Introduction

With this guide you can convert any AVI or MPG video to 3GP (or MP4) format, compatible for playback on your mobile phone. The guide also provides info on how to setup audio in AAC or AMR format, and video in MPEG4 or H.263 format.

Unlike other guides, here we use a very powerful conversion tool, highly configurable and versatile.

In case of problems copying or playing video on your mobile phone, read the Playback Troubleshooter on this page.

  Required Software

 name and description

download

mpegable Broadcaster + Player

MPEG4 and 3GP video converter, with video player included.

v2.2 build 6

  Step 1: Basic I/O Settings

Download, install and start the mpegable Broadcaster. Everything in this program is made through the Settings window.

On the Settings window, select Basic I/O tab and choose the input file. An output file name is automatically set below, but you can change it if you want.

At the Encoding Profiles list, double-click the profile that matches your mobile phone's brand, or use the Mobile devices (3GPP compliant) generic profile. In the guide we use the Motorola's profile.

At the Remarks section you can see current settings, but we'll setup those in the following steps.

  Step 2: Video Encoding Settings

Switch to the Video Encoding tab. For better video quality, we will increase the video bitrate to 150 kBit/s. Note that increasing the value will increase the output file size as well, and your mobile phone might not be able to handle video with too high bitrates. The settings here have been tested successfully on a Motorola V600 phone.

You can also make the encoding process faster by selecting the Fast Encoding mode under Preferred Quality, but notice that a faster encoding speed means a lower video quality.

After configuring this dialog, it should look similar to the one above.

  Step 3: Audio Encoding Settings

Switch to the Audio Encoding tab. Our Motorola phone simply does not handle AAC audio, therefore the Audio Codec must be changed to 3GPP AMR NB, which is supported by our phone model. We also increase the audio bitrate to 12.2 kBit/s.

Before proceeding, make sure the dialog looks like this.

Note: Changes on video or audio codec must also be set at the Interoperability tab.

  Step 4: Image Preprocessing Settings

Go to the Image Preprocessing tab. The Cropping / Resizing option is already enabled and resizing video accordingly to the selected profile, which in this case results on a video size of 176x132 pixels. If you want to crop the video borders or change the output video resolution, click the Setup button.

For the current video, we have resized it to 176x132, and cropped the borders 32 pixels on each border.

The above image is a preview of the output video with the current settings.

  Step 5: Source Range Selection (Optional)

The mpegable Broadcaster allows to set the start and end times, to convert only a certain segment from the source video. To use this feature, go to the Video Preprocessing tab and enable the User defined option at the In/Out-Point section.

Type the start and end times for video processing at the boxes labeled TC, and press the Set In-Point and Set Out-Point buttons to apply this setting.

  Step 6: Start encoding!

Ensure all settings are correct and return to the Basic I/O tab, then click the red button to start the video conversion process. This can be done from the Process > Start Encoding menu as well.

A progress bar will appear at the bottom-right corner, showing the completed percent.

To test the converted file immediately, open it with the mpegable Player.

  Mobile Phone Video Troubleshooting

Here are some solutions to common video playback problems on mobile devices.

• No audio or audio sounds improperly: This can be caused by a wrong audio format usage. Try changing the audio codec, the sample rate conversion, and/or the audio bitrate. Also ensure audio is set to mono instead of stereo.

• Video lags or freezes: This problem might be caused by an improper video format setting. Try using another video profile, this can be done directly from the Interoperability tab.

• Video has poor quality: Increase the video bit-rate value. When possible, use the 3GP video format instead of MPEG4.

• Video cannot be uploaded to phone: Ensure there is enough free space available in the device.

  Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions or need support regarding this guide or article, don't hesitate to ask at the DivXLand.org forum personally.

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