Best way to convert video for iPad

Converting for an iPod should work on the iPad. You can often use Quicktime to do the conversions although iTunes can also convert when you import/rip the contents from the DVD using iTunes. There are lots of utilities, too, that can convert various video formats such as Handbrake. Find them at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.

Use the appletv preset of either of those programs-should work fine.

Wondershare sells products that support the iPad format directly.

http://www.wondershare.com/

If the movie can be imported into desktop iTunes, you can use its built-in iPad/Apple TV conversion, from the Advanced menu.

just use "Handbrake" is free and simple... it has all the APPLE preset that you need.

But if you have the original movie files from which the "home DVDs" were created, you'll less quality if you convert them for iPad than if you rip and convert. May not be visible on the iPad, but higher quality nonetheless.

Toast Titanium just added an update with a profile for the iPad.

Kappy wrote:
Converting for an iPod should work on the iPad. You can often use Quicktime to do the conversions although iTunes can also convert when you import/rip the contents from the DVD using iTunes. There are lots of utilities, too, that can convert various video formats such as Handbrake. Find them at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.

Sorry Kappy, but this is a really lame and vague answer. There are "lots" of utilities at the download sites? I just wasted my time searching there based on your track record even seating for just the word iPad. I have already spent a lot of time using various methods, such as QT Pro, the Elgato Turbo interface, VHub, mpeg streamclip with unsatisfactory completion rates.

Browsing one of of the notorious video converter review sites, I tried a trial of "IFunia's" product here just now and the 5 minute trial i was allowed +worked for me+ with good results. http://www.ipadintouch.com/the-complete-guide-to-ipad-video-formats/ but I don't like the idea of having to do this. Simply put, many armchair video folks and GDs alike, using both handbrake and elgato's product are having mixed results over recent weeks despite doing exactly what apple lists out as supported formats. I'm going to udate my Toast to the latest shortly and hopefully that will cut the mustard.

Mostly I find it inane that Apple hasn't put out any updates to Quicktime 7 pro or the latest Quicktime package that would include this setting. I have't received any updates of note to iMovie or FC so I'm doubtful there.

For people attempting to do it on their end, I've found the following I've had the best results in quality with h.264 in a mp4 container, 720p, 30 fps seems to be important here. Using a Main profile at 3.1 One other thing, sound seems to be an issue for some. I believe the website recommends to use the 48khz for audio. I have not had any problems on my 13" mbpro with this when choosing 44, however this might not apply to all.

Elgato has said they will have an update soon for for their turbo.264 software. Right now, it's too hit and miss for my tastes. Here's that link. http://forums.elgato.com/search.php?fid[]=128

I'm sure there's a good way to do it in QT Pro or similar products, but I have not been able to find someone who has found the ideal settings for getting a decent bit rate on 720p. I'm normally not so critical of Apple, but I find it embarrassing as a Mac geek that one has to a go to a third party vendor to find solutions to converting video considering that Apple has about 8 different ways to do it themselves. Okay I'm done ranting, hopefully not too annoying =)

If anyone can secure the settings with QT Pro or a similar product that would be great. Someone mentioned that you can use iTunes to create an iPad compatible video, however iTunes doesn't allow for anything in the way of customizing this and can't open a lot of popular video containers. I'm fairly sure(correct me if I'm wrong) that iTunes use QT to handle these conversions so that would be great :/

Handbrake is not a solution for a lot of folks for various reasons as it has limitations. Spending time on that forum, for the DVD folks, the guru fellow over there has a fairly straightforward solution.
Since Toast can use the Turbo.264 booster I'm alright with using it in the interim as I'm assuming its gonna work. I'm still waiting on my iTunes conversion as I'm posting so gonna wait it out. I'm hopeful it doesn't change the format too much...

Also, for those that didn't want to have to pay for QT Pro or much more expensive software, I highly recommend the freeware software Mpeg Streamclip. If there is a video guru out there that has posted in a forum elsewhere or knows the appropriate settings it would be greatly appreciated. Best ~S

Heart skips a beat: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2285750/Toast%20Titanium.jpg

I had to give up on the iTunes conversion. It was already taking overing an hour for 2.5 gig file that was already an iTunes compatible format of.m4v (I had formatted it prior to Apple TV using Turbo.264 --it was about 15-20% done on my newer Macbookpro. Hopefully Toast does the trick.

There really is no specific "preset" for the iPad. It handles all existing iPod/Touch/iPhone presets just fine. The thing i hate is having those black bars or videos being too "zoomed" in.

This is what i found works best for me. If encoding to MP4 (MPEG 4) then i found the sweet spot to be 640x480 (although 720x400 was the max i found worked). If you'd rather use h.264 then as high as 1280x720 is fine. I use VisualHub.

If intending to rip from DVD's then just get Handbrake, and set it to 640x480 MP4. H.264 just takes too long to encode but looks a bit better.

http://www.tools4movies.com/

I have been using the Catalyst software linked above. It costs 10 bucks, but for me it has been the easiest and most reliable encoder I have found so far. Also, tech support is top notch. I sent the company an email concerning Tivo files and had an answer in about 30 minutes. I started using it to encode video to play on my smartphone but when the iPad came out, I no longer had the need. I now use it to make high resolution videos for the iPad.

All you do is select the iPad presets on the Catalyst software. When you start the program, it automatically looks on your DVD drive for video. You hit the start button after it finds the disc then that's it. It spits out a high resolution video playable on your iPad. If you want to get fancy, you can play with the high tech settings. Again, I just selected iPad from the drop down menu and it works great.

And no, I don't work for them or get anything for the recommendation. It just worked great for my smartphone and now the iPad.

markwco10 wrote:
I just purchased an iPad and have some DVD's that I'd like to convert to video for the iPad. These aren't copyprotected DVD's. In the past I've used Roxio's Toast and Popcorn to convert video for my ipod/iphone and AppleTV. Neither of these programs have a selected for iPad though.
I hope a future update to these programs have this feature. Until then though is there another program to convert this video? I hope to find a user friendly program. Both of the above work but also with some DVD's it can be confusing to find the proper files to convert. Thank you for your help.

I just purchased Daniusoft's DVD to IPad Converter. Works fine. It's easy. I only had one movie that didn't convert well. Relatively inexpensive. They have a Windoze and Mac version along with lots of other stuff. You can find their stuff here -- good luck. http://www.daniusoft.com/

Handbrake is not a solution for a lot of folks for various reasons as it has limitations. Spending time on that forum, for the DVD folks, the guru fellow over there has a fairly straightforward solution.

How so?

I have found a number of strategies that could be used here. If I were making files exclussively for iPad playback, I would likely employ an anamorphic approach here. I.e., I would probably encode

4:3 content in an 864x768 data matrix targeted for 1024x768 playback,
16:9 content in an 864x576 data matrix targeted for 1024x576 playback, and
2.35:1 and 2.40 content in an 864x432 data matrix targeted for 1024x432 playback

using a data rate in the 3.8 to 4.2 Mbps range. Basically this provides maximum iPad resolution playback using a reduced data matrix providing a higher data rate to data cell ratio while relying on internal iPad scaling of files to proper width dimension. Although it is true 720p files in the 6.0 to 8.0 Mpbs range do look better on larger monitors, both full 720p versions having a 1:1 data to display relationship and these anamorphic versions look virtually the same on the iPad screen with a savings in file space on the order of 30.0 to 52.5%. Other PAR values could be used but these represent macro-16 block dimensions which also produce the greatest coding efficiency and are easily set up in transcoding applications like HandBrake (used when I want higher quality and can afford longer conversion times) or relatively inexepensive hardware acceleration devices such as Elgato's Turbo.264HD (when I want fast conversions and don't mind some loss in quality).

there are tons of ipad converter online. two things you need to consider when buy:

1)speed;2)customization

If both are provided, you can just place the order.

I personally recommend. http://www.top-ipad-video-converter.com/, which I bought and are using now. No bugs show up.

Why buy one when several very good free ones are available?

Handbrake, mpeg streamclip, videomonkey, ffmpegX-etc.