VideoLAN Wiki - User contributions [en]

Skins

2011-09-28T06:57:06Z

ClairPeak: /* See also */

{{VLC}} supports skins (sometimes also called themes) through its ''skins2'' interface module. To get new skins go to the [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skins.php Skins website].

''The steps mentioned here apply to VLC 0.9 and upward.''

'''Skins are not available on Mac OS X.'''

''If you do have problems with VLC after applying a skin, a reinstall is NOT necessary. See [[#How do I fix VLC when it does not anymore show up properly|How do I fix VLC when it does not anymore show up properly]].''

== How to switch to the Skins interface ==

In order that you can use skins you have to change from VLC's [[Qt Interface|native interface]] to the skinnable one. You can do that by opening the preferences and choosing ''Skins'' as the ''Interface type''. Then click the ''Save'' button and '''restart''' VLC. It should then show up in the default skin.

http://images.videolan.org/images/wiki/open_preferences.jpg http://images.videolan.org/images/wiki/enable_skins2.jpg

or use command-line to start VLC with skins interface

vlc -I skins2

== How to get new skins and where to save them ==

You can download a variety of skins from the [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skins.php Skins website]. They usually should come as files with the extension "VLT". Although your browser or operating system might identify them as archive files, don't unpack them. Rather put them as they are into the skins folder of VLC.

On '''Windows''' this folder is located in the installation directory of VLC,
:e.g. '''''C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\skins'''''.

On '''Linux/Unix''' it is located in
:'''''~/.local/share/vlc/skins2'''''.

If you downloaded the skin pack just unpack it to the folders mentioned above.

'''''Warning: Not all of the skins available for download are fully functional.'''''

== How to change to another skin ==

To change to a downloaded skin, '''right-click''' anywhere on the skin's background and choose ''Interface''.
Then chose either ''Select skin'' to change to a skin that is located in the default skin folder of VLC or ''Open skin'' to open a skin file that is located elsewhere.

http://images.videolan.org/images/wiki/change_skin.jpg

== How to switch back to VLC's default interface ==

When you open VLC and the skin you chose appears, right-click somewhere on the skins background and then choose ''Interface'' and ''Preferences'' (also accessible by pressing Ctrl+P). In the preferences dialog change the ''Interface type'' to ''Native''. Then click save and restart VLC. It should show up in its default interface.

== How do I fix VLC when it does not anymore show up properly ==

If you chose a broken skin it might happen that VLC does not anymore show up properly and that you cannot anymore access the settings as mentioned above.

Then you have to switch back to the default interface.

On Windows you can just open your Start menu and open

:''All programs > VideoLAN > Quick Settings > Interface > Set Main Interface to Qt (default)''

On any other system, or when the start menu entry is missing, run VLC with the following command line:

vlc -I qt

Now that VLC has been started with its native interface you can open the preferences (Ctrl+P) and change the active skin file. Chose the default skin or a skin you know that works. Then again set the skin interface to be the default one and restart VLC.

== Are there skins with a full screen controller? ==

Full screen controllers in skins are supported since VLC 1.1. But apart from the default skin coming with VLC not many other skins have this feature.

== How to create your own skin ==

There exists a program that enables you to create skins without any deep knowledge how skins are made up exactly. It is the [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skineditor.html VLC Skin Editor]

If you'd rather want to explore all the possibilities of the skin system and get to know how skins are made up and how to create them in detail, check out the [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skins2-create.html Skins2 documentation].

If you have any problems while creating your skin, please turn to the [http://forum.videolan.org/viewforum.php?f=15 skins forum].

== See also ==
*[[Skins2 Contest]] (contest over)
*[http://www.708buy.com/deal/ipad-2-skins ipad 2 skins]
[[Category:Interfaces]]

MacOS

2011-09-28T06:50:21Z

ClairPeak: /* Need Help? */

<div style="width:820px;border: 1px solid #ffc9c9>
{{vlc_MacOS_toc}}
<div style="padding: .4em .9em .9em">

==Graphical Interface==
Many people who want to use [[VLC media player]] on Mac OS X will be intending to use the standard graphical interface that is provided by VLC. The standard interface consists of the eight menus in the menu bar and the 'VLC - Controller' window that opens up by default. This section outlines what VLC can do for you (at V0.8.6a current active is V{{VLC:latest version}}) and will be completed as I check the use of menu options.

The eight menu bar options are listed below along with the main interesting capabilities under each menu item:

* [[vlc_MacOS_VLC|VLC]] which allows you to check for an updated application, to access the preferences and to add an interface.
* [[vlc_MacOS_File|File]] which allows you to open a media file or an associated file such as subtitles. It also has a wizard to allow the streaming of video or the capturing of a streamed video to a file.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Edit|Edit]] which does nothing vlc specific.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Playback|Playback]] allows you do do all the things you might expect from a videoplayer, some of these features are duplicated graphically in the 'Controller' window.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Audio|Audio]] allows you to control the audio level as well as the output device and the audio track to use from the input.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Video|Video]] allows you to control the video display on your screen as well as which device to display on and which video source to show in that display.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Window|Window]] allows you to display seven helper windows that will display information about vlcs activity and control more detail of that activity.
* [[vlc_MacOS_Help|Help]] gives access to the help that came with the installation, the help info on the VideoLAN site and access to interaction mechanisms with the vlc developers.

In general, for many users, they find that they can get what they want from vlc 'straight out of the box' and have very little need of the menu options until they have been using vlc for a while and now want to try something 'more fancy'.

==Keyboard Shortcuts==
You can find most of the keyboard shortcuts by taking a look at the menus. Additional hotkeys are defined in the section "Hotkeys" of your VLC preferences.

Some handy key combo's are:

* You can use the spacebar to start/pause the video.
* When playing video, holding down the Command key and pressing the F key enters and exits fullscreen. When in fullscreen you can also use the escape key to exit the fullscreen state.
* When playing video, holding the Command and Shift keys and pressing the left/right arrow keys, jumps the video backward/forward about a minute.
* When playing video, holding the Command and Ctrl keys and pressing the left/right arrow keys, jumps the video backward/forward about ten seconds.
* When you are watching a DVD and the video window is the front-most window you can use the arrow keys and the enter key to navigate the DVD menus.

* F - Decrease Audio Delay in milliseconds
* G - Increase Audio Delay in milliseconds
* H - Decrease Subtitle Delay
* J - Increase Subtitle Delay

==Latest developments==

===Streaming Wizard===
A streaming wizard has been available since the VLC media player 0.8.4 release. This is available under the "File" menu.

=== Command line ===

You can run VLC on Mac OS X using a terminal application (for example Terminal.app in /Applications/Utilities) with the following command:
/Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC [your options, "--intf=rc" for example]
On most Bourne-like shells, you can set an alias to just vlc with the following command:
alias vlc='/Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC'
It can be helpful to add this command to your shell setup file.

This option can also be activated from the "VLC" menu.

==== Command line examples ====
Following command does this: Transform video-filter (flip vertically), transcode (save) to file.

/Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC -I rc --vout-filter=transform --transform-type=vflip /Movie.mov --sout='#transcode{vcodec=h264,vb=800,scale=1,acodec=mp4a,ab=128,channels=2,samplerate=44100}:std{access=file,mux=ts,dst=/output.mp4}'</nowiki>

-I rc is so that it doesnt open the GUI, but stays on the command line version
--vout-filter defines the filter to use
--transform-type defines the attributes of the transform filter
/Movie.mov is the file to convert
--sout= is the stream output chain
/output.mp4 is the output file name

=== No Dock ===
Note that you can replace the "VLC" at the end of the path with "clivlc" to suppress the launch of any Mac-like interface.
VLC won't even appear in the Dock then.

When [[transcoding]], clivlc should be used if running VLC from the command line crashes with a Bus error.

You can also specify the option -I rc on the "VLC" executable.

==Need Help?==
View the [[FAQ on MacOSX only issues]] or the [[Common Problems]] pages.
[[Category:Operating systems]]
[http://www.708buy.com/deal/ipad-2-chargers ipad 2 chargers] - Apple Accessories Website

</div>
</div>

Documentation:Streaming HowTo/Streaming for the iPhone

2011-09-28T06:48:31Z

ClairPeak: /* Formats supported by the iOS */

{{RightMenu|documentation streaming howto toc}}

Note: this functionality is intended to be part of the 1.2 release, so at the time of writing it is only available in nightly builds.

== Streaming for the iPhone ==

This functionality allows you to link VLC's transcoding capability with a segmenter which will in turn create the series of files needed for http live streaming to the iPhone.

Unlike most of VLC's streaming, it doesn't actually stream the files, but assumes that you have your own webserver which will do that job.

Notes from the developer:
*This has only been tested using H.264 w/MP3 or AAC audio using mux=ts, and raw MP3 using mux=raw
*I've been mostly an FFMPEG guy till now, so forgive me if my VLC understanding/terminology is somewhat off.
*This plug-in should support both Live and non-live HTTP Live streaming feeds, depending on the options passed to the module.

Notes from the community:
*The user running vlc needs to have read/write/delete permissions on the directory where the .m3u8 playlist and .ts file segments will be created and deleted on the webserver.

=== Instructions ===

The name of the module is livehttp, and is specified by specifying "access=livehttp"

=== Options ===

splitanywhere= (default: false)
*Tells livehttp to split the stream anywhere, not just on video keyframes. Currently required to be set to true for audio-only streams and not recommended (probably won't work) for video streams.

seglen= (default: 10)
*How many seconds of audio/video each segment should contain. Apple recommends 10, I have been using 5.

numsegs=(default: 0)
*The number of segments to keep in the index file. The default of 0 keeps all segments in the index (which you would want for non-live streaming). For live streaming the specification require at least 3.

delsegs= (default: true)
*Delete segments as they are no longer needed. If numsegs=0 this parameter is ignored (as all segments are assumed to be needed)

dst=
*This is actually an option to the access std module. The path of the segment files to write. The # characters get replaced with the segment number. So a path of "seg-###.ts" will end up with files called "seg-001.ts, seg-002.ts, seg-003.ts" etc.

index=
*The path of the index file to write, which will contain the "playlist" of video/audio segments to stream. Recommended to end in .m3u8 by specifications. This is the file the <video> tag should be pointed to.

index-url=
*This is the URL that corresponds to the dst above (how a browser would access the dst file). The # characters get replaced same as in the dst parameter. Note: The filename portion of this URL will most likely need to be in the exact same format as the dst parameter. So for example if dst=/www/seg-##.ts then the index-url should be something like index-url=http://mydomain.com/streams/seg-##.ts (Note the same number of # characters)

ratecontrol=(default: false)
*If set to false the there is no rate control (the muxer sends the data as fast/slow as it can to the streamer). If set to true the muxer should do rate-control to control the speed to muxed audio/video is sent to the streamer. Recommended setting is false in most cases. The only time I've needed this set to true is while doing a live sliding window stream of a local media file.

=== Examples ===
All examples assume the following:
*The Web Server root directory is /var/www
*The domain name of the web server is mydomain.com
*The stream segments & index files will be written into /var/www/streaming/ and will be accessed via http://mydomain.com/streaming/...
*The destination stream name index file will be called "mystream.m3u8"
*The following HTML will allow you to view the video based on the above on an iPhone:

Re-stream a live video feed:
% '''vlc -I dummy --mms-caching 0 http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx vlc://quit --sout='#transcode{width=320,height=240,fps=25,vcodec=h264,vb=256,venc=x264{aud,profile=baseline,level=30,keyint=30,ref=1},acodec=mp3,ab=96}:std{access=livehttp{seglen=10,delsegs=true,numsegs=5,index=/var/www/streaming/mystream.m3u8,index-url=http://mydomain.com/streaming/mystream-########.ts},mux=ts{use-key-frames},dst=/var/www/streaming/mystream-########.ts}' '''

Create a VOD stream:
(Non-live. When this command finishes, all the segments should have been created and the index file contain pointers to all of them)
% '''vlc -I dummy /var/myvideos/video.mpg vlc://quit --sout='#transcode{width=320,height=240,fps=25,vcodec=h264,vb=256,venc=x264{aud,profile=baseline,level=30,keyint=30,ref=1},acodec=mp3,ab=96}:std{access=livehttp{seglen=10,delsegs=false,numsegs=0,index=/var/www/streaming/mystream.m3u8,index-url=http://mydomain.com/streaming/mystream-########.ts},mux=ts{use-key-frames},dst=/var/www/streaming/mystream-########.ts}' '''

Re-stream a live audio feed:
% '''vlc -I dummy --mms-caching 0 http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx vlc://quit --sout='#transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=96}:duplicate{dst=std{access=livehttp{seglen=10,delsegs=true,numsegs=5,index=/var/www/streaming/mystream.m3u8,index-url=http://mydomain.com/streaming/mystream-########.mp3},mux=raw,dst=/var/www/streaming/mystream-########.mp3},select=audio}' '''

===Formats supported by the iOS===
See the [[iPhone]] article for a list of supported codecs as well as [http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/networkinginternet/conceptual/streamingmediaguide/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html Apple's HTTP Live Streaming FAQ].
[http://www.708buy.com/deal/ipad-2-sleeve ipad 2 sleeve] - Apple Accessories Website

===Possible improvements/fixes===

from the developer:
*Have the module auto-detect audio only streams, so the splitanywhere option is not required.
*I'm not sure I am doing the right thing with the Win32 rename function. Linux (I believe) allows me to rename a file over an existing file, even if the existing file is in use. Win32 is not so friendly. This ability is useful for updating the index file at same time it may be currently being read by the HTTP server serving the files.
*Break the dst= and index= parameter into seperate filename/directory entries, so you only need to specify the filename format once. (instead of once for the dst= parameter, and once for the index-url= parameter)

from the community:
*Have the module detect the codecs used and warn the end user if they are not compatible with the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad.
*Possible multibitrate implementation that meets the iPhone SDK specs so app developers can use VLC to host streams for their apps.

fixes:
*Audio only streams do not validate with Apple's mediastreamvalidator. Audio streams are missing id3tags and timestamps. Check with command, "mediastreamvalidator validate --timeout=60 [url]"

{{Documentation}}

IPod Video Conversion Guide

2011-09-28T06:39:00Z

ClairPeak: /* Credits */

{{lowercase|title=iPod}} {{howto|Make your Video Files playable on an iPod using vlc 0.8.6}}

The following is a guide for converting (transcoding to file) any video that VLC Media Player (VLC) can play into a format that the Apple iPod can play. This should be "fool proof." This guide does not cover the process of putting those files onto an iPod.

To play on this device, the file you copy to it needs to be of the correct format. This format is summarized below:

{|
|-
| Video Codec
| '''mp4v''' ([[MPEG4]])
|-
| Audio Codec
| '''mp4a''' ([[MP4 audio]]), '''aac''' ([[AAC]])
|-
| [[Container]]
| '''mp4''' ([[MPEG-4|MPEG4/MOV]])
|-
| Size
| 320x240 or 640 x 480 for iPod Classic, iPhone, and iPod Touch
| Widescreen iPod Classic, iPhone, and iPod Touch support 640 x 360 Other iPods support 320 x 180
|}

== Why Use VLC to Convert Video for the iPod? ==

If you're looking for the absolute highest quality in video conversion, then do NOT use VLC to convert Video for the iPod. There are many, probably too many, programs already available.

I prefer to use VLC to convert to iPod video, because I know that if VLC can play the file, then VLC can convert it for my iPod. I can also use VLC in a script, which means I can tie it into my intranet, run conversions automatically, and/or keep "profiles" (by using scripts) for each video format that I'd like to convert. In addition, converting to iPod video with VLC is very quick, because the encoder is only doing one pass. This means that VLC is not just good for converting to iPod video, but it is also good for converting to any type of video, where I need versatility and speed.

If considering the disk space on an iPod and the battery life, I think it is unnecessary to worry about file size/quality. Whereas a person can store their entire music library on an iPod, a person will not be able to store their entire video library on an iPod. At some point, that person will need to come home, dock the iPod, and transfer files. It is more likely that a movie, a music video, or at most a complete television series will be stored on the iPod.

== Converting a Video with the Graphical User Interface ==

Open VLC. Please be sure you are using the default settings for VLC. Please be especially sure that you do not have "repeat" set, as you will infinitely overwrite your transcoded file.

http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html_files/b8f63409-cb02-11db-8d2f-e8beb4eeadb9.png

Click "File" then "Open File", which will bring up the Open dialog.

<br> http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html_files/2afeac56-cb03-11db-8d30-e8beb4eeadb9.png"

<br> Be sure that you are on the File tab. Click Browse and select the file that you would like to convert. Now check the Stream/Save box and click the Settings ... button. This will open the Stream Output dialog. This is where the magic happens.

<br> http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html_files/8f7744fe-cb03-11db-8d31-e8beb4eeadb9.png

*Notice that when you first open the dialog (if you haven't already tried to stream/save a file in this session) the Stream output MRL box at the top is empty. As you make your selections in the rest of this window, that box will fill up with your options in a form that the VLC executable understands.
*First, check the File box, then click the Browse... button to the right. Now choose the name of the file that will be created during the conversion. Be sure to change the extension to "mp4".
*Now choose the Encapsulation method. This is also known as the "container". Select MP4.

*Go to Transcoding options next and check Video codec. Change the box to its immediate right to mp4v or h264. The next box to the right changes the bitrate of the video. I recommend 768 kb/s. Note - for higher quality and only a slight increase in file size, use 1024. This will make watching the video tolerable if you use the ipod AV cable and a TV
*Still in the Transcoding options area, check the Audio codec box, and change the box to its immediate right to mp4a. The next box to the right changes the audio bitrate. I recommend 64 kb/s or 96 kb/s. Note - For higher quality (and not terrible file size) use 128. If you output the file over decent speakers or if the movie has a complex soundtrack, this will make a noticeable difference.

http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html_files/cea16d6e-cb06-11db-8d4f-e8beb4eeadb9.png

So far, everything is fairly standard, but here comes the tricky part. Go back up to the "Stream output MRL Target:" box. Notice that the box is full of text. Look for the part that has #transcode{ }, and type '''width=320,canvas-height=240''' somewhere inside the { }. Do not add extra spaces. This setting changes the width to 320 pixels and adds black bars above and below the movie, allowing all movies to maintain the appearance of their original aspect ratio. '''Be careful''' here. If you change any of the settings below this box, you will have to re-enter the width and height settings.

Click OK to close the Stream ouput dialog, then click OK to close the File open dialog. The movie should now start playing without showing the picture on the screen. When it is complete you should have an iPod compatible file.

== Converting a Video through the Command-line ==

Conversion via the command-line is a little beyond the scope of this document, but using VLC in a script is my favorite way to convert videos. This generally allows me the leisure of dragging the file onto the script and magically getting my new iPod file in a certain directory.

Generally speaking, the format of the command can be:

vlc -vvv "my video.avi" :sout="#transcode{width=320,canvas-height=240,vcodec=mp4v, vb=768, acodec=mp4a, ab=96, channels=2}:std{access=file, mux=mp4, url=myvideo.mp4}" vlc:quit

On a Windows machine, I use the following batch script for drag and drop functionality. Once a file is dropped onto it, vlc converts the video to a folder that is set in the script.

The ipod video is saved in "<code>My Documents/ipod video</code>". You must create this folder '''before''' using this script.

<code></code>

@REM Remove the quotes from %1 variable for vlc paramters
@SET infile=%1
@SET infile=%infile:"=%
@REM Strip directory paths from %1 ...
@FOR /F "delims=" %%i in ("%infile%") do SET filename=%%~ni
@SET outdir=%userprofile%\My Documents\ipod video\
@SET outfile=%outdir%%filename%.mp4
@REM The following command should be on ONE line only.
@REM Be sure to remove the carriage returns in your batch file.
"C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" -vvv "%infile%" :sout="#transcode{width=320, canvas-height=240, vcodec=mp4v, vb=768, acodec=mp4a, ab=96, channels=2}:standard{access=file,mux=mp4,url=%outfile%}" vlc:quit

<br>

== Converting with Subtitles ==

The basic rule for subtitles is: if you can see them in VLC, then you can put them in your converted video; however, getting this to work can be tricky. Essentially, you use the '''soverlay''' option in the #transcode{...} section to tell VLC that it needs to combine the video and the subtitle streams into one video stream. Of course, that means nothing if you don't know how to get subtitles to display in the first place.

Subtitles for video can be stored in the orginal file as images or text. Subtitles can also come from a separate text file. It all depends on the original video file. Despite where the subtitles come from, you need to first get the subtitles to appear in VLC during normal playback.

If the subtitles are a part of the original file (as with DVD, SVCD, OGM, or MKV video), you will need to use the '''sub-track''' option to select the desired subtitle track. You will specify this option ''after'' the #transcode {...} section.

http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html_files/8965ad57a-cb06-11db-8d4f-e8beb4eeadb9.png"

To find the track numbers for the original file, play the file in VLC, click on the Video menu, and view the available tracks under Subtitles Track. The value that you will use for sub-track is the value in this list minus 1. From the picture above, you would specify sub-track=2 to get the second English track listed. (Use sub-track=5 for Deutsch.) To tie it all together, your #transcode{...} section would look like this:

#transcode{...,'''soverlay'''}:stuff{...options...}''' :sub-track=2'''

Depending on the original file, you may also be able to get away with using the '''sub-language''' option instead of specifying the exact subtitle track. Note that this would play the first English track if we specified sub-language=English. Your #transcode{...} section would look like this:

#transcode{...,'''soverlay'''}:stuff{...options...}''' :sub-language=English'''

Now that you have the video playing with subtitles, you can create a video with the subtitles overlayed on the video, using the same methods at the top of the document.

For best results, first transcode to file ''without'' setting a new width or height (the width=320,canvas-height=240 setting in the #transcode{...} section). After you have made the larger file with the subtitles overlayed, then convert to the smaller iPod width and height. This will make it so that your subtitles appear in the correct proportions on the smaller screen size.

== Testing Your New File ==

Now as I stated earlier, I've run many tests on different input file formats and containers. Currently it is very rare for me to find a file that I cannot convert. As far as testing the file goes, I strongly recommend using Apple's Quicktime player. It is much faster than repeatedly transferring the video to your iPod, disconnecting the iPod, and playing the video. Unfortunately, Quicktime is only available on Mac and Windows.

== Best video output for your ipod ==

Why would you want the best output? Because (many people don't know that) you can play movie on TV from your ipod with a single (usually cheap) cable. I have i Ipod video of the 5th generation and after several hours of testing here are my conclusions:

H264 from vlc does not seem to be supported on this generation so the choice is Mp4v all the way.(althoug h264 would be a better codec)

The maximum output resolution is 800 X 400. Any values below that is supported. Your better off keeping the same aspect ratio as the source. for example: most dvds are 720 x 480 so you should put 600 x 400 to keep that same ratio.

If you dont keep the same ratio VLC will crop or add black canvas depending on what you are doing that means your video will never be odd looking.

The maximum Bitrate supported is 2400 kbps.

Adding <code>,deinterlace</code> to the #transcode{} section to deinterlace the video is a good idea but not necessary as it will correct the interlaced material and does not have an impact on uninterlaced material.

== Solving Problems with Your New File ==

Here are some of my most notable problems and their solutions.

=== VLC closes without outputting anything or the file is 0kb. ===

*Make sure you are only converting the movie, not a playlist.
*If you're using a script, make sure your script is correct. (I admit, the one I provided will probably have faults.)

=== My file is very small or only audio is recorded or only some of the video is present. ===

*More than likely, the input file is slightly corrupted in a spot or you are using the mp4v generic codec instead of the h264 codec. h264 really does work more consistently.
*Try adding '''fps=25,samplerate=44100''' to the #transcode{...} section.
*Your CPU may be getting too hot. Seriously. This was happening to me on one of my machines, and when I tried it on another, conversion worked fine. Using a thermometer on the original CPU/heatsink, I discovered that the CPU jumped to 70 degrees during conversion! Solution: get another fan.

=== iTunes will not accept the new mp4 file ===

*If converting WMV, ASF or DVR-MS, you can probably use the '''vcodec=mp4v''' instead. There seems to be a problem with the output container when using these as file inputs.

== Notes ==

*The 5G and 5.5G of iPod video (with latest firmware) support video resolutions up to 640x480; however, the screen resolution is still 320x240. This may only be useful with subtitled videos, as it removes the second step of resizing the overlayed video.

== Older version of this howto ==

To make the video the correct size, you can edit the [[Preferences]], or run vlc from a [[Command prompt]].

<code></code>

vlc "input_filename" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=mp4v, vb=512, acodec=mp4a, ab=128, channels=2, audio-sync, width=320, height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url="output_filename"}" --aspect-ratio=width:height

<br>

This all goes on one line, and you'll need to fill in some of the values: the input and output filenames, plus the aspect ratio of the input file. By default vlc will stretch the video to the size specified by sout-transcode-height and width, but if you tell vlc the file's aspect ratio, it will scale and put a black border around it. The aspect ratio can be written as a ratio of width and height, with a colon between the two, or as a decimal.

Further I found that the iPod was particular about the parameter "channels" being set to 2. I found that without this parameter iTunes would import the file into the library but would not be able to upload the same to the iPod.

Further during my experiments I figured out that it was better to stick with MPEG4 encoding for the video stream. While H.264 codec is the latest video compression standard I found the resultant file size usually larger than when the MPEG4 compression mode was used, keeping all the other parameters like the resolution and the bitrate same. This definitely seems contradictory to what I would have expected but these were the findings of my experiments while using videoLan VLC media player.

(In fact, if the bit rates are chosen equally, the file sizes can be expected to be roughly the same. The advantage of h.264 over mpeg4 is its better video quality with the same bit rate or the allowance for lower bit rates and thus smaller files with comparable video quality.)

If you would like to try using H.264 set the parameter vcodec to h264 in the above command line as follows

<code></code>

vlc "input_filename" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=h264, vb=512, acodec=mp4a, ab=128, channels=2, audio-sync, width=320, height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url="output_filename"}"--aspect-ratio=width:height

<br>

A useful tip - If you intend to create a batch file that would transcode several titles in a DVD one after the other use the keyword vlc:quit as follows

<code></code>

vlc "input_filename" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=h264, vb=512, acodec=mp4a, ab=128, channels=2, audio-sync, width=320, height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url="output_filename"}" vlc:quit --aspect-ratio=width:height

<br>

== Converting Oddly Sized Input Videos to View on the iPod Video ==

The command-line examples above did not work for me when converting video that did not already have a 4:3 aspect ratio. After converting the video, iTunes would not load the video into my library, and I would get "invalid data" errors when trying to view the file in the Quicktime Player. It seams as of at least version 8.6a (not tested on previous versions), vlc will use just the height value to determine the resultant width, while maintaining the original aspect ratio, not the specified ratio.

To remedy this, I used the '''sout-transcode-canvas-height''' option with the '''sout-transcode-width''' and removed the specific aspect ratio option and the specific height declaration. My example command-line is below:

<code></code>

vlc.exe -vvv "my video.avi" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=mp4v, vb=768, acodec=mp4a, ab=96, channels=2, samplerate=22050, width=320, canvas-height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4, url=myvideo.mp4}" vlc:quit

<br>

'''NOTE''' I've noticed that some files encoded with XVID come out without video. If this happens, try using vcodec=h264.

This command will start vlc, transcode the video to file, and quit when complete. The resultant video will be 320x240 with a black canvas filling in the height to the video borders. If the input is already has a 4:3 (320x240) aspect ratio, then no border will appear.

Here is an [http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_test_conversion_ipod.mp4 iPod format sample video] converted with vlc.

== Using Batch Files ==

Here is the info for a batch file to convert videos one after another, although you have to enter your input and output values yourself (use find and replace, or, if you are better than me, make an actual script/program). Make sure the output names are different or else it will get stuck and/or overwrite the old one

<code></code>

vlc "'''input_filename'''" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=mp4v, vb=512, acodec=mp4a, ab=128, channels=2, audio-sync, width=320, height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url="'''output_filename'''"}" vlc:quit --aspect-ratio=width:height

<br>

<code></code>

vlc "'''input_filename(1)'''" :sout="#transcode{vcodec=mp4v, vb=512, acodec=mp4a, ab=128, channels=2, audio-sync, width=320, height=240}:std{access=file, mux=mp4,url="'''output_filename(1)'''"}" vlc:quit --aspect-ratio=width:height

<br>

......etc for each video to convert (useful for converting short .flv or .gvi, or pretty much any file) I relise this is inefficient,

but hopefully someone will make a script (vlc seems best for making ipod videos from any source).

'''NOTE2:''' I find that if i have spaces in the output it doesn't work, but this seems to be a problem with the .bat file. just don't use spaces and use an autorenamer to rename ([http://batchrenamer.sourceforge.net/])

'''NOTE:''' If you can somehow to get 264 to work (megui makes it work...) just change ''vcodec=mp4v'' to ''vcodec=h264''.

The script to drag and drop files (for Windows) is as follows:

<code></code>

C:\PROGRA~1\VIDEOLAN\VLC\VLC -vvv %1 :sout=#transcode{vcodec=mp4v,vb=512,acodec=mp4a,ab=128,channels=2,width=320,height=240}:duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=mp4,dst=%1.m4p}}
pause

There is no problem with spaces in filenames.

''This is also described (with snapshots) on http://tom.zickel.org/vlcmp4/''

{{forum|15971}}

If the audio ends up being too quiet, the easiest way to make it louder is in the "Get Info" box in iTunes.

http://wiki.videolan.org/images/Ipod.jpg

== Version 0.9.2 and later<br> ==

Some of these tips won't work with VLC 0.9.2, but the following command line should work with 0.9.2

vlc -vvv "my_video.avi" :sout=#transcode{width=320,canvas-height=240,vcodec=mp4v,vb=768,acodec=mp4a,ab=96,channels=2}:duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=mp4,dst=video.mp4}} vlc://quit

VLC 1.0.2 uses the same command line parameters as VLC 0.9.2. However neither VLC 0.9.2 nor VLC 1.0.2 is able to create any video files that Quicktime (and therefore iTunes) can play. Quicktime complains about errors in files generated by transcode options (other than the two below) that worked fine when using VLC 0.8.6a.

If you want to try for yourself, the changes to the command line parameters from 0.8.6 to 0.9.2 and later are<br>
<pre>url=video.mp4
</pre>
changing to<br>
<pre>dst=video.mp4
</pre>
And<br>
<pre>vlc:quit
</pre>
changing to<br>
<pre>vlc://quit
</pre>
to allow VLC to quit and let Windows close the command prompt window.<br>

== Credits ==

Written by loqu (AKA Rob), http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html

I've tested this guide on many containers, with and without subtitles. This is an evolving guide, so please refer to http://www.kludgeroo.com/linked/videolan/vlc_ipod_converstion_8.6a.html for the original.

Before I begin I'd like to thank the good people over at http://www.videolan.org for making a great multi-platform media program. I decided to make this guide, because I had to invest much of my time to get this to work. This is my way of giving back to the community.[http://www.708buy.com/deal/ipad-2-skins ipad2 skins]