DVD to TH55 Questions

[D. Dumas]

I have been using Dvd Decypter> DvdX > IC 1.5 to put video on my TH55. I've read through a lot of posts. Much of the info differs and I'm lacking a lot of knowledge.

A couple questions:
1. Am I using the best combination of software for conversion? I know other stuff is available now such as 3GPP, Fairuse, etc.

2. Is there a way to convert from dvd and preserve widescreen aspect ratio on the Clie? For a 16:9 DVD I have been setting the "output resolution" in the output settings of dvdx at 480x270. Is this correct?

3. What video bitrate should I use?

Thanks.

[curtw]

Using dvdx means you're transcoding twice, and are DEFINITELY losing quality. Even though it takes longer (and many more steps) I highly recommend the "Egalus method" found here (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47282 ). This will give the best results. This method will also aid you in properly setting the dimensions/aspect ratio of your video files.

As far as bitrates, the unmodified IC "High Quality" setting (384 kbps video, 128 audio) is just about perfect for the TH55