

[palmTE]

Fairuse produced avi files with sound but no video, and TX media app won't accept avi.
I ran FairUseLE on an unprotected DVD I have, following the directions in Lance's thread (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=819&page=3). Choosing a bit rate just over 200, the resulting files were oddly small - 45MB for more than 30 min of video. I could see nothing wrong, so I let it run. The results were avi files (I chose 'split by chapter'), all had sound with no video when played back on the PC.

I have read through this and other threads and others and still find this to be slow going, I have no useable files yet. It seems there are a few basics not explicitly mentioned which it's assumed everyone knows... it's been frustrating.
It <appears> that there are several separate steps in most cases, or is the following not correct?
Get the unique file formats on a DVD translated into something one's PC can read and xfer onto hard drive.
Re-encode and shrink these into another format with lower quality and much smaller size than the DVD standard (mpeg-2?)
Re-encode again if the above step didn't yeild something the handheld software can interpret.
Install one or more video playback programs on the Palm.
Install one or more codecs --- on the Palm or on both the Palm and PC?? How do you insure that the translation and playback programs can see and use the codecs, and that you have the correct codecs for whatever you're doing??
Unclear -- does TCPMP serve as playback software on the handheld, or does it encode/translate? Does it need to be augmented by various codecs?

Also is there a good way to xfer the files without a card reader? The Palm Media app will not allow one to hotsync avi files.

**There has got to be a better way!!** I don't mind buying software if need be, but only if the paid software actually works without fighting with it. From my experience and reading so far I'm not confident that the paid solutions work any better than the freeware, but so far the "free" software is too expensive b/c it is taking hours of unpaid time.
Input from any of the Palm wizards here is much appreciated.

[Sjweise]

I use Fairuse Wizard for my Treo 680, iPod and for now inert TX. I never did any screen cropping (top/bottom or left/right), and only edited the start/stop times to cut out credits to save file size (or to chop of a disc of TV shows). I always set it for Xvis, 2 pass and would sometimes lower the bitrate for the mp3 audio. I would also (for the TX) change the resolution to as close to 480x320 as possible. I never did anything about splitting it into chapters.

I also never used the TX's built-in media player. TCPMP is completely free and plays video MUCH better than even MMPlayer. I have since bought FairUse Wizard (to enable the cropping of length and to encode directly to iPod video format) and it still runs fine on my Treo 680 with TCPMP.

[LupeValenz]

Hiya there, you can try out DVDFab Platinum (http://www.dvdfab.com/dvd-fab-platinum.htm) and there is a trial. This seems to work very nicely to convert it for specific devices (iPod, PMP, PDA, etc) They also work on alot of the DVD's, protected or not. Hopefully this is what you are looking for. ^_^

[Sjweise]

I use DVDfab myself when DVDshrink cannot decode a DVD. Since I bought Fairuse, I wasn't ready to buy the full version that would allow me to conver staright to portable content and unlock the other features. However, since upgrading to Vista FU is somewhat undependable so I may wind up buying DVDfab.

[Lance]

Fairuse produced avi files with sound but no video, and TX media app won't accept avi.
I ran FairUseLE on an unprotected DVD I have, following the directions in Lance's thread (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=819&page=3). Choosing a bit rate just over 200, the resulting files were oddly small - 45MB for more than 30 min of video. I could see nothing wrong, so I let it run. The results were avi files (I chose 'split by chapter'), all had sound with no video when played back on the PC.

I have read through this and other threads and others and still find this to be slow going, I have no useable files yet. It seems there are a few basics not explicitly mentioned which it's assumed everyone knows... it's been frustrating.
It <appears> that there are several separate steps in most cases, or is the following not correct?
Get the unique file formats on a DVD translated into something one's PC can read and xfer onto hard drive.
Re-encode and shrink these into another format with lower quality and much smaller size than the DVD standard (mpeg-2?)
Re-encode again if the above step didn't yeild something the handheld software can interpret.
Install one or more video playback programs on the Palm.
Install one or more codecs --- on the Palm or on both the Palm and PC?? How do you insure that the translation and playback programs can see and use the codecs, and that you have the correct codecs for whatever you're doing??
Unclear -- does TCPMP serve as playback software on the handheld, or does it encode/translate? Does it need to be augmented by various codecs?

Also is there a good way to xfer the files without a card reader? The Palm Media app will not allow one to hotsync avi files.

**There has got to be a better way!!** I don't mind buying software if need be, but only if the paid software actually works without fighting with it. From my experience and reading so far I'm not confident that the paid solutions work any better than the freeware, but so far the "free" software is too expensive b/c it is taking hours of unpaid time.
Input from any of the Palm wizards here is much appreciated.You might reread Part II (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=819&page=3), specifically the last two paragraphs.

You have to download the XviD codec (http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/) to view the movie on your computer.

TCPMP is Palm software that enables smooth playback of the movies you convert using FairUse and other conversion programs. You can download it here (http://picard.exceed.hu/tcpmp/test/tcpmp.palmos.0.72RC1.zip).

As far as transferring the files, I highly recommend a card reader. However, Card Export II is an option, but it still costs money to use long term. You can download it here (http://software.palmfocus.com/product.asp?id=745).

Hope this helps.

Take care,
Lance

[palmTE]

Thanks, I eventually found that issue. I had assumed that an avi is like most other files - if a program can read one, it can read any (OK, MS .doc not included). Shortly after buying DVD Catalyst it's developer explained the codec issue -- I read but did not assimilate that from the article.
It took a while for me to figure out that there are several, separate steps and more than one translation involved in moving the data from a DVD to some other device (even simply to a PC). The various software discussed in the forum sometimes performs one, sometimes several of those functions. Understanding that the file extension does not fully indicate what software is required to open the file came a bit later. As you say, the codec issue is covered in the article but in haste I didn't refer back to it when troubleshooting.

A short basic article explaining the skeleton of how video files are read and processed in general and the process of moving files from a DVD to portable formats in particular would be great if someone has the time to do it.

Your article was helpful as is appreciated. Now that I understand that a codec is a pretty safe install it's going in to allow previews on the PC.
As for a card reader, does it matter which one I buy? I'd like to get an all-in-one reader to handle all common formats/speeds.

- Larry

[Lance]

As for card reader, that it pretty much dependent on your needs. They make card readers that read up to 52 different formats. A little overkill if you ask me. The most common formats are Compact Flash and SD. Sony's Memory Stick is one that comes to mind. Personally, I have a SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 card reader that works great for me. I have had it for a year or two.

Best regards,
Lance

[JavaJiveJump]

Awesome! Awesome find! Awesome Instructions! Awesome App.



Thank you for everything dude! I'm lovin' my LD more and more each day!

:)

Watching now Napoleon Dynamite, Gosh!

Sweet!

[adilahafke]

M4V Converter (http://www.m4vconverter.us/) is a professional software which can convert m4v files to avi, mov, vob, mpeg, flv, mp4, mov, mp3, etc with highest sound and image quality,
which is known as the best M4V Converter (http://www.m4vconverter.us/) to convert M4V files to any other video and audio formats.

[tanker_bob]

M4V Converter (http://www.m4vconverter.us/) is a professional software which can convert m4v files to avi, mov, vob, mpeg, flv, mp4, mov, mp3, etc with highest sound and image quality,
which is known as the best M4V Converter (http://www.m4vconverter.us/) to convert M4V files to any other video and audio formats.
Two problems: M4V Convert is far from free, and it only converts M4V files according to its website. FairUse is free and does a fine job with raw dvds.

[Cyker]

Tanker Bob! LTNS! :D \o/

*ahem*

At the moment, I'm using HandBrake to do DVD conversion; You can convert directly to something TCPMP compatible, otherwise its a 2-step process to make it Clie MoviePlayer compatible :)

[icool521]

There are a number of suitable programs for this, both freeware and shareware/paid products. The one that I use is iCoolsoft DVD Ripper (http://www.icoolsoft.com/dvd-ripper/) - powerful DVD Ripping software to rip DVD movie to any video/audio formats

I've tried various programs, and, of the ones I've tried, I've found that this program works the best for me.