RE: HOW TO: Convert DVDs and Videos for use with Droid

[shaikhnbake10]

My dvd catalyst doesn't even read my copy of princess and the frog. It scans it and finds the 99 tracks but the run times are all blank

 

[dvdcatalyst]

Maybe it is better to continue this by email.

There are a couple of settings in DVD Catalyst, including the optional addons such as the boosterpack, preview fix, as well as the DVD Catalyst version you are using that can affect scanning of DVDs. The "Email Us" button in DVD Catalyst actually puts some of that information in the email title, which makes it easier for me to troubleshoot.

In addition, some DVD drives can also cause some complications. It is also possible that the trial version of AnyDVD that expired is still installed on your computer and is causing complications.

I tried a version of Princess and the Frog when it was originally released, and it worked with the track selection I mentioned. I have not had anyone mention any issues with the DVD since.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

I just went out and bought the Bluray + DVD combo set of Beauty and the Beast. They did not have the Princess and the Frog, but I guess it will be the same.

At the beginning of the movie it showed track 94, but this was during the intro (I had to skip through a bunch of trailers) when I finally got to the movie, it showed Track 11 as the correct one

I selected track 11 in DVD Catalyst 3 and started a conversion, let it run till the 10 minute mark, and checked the file.

And it works fine, and appears to be in the proper order.

So, if you select track 11 on your DVD, you end up with the full movie.

 

[Big Fate]

I actually use a diff program for my movie files. Then I came in here and heard all the great things about Dvd Catalyst 3 and how fast it is with the addition of the booster pack. Now, with that being said I purchased last night I gotta admit I'm actually quite shocked at how slow it takes to convert on my cpu. 6 hours for one movie you kidding me? I wanna support the cause because i'm all about support, but if its gonna be running this slow I might need a trouble shoot by mr. dvd catalyst himself to figure out what the deal is or a refund.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

I actually use a diff program for my movie files. Then I came in here and heard all the great things about Dvd Catalyst 3 and how fast it is with the addition of the booster pack. Now, with that being said I purchased last night I gotta admit I'm actually quite shocked at how slow it takes to convert on my cpu. 6 hours for one movie you kidding me? I wanna support the cause because i'm all about support, but if its gonna be running this slow I might need a trouble shoot by mr. dvd catalyst himself to figure out what the deal is or a refund.

Troubleshooting is fine, but without knowing what settings you are using, what specifications your cpu is, there isn't much I can do.

The one thing most people who have questions about speed is that you probably selected the HQ2 profile, which of course is a lot slower (which is pretty logical). Just select the standard Droid profile, and conversion speed is usually around 2x realtime, depending on your cpu ofcourse.

This article might help as well:
DVD Catalyst Conversion Speed Tips | Tools4Movies, the official home of DVD Catalyst

If you continue to have speed issues please send me an email with the specifications of your system, what DVDs you have tried, and what settings you are using.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

DVD Catalyst Speed Comparison for the 3 Droid profiles

I ran a few tests to show the difference in conversion speed between the 3 Droid profiles found in DVD Catalyst 3. (the settings for these profiles apply to the Droid 2 and Droid X as well)

The system used is a Dell E1705 laptop with a Core2Duo processor, Windows 7 (32bit)and 3GB of memory. I use an external HP burner (HP dvd1170) because the DVD drive of the laptop is pretty bad.

The tests were run using the default settings in DVD Catalyst 3, no changes were made, except selecting the profile.

The DVD I used was "How To Train Your Dragon", fresh from the store, and no other applications were used.

1. Android > Droid

2. Android > Droid HQ

3 Android > Droid HQ2

So, for a 1 1/2 hour movie,
the standard Droid profile takes about 35 minutes to convert the DVD
the Droid HQ profile takes a little over an hour, and
the Droid HQ2 profile takes a little less than the actual playtime of the movie before the conversion is complete.

Running the same DVD (and same DVD drive) on a Vaio-P netbook, (atom 1.33Ghz, win7 32bit, 2gb) the conversion speed does drop to 0.5x realtime, which basically means that this (dirtslow) system would take 3 hours to convert the movie.

And when I use an eeePC (900Mhz celeron, Windows XP, 2GB) with the same DVD and DVD drive, the conversion runs at 0.6x realtime (slightly faster than the Vaio-P) and would take about 2hours and 40 minutes for the conversion to complete.

Netbooks are not the greatest choice for doing DVD conversions, but on pretty much any other system you should definately be able to get a higher speed, unless either some conflicting software is running at the same time, or maybe the DVD drive is acting up.

 

[Big Fate]

First off thanks for the breakdown..

2nd I would like to apologize to Dvdcatalyst, the problem was the computer I was using :blink: . My friends computer is a piece of you know what with a really slow processor. I went home and tried it on my HP quad core and wow is all I have to say. I was able to manage converting with the Droid HQ in less than 40 mins -- (running an avg speed at 3.97x)

This program works wonders and everything came out smooth as can be...
Just have a few questions for ya cat:

1) The folder it saved in prompt me with two files: Movie and Playlist, I'm assuming i copy both over to my phones folder correct?

2) Instead of copying to my external hardrive, can I just set the target strait to my phone? Or is this not a good idea? I know USB's can only manage so much.

Once again apologies and I recommend this program to anyone trying to get dvd's formated for your droids!

 

[dvdcatalyst]

First off thanks for the breakdown..

You are welcome. There is always confusion about conversion speed. There are so many variables and of course the difference in profiles also make a huge difference.

2nd I would like to apologize to Dvdcatalyst, the problem was the computer I was using :blink: . My friends computer is a piece of you know what with a really slow processor. I went home and tried it on my HP quad core and wow is all I have to say. I was able to manage converting with the Droid HQ in less than 40 mins -- (running an avg speed at 3.97x)

No need for the apology (I do admit, I wasn't too thrilled about your first post though). As long as everything is working for you as it should now, I'm happy as can be. A Quad Core surely helps though. Unfortunately, the systems I mentioned in my comparison post are the only ones I have access to, so for me, it takes a little longer.

This program works wonders and everything came out smooth as can be...
Just have a few questions for ya cat:

1) The folder it saved in prompt me with two files: Movie and Playlist, I'm assuming i copy both over to my phones folder correct?

2) Instead of copying to my external hardrive, can I just set the target strait to my phone? Or is this not a good idea? I know USB's can only manage so much.

Once again apologies and I recommend this program to anyone trying to get dvd's formated for your droids!

Sure.

1. The playlist file is intended for easy import into programs like iTunes and Windows Media Player. No need to copy it over to your Droid (you can turn the creation of the playlist file off in Global Settings) Only the MP4 file is what you need.

2. It is possible, but I would strongly advise against it. Converting to a USB/flash drive will severely slow down the conversion, and also will cut the life of the memorycard a lot. Converting to a harddrive is a lot faster and reliable, even if you include the time top copy the file over.

Besides, I personally prefer to build a collection of files (I have 2 1TB drives filled with MP4's myself) and then pick and choose what you want when you want it.

 

[Big Fate]

Besides, I personally prefer to build a collection of files (I have 2 1TB drives filled with MP4's myself) and then pick and choose what you want when you want it.

Actually you make a good point... I also use a 1TB external drive and with all the Mp4's there on hand I can just delete from phone and swap for new movies so I dont overload my SD...

Is the HQ2 a big difference in quality? I got a good eye and I love crisp movies, but hate the fact it saves as a 1.6gb file... that would limit your movie selection.. I'm converting Avatar at the moment and I loved the way it looks on my friends Galaxy.

P.S Yes, apology was needed. :wink: I dont want anyone to dis-credit your program from my previous quote. This program is great and will recommend to co-workers.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

Besides, I personally prefer to build a collection of files (I have 2 1TB drives filled with MP4's myself) and then pick and choose what you want when you want it.

Actually you make a good point... I also use a 1TB external drive and with all the Mp4's there on hand I can just delete from phone and swap for new movies so I dont overload my SD...

Is the HQ2 a big difference in quality? I got a good eye and I love crisp movies, but hate the fact it saves as a 1.6gb file... that would limit your movie selection.. I'm converting Avatar at the moment and I loved the way it looks on my friends Galaxy.

P.S Yes, apology was needed. :wink: I dont want anyone to dis-credit your program from my previous quote. This program is great and will recommend to co-workers.

The HQ2 profile uses the MAX the Droid (1) can handle. Personally, I find it overkill, but if you are converting HD-sized Action Movie MKV's, you can see the difference. For my own use, I prefer the standard profile, because I can fit more on it. I don't like to fill up every day, so I settle for slightly less than perfect.
Since you are running a quad-core, do a testrun using standard and HQ and see if you notice a difference.

I don't have a Droid myself, but I use an iPod Touch for portable movies, and am currently watching Desert Heat (aka Inferno, a Van Damme movie) in iPod Touch format (480x320) on a 32" LCD TV. Created using the default settings, filesize of 430MB, and it looks great, seriously.

 

[Big Fate]

Besides, I personally prefer to build a collection of files (I have 2 1TB drives filled with MP4's myself) and then pick and choose what you want when you want it.

Actually you make a good point... I also use a 1TB external drive and with all the Mp4's there on hand I can just delete from phone and swap for new movies so I dont overload my SD...

Is the HQ2 a big difference in quality? I got a good eye and I love crisp movies, but hate the fact it saves as a 1.6gb file... that would limit your movie selection.. I'm converting Avatar at the moment and I loved the way it looks on my friends Galaxy.

P.S Yes, apology was needed. :wink: I dont want anyone to dis-credit your program from my previous quote. This program is great and will recommend to co-workers.

The HQ2 profile uses the MAX the Droid (1) can handle. Personally, I find it overkill, but if you are converting HD-sized Action Movie MKV's, you can see the difference. For my own use, I prefer the standard profile, because I can fit more on it. I don't like to fill up every day, so I settle for slightly less than perfect.
Since you are running a quad-core, do a testrun using standard and HQ and see if you notice a difference.

I don't have a Droid myself, but I use an iPod Touch for portable movies, and am currently watching Desert Heat (aka Inferno, a Van Damme movie) in iPod Touch format (480x320) on a 32" LCD TV. Created using the default settings, filesize of 430MB, and it looks great, seriously.

Yea, I'm testing now. Converting the Movie "Notorious" on standard and notice a huge difference in speed. The time nearly has cut in half -- (40 mins to 22 mins). Jumping from 3.97x to 4.74x !!

Once its complete, I'm going to compare the three. (Standard, HQ and HQ2) using the HDMI port and connecting to my 52" LCD TV. Let you guys know the outcome for whoever was wondering the same.

 

[Big Fate]

Hey Catalyst, I'm kinda getting tiny lags when using HDMI to TV. Do you know whats the deal with that? The lip sync isnt off, just a bit of a lag here and there then it kinda speeds up. It doesent seem to do so when just watching on phone?

 

[dvdcatalyst]

Hey Catalyst, I'm kinda getting tiny lags when using HDMI to TV. Do you know whats the deal with that? The lip sync isnt off, just a bit of a lag here and there then it kinda speeds up. It doesent seem to do so when just watching on phone?

I don't know why its doing that, all I can do is guess.

Its possible the HDMI output can not handle the bandwidth required for the video. It sounds weird, but afterall its a phone with a low-power chip. Try lower-bitrate files (standard profile) vs high bitrate files (hq2), and see if there is a difference in the lag.

I'm not sure if it applies, but you mentioned 52". try setting the TV to 720p mode for the HDMI port you connect your Droid to, and see if that changes anything.

 

[Big Fate]

Hey Catalyst, I'm kinda getting tiny lags when using HDMI to TV. Do you know whats the deal with that? The lip sync isnt off, just a bit of a lag here and there then it kinda speeds up. It doesent seem to do so when just watching on phone?

I don't know why its doing that, all I can do is guess.

Its possible the HDMI output can not handle the bandwidth required for the video. It sounds weird, but afterall its a phone with a low-power chip. Try lower-bitrate files (standard profile) vs high bitrate files (hq2), and see if there is a difference in the lag.

I'm not sure if it applies, but you mentioned 52". try setting the TV to 720p mode for the HDMI port you connect your Droid to, and see if that changes anything.

Whats strange is the movies I converted over as HQ2 didnt have much lag as compared to the Standard. Its not a big deal on the lag, its just weired how it lags a bit then speeds up... I doubt its the HDMI, because thats an expensive cord, not a cheap one that ive seen on the market.

Do you think it could be the phone? Sometimes my phone stalls a bit, and has froze on me twice... Which is weird because its barley a week old?
I'll try switch over from 1080 to 720p and see if that makes a difference

 

[dvdcatalyst]

Whats strange is the movies I converted over as HQ2 didnt have much lag as compared to the Standard. Its not a big deal on the lag, its just weired how it lags a bit then speeds up... I doubt its the HDMI, because thats an expensive cord, not a cheap one that ive seen on the market.

Do you think it could be the phone? Sometimes my phone stalls a bit, and has froze on me twice... Which is weird because its barley a week old?
I'll try switch over from 1080 to 720p and see if that makes a difference

Oh, I wasn't talking about the cord. the actual HDMI part (chip) on the phone that could be causing it. All the components in a phone are low-power components, and while they continue to include new features, HDMI is fairly new, so it might be just a limitation itself.
I also recall a post from the dev of RealHDMI (I think thats what it was called) who stopped development due to severe bugs on Froyo related to the HDMI output. This might be related as well.

The lag and speedup issue could indicate an issue with the datarate not being constant (power management maybe?) as well. Similar issues arise if you use a constant quality (2-pass for example). With constant quality, the bitrate fluctuates, and for faster scenes, the bitrate can exceed capabilities of the device, resulting in lagging. When a slow-scene comes up, the player might try and catch up for a few seconds, which would explain a speed up.

Note that all the conversions done with dvdcat (unless you use 2-pass) are constant bitrate, which would point towards datarate issues in the hardware.

Did you root/overclock your phone? Some people have reported weird issues with video playback when they overclock.