IPAD Custom Settings for DVD Rebuilder

[Eyedoctor2]

Hi,

This is what is reported for IPAD video:

* Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable
* H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Can anyone help to create a Custom setting for DVD Rebuilder based on the IPAD specs above?

I am including a screenshot of DVD Rebuilder's Custom mobile setings box so that you can suggest what to put in each field.

Thanks in advance!

[jdobbs]

Hi,

This is what is reported for IPAD video:

* Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable
* H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Can anyone help to create a Custom setting for DVD Rebuilder based on the IPAD specs above?

I am including a screenshot of DVD Rebuilder's Custom mobile setings box so that you can suggest what to put in each field.

Thanks in advance! I don't have an iPad so i can't test it. But if you want to use the high-end video try this:

Video_Format: IPOD_H264
Output_Width: 1024
Output_Height: 720
Video_Bitrate: 1200
Vid Max Bitrate: 2500
IVTC: Auto
Passes: 1
File Format: MP4
Interval: 300
Audio Format: AAC
Audio Bitrate: 128
Audio Amplify: 1.2

Make sure you give it a unique name before saving it.

Note: Level 3.1, Main Profile means you should be able to go all the way up to 14000 for the Max bitrate and close to that for the Video Bitrate... but you'll run out of space pretty quickly on an iPad if you go that high. I'd suggest you start with the ones I list here and work your way up until you have a good balance of size/quality on the iPad.

Don't worry about the ratio of height to width, DVD-RB adjusts the picture as necessary to make the aspect right, and if the iPad is like the iPod Touch it will also adjust the image appropriately during playback.

I'll probably be getting me one of those bad-boys at some point. I have a feeling it might be a good idea to start getting familiar with the Software Development Kit for it... :)

[Blue_MiSfit]

If you're coming from a DVD source, no reason to select anything other than 720x480 (for NTSC of course). Apple's "720p" is a decent compromise for a real HD source, and so deserves the full 1024x720 resolution. DVD, however, doesn't :)

~MiSfit

[Adub]

I have to agree with Blue on this one, as I never liked upscales, especially on high quality screens.

[jdobbs]

If you're coming from a DVD source, no reason to select anything other than 720x480 (for NTSC of course). Apple's "720p" is a decent compromise for a real HD source, and so deserves the full 1024x720 resolution. DVD, however, doesn't :)

~MiSfit

Good point. I've been thinking too much in blu-ray terms lately.

[Eyedoctor2]

Thanks all for the great advice. I look forwards to trying out your settings when my 3g Ipad arrives April 30th (at least I hope so!).

Does BD Rebuilder have a mobile output option like DVD Rebuilder does?

I use BD Rebuilder regularly and think it's awesome.

Thanks for all you are doing JDobbs!

[jdobbs]

Thanks all for the great advice. I look forwards to trying out your settings when my 3g Ipad arrives April 30th (at least I hope so!).

Does BD Rebuilder have a mobile output option like DVD Rebuilder does?

I use BD Rebuilder regularly and think it's awesome.

Thanks for all you are doing JDobbs! Yes, but it still needs some work. I haven't set up user configurable output yet. I have an iPad option already set up though that will output at 1280x720.

[Eyedoctor2]

Great! I'll post on how they both work and compare after you update BD Rebuilder and I get my Ipad.

Best Regards!!

[Eyedoctor2]

Hey JDobbs,

I think this may be a Windows 7 issue but I can't seem to save the Custom settings you recommend. Each time I try and re-open the original custom settings are there.

I used Windows Explorer to change the DVD RB Pro file from read only but each time I check the properties on the folder the "read only" box is ticked again.

Any ideas?

[jdobbs]

Hey JDobbs,

I think this may be a Windows 7 issue but I can't seem to save the Custom settings you recommend. Each time I try and re-open the original custom settings are there.

I used Windows Explorer to change the DVD RB Pro file from read only but each time I check the properties on the folder the "read only" box is ticked again.

Any ideas? Hmmm.... I just tried it on my Windows 7 machine and it worked fine. Make sure you rename it before saving. It shouldn't be called "Custom" -- you have to type in a new name before saving, something like "iPAD Settings"

[Eyedoctor2]

I renamed it "IPAD", clicked on save changes but nothing seems to happen. When I click okay then reopen the "Custom" and old settings are back.

I ran DVD Rebuilder as administrator to be on the safe side.

Let me know if you can think of any other suggestions.

I am going to try and reboot into my XP partition and see if I run into the same problem (doubt it though)

[Eyedoctor2]

Sorry for being an idiot JDobbs.

I didn't realize I had to go back to checking preset and scroll down to find the new setting "IPAD".

Long day at work is the best excuse I can come up with.

Thanks for your help, as always!

[jdobbs]

Sorry for being an idiot JDobbs.

I didn't realize I had to go back to checking preset and scroll down to find the new setting "IPAD".

Long day at work is the best excuse I can come up with.

Thanks for your help, as always!It happens to the best of us. :cool:

[Eyedoctor2]

Saw that the latest beta of BD Rebuilder includes IPAD settings, cool!

When using it for this purpose what should we check for output size under Output Options?

[jdobbs]

Saw that the latest beta of BD Rebuilder includes IPAD settings, cool!

When using it for this purpose what should we check for output size under Output Options? It doesn't matter, that is ignored for alternate output. The output size and quality are determined by the CRF value. From the CHANGES.TXT file:- Added a new option "Other Movie-Only Ouput" to the
MODE menu. This allows you to create other types of
files (rather than BD). The current choices are for
iPOD and iPAD (.MP4) files) and MKV output, but I
expect to add other choices in future releases. The
output to alternate formats does not attempt to reach
target sizes, but instead uses a fixed CRF which can
be set via the "ALTCRF=n" hidden parameter. The
default value for ALTCRF is 21.
I haven't tested the iPad output (I don't have one yet) -- if you do, let me know how it works out.

[Eyedoctor2]

Here's the log of my first attempt:

[18:38:38] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 43.21 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- One Pass ABR Mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[18:38:38] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [18:38:38] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [18:58:22] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [18:58:22] Collecting video information
- [18:58:22] Keeping original video (no reencode)
- [18:58:22] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [19:04:55] Multiplexing M2TS
[19:04:55]PHASE ONE complete
[19:04:55]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [19:04:55] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [19:04:55] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
- ERROR in attempt to mux (MP4BOX)
[19:21:41] - Failed to REBUILD

[jdobbs]

Here's the log of my first attempt:

[18:38:38] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 43.21 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- One Pass ABR Mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[18:38:38] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [18:38:38] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [18:58:22] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [18:58:22] Collecting video information
- [18:58:22] Keeping original video (no reencode)
- [18:58:22] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [19:04:55] Multiplexing M2TS
[19:04:55]PHASE ONE complete
[19:04:55]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [19:04:55] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [19:04:55] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
- ERROR in attempt to mux (MP4BOX)
[19:21:41] - Failed to REBUILD Hmmm... I've done many encodes for iPod and it uses the same code stream. I'll try one today.

[jdobbs]

Here's the log of my first attempt:

[18:38:38] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 43.21 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- One Pass ABR Mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[18:38:38] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [18:38:38] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [18:58:22] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [18:58:22] Collecting video information
- [18:58:22] Keeping original video (no reencode)
- [18:58:22] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [19:04:55] Multiplexing M2TS
[19:04:55]PHASE ONE complete
[19:04:55]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [19:04:55] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [19:04:55] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
- ERROR in attempt to mux (MP4BOX)
[19:21:41] - Failed to REBUILDI just did "The Dark Knight" with that selection and it came out correctly. It's a little bigger than I would have wanted, but it plays fine. Not sure what could have happened.

[Eyedoctor2]

I'll try it again and report back. Thanks!

[Eyedoctor2]

[15:15:57] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 43.21 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- One Pass ABR Mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[15:16:03] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [15:16:03] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [15:36:37] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [15:36:37] Collecting video information
- [15:36:37] Keeping original video (no reencode)
- [15:36:37] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [15:43:03] Multiplexing M2TS
[15:43:03]PHASE ONE complete
[15:43:03]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [15:43:03] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [15:43:03] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
- ERROR in attempt to mux (MP4BOX)
[15:59:57] - Failed to REBUILD

Are there any settings I could have set incorrectly?

[jdobbs]

[15:15:57] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 43.21 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- One Pass ABR Mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[15:16:03] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [15:16:03] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [15:36:37] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [15:36:37] Collecting video information
- [15:36:37] Keeping original video (no reencode)
- [15:36:37] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [15:43:03] Multiplexing M2TS
[15:43:03]PHASE ONE complete
[15:43:03]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [15:43:03] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [15:43:03] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
- ERROR in attempt to mux (MP4BOX)
[15:59:57] - Failed to REBUILD

Are there any settings I could have set incorrectly? I notice it is actually doning the MP4BOX mux for 16 minutes before it fails. Are you sure you have enough disc space? With the default (CRF=21) the output is about 6GB.

[Eyedoctor2]

I have over 200gb of free space on the C drive which is where the conversion is taking place.

Agree that 6gb is sort of hefty but I am planning on streaming to the IPAD using Air Video so space won't be too much of an issue.

Let me know what you would like me to try next.

BTW DVD Rebuilder worked great using the IPAD settings you recommended.

[Eyedoctor2]

Background- at times I use BD Rebuilder to extract the main audio and video for me without shrinking so that I can put the main movie in its entirety on a 1TB hard drive that I watch through my PS3. When I do that I set it to a custom target size of 44250 and so ensure that no re-encoding is going to take place.

When I tried to re-encode using the IPAD settings, I left custom "ticked" since you had said it was going to be ignored.

Today I "ticked" dual layer DVD instead as the output size. It worked, giving me an IPAD video that is 6.81 GB in size.

Here is the log file so that you can compare it to the ones above:

-----------------------
[14:24:40] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 7.72 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[14:24:42] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [14:24:42] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [14:44:17] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [14:44:17] Collecting video information
- Source Video: VC-1, 1920x1080
- Rate/Length: 23.976fps, 218,981 frames
- [17:24:18] Video Encode complete
- [17:24:18] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [17:30:57] Multiplexing M2TS
[17:30:57]PHASE ONE complete
[17:30:57]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [17:30:57] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [17:30:57] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
[17:55:41] - Encode and Rebuild complete
- WORKFILES folder removed.
[17:55:42]JOB: THE_DARK_KNIGHT finished.

Hope that helps!

BTW- my default CRF is 20 even though I didn't change it.

[jdobbs]

Background- at times I use BD Rebuilder to extract the main audio and video for me without shrinking so that I can put the main movie in its entirety on a 1TB hard drive that I watch through my PS3. When I do that I set it to a custom target size of 44250 and so ensure that no re-encoding is going to take place.

When I tried to re-encode using the IPAD settings, I left custom "ticked" since you had said it was going to be ignored.

Today I "ticked" dual layer DVD instead as the output size. It worked, giving me an IPAD video that is 6.81 GB in size.

Here is the log file so that you can compare it to the ones above:

-----------------------
[14:24:40] BD Rebuilder v0.33.06 (beta)
- Source: THE_DARK_KNIGHT
- Input BD size: 32.66 GB
- Approximate total content: [02:32:13.332]
- Target BD size: 7.72 GB
- Windows Version: 6.1 [7600]
- MOVIE-ONLY/ALTERNATE OUTPUT mode enabled
- Audio Settings: AC3=0 DTS=0 HD=1 Kbs=640
[14:24:42] PHASE ONE, Encoding
- [14:24:42] Extracting A/V streams [VID_00007]
- [14:44:17] Reencoding: VID_00007 (1 of 1)
- [14:44:17] Collecting video information
- Source Video: VC-1, 1920x1080
- Rate/Length: 23.976fps, 218,981 frames
- [17:24:18] Video Encode complete
- [17:24:18] Reencoding audio tracks (if req'd)
- [17:30:57] Multiplexing M2TS
[17:30:57]PHASE ONE complete
[17:30:57]PHASE TWO - Rebuild Started
- [17:30:57] Rebuilding stream 00007 [1 of 1]
- [17:30:57] Building ALTERNATE OUTPUT Structure
[17:55:41] - Encode and Rebuild complete
- WORKFILES folder removed.
[17:55:42]JOB: THE_DARK_KNIGHT finished.

Hope that helps!

BTW- my default CRF is 20 even though I didn't change it. Hmmm... I'll go back and see how that could happen.

Thanks.

[Eyedoctor2]

Just for fun, I ran it one more time. This time I ticked "dvd 5" rather thand "dvd 9". It worked giving me an output of the same size, 6.81gb, as the last time.

Seems like the only problem is with a large custom output size that does not require re-encoding.

[jdobbs]

Just for fun, I ran it one more time. This time I ticked "dvd 5" rather thand "dvd 9". It worked giving me an output of the same size, 6.81gb, as the last time.

Seems like the only problem is with a large custom output size that does not require re-encoding. I just don't get it. Today I changed my settings to "Custom" with the output size set to 44250. I ran it expecting to repeat the error you reported. But all I got was the same successful completion and 6GB output file that I got with BD-5/9 settings.

I just can't seem to put my finger on why your system is having issues and mine is not.

The one thing I can see I need to change is to set a constant profile for ALTERNATE movie-only output. Right now, even though the output size isn't affected by the QUALITY selection, the profile is.

[Correction] I have to correct myself. The profiles used are specific to the selected output... I'd forgotten that I put in a special method for ALTERNATE. Who'd a' thunk? I did it right the first time. :)

[jdobbs]

One thing I did notice when reviewing my settings for iPad. The iPad accepts H.264 Main Profile sources with Level 3.1, while iPod Touch and iPhones are using the Baseline Profile. So I could increase the efficiency of the output size by using B-Frames (which are allowed in the Main Profile but not Baseline) -- and I hadn't done so.

[Eyedoctor2]

Thanks JDobbs! Important thing is that I can get it to work and the output quality is great.

Will test it on the IPAD when it arrives Friday.

[jdobbs]

Thanks JDobbs! Important thing is that I can get it to work and the output quality is great.

Will test it on the IPAD when it arrives Friday. Remember too, that if you want to get more video on your iPad while using less space, you can use any of the iPod settings too -- as they are compatible with the iPad as well.

Are you getting the 3G version?

[Eyedoctor2]

Yes, I wanted the flexibility of using 3g if I needed it.

I am not overly concerned about the size of the output as I have already purchased an app to stream video (http://www.inmethod.com/air-video/index.html). The app supposedly could also convert but I feel much better doing it through your software.

Even if the streaming software doesn't work great I should have plenty of room with the 32gb version for at least a couple of movies.

Thanks again!

[jdobbs]

That's pretty cool. I assume it only works over the Wi-Fi network because of speed... but it would be really cool if it worked on the 3G too.

I'll probably pick up an iPad in a couple weeks.

[Eyedoctor2]

Got my IPAD today! Really cool for a nerd like me.

I tried using the Air Video server and was disappointed to find that I had no audio on "The Dark Knight".

I then tried movies that I converted with DVD Rebuilder and the audio was fine.

I realized that I had never actually played the Black Knight conversion on my computer and when I did- no audio!

Can you please check the conversions you made to see if you have audio?

Thanks!

[jdobbs]

Got my IPAD today! Really cool for a nerd like me.

I tried using the Air Video server and was disappointed to find that I had no audio on "The Dark Knight".

I then tried movies that I converted with DVD Rebuilder and the audio was fine.

I realized that I had never actually played the Black Knight conversion on my computer and when I did- no audio!

Can you please check the conversions you made to see if you have audio?

Thanks! I went by the Apple store and Best Buy. They were both sold out within a few minutes. You were smart to order ahead.

So Air Video works well, eh. That's kinda nice. Have you tried it through the 3G connection yet?

I just checked the .MP4 I did of "Dark Knight" and it has audio (it's pretty low though). The audio that is used should be the first you have selected in the streams list. By the way, I changed the settings to include b-frames and CABAC, and it reduced the size of the CRF=21 output by over a third.

[Eyedoctor2]

The problem with the Black Knight audio was a combination of a loud house and low volume on the movie itself. When I max out the volume on the IPAD and go where it is quiet, I can hear the movie pretty well.

Haven't tried the 3g connection yet, as I am hoping to get away with wifi most of the time and enable 3g only when necessary.

Glad to hear you were able to reduce the size substantially.

Thanks again for your two great products!

[jdobbs]

The problem with the Black Knight audio was a combination of a loud house and low volume on the movie itself. When I max out the volume on the IPAD and go where it is quiet, I can hear the movie pretty well.

Haven't tried the 3g connection yet, as I am hoping to get away with wifi most of the time and enable 3g only when necessary.

Glad to hear you were able to reduce the size substantially.

Thanks again for your two great products! I went back to the original and it's volume is ridiculously low too...

[Eyedoctor2]

I don't have an iPad so i can't test it. But if you want to use the high-end video try this:

Video_Format: IPOD_H264
Output_Width: 1024
Output_Height: 720
Video_Bitrate: 1200
Vid Max Bitrate: 2500
IVTC: Auto
Passes: 1
File Format: MP4
Interval: 300
Audio Format: AAC
Audio Bitrate: 128
Audio Amplify: 1.2

Make sure you give it a unique name before saving it.

Note: Level 3.1, Main Profile means you should be able to go all the way up to 14000 for the Max bitrate and close to that for the Video Bitrate... but you'll run out of space pretty quickly on an iPad if you go that high. I'd suggest you start with the ones I list here and work your way up until you have a good balance of size/quality on the iPad.

Don't worry about the ratio of height to width, DVD-RB adjusts the picture as necessary to make the aspect right, and if the iPad is like the iPod Touch it will also adjust the image appropriately during playback.

I'll probably be getting me one of those bad-boys at some point. I have a feeling it might be a good idea to start getting familiar with the Software Development Kit for it... :)


UPDATE

So I tried the above settings for DVD Rebuilder but substituted 720 by 480 for width and height, while keeping every other setting you listed unchanged.

Itunes wouldn't sync because it said IPAD couldn't play the video.

So then I substituted 640 by 480 while keeping everything else the same and had the same problem.

So finally I just went with your stock IPOD Viewing 640 by 480 and that was accepted by Itunes and played on the IPAD.

The problem is that, at this setting, the large screen is not taken advantage of at all and one is left with a small movie screen playing in a sea of black.

Any suggestions?

[Mr. Monte]

I went back to the original and it's volume is ridiculously low too...

Hey Jdobbs,

Got my iPad this past week. Couple things I noticed. I was thinking if I took my MKV's that I compressed at CRF 20....I wanted to demux, convert DTS audio to AAC and remux..with no encoding of video. I finally figured out how to SUCESSFULLY do that. Thought it would be the best quality (I was not worried about space, since I have 64 gigs on the iPad. The picture looked just as good reencoding with a fixed bitrate of 3500 vs the 6000 + I had on the original MKV. matter of fact, when you double tap on the iPad screen and it zooms in...it looks grainy...at over 6000 kbps.

I'm assuming this has to do with the decoder used by Apple??

My point is that it could take some time, but bitrate is probably wasted about the 2500-3500 range. I saw your specs on the first page of this thread...I'm gonna try those to see if I can visually tell any difference.

Thanks

[jdobbs]

Hey Jdobbs,

Got my iPad this past week. Couple things I noticed. I was thinking if I took my MKV's that I compressed at CRF 20....I wanted to demux, convert DTS audio to AAC and remux..with no encoding of video. I finally figured out how to SUCESSFULLY do that. Thought it would be the best quality (I was not worried about space, since I have 64 gigs on the iPad. The picture looked just as good reencoding with a fixed bitrate of 3500 vs the 6000 + I had on the original MKV. matter of fact, when you double tap on the iPad screen and it zooms in...it looks grainy...at over 6000 kbps.

I'm assuming this has to do with the decoder used by Apple??

My point is that it could take some time, but bitrate is probably wasted about the 2500-3500 range. I saw your specs on the first page of this thread...I'm gonna try those to see if I can visually tell any difference.

Thanks So I assume the original was AVC?

[Mr. Monte]

Yes sir, original MKV had a H264 video & DTS audio wrapped up in a MKV

Format : Matroska
File size : 7.07 GiB
Duration : 1h 54mn
Overall bit rate : 8 819 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-06-17 02:58:44
Writing application : mkvmerge v4.0.0 ('The Stars were mine') built on Jun 6 2010 16:18:42
Writing library : libebml v1.0.0 + libmatroska v1.0.0

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L3.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 5 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@3.1
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 1h 54mn
Bit rate : 6 673 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 536 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.35:1
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.406
Stream size : 5.21 GiB (74%)
Writing library : x264 core 98 r1629 2e81ce1
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=umh / subme=8 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.20 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=12 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / weightp=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=6673 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00

Audio #1
ID : 2
Format : DTS
Format/Info : Digital Theater Systems
Codec ID : A_DTS
Duration : 1h 54mn
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 510 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 24 bits
Stream size : 1.21 GiB (17%)

[jdobbs]

So even the original (not reencoded) stream looked blocky when zoomed? If so, I guess it couldn't be anything but the iPad codec... either that or the original wasn't encoded very well.

[Mr. Monte]

I wouldn't say blocky..more like grainy (zoomed in has multi-color dots) (I'm by no means a specialist in video)...However, you can see the switches used above, encoded from a BluRay. Encoded original looked great on my 60 inch Plasma with a WD HD Live box and HDMI cable.

[ww927bin]

I bought [spam] to rip Blu-Rays for home use and convert files to use with my new iPad. The main reason I bought it was the VERY user friendly interface. I found the optimal settings as follow.

Video: Codec: H.264 Size: 1280*720 or 768*576 BitRate: 4000kbps FrameRate: 30.00fps
Audio:Codec: AAC SamplerRate: 48000hz BitRate: 128000bps
Channel: 2