Best video format to encode for playback on iBook G4 1.2GHz?

I am not asking you how to rip a DVD. I am asking how to convert any video file for decent playback on my iBook or iPhone!

This feature is available in iTunes so you can convert your DVDs to iPod playable formats. But when iTunes or Handbrake (or even Apple Compressor) convert anything, even my own videos made with Final Cut and iMovie, they will play on any iDevice other than my iBook unless I use the lowest most terrible video format.

I am just trying to figure out the proper video format the iBook can play. I am not ripping the DVD's right now... did that years ago anyways (and half of the videos I want to convert I made with iMovie during my travels in China and Hong Kong... I am just trying to play movies I already own on an older iDevice... my iBook. Converting purchased videos and home made videos is in no way illegal.

You misunderstand what I am asking. I am not trying to break digital copyright. If this is breaking digital copyright, then why does iTunes allow me to convert the movies for my iPhone 4 in the first place? You are telling me if I didn't purchase the movie from Apple I cannot watch it on my iPhone and iBook? That is not right.

I just want to know what the proper video playback requirements are for the iBook hardware. Plain and simple. If it is illegal in any way to tell me how to do it, just tell me what video my iBook supports. Apple tells me what video my iPhone supports ie. 1280x720p @ 29fps.... blah blah blah. Seems so far the iBook can only play a DVD MPEG-2 stream and no advanced codecs like h263 or h264. I just want to know what format the iBook can handle.

I have exported movies from iTunes and of my time in Hong Kong from iMovie and I cannot get them to play on the iBook at all if they are even 480p. So I just need to know what the max video playback is. If it can only play 320x240 or something, it is completely useless. I remember years ago when I bought the iBook, it did play the sample h263 and h264 videos that Apple had on their website (some of them 480p-720p)... but today it seems it can't play anything but 320x240 or less without getting locked up. I know the HD video requirements are G5 or higher... but we are talking DVD size cannot play in h264 mp4 formats, only MPEG-2 formats. This makes no sense? So I need to know the exact maximum resolution, framerate and codec this iBook 1.2 GHz can handle.

Don't tell my watching movies on my iBook, even the ones I made is illegal.

Let me clarify things a little more. I was married in China in 2008. The wedding was recorded in 1080p on an HD camcorder, I edited, authored it myself with Final Cut and used Compressor to port it to many formats. I also had it burnt in a Chinese photoshop to China Blue format, similar to HD DVD. I have lived here in China for 3 years and haven't seen my family. I am going back to the states in 2 months and wanted to get this video, and many of my other 720p iPhone made videos converted to a format that will play on my iBook. I will be carrying the original .mov and .mp4 files on an external hard disk to copy for my family, but I would like to find the best format that will play directly on the iBook as well.

Now, the part you might tell me is illegal.... I have several purchased movies from Apple, and already ripped movies from my own PURCHASED DVD collection. A few of these I want to watch on the airplane on the way home. Trying to watch them on my iPhone is unbearable and it will be dead 1/4 ways through the 20 hour flight. My iBook has 3 batteries, all of which last 4-5 hours. So it would be great if I could watch these movies, as wells as all my homemade videos on my iBook. I guess it's not going to happen since I can't find a decent video format. I just need to carry 20-30 DVDs around with me on the airplane along with these 3 batteries is what you are saying.

Guess I need to re-ask my question in the Final Cut forum. How to use Apple Compressor to make a high quality video file that an iBook can play. The iBook section is the wrong place to ask about the iBook's video capabilities, haha. 😝

Is there anyway I can delete my question from this thread?

I already asked in the Final Cut forum. I have too many versions for too many devices and my content server is almost full. Seems the iBook's CPU can't handle anything over standard definition, or anything highly compressed in h264 even in standard def. It is just too CPU intensive. However, if anyone else has a similar problem, the good old AVI and DivX codecs work fine although I hate them.

If you have a widescreen video, it is best to encode it to standard def 640x480 with matte bars in avi or mov format for the good ole iBook.

Thank you for your quick responses! 🙂