Video format and rooting - Desire HD General

I was wondering this about the video files on the HD: With the stock HTC firmware, the video camera records as 3GP files, which seems to be an almost willfully obtuse choice to me. But I was wondering, is this set at a hardware level, or is the camera application just part of the stock firmware? When you replace it with another firmware, would there be a way to record into a different, better quality format, such as raw MPEG - like a digital compact might do? I know I'm not quite spot on with my technical terms but I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to ask.

the container is .3gp
the video format is x264 and audio format is AAC
x264 is the standard used for HD recording and is considered the best quality format to use for video in most areas also known as AVC1 its the same codec used for bluray discs
hence you will get zero benifit from changing recording format, container format well .mp4 or even .mkv would be nice but makes little differnce i think 3gp is just limited to 1 audo + video track with no subtitles.

Right, so the format itself isn't the problem. I thought that might be the case. I just don't see the benefit of recording HD video into 3gp. It means extra software is needed for playing back recordings on your pc.
So, is there anyway, with a custom rom, to change the audio encoding? The main criticism I've seen is that the audio is needlessly low bitrate, how locked is this?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Can't help with that question, although it could be a limitation of the aac-lc audio codec (sample rate limitation)
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Related

MP4 vs 3GP video quality

Since the video recording is now in .mp4 format after froyo, is the quality still the same?
clivo360 said:
Since the video recording is now in .mp4 format after froyo, is the quality still the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3gp and mp4 are containers only. The quality depends on the method of compression and the bitrate. Haven't compared them, but noticed that JPM has a bug with audio sync on HD recordings.

[Q] Xoom video formats

I have some 720p MKV videos with H264 video AAC audio that I wanted to load onto my Xoom, so far I haven't been able to get it playing smoothly at 720p with mp4 H264 and AAC audio but Mpeg4 seems a little blocky.
Does anyone have any suggestions on FormatFactory (or some other mass conversion tools) settings I can use that gives me the best video quality at a good frame rate?
from how i understand it the Tegra 2 has issues playing high profile H.264, i had a notion ink adam for a week and it was the same thing on this as well.
when i get my wifi xoom ill test it but i expect the same results.
I loved my zoom but I think that's one of the most unacceptable situation for zoom. good amount of people bought zoom is for video play back. at the least, if you should be able to play anything you throw at it. I hate apple but that's one I cannot trash the ipad
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I cant even move .avi to the xoom... if anyone knows how please let me know.
drziddo said:
I cant even move .avi to the xoom... if anyone knows how please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Windows 7 it tells me with a lot of file extensions that they are not compatible but I ignore the message and copy them anyways. Then they play nicely on the Xoom. I've used .m4v, .mp4, .mkv, .avi.... just ignore the error message and copy the files. Then use Rock Player Lite to play.
i don't know about the format factory, i download a free version of a xoom video tool, it recommend the h.264 mp4, size: 1280*752, frame rate:30fps, bitrate:1500
The above parameters are just for your reference, sometimes, video playback quality also is based on your xoom player.
whats the name of the tool?
what is the name of the tool / free xoom conversion software you used?
Player-X said:
I have some 720p MKV videos with H264 video AAC audio that I wanted to load onto my Xoom, so far I haven't been able to get it playing smoothly at 720p with mp4 H264 and AAC audio but Mpeg4 seems a little blocky.
Does anyone have any suggestions on FormatFactory (or some other mass conversion tools) settings I can use that gives me the best video quality at a good frame rate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the first place, i help u find the formats that xoom support.
Audio Playback Supports: MP3, AAC, ACC+Enhanced, OGG, MIDI, AMR NB, AAC
Video Playback Supports: MPEG-4, H.264,H.263
u need to convert your mkv to mp4. i use Fox Real Xoom video converter and set the parameter is mp4, h.264, 1280*752, 1500kbps, 30fps, and i can get full screen on the xoom.
so i suggest u also set on Formatfactory according to the parameters. hopefully it can help u!
ottawaxblade said:
whats the name of the tool?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i used a free version of a tool which named xoom video converter, but there is a logo "foxreal" in the centre of the screen. at last, i took about $23 to buy a official version, now everything is ok.

[Q] CM7/Gingerbread Video Playback

Hi everybody. I am running Phiremod 6.2. What I really want is to be able to drop a standard definition video on the sd card, such as a divx or xvid file on the and have it play back smoothly on the nook. It seems that hardware video decryption doesn't work and that is the reason we are stuck using software decryption. What is the best video player? Even with the best video player, do you still need to re-encode the videos to lower resolution for proper playback? What format do you re-encode video to? Do we expect hardware video decryption to be accomplished by the amazing xda hackers?
Thanks!
I use Mobo player for playback. Have encoded several standard def videos from a TV series using Handbrake with the nookcolor preferences created by someone else on this forum, in H.264 format. They look and sound very good this way, except it does not fill the screen which is expected as it is standard def. Have not tried any HD content yet.
waldes said:
Hi everybody. I am running Phiremod 6.2. What I really want is to be able to drop a standard definition video on the sd card, such as a divx or xvid file on the and have it play back smoothly on the nook. It seems that hardware video decryption doesn't work and that is the reason we are stuck using software decryption. What is the best video player? Even with the best video player, do you still need to re-encode the videos to lower resolution for proper playback? What format do you re-encode video to? Do we expect hardware video decryption to be accomplished by the amazing xda hackers?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't Phiremod just a modded CM7? CM7 suppports hardware decoding, for up to 480p files (max 854x480). Anything beyond that will be soft decoded. Anything that isn't expressly supported by Nook's "supported" video/audio formats are, afaik, also software decoded (the base player will not do this, need something like vitalplayer or rockplayer, etc.)
- If a video is just not a supported format but is 480p and under, it runs very smoothly for me in CM7 as software decoded -- you wouldn't be able to tell that it wasn't hardware accelerated.
- If a video is higher than 480p (720p, etc) or the bitrate is too high, even if it is the supported format, it will also attempt to be software decoded. My experience with this is that it's poor quality (stutters, audio desync a lot of times, etc.)
MP4 container, H.264 baseline codec for video conversion. Anamorphic loose, 854x480. AAC / MP3 (I forget what else is supported) codecs for audio, choose 44.1 khz sampling rate instead of 48khz to avoid problems. Bitrate for video and audio are up to you, but I wouldn't use the lossless setting for H.264 because you'll have issues with it playing (and will be an enormous file). You also really don't need to use it for a 7" screen. For me, video bitrate of 800 kbps (avg) is low but acceptable, 1100 for medium, 1500 is (non-HD) dvd quality. 128-160 kbps audio, your choice.
There's a lot of players out on the market, many free. I like Vital Player Neon a lot but the paid app version failed on me because of their self-copy protection. I use Moboplayer and also installed the Neon codec from the dev's website, it improved my performance noticeably on some more system-intensive videos.
As always, YMMV.
LBN1 said:
I use Mobo player for playback. Have encoded several standard def videos from a TV series using Handbrake with the nookcolor preferences created by someone else on this forum, in H.264 format. They look and sound very good this way, except it does not fill the screen which is expected as it is standard def. Have not tried any HD content yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the <-> (vs >-<, etc options) not working for you to expand it to full screen? I have not had any issues getting 480p content to edge-to-edge (provided it's 16:9 aspect ratio, which many shows and movies are. While Nook's resolution isn't true 16:9 it's close enough that you won't notice any real edge). The only videos that display with bars for me are the wider aspect ratio ones.
(On stock rooted firmware, with 1.1Ghz OC)
I also use handbrake... encoding to 1024x576 xvid seems to do the trick with mobo player. (Altough so far I tried only one video file.)
edit: tried an other one, plays almost perfectly in sync. It is about 1 frame out-of-sync that can only be noticed with hard, fast sounds like slapping.
Encoding to h264 with the said resolution results in video being played back slower and of course audio being out of sync.
480p h264 baseline / aac mp4 files can be hardware decoded and play nice, but I'm all for the bigger resolution.
angomy said:
Is the <-> (vs >-<, etc options) not working for you to expand it to full screen? I have not had any issues getting 480p content to edge-to-edge (provided it's 16:9 aspect ratio, which many shows and movies are. While Nook's resolution isn't true 16:9 it's close enough that you won't notice any real edge). The only videos that display with bars for me are the wider aspect ratio ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ones I did were not in 16:9 aspect ratio, they were 4:3 which is why I believe I could not expand them to full screen. I haven't yet tried a 16:9 video like a movie but will soon.
in addition to the formats/resoluton mentioned try using Vital Player Neon - works with a lot of formats - plays really smooth on my NC (CM7 7.02+1.3GHzOC)
Thanks a bunch!

[Q] Video conversion

Hi,
Can anyone recommend any video conversion software for the nexus 7's 7 inch screen.
There's Mediacoder and hanbrake.
I second Handbrake.
Thanks!
MediaCoder is my favourite. It's really fast and has sooo many options.
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda premium
I actually like Freemake. http://www.freemake.com/
It's free lol there's presets but you can also customize the resolution.
Can anyone suggest general settings for converting videos? Googling says to use Ipod settings? 1280x800 res? Thanks for any input
Questions go in the Q&A section
AtropineNa said:
Can anyone suggest general settings for converting videos? Googling says to use Ipod settings? 1280x800 res? Thanks for any input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on how big a file you want. Id start with 640x360 at 1.5 mbps bitrate and go from there. I find this setting to be good enough quality at a good file size
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I tried this MediaCoder. It is ad ridden and very slow. I'd rather just remux with Wild Media Server, it takes a few minutes.
I am using Quick media Converter, and there are roughly 1000 options,
so lets start with something simple:
What codec and output file type (format) should I choose? I am guessing 16:9 aspect ratio?
Thanks!
You'll want to keep the same aspect ratio the video you're converting has. Haven't used Quick media Converter, so can't offer any specific help for it, sorry!
Could be best to try a few different settings with a short video clip to see what works best - saves having to convert a full episode, film or whatever you're converting.
Why bother converting the video file when you can use an app like MX Player that can handle most video formats ?:silly:
sidthegreatest said:
Why bother converting the video file when you can use an app like MX Player that can handle most video formats ?:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MX player is nice for a bit, but I am much more excited for vlc to drop it's beta tags. MX is to buggy and finnicky for my palate.
rmm200 said:
I am using Quick media Converter, and there are roughly 1000 options,
so lets start with something simple:
What codec and output file type (format) should I choose? I am guessing 16:9 aspect ratio?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Suggest Handbrake and start with an iPad preset then adjust as follows:
MP4 container
ACC sound (stereo)
h.264 video codec , level 4.1 or lower. Maybe level 3.x to start to check for compatibility.
Audio
I suggest 128 kbit/sec with some Dynamic range compression (x2) and audio normalization - assuming you are using a movie source
For a 1080p or 720p source I would recommend setting 1280 pixel width, keep aspect ratio, and allow the converter to adjust the (output) height to be correct.
I would suggest 1400 kbit/sec for the video encode and then try higher bit rates if you like as there may be an upper bit rate limit for the hardware decoder on the N7.
Thank you!
That really covers what I was looking for.
Converting my ripped movies will keep me busy until I get my tablet.
htcsens2 said:
Suggest Handbrake and start with an iPad preset then adjust as follows:
MP4 container
ACC sound (stereo)
h.264 video codec , level 4.1 or lower. Maybe level 3.x to start to check for compatibility.
Audio
I suggest 128 kbit/sec with some Dynamic range compression (x2) and audio normalization - assuming you are using a movie source
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was with you up until the last bit.
Avoid dynamic compression and normalisation, there's really no need.
I took Avatar from a BRD down to 37GB MKV with make MKV then used Handbrake to take that file down to a 3.69GB .MP4 file.
Took about 2 hours to do but the film looks, plays and sounds great on the N7

Video formats

Can we discuss what video formats you use for dvd rips and settings . What works what doesnt. App you use and on what os.
Me personally i make 720p mp4 videos using mpeg streamclip on my mac. I always hear ppl talking about making 1080p mkv files or whatever does the quality even matter on our none hd screens ?? Arnt dvds only 480 or 720p any how. Anyone here rip bluerays .
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Resolution:
DVDs are 480p max. If you encode to higher res, all you're doing is stretching the video for no purpose.
Stretching the res just makes the end product bigger with no quality gain, and your player or device
will stretch the video anyway.
Blurays are 1080p. The scale (e.g. 720p size reduction) and quality you use are dependent on what you
intend to play the videos on. 720p is perfect for the Galaxy Note 10.1 with its 800p screen
Suggested format:
The best video codec: h264
The best audio codec: aac
The best container: mkv (for multiple audio and subs) or mp4 (subs as well as more than two audio streams a bit troublesome)
My preference (h264 video +aac audio) in mkv.
As a rough guide:
A practical DVD rip = ~1.3-1.7 GB (~1500 kbps @480p)
A decent BluRay rip would be ~2.7 GB (~2500 kbps @720p)
A fairly transparent BluRay rip ~5 GB (~4000 kbps @720p)
Free or Commercial:
Depending on how much control you want over quality, as well as ease of use, I'd say go with a commercial solution (WinAVI is quite good).
Otherwise free solutions are quite good (e.g. RipBot264, StaxRip, Handbrake) but you will need to decrypt your purchased discs to your hard drives.
I almost exclusively watch 1080p MKV files on my Note 10.1. At first the audio had trouble staying synced with hardware decoding on every player I tried. Luckily VLC recently fixed that somehow with their Android app. I think MKV is good if you have multiple audio or subtitle tracks. Logically I know I shouldn't see a difference in quality between 720p & 1080p on this tablet, but I do. Think it has something to do with how it's scaled.
thas5 said:
I almost exclusively watch 1080p MKV files on my Note 10.1. At first the audio had trouble staying synced with hardware decoding on every player I tried. Luckily VLC recently fixed that somehow with their Android app. I think MKV is good if you have multiple audio or subtitle tracks. Logically I know I shouldn't see a difference in quality between 720p & 1080p on this tablet, but I do. Think it has something to do with how it's scaled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 1080p could probably show better. Though the difference should be negligible.
If the video has black bars, these may be cropped in encoding. Which means the 1080p video is closer to 900p.
Encoding a cropped video to 720p may actually be closer to 544p (i.e. 1280x544p) to maintain the aspect ratio (so the video doesn't look "tall").
If the audio stream is 5.1 DTS audio, you're gonna probably have stuttering due to processing the larger audio file.
2 Channel (stereo) audio is all you need for the Note 10.1
Thanks guys so making my dvd rips 720p isnt doing anything but making a bigger file eh. Dont think mpeg streamclip has mkv which is why i use mp4 so far with no issues. My settings are h.264 aac 3000kbps bitrate limit and files are around 2 gb...
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Think im gunna look into an external blueray ripper for my mac. Any good programs for mac?
Tried handbrake but it doesnt take dvd rips, ie vob files.
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I usually rip my DVD's and convert them to .avi or mp4 at 480p or lower and purchase fullHD movies and re-encode them to 480p or 720p when i want to load them in my tablet. As long as the audio is good (i tend to favor conversion to stereo for tablet playback), i'm willing to sacrifice a little in image quality since having movies in fullHD can eat up a lot of space pretty quickly.
Thanks im trying some 480p conversion . Saving about 1/2 to 1 gb going down to 480p...
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DJsCrIBbLe said:
Thanks im trying some 480p conversion . Saving about 1/2 to 1 gb going down to 480p...
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference of 480p against 720p isn't very noticeable if you watch movies with your tablet at arm's length.
720p is HD, and 1080p is Full HD so we do have an HD display. And I enjoy a good MKV Bluray rip on this device using BS Player.
And watching 480p isnt as bad due to the resolution.
Very nice app to convert videos on the fly...
...is Video Converter Android, an app for the Note 10.1.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wsMSwxLDEsInJvbWFuMTAubWVkaWEuY29udmVydGVyIl0.
I have many videos in different formats, which sometimes cannot be played on the note 10.1. So I loaded them on my extSD, search in this app for video files, and all are found (3Gp, MPG, everything). Then I just tap on "convert" and the app changes format so that the movie can be played with stock video player.
I do not like to wait hours for video conversion at home til my pc is done with the task. The Note works on even with display switched off, and conversion is really fast.
ensure you rip them as summed to stereo if you are using large bitrates, BS player can deal with 5.1 audio but struggles with higher bitrates as it can only decode 5.1 in software. Stock player can play 5.1 AC3
REWORDED: On this tablet, is there a way to watch a wider-than-16:9 movie so the view size is enlarged/zoomed proportionally to fill the screen vertically? Instead of stretching and distorting a wide-screen movie vertically to fill the screen to get rid of the black bars (top and bottom), is it possible to enlarge the movie proportionally for fill the screen vertically while cropping the sides? That way, the sides are cropped-off, but there's no distortion. Maybe there's other movie viewing apps that can achieve this? I'm referring to only when watching, not encoding. Thanks.
What frame height & frame width do people recommend ?
blud7 said:
Resolution:
DVDs are 480p max. If you encode to higher res, all you're doing is stretching the video for no purpose.
Stretching the res just makes the end product bigger with no quality gain, and your player or device
will stretch the video anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be accurate NTSC DVDs are 480 horizontal lines max. PAL are (up to) 576.
But back to the OPs question, I use makemkv to RIP the DVD and then Freemake to recode to generic Android supported codecs - which also decreases the file size by a factor of 3.
Freemake allows you to set a "up to" resolution so one setting of 720p will do for all DVDs and BluRay/HD-DVDs ...
With this tablet, is there a way to watch a wider-than-16:9 movie so the view size is enlarged/zoomed proportionally to fill the screen vertically? Instead of stretching and distorting a wide-screen movie vertically to fill the screen to get rid of the black bars (top and bottom), is it possible to enlarge the movie proportionally for fill the screen vertically while cropping the sides? That way, the sides are cropped-off, but there's no distortion. Maybe there's other movie viewing apps that can achieve this? I'm referring to only when watching, not encoding.
Anyone? Thanks.

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