What do I use to convert video for playback on Android?

[SunnyD]

I guess .3gp is the proper extension, it appears that's MPEG-4 of some sort, but for whatever reason the MPEG-4 files I have don't work. Is there and good, easy to use software to transcode into something usable on my phone?

 

[AFurryReptile]

I use Subsonic for audio and video playback on my phone, never had any problems. The great part is that it's all streaming - you never need to upload any crap to your phone to make it available. It just... works.

Super easy to set up if you're at all technical.

http://www.subsonic.org/pages/index.jsp

Edit: If this is not what you're looking for, I've heard that Handbrake's "iPhone" setting should convert to a playable format on most Android phones. Never tried it though.

 

[ponyo]

Have you tried playing it with Rockplayer or VitalPlayer for Android? I believe both can play 3gp files.

If not, you can convert using Handbrake on PC. But try the above programs first.

 

[tdawg]

Freemake Video Converter works great and is drop dead simple to use. Converts video from/to anything you wish.

 

[SunnyD]

I use Subsonic for audio and video playback on my phone, never had any problems. The great part is that it's all streaming - you never need to upload any crap to your phone to make it available. It just... works.

Super easy to set up if you're at all technical.

http://www.subsonic.org/pages/index.jsp

Edit: If this is not what you're looking for, I've heard that Handbrake's "iPhone" setting should convert to a playable format on most Android phones. Never tried it though.

Have you tried playing it with Rockplayer or VitalPlayer for Android? I believe both can play 3gp files.

If not, you can convert using Handbrake on PC. But try the above programs first.

Sorry, I think there's some confusion. I have MP4's (avi format) that I want to play on my phone, and thus need to transcode them to .3gp format.

 

[Glitchny]

Sorry, I think there's some confusion. I have MP4's (avi format) that I want to play on my phone, and thus need to transcode them to .3gp format.

Rockplayer (free on Android Market) will play .avi's without needing to convert them. Plays my avi and divx files fine, should work with what you're trying to do. Worth a shot though.

 

[OCfreakley]

use vlc stream and convert from the market on your phone along with vlc player on your pc. This has given me the best results yet.

 

[Sheep]

Rockplayer (free on Android Market) will play .avi's without needing to convert them. Plays my avi and divx files fine, should work with what you're trying to do. Worth a shot though.

This. My days of having 3 or 4 different versions of the same video stored on my PC in different formats because developers couldn't be bothered to standardize formats is a thing of the past with RockPlayer. Storage is cheap enough so that with a 16GB microSD card, I have as much video as I'd ever need with me for trips.

 

[kamikazekyle]

Android supports .3gp and baseline H264 codecs by default. The problem is, your AVI files are probably DivX or XviD MPEG 4, which is Part 2, not the standard H264 MPEG 4Part 10. Traditionally, H264 or X264 MPEG 4 part 10 files are stored in a .MP4, .M4V, or .MKV container. You'll need to transcode those AVIs or use RockPlayer/ArcPlayer/etc to view them natively.

Freemake, Handbrake, and others can convert to a native H264 baseline profile format in an MP4 container. That's what you're looking for if you don't want to do live transcoding, which is where VLC Direct/VLC Stream and Convert/Subsonic come into play. The *easiest* method is simply to use RockPlayer/ArcPlayer since you can just drag'n'drop to your phone. Subsonic is the next easiest for live transcoding if you don't mind paying, or converting if you don't mind having a duplicate copy of your movie. The VLC Direct/Stream and Convert programs can be a pain in the ass to set up depending on your LAN configuration and ISP, but are a viable solution.

Avoid the .3gp format. It's a format used in nearly all cell phones with video capabilities, but it's also not all that efficient for modern movies and is usually constrained to lower bitrates. Handbrakes iPhone/iPod setting works very well as a guaranteed compatability without having to worry about making sure you're complying with the baseline profile.