[m021478]

I've backed-up hundreds of my DVD movies using MacTheRipper in the Video_TS Folder format, and I would now like to begin converting these ripped backups so that I can have a version that will be optimized for my AppleTV (for high-res playback) and also so that I can have a version specifically for playback on my iPhone (lower-res; 480x320)? I use a Mac of course, and would most likely use Handbrake and/or Visual Hub to accomplish this task...

I first wanted to know if some of you also convert your rips so that they're optimized for playback device on the specific device you'll be viewing them on (i.e. not putting a 2GB-3GB movie on my iPhone when the playback quality from the iPhone won't be much better than a movie that's a mere 500MB-1GB)...

An secondly, assuming that there are some of you out there that also prefer to convert movies optimized for specific viewing devices (i.e. Apple TV; iPhone; etc), what method (application and/or preset) do you use for converting for each?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!

[mduell]

1) I encode using an profile intended for the playback device unless there are two devices I want to play back on with very similar specs (ATV and iPhone are not).

2) I use Handbrake and the ATV or iPhone preset.

[Simon]

Make sure you encode both separately. One high-res version for your ATV and one lower res version for your iPhone. This is a little extra work, but it pays off since you end up with the right quality and file size on each device.

HandBrake and iSquint (in case your source is something else than DVD material) are both free and excellent tools for the job.

[bpl323]

Handbreak is a must.