Multi-Device enables you to queue up multiple devices (Multi-Device) in DVD Catalyst 3, and when you start the conversion, each item in the conversion queue will be converted for each device. With the trailers, I used 4 different device profiles, each with their own specific settings to produce the best results.

How does this work?

It’s pretty simple. You just start DVD Catalyst 3 as normal, and select your first device with the dropdowns on the right.

Click on Modify and make changes to the settings if you so desire.

At the right are 2 buttons.

Save profile lets you save your current selected settings as a profile, which enables you to select it easily.

Add Deviceis the one we use to add another device to the conversion.

Because with previous versions of DVD Catalyst 3, people often clicked this button without knowing its actual purpose, a warning screen has been added to it to make things a bit easier to understand.

Because we actually want to add a few different devices, click Yes to add one.

DVD Catalyst creates a copy of the currently selected device and its settings, and adds it as a new device, and some new options will become available.

On the right, a dropdown allows you to select the different devices you added. It automatically select the one it just added.

The “Convert per device” checkmark tells DVD Catalyst to convert each item for the first device first, then it starts over to convert each item for the second device and so on.

The “Convert per selection” checkmark tells DVD Catalyst to convert each item to the first device, then the second device, and then it continues with the next item.

For the Trailer conversion, we used Convert per selection. This way the different devices for the same item are grouped together, which gives a nice speed comparison for each device conversion.

10 Trailers, 4 devices, 1 click

With the added device selected, you can change your device choice in the dropdowns on the left, and change the options in “Modify” to reflect your needs.

Once complete, your device dropdown on the right might look like this:

Now, every DVD, Episode, Video File etc, will be converted to each individual device seperately.

To make things easier for you, DD Catalyst automatically creates folders with the device name in the selected output folder location. That way, you dont have to dig through the created video files to find the right ones for each device.

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery, as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/avatar.mp4

# 2. Edge of Darkness

“Edge of Darkness” is an emotionally charged thriller set at the intersection of politics and big business. Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, twenty-four year-old Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter’s secret life and her killing. His investigation leads him into a dangerous, looking glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder – and to shadowy government operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), who has been sent in to clean up the evidence. Craven’s solitary search for answers about his daughter’s death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/edgeofdarkness/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/edgeofdarkness.mp4

# 3. When In Rome

An ambitious young New Yorker (KRISTEN BELL), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (DANNY DEVITO), a street magician (JON HEDER), an adoring painter (WILL ARNETT) and a self-admiring model (DAX SHEPARD). But when a charming reporter (JOSH DUHAMEL) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/wheninrome/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/wheninrome.mp4

# 4. The Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson is “The Tooth Fairy,” also known as Derek Thompson, a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster’s hopes, he’s sentenced to one week’s hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite tutu, wings and magic wand. At first, Derek “can’t handle the tooth” – bumbling and stumbling as he tries to furtively wing his way through strangers’ homes…doing what tooth fairies do. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thetoothfairy/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thetoothfary.mp4

# 5. The Book of Eli

In “The Book of Eli,” Denzel Washington stars as a lone warrior named Eli, who fights his way across the desolate wasteland of near-future America to realize his destiny and deliver the knowledge that can bring civilization back from the brink of destruction and save the future of humanity.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thebookofeli/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thebookofeli.mp4

# 6. Legion

In the supernatural action thriller Legion, an out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany). Legion also stars Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton and Willa Holland and is directed by Scott Stewart.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/legion/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/legion.mp4

# 7. The Lovely Bones

Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, and directed by Oscar® winner Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens, “The Lovely Bones” centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar® nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar® winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar® nominee Saoirse Ronan.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thelovelybones.mp4

# 8. Sherlock Holmes

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/sherlockholmes/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/sherlockholmes.mp4

# 9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel

In the “Squeakquel,” pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville’s twenty-something nephew Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside music superstardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school’s music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as “The Chipettes” – Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/alvinandthechipmunksthesqueakquel/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

# 10. It’s Complicated

Writer/director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday) directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in It’s Complicated, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has—after a decade of divorce—an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake (Baldwin). But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable—an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jane is now, of all things, the other woman. Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam (Martin), an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s…complicated.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/itscomplicated/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/itscomplicated.mp4

Converted with DVD Catalyst 3 v3.85 using MultiDevice

10 Trailers, 4 devices, 1 click

The DVD standard specifies a fixed screen resolution for movies. This still comes from the time that wide-screen TVs were not common, so when widescreen movies became more popular, black padding was added to widescreen movies to make them still compliant with the DVD specifications. Most DVD players (devices as well as programs) are designed to ignore the black padding added to the video, but for video files this is not the case.

Example:

If we convert this movie without removing the black borders, the conversion, as well as the video player will treat the black borders as part of the actual video part, so when we play this on a device, the video will appear similar to this:

If we remove the black borders from the video (DVD Catalyst’s defaults) the video will look like this:

When we view this on the device, it will look like this:

No difference, right? It still shows black borders., even though the video itself does not have them. This is because the player adds them by itself when the video does not fill the screen.

So, how do you get rid of these borders completely?

Method 1: Crop/Cut. “Remove Black Bars from Device. This will remove the black borders as shown above AND remove parts of the sides to make it fit.

Full screen video, looks great. But what did we lose?

Original

Cropped

About half the movie is gone because we made it full-screen. Of course this differs per device, resolution and movie width, but still, it’s a considerable difference.

Second method, Stretch or as some people like to call it, Anamorphic.

This basically removes the black borders as in our first example, but then it stretches the video to make it full screen.

Original

Stretched

We still have the full movie, but everything looks a bit stretched.

So, the reason why DVD Catalyst uses “Remove black bars from file” as a default setting is because most video players have a Zoom function. With this, you actually have a choice during playback to select how you want the video to appear on screen. With the cropping/stretch methods, you make this choice during conversion, so there is no way to revert back to the original view of the video.

Just tap the zoom option in your player, and you can switch from

To

And back again while watching the video.

A few days ago I started a thread there with movie trailers for the Droid, and figured I might as well do the same for all the Nexus One users.

The trailers are all converted from Quicktime HD files (720p or 1080p) with DVD Catalyst 3 (3.84.1 to be exact) using the Google Nexus One HQ profile.

The mp4 files are streaming capable, so if you use the links on your Nexus’ webbrowser, it should play while downloading. The zip files are intended for download and manual transfer to your Nexus so you can view them any time.

Settings used:

Google > Nexus One HQ profile

Screensize 800×480 (The settings in DVD Catalyst were based on leaked specs and have 848×480. This will be fixed in the next update)
Video Quality : 1000 Kbps
Audio Quality: 160 Kbps
Blackbar removal left at default “Remove from file”, so not all movies play full-screen. For information on what the different methods are, please refer to the Android section on the website, or have a look at the thread on droidforums

Droid-Optimized Movie Trailers – Droid Forum – Verizon Droid & the Motorola Droid Forum

Here are the links:

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/2012.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/2012.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/FamilyGuyDarkSide.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/FamilyGuyDarkSide.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/GreenZone.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/GreenZone.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/imax_deepsea_3d.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/imax_deepsea_3d.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/KarateKid.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/KarateKid.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/TheBountyHunter.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/TheBountyHunter.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/TheCondemned.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/TheCondemned.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/Transformers2_1.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/Transformers2_1.zip

http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/Transformers2_2.mp4
http://www.tools4movies.com/Nexus1/Transformers2_2.zip

The original files used for the conversion are HD versions of the trailers, and are converted using the Droid HQ2 profile with DVD Catalyst 3.84.1
All the files are encoded using the H264 video at 1500 kbps and 160kbps AAC audio.
The MP4 files are streaming-capable, which means that they will play directly on the Droid by just clicking the link (note the bandwidth needs for proper playback is quite high due to the quality). If you have Quicktime installed, you can stream them on your computer as well.

The best way to view these files is to download the zip file, and copy the mp4 file found in the zip file to your Droid.

Global Settings > Conversion > Remove Black bars from File.
(Default DVD Catalyst setting) This setting removes the black bars (if there are any) from the actual video, and leaves the video portion as it. When you view this on your device, you will have the full width of the movie, however, in most cases you will see some black borders added by the video player. Some video player programs have a Zoom function which will make the video appear as the ones above.

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Avatar2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Avatar2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Avatar3.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Avatar3.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Copout.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Copout.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Inception.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Inception.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/IronMan2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/IronMan2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Kickass.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Kickass.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/KnightAndDay.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/KnightAndDay.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/RobinHood.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/RobinHood.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Shrek4.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/Shrek4.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/SorcerersApprentice.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Default/SorcerersApprentice.zip

Global Settings > Conversion > Remove Black bars from Device.
This makes every video you convert play Full-Screen on your device. This setting removes black borders from the video first, and then cuts off (if needed) a small section from the sides of the actual video to make it full screen on your device.

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar1.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar1.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar3.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Avatar3.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/BrooklynsFinest.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/BrooklynsFinest.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Copout.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Copout.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/FallenAngel.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/FallenAngel.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Inception.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Inception.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/IronMan2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/IronMan2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Kickass.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Kickass.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/KnightAndDay.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/KnightAndDay.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/RobinHood.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/RobinHood.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/SherlockHolmes.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/SherlockHolmes.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Shrek4.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Shrek4.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/SorcerersApprentice.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/SorcerersApprentice.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/TheWolfman.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/TheWolfman.zip

Global Settings > Conversion > Full Screen Stretch

This setting removes the black borde3rs from the video as the default setting of Remove Black Bars from File, however, it then stretches the video to make it full-screen on your device. This is commonly referred to as “Anamorphic”. While you do end up with full-screen video, it does change the actual look of the video. As the name suggests, it “stretches” the video. People can appear taller and skinnier in the movie (if you convert a wide-screen movie) or people can appear short and stubby (if you convert a standard TV show for example)

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Avatar2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Avatar2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Avatar3.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Avatar3.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Copout.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Copout.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Inception.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Inception.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/IronMan2.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/IronMan2.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Kickass.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Kickass.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/KnightAndDay.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/KnightAndDay.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/RobinHood.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/RobinHood.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Shrek4.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/Shrek4.zip

www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/SorcerersApprentice.mp4
www.tools4movies.com/Droid/Stretch/SorcerersApprentice.zip

To watch movies on the Nexus One, just download and install DVD Catalyst 3, select Android > Nexus One from the dropdowns on the left, insert your DVD or drag your video files onto the program, and click Go.

Files created using the iPod/iPhone profiles will play fine on the Nexus One as well.

For additional tips and tricks on how to get the best quality video on your Nexus One, just refer to the “Droid” articles on this website. The only real difference with video between the Nexus One and the (Verizon) Droid is that the Nexus One has a resolution of 800×480 vs the Droid’s 854×480.

I have seen quite a few on forum websites, as well as received several by email today, so I figured I’d write up a small article in this regard.

Unless you have an iTunes-connected device such as an iPod, iPhone or an Apple TV (not the Palm Pre), or a Microsoft “Play’s for Sure” compatible device, these Digital Copies are worthless. They will not play on your device, and no conversion tool will convert them to a format that can play on your device.

While there are programs out there that CLAIM they convert these files, they are basically overpriced screen recorders, dubbing the video and the audio in real-time. These programs usually cost around $60-$80, and the resulting quality of the video is quite disapointing.

The best way to convert movies you have in this format to just rent the DVD, and rip it with your favorite DVD ripper program.

While the idea of Digital Copies is nice, the implementation is not. With MP3’s, they finally decided that DRM was bad, now it’s time for them to realize it for Video.

*Install the Boosterpack. The boosterpack installs an additional conversion engine, which is basically a newer version than the one DVD Catalyst has. It’s a free download, and will speed things up considerably, even with the same settings.

*Turn off the CPU indicators.  In Global Settings > Advanced, remove the checkmark for them, restart DVD Catalyst, and you will gain some extra performance. The CPU indicators (blue bar(s) at the bottom right) look nice, but they don’t really serve any purpose, other than to show you how busy your computer is.

*If you are converting from a DVD, a tool that removes the protection on the fly, such as ANyDVD or DVD43 will reduce the work needed to be done by the conversion, and thus speed it up a little. In some cases, when the protection is too strong, DVD Catalyst switches to a slower conversion mode, (”restarted conversion” message) to be able to convert the movie, so if there is no protection, it will always use the faster method.

*If you are converting video files, if possible, put the output location on a different harddrive than the one you have the original files on.

*NEVER convert directly to a device or a storage card. The transfer rate of flash memory is not the greatest, so conversions will be terribly slow.

*Don’t convert from and to a USB device at the same time. The USB bus can only handle so much data, and having the data go back and forth at the same time will slow things down.

The above mentioned speed tips do not affect quality in any way

So what are the differences between the different profiles in DVD Catalyst 3

For the Apple-devices, such as the iPhone, there are 3 different profiles, Fast, standard and HQ

The Fast profile uses generic mpeg4 for the video format, which is an older form of mpeg4 video that is easier and faster to convert, even on older computers. The compression quality is not the greatest, so to achieve a good looking video file, you end up with a fairly big file size.

The Standard profile uses the H264 video format, but has been tweaked to produce a good quality at a reasonable fast speed.

The HQ profile uses H264 video as well, but it has been tweaked to produce the best possible quality, without any regard of conversion speed.

The HQ2 profile (Motorola Droid) is similar to the HQ profile, but just has a higher bitrate.

BITRATE

This determines the file-size and the quality.

As mentioned earlier, a lot of people just look at the specifications of the device, and use those as settings for the video files.  The Droid is capable of a maximum bitrate setting of 1500kbps, but many people don’t notice the difference between video encoded at 1000kbps or 1500kbps. Now if you watch the same video files on a bigger screen, you might notice the difference, but even then, it really is not as much oif a difference as you would think.

As a bonus, a lower bitrate will also result in (slightly) faster conversions.

What is video.

Video is basically sequence of images (frames) displayed in succession. The individual images are slightly different from each other, and depending on the speed of playback of the sequence (frame-rate) the “movement” of the video is smooth or slide-show style.
Movies, TV Shows, Cartoons are in all essence the same, just a bunch of images displayed in succession. The speed of which the individual images change is usually between 25 and 30 changes per second, based on the limitation of the human eye.
The quality of the video is determined by the quality of the individual frames of the video. The better the individual picture looks, the better the video quality is, BUT unlike looking at an actual picture, video switches these images so fast, that small inconsistencies are barely noticable.

Video Codec.

Without explaining this in full detail, a codec is simply put a method to make something smaller, and make it bigger when needed.  An hour of music on a music cd takes bout about 650MB, but if we compress this to (codec) MP3, we end up with the same hour of music at a file-size of about 150-200MB (3x smaller, depending on the quality setting used) A picture from a professional digital camera could take up to 40MB in size, but to be able to send it by email, it usually gets compressed using the JPEG codec, which could reduce the file size to 1MB for example. If we take a huge Word document, with pictures and stuff, we can compress it to a ZIP file to make it a lot smaller as well. A video codec works the same way. It “encodes” (compresses) the individual pictures of the video using some compression system, and to play the file later on, the video player “decodes” (decompresses) the video so you can see it.

There are a lot of different video codecs, all with their own purposes.

MPEG1/2, used for LaserDisc, VideoCD and DVD
DIVX/XVID, used for some types of internet-video, often used for sharing video
3GP, used for older video on camera phones.
WMV, FLV, for internet streaming.
H264, used on BluRay, Apple’s iTunes and HD-DVD

Some codecs are better for quality (H264), while others are better for low performance requirements (3GP, MPEG1/2).

H264 AVC

H264 is currently the most popular video codec on the market. It is used in most devices currently available.
The main difference between H264 and other formats such as DIVX and XVID is that it is capable of making video a lot smaller than these, while maintaining a great quality. Because of this, H264 is used for Bluray movies, YouTube HD, and even the movies and TV shows you can rent/purchase from iTunes. If you would use one of the other formats for this, the file would either not look as good, or the file would be a couple times bigger in size.
However, because of the better compression, it takes a lot of computer power to handle video using this format. For conversion as well as playback, your computer needs to do a lot of work. While a great looking XVID video file will play fine on a netbook, playing a H264 video file of the same quality on the same netbook, you will notice it will stutter/freeze all the time, due to the lack of processing power. As a result, conversion to this format will be considerably slower than converting to an other video format. For devices that can play format, such as the Droid, iPod/iPhone, PSP, recent HTC and Blackberry models for example, hardware support is build-in that handles the video decoding instead of the processor.

Video quality:

Unlike Zip-files, video compression is not loss-less, which means that you will lose some of the quality. Depending on the quality (bitrate) setting used, it will be a little or a lot. As mentioned earlier, video is a sequence of pictures, and the quality of the individual picture affects the overall quality of the video. The compression is determined by the size of the pixture (width and height) and the color depth (16bits, 32bits) and what compression codec is used.
For uncompressed video, each individual frame will take up a filespace that is calculated by the following:
picture width x pixture height (amount of individual pixels) x depth (16 bits per pixel, 32bits per pixel)
For the sequence, multiply this by the amount of picture changes per second (framerate), and you end up with a bits per second value (bps/kbps etc).
The Video Codec, depending on which one is used, will reduce this value.
The quality of video is relative. Everyone’s perception of quality is different. Many people on the web, posts on forums etc, suggest to use the maximum the device can handle. While the video will look perfect, there is a price for all that quality; The conversion time is slower and the resulting file is bigger. While having video at the best possible quality is great to show off what your device can do, but when you are on a trip, and only managed to fit a few movies on your device in this quality, it might be more desirable to have them a little less than perfect so you have 2x as many with you.
You are already making a compromise bny watching the video on a smaller screen, and in all honesty, most people don’t even notice a small quality difference.
Here is a small test in regards of audio. While not directly related, it clears some things up.
http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/mp3-sound-quality-test-128-320/

To sum things up, don’t just take someone’s word for what quality settings you should use. Play around with some different settings, and save yourself some cash by not having to pick up another memorycard. The choice is yours.

While the Droid supports quite a few different video formats, the settings in DVD Catalyst make use of the H264 video format, which provides the best quality. This format is processor-demanding, so on older computers, the conversion can run a little slow.

On the Droid Forums, people have been playing with various settings for both Handbrake and DVD Catalyst.

Verizon Droid HQ preset

Screen: 848×480

Video: 1600 kbps

1 pass encode

Audio: 160 stereo

Format: iPod H264 HQ

Please note that these settings provide very very good quality files, however,for the average user, these might be a bit much. File size tends to be around 1200-1600MB, and conversion time, well, lets say unless you have a quad-core (or more) computer, I would not even remotely suggest using these. The default settings in DVD Catalyst provide a good mix of quality and reasonable filesize, which is perfect for casual viewing.

Tips:

Many people ask about full-screen video. There are a few options for this.

1. Handbrake defaults to stretch the video to make it full-screen without loss of actual video. While this works, wit does this by changing the aspect ratio. Movies that normally would not fill the screen, will be stretched in one way, resulting in tall & skinny people, or short and stubby people. To get this behavior in DVD Catalyst, in Global Se3ttings > Conversion, change the crop setting to “Fullscreen Stretch” It will remove black borders from the actual video, and then stretch the video to fill the screen completely.

2. DVD Catalyst defaults to black bar removal from the file. Many DVDs have black padding added to top and bottom to play properly on older (non-wide) TV sets. DVD Catalyst removes the padding, and then scales the video to fit within the selected screen size. It keeps the aspect ratio (people look normal) in tact, however, in most cases you still end up with black borders when viewing the video. You can use the Zoom function in the video player application to make the video full-screen though.

3. DVD Catalyst Full-screen. In Global Settings > Conversion, change the “remove black bars from file” to “remove black bars from device” This will result in DVD Catalyst removing the black padding, and then cut off parts of the sides of the movie to make it full-screen. This is the same as what was used in the past to make full-screen movies on TV.

4. Best of Both. This is a little trick used for the iPhone HQ format. This format uses 720×320 as a screensize, eventhough the device itself has less than that. By using this method, your movie will end up with the full-height of your Droid screen, but also wider (in most cases) than the Droids screen width. (for the droid, pick 1280×480 in DVD Catalyst’s screen size setting) This setting needs to be used with the “Remove black bars from file” black bar removal option. You really do not want to enable “Full-screen stretch” or “Remove black bars from device” for this!

By using this trick, videos will end up with resolutions of 720×480, 900×480, 1024×480 etc.

The idea behind this trick is to give you the best (1 : 1) pixel ratio when you watch a movie full-screen using the Zoom function of the player (thus losing the sides of the movie), but, if you want to watch the full movie width, you just zoom out in the player. Especially for movies like Star Wars, which are wider than other wide-screen movies, this is a great benefit.

More info on black bar removal can be found here (with screenshots)

As a last note,

DVD Catalyst does not UPSCALE by default. Upscaling is making the video bigger than the original video.  For example, if your original video is 320×240, and you have a screensize selected of 640×480, the video will end up being 320×240. The reason for this is that UPSCALING REDUCES QUALITY. Its similar as making a picture bigger. All that it does is double each pixel in both width and height, so one pixel ends up being 4 pixels. For video conversion, this means that there are 4x as many pixels that need to have their information saved, so the quality (kbps) needs to be 4x as high, thus a file 4x bigger in size.

By not upscaling the video, you end up with a better looking video file, and with a smaller filesize (not to mention faster conversions) All video player applications have the capability (usually automatic) to upscale video anyway, so it’s better to have a good looking lower resolution file upscaled than a bad-looking high resolution file.

So if you are wondering why DVD Catalyst shows a different screensize than the one you have selected, this is the reason why that is.

Of course you can enable upscaling in Global Settings, or just have a look at the VGA vs QVGA section in the user-guide for some additional information.

The selected screen size is used to determine the aspect ratio for the various black bar removal options though. So if you convert a wide-screen movie for a 4:3 screen size, and have “remove black bars from device” or “fullscreen stretch” selected for the black bar removal options, the screensize will be used to determine what needs to be adjusted to make your movie full-screen on your device, regardless of if it needs to be upscaled by the player or not.

Oh, anddispite only having DVD in the name, DVD Catalyst does video files on your computer as well. DIVX, XVID, AVI, MPEG, TIVO and many many more filetypes are supported. Just drag them onto DVD Catalyst, and it will sort out what it can convert.

Below some topics from DroidForums.net discussing conversion of DVD and Video to play properly on the Droid.

What Movies are on Your Droid?

Putting video on the Droid

Movies on Droid