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 time of renting VHS tapes is over. No longer do we need to rewind the tapes to be able to watch a movie, or pay a fee at the rental store because we forgot to rewind it when we were finished watching the movie. Technology has given us DVD and Bluray, disc-based systems that vaguely remind us of the “good old days”. However, the one thing still left with these formats is that we have to change discs when done, or to watch another movie.

Here is where devices such as HTPC and Media Center PC’s come in. These devices are full-blown computers, usually in a small or stylish design, created to match stereo equipment so they do not look out of place. These devices enable you to access movies stored on the device, in an amount only limited by the size of the build-in harddisk. With just the remote, you can skip through movies just like with DVDs and VHS tapes, but, the main advantage is that you never have to leave your seat to pick the next movie. Just select it and watch another one.

These computers have evolved over the years into devices such as DVR’s (TiVo) and more recently into “Media Tanks” such as the Apple TV, Popcorn Hour and the Western Digital HD Media Player.

For all these devices, HTPC, Media Center PC and Media Tanks, the one question remains on how to get video content on there. The Apple TV connects to the iTunes store as well as an iTunes installation on your computer, a DVR gets it’s content from either TV (recordings) or services such as Amazon UnBox (rental). Recently, even the XBOX360 received a major update enabling it to stream Netflix movies. However for the non-branded devices, getting content is more troublesome.

This is where DVD Catalyst comes in. While in it’s early days it was designed to create video files for portable devices, with the newer versions, it is more than capable to fill up your media jukebox device with video content at great quality.

Here is how to get started.

Step 1. Video format.

The most important thing is to figure out what video formats your device supports. For full-blown HTPCs or Media Center systems, it usually does not matter. Because these devices are just your standard computer in a different box, you can always install some codecs to be able to play the video files you have. For the Media Tank devices, it’s a little different. These devices usually have their own operating system or firmware, and depending on what formats the manufacturer decided to provide support for, you will have to choose the format you need.

So, to make sure you pick the right format, visit either the website of the product you have, or look in the manual.

Below a list of common formats, in order of quality. The first format mentioned will provide the best possible quality, however, it will also convert slower.

MPEG4 AVC / H264 / x264. These formats are pretty much the same, but some companies use one term, other companies use the other term. This format is currently the video format with the best possible quality and compression, and is used for all of Apple’s iTunes video content, as well as Bluray, HD-DVD. Files in this format usually have the .MP4 file extension.

MPEG4 SP / DIVX / XVID. While there are differences, these formats are nearly the same in quality vs compression ratio. MPEG4 SP usually has .MP4 as a file extension, while DIVX / XVID have .AVI as a file extension. DIVX can also have .DIVX as a file extension, but more often than not it’s .AVI.

MPEG2. This is the format used for DVDs

MPEG1. This is the first MPEG version, and is used for VideoCD as well as video content on very limited devices.

For best quality, use the above order to determine the best choice for your device. MKV, a format growing in popularity, can contain different kinds of video formats, mainly H264 and XVID, but it is not limited to these. Devices that support MKV can usually play any other video format as well.

Step 2. Limitations to the settings.

Depending on the kind of device you use, there are of course limitations to what it can handle. Some devices support up to 1080i video, while other devices can barely handle 480i (Standard Definition, DVD) or 720i. In addition, the playback experience is also limited to the quality settings themselves. While most devices can handle 1500Kbps video or 5000kbps video, not all of them do. All of this information can be found in the specifications of your device, either online or in the manual. If you are using a computer (HTPC or Media Center) please keep in mind that the processor speed of the computer affects playback performance as well. Especially with H264/AVC/x264 video, a lot of processing power is needed for playback, and if you are using an older computer for playback (or an Intel Atom/Celeron-based system) you might experience issues during playback.

Step 3. DVD Catalyst 3 Settings

With the above information, we can set up DVD Catalyst to do the conversions.

Basically pick any format in DVD Catalyst 3, and click on “Modify”

Screen size: set this to the maximum of what your video player device can handle, or if your TV is smaller, use the screen resolution of your TV. DVD Catalyst does not “upscale” the video to that size, however, it is safer to set the resolution this way to avoid any playback issues.

Video format: pick the format determined in step 1.

For H264/AVC video, select “H264_IPOD” in the dropdown. This format is the most compatible. The other formats are for specific devices (such as PSP, XBOX) and are non-standard.

For DIVX you should select “DIVX5_MP3″. While DIVX is currently on version 7, most devices do not use any additional features it has to offer, or are not compatible. DIVX5 always works. If your device supports surround sound / DTC / AC3, you can select “DIVX5_COPY” for DVD conversions. This will keep the audio unmodified, retaining it’s multi-speaker setup.

For XVID you should select “XVID_MP3″.  If your device supports surround sound / DTC / AC3, you can select “XVID_COPY” for DVD conversions. This will keep the audio unmodified, retaining it’s multi-speaker setup.

For MPEG4 (SP) select “MPEG4_IPOD”

For MPEG2 you should select MPEG2_MP2″.  If your device supports surround sound / DTC / AC3, you can select “MPEG2_COPY” for DVD conversions. This will keep the audio unmodified, retaining it’s multi-speaker setup.

For MPEG1 you should select MPEG1_MP2″.  If your device supports surround sound / DTC / AC3, you can select “MPEG1_COPY” for DVD conversions. This will keep the audio unmodified, retaining it’s multi-speaker setup.

While H264 is the best video format, it might be more desirable to pick DIVX or XVID instead due to it’s capability of retaining the surround sound audio format.

Video Quality: This depends greatly on the selected video format, as well as the kind of video content you are converting. The kbps values mentioned provide reasonable quality, but quality can always be better. Quality depends on numerous things, including the kind of movie, as well as your own perception. Do note that with conversion, there will always be some quality loss, regardless of what program you use. Also the device that you use to play the files will have great impact on the quality as well.

DVDs. DVDs have a screen size of 720×480 (480i) . Even if you have set the screen size in DVD Catalyst to something higher, DVD Catalyst does not “upscale” by default (your video player does that) the screen size will be similar to that of the DVD. For H264 as a video format, you can get a good quality on about 1200kbps. If you use DIVX or XVID, you can use 1500kbps / 2000kbps to achieve the same quality, for MPEG2 it will be around 4000kbps, while for MPEG1 it will be more like 6000kbps.

HD content (Bluray rips, downloaded TV episodes in HD) This depends greatly on the screen size. for 1080i files (1920×1080) converted to the same size, I would suggest to tripple (x3) the values mentioned above. For 720i (1280×720) conversions on the same size, I would multiply the mentioned values by 1.5.

1-pass or 2-pass. This can greatly improve quality, however, it is dangerous as well. 2-pass conversions use a variable quality setting. For slow-changing scenes, the conversion will use a lower quality setting, while for fast changing scenes, the conversion will use a higher quality setting. The overall quality will be a lot better, but, if there is a fast scene, or a scene with a lot of changes (a simple ocean view with clattering waves) the quality can exceed the maximum the player can handle. When you view the movie, at these points, the movie appears to freeze or slow down a lot. If you view the same scenes on a file converted with 1-pass, you might see some artifacts, but at least the movie doesn’t freeze.

Audio Quality. This also depends on the device capabilities. If you use one of the _COPY profiles, because it does not modify the audio in any way, any changes (including volume) will not have any effect. Only the language selection will be used.

DVD Catalyst 3 has a few profiles already set up that can be used for these conversions. The Western Digital profiles will work just fine, or, you can pick the TiVo > to MPEG profiles as a base as well.

For all conversions, try a few small clips using your settings first to see how things look and play. Once you have found the settings you like, you can save them to a new profile, ready for quick selection whenever needed.

Note: the issues mentioned above (freezing on 2-pass for example) apply to ALL software that can be used to fill up your video jukebox, not just DVD Catalyst.

Requirements:

A Zune. ANy model, including the Zune HD, will work.

A Zune USB connection cable. The cable that came with your Zune to connect it to your computer.

A Computer running Windows XP/Windows Vista or Windows 7

Zune Software (www.zune.net) installed on your computer to be able to transfer files.

DVD drive (to be able to convert DVDs) or video files accessible on your computer (downloads, tv recordings etc)

Some recent version of DVD Catalyst (DVD Catalyst 3 or DVD Catalyst Free) installed on your computer.

IMPORTANT: THE ZUNE 30 PROFILE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE BOOSTER PACK !

The boosterpack does work fine for all other Zune models. More info at the end of this page.

Step 1: Start DVD Catalyst

Use the dropdowns on the left side to select “Zune” and then pick your model. The Zune 30 uses WMV video, the other models, including the Zune HD, use H264/AVC video, which is better quality, but a lot slower for conversion on older computers. Note that the Zune30 profile not compatible with the Boosterpack.

Step 2: Add your videos to DVD Catalyst

For indication purposes, I just dragged some video file onto DVD Catalyst. Just drag and drop the video files you want to convert, or put a DVD in your computers DVD drive, and DVD Catalyst will find it.  Once you have some content added to convert, click on the Go button to start the process.

Depending on the amount of video files you have added, as well as the speed of your computer, it might take a while. Except for the Zune 30 format (which is super fast already) the video format used is multi-core-capable, so if you have a computer with a Dual Core (or more) it will be used to the fullest for faster conversions.

Once the conversion is complete, DVD Catalyst will open the folder where it stored the video files it created. Do not close this window, because we need it to transfer the files. Move it to the side if needed.

Step 4: Transferring the video to your Zune.

Connect your Zune to your computer.

The Zune software should automatically start when your Zune is detected. If it does not start after a few seconds, start it by clicking on it’s icon.

In the Zune software use the menu to select “Device” and then click on “Videos”

Now go back to the folder that DVD Catalyst opened after the conversion completed. If you did close it, it is by default located in “My Documents > My Video” (for windows XP) or the “Videos” folder (Windows Vista / Windows 7)

Move the 2 windows close to each other, then (left)click and hold the created video file, and drag it to empty area underneath the device name (Nermal in the screenshot below) and let go of the file.

You might have to click on the computer icon at the bottom left of the Zune software to change the view to the Zune, and then rightclick on it to start the sync process.

Now the video file should be available on your Zune.

IMPORTANT: THE ZUNE 30 PROFILE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE BOOSTER PACK !

The Zune30 is quite picky in the format of video file that it accepts. Due to a bug in the conversion engine installed by the boosterpack, an incorrect video quality setting is reported to the Zune Software with created video files. The setting detected by the Zune Software is higher than what the Zune software allows to transfer, even though the actual quality setting of the video file is different. The original conversion engine of DVD Catalyst has a work-around applied specifically to eliminate this issue by reporting a lower quality setting, regardless of what the quality actually is, and this is allowed by the Zune software.

By installing the boosterpack, the work-around is not used in the conversion engine, resulting in that the Zune software will (attempt to) convert the created video file.

If you installed the boosterpack, you can disable it in “Global Settings”. The top title of DVD Catalyst should not have a + behind the 3 to ensure the boosterpack is not enabled.

This will have DVD Catalyst 3 connect to the www.tools4movies.com website, and check for the latest version. If the version on the website is different from the one you are using, it will offer to download the update.
Once the update is downloaded, just install it.

Because the update is not a full DVD Catalyst installer (the update is only 1mb, while the full installer is about 10mb) you should not uninstall DVD Catalyst 3 to install the update.

Because DVD Catalyst 3 does not use license keys (personal reasons) installing a (newer) trial version will not update DVD Catalyst 3 to a retail version. It will make it into a trial version, and you will have to use your original link to download the full version again.

For DVD Catalyst 2 users, the update process no longer works.

Because the dvdcatalyst.com domain has been STOLEN, the update process connects to a website we no longer have access to. 2.7 is the last DVD Catalyst 2 version.

Requirements:

PSP (PSP Fat, PSP Slim, PSP 3000 or any other model) with at least firmware version 3.10 or higher. If you purchased a PSP within the last 2 years, most likely you will have a newer firmware version. You can check your version on the PSP in “System Settings” on the left side in the PSP XMB (PSP menu)

PSP Memorystick, with enough room for your videos, 1GB recommended for movies (they usually end up around 500-700MB)

USB Cable or a Memorystick reader for your computer. The USB cable is one that usually comes with a digital camera or a cellphone, and has a USB connection on one end, and a mini-usb connection on the other end.

Computer with Windows 2000/Windows XP/Windows Vista or Windows 7

DVD drive (to be able to convert DVDs) or video files accessible on your computer (downloads, tv recordings etc)

Some recent version of DVD Catalyst (DVD Catalyst 3 or DVD Catalyst Free) installed on your computer.

Step 1: Start DVD Catalyst

On the left side, use the dropdowns to select “Sony” > Playstation P(PSP)

There are a number of different similarly named profiles, mainly for people who think that PSP is something different than PlayStation Portable.

Step 2: Add some content to convert.

For indication purposes, I just dragged some video file onto DVD Catalyst. Just drag and drop the video files you want to convert, or put a DVD in your computers DVD drive, and DVD Catalyst will find it.  Once you have some content added to convert, click on the Go button to start the process.

Depending on the amount of video files you have added, as well as the speed of your computer, it might take a while. The PSP video format is multi-core-capable, so if you have a computer with a Dual Core (or more) it will be used to the fullest for faster conversions.

Once the conversion is complete, DVD Catalyst will open the folder where it stored the video files it created. Do not close this window, because we need it to transfer the files. Move it to the side if needed.

Step 4: Transferring video files to the PSP

Connect your PSP to your computer with the USB cable, or take the memorystick out of the PSP, and put it into the card reader for it and connect it to your computer.

If a question box appears, select “View files” or something like that.

If nothing appears, open “My Computer” and click on the PSP memorystick drive that has appeared. Usually its something like drive E or F, but it differs per computer.

It should look similar to this. If your MemoryStick has not been used with the PSP, it might look a bit different. Make sure that you have a “VIDEO” folder. If not, rightclick next to another icon, and click on New > Folder and name it VIDEO

Now go back to the folder that DVD Catalyst opened after the conversion completed. If you did close it, it is by default located in “My Documents > My Video” (for windows XP) or the “Videos” folder (Windows Vista / Windows 7)

Move the 2 folders close to each other, then (left)click and hold the created video file, and drag it to the “VIDEO” folder on the memorystick.

Then let go of the mouse button, and the file should be transferred to the Memorystick / PSP

Once complete, wait a few seconds longer to make sure its completely transferred. Then (if you used a card reader) put the Memorystick in the PSP, and in the PSP menu go into Videos, and your video should be there.

Advanced: PSP HQ Profile

The PSP is quite picky in video files. They have to be of a certain screen size and a specific format, usually not compatible with non-Sony devices.

The default PSP profiles use a screen size of 480×272, which is the screen size of the actual PSP. Any video file created using the PSP format that has a screen size of 480×272 or anything less should play without problems.

The PSP HQ profiles use a screen size of 720×480, which is intended for TV-Out. This is where the pickyness of the PSP comes into play. Files that have this screen size will have to be 100% exact for 720×480. anything a little less will result in a non-working video file. If the screen size is anything bigger than 480×272 it will have to be 720×480. files with a screensize of 484×276 will not play, files of 720×440 will not play.

So, to ensure you end up with working files using the HQ profile, you will need to set the auto-cropping mode in the Global Settings (conversion tab) to either Full Screen Stretch (not recommended because it distorts the video) or Add black bars to fit resolution (which adds black padding to the video to make it the 720×480 screen resolution.)

While certainly possible, there are quite a few caveats that need to be kept in mind when doing this.

The main thing to keep in mind is that with conversion, there will ALWAYS be quality loss. Regardless of what settings you use in DVD Catalyst (or any other application for that matter) with converting video from one format to another format, you will lose quality. The settings and the format used for the conversion will determine the amount of quality loss.

A DVD already contains video in compressed form. Normal video, at its highest quality, is known as RAW video, or UNCOMPRESSED video. For video of DVD resolution, raw / uncompressed video requires a lot of space, about 2-3GB per minute or so, making it 240GB for a DVD movie. Of course a DVD can not contain all this data, so it is compressed with a video codec (MPEG2) which makes it into 4 or 8GB in size.

To edit a DVD, it needs to be stored onto your computer, and this is where DVD Catalyst would come in. It rips the video content from the DVD into a certain file format, and stores this onto your computer. Because of the numerous output formats DVD Catalyst has, it can convert DVDs into any video file type that is supported by video editing applications, however, this is where the quality comes in.

Many people have requested advice on settings for files compatible with Windows Movie Maker. While included free with your Windows XP/Vista/7 version, Movie Maker is quite limited in what it can do, and it is certainly not designed to produce the best possible quality for DVD or HD content. It offers basic options to edit, but seriously, I personally would not use it for anything other than sharing a clip by email or on the internet (youtube) It only supports a few different video formats as input, and is even more limited in output, because it only supports WMV as the file format for its created video files.

So,  to edit DVDs, and burn them to a DVD again, what would I do?

1. Rip the DVD using high quality settings for a good video format. WMV modifies too much of the actual format to be usable for editing, so I would pick TiVo > “TiVo to MPEG” or “TiVo to MPEG Copy” The “COPY” part means that it will leave the audio unmodified, which basically retains the Surround Sound from a movie. The TiVo to MPEG format itself creates MPEG2 files from whatever kind of video files, and this would make it easier to burn to a DVD later on.  If your video editing application does not support MPEG2 video, either check on the product website of the program to see if they offer an MPEG2 plugin, or change the format in “Modify” from MPEG2 to DIVX5 or XVID (both have MP3 as well as COPY formats for the audio stream.
2. Edit the video using a proper video editing application. I personally recommend using Adobe Premiere Elements or Premiere Pro, but Nero, Pinacle, Cyberlink or Ulead offer video eddting software as well. Some camera’s come with one of these applications, so you might already have it. These programs are normally not available for free, but trial versions are available.
3. Once you have your edited video, these programs are usually capable burning them directly to DVD, which ensures the best quality.

If you would do the above with Windows Movie Maker, it will work like this:

1. Rip DVD to WMV format with DVD Catalyst. Due to the differences in video format, there will be quite a bit of quality loss.
2. Edit WMV with Movie Maker, then export to WMV again, more quality loss.
3. Use DVD burner application to make the WMV file into a DVD. First it will convert the WMV file to MPEG2 format (quality loss again) and then it will be burned onto the DVD.

If you just want to cut sections from the video, you can use VirtualDub (free) for editing. There are quite a few guides on how to use VirtualDub, but in short, it works like this.

1. Rip DVD to AVI (DIVX, XVID) format with DVD Catalyst. Use either the default MP3 audio, or use COPY for audio, depending on your needs.
2. Open the file in VirtualDub, change the audio and video settings to streamcopy, and edit the file to your needs.
3. Export the edited file into a new video file
4. Use a DVD burning tool (DVDFlick would work, and is free) to make the DVD.

Links:

Free software:

DVDFlick : http://www.dvdflick.net/ Free DVD maker application. It can make DVDs from numerous different kinds of video files.

VirtualDub : http://www.virtualdub.org/ Free video editor

Commercial Software:

Adobe Premiere Elements : http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/ ($99) Professional video editting application for home users.

Adobe Premiere Pro : http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/ ($799) Professional video editting application for Pro users

Nero 9 : http://www.nero.com/enu/create-and-edit.html ($69) Multimedia editing suite for home use

Pinnacle Studio 12 : http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Studio.htm ($49) Video editing suite for home use.

Cyberlink Power Director 7 : http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector/overview_en_US.html ($42) Video editing suite for home use

Ulead DVD Movie Factory : http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector/overview_en_US.html ($49) Video editing suite for home use

Note: Some of these applications are available in a few different versions. Please review their product descriptions to see if it will fit your needs.

Additional Software:

DIVX codec : http://www.divx.com/en/downloads/postdownload/divx/win If you want to convert AVI files on your computer, it is recommended to install the DIVX codec on your computer. This will enable programs such as VirtualDub to be able to edit DIVX video files. After install, look for the DIVX decoder configuration utility in your start menu, and disbale the logo display, and disable the “de-interlace” option as well.

XVID codec : http://www.koepi.info/xvid.html If you want to work with XVID-encoded video files on your computer, you will most likely need to install this. During install, make sure that the checkmark “use for all supported formats) is not checked to ensure compatibility with DVD Catalyst.

AC3 codec : http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter If you use one of the “COPY” formats in DVD Catalyst to rip your movies, you will need to install AC3 filter to be able to hear the sound.

VirtualDub guide on how to edit video files:

http://www.weethet.nl/english/video_cutavis.php

Important:

The information in this article is for indication purposes. We do not provide specific support on how to use any of the applications mentioned (except for DVD Catalyst). It should serve as information on what is needed to perform the task of editing a DVD.

Requirements:

*An Apple iPod Video. (5G or 5.5G)

*An Apple iPod Video Sync cable. (The cable that came with it)

*A Windows-based PC. (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 (Server), Windows 2005 (MCE), Windows Vista or Windows 7)

*Apple iTunes installed on Windows PC (the latest version is recommended, but as long as it is compatible with your iPod Video, it will work just fine)

*A DVD drive in Windows-PC. (Needed for DVD conversion) If your computer has more than one DVD drive, we recommend using the DVD burner instead of the DVD-ROM drive. DVD Burners are usually better in reading DVDs, and especially for your first time, it would reduce the chance of any complications that might arise.

*DVD conversion software. (DVD Catalyst 3 is recommended, but DVD Catalyst Free will do as well)

Step 1: Initial Setup.

*Install DVD Catalyst onto your Windows-based computer.  At the end of the install, it has options to open the user guide and to start the program after install. For convenience, uncheck them both.

*The installer puts a shortcut for DVD Catalyst on your desktop. Double-click it to run the program.

*Open your DVD drive tray, and put the DVD you want to watch on your iPod Video in the drive. Close the drive-tray.

*After a few seconds, DVD Catalyst will recognize that you inserted a DVD, and it will perform a scanning procedure on it. The scanning procedure is performed by DVD Catalyst to gather information about the DVD, which is uses to optimize it during the next step for the best possible quality on your iPod Video. Depending on the DVD itself, if it is a TV DVD or a Movie DVD, it might take a little while before the scanning is complete.

Step 2: Starting the conversion.

*Using the dropdowns at the left, select Apple > iPod Video (DVD Catalyst 3) or at the bottom (DVD Catalyst Free), select the iPod Video profile. If there are more profiles listed (DVD Catalyst 3) ignore them. These other profiles are more specific, and do not serve a purpose or an explanation in this particular “How To” guide.

*Click the Go button to start the conversion. The conversion will take a while, depending on the speed of your computer.

What DVD Catalyst is doing at this point is converting the video from one format to another format. The video on a DVD is created in a specific video format called MPEG2. While there are many devices that can play this particular video format, the iPod Video cannot play video in this format, so to be able to watch the DVD on your iPod Video, it has to be converted into a format that will play on it. In addition, DVDs are intended to be viewed on a bigger screen, and to have a good quality on even bigger TV screens, the quality setting used to create the DVD video makes it quite big in file size (4 GB or more). If the video just gets converted to a compatible format, this would mean you can barely fit 2 movies on an 8GB iPod Video. Because of the smaller screen on the iPod Video, it does not need to be that big to maintain the same quality, so during conversion, DVD Catalyst changes the format to make it compatible, adjusts the screen size to make it fit properly on the iPod Video screen, and adjusts the quality itself to reduce the file size. This way, movies that would normally take up more than half of the space on your iPod Video, you end up with 10 times as many movies and TV shows.

Step 3: Preparing iTunes for transferring video files.

This is where quite a few people experience some complications. iTunes, Apple’s software for transferring music and video files to your iPod Video, is quite powerful in options; however, if these options are not set a certain way, it actually blocks other options.

*Connect your iPod Video to your computer with the Sync-cable. iTunes should start automatically after a few seconds. If it does not, double-click on the iTunes icon to start the program.

*On the left side, find your iPod Video. It should be listed under “DEVICES”. Click on your iPod Video’s name in iTunes, and on the left side it will show some information about it, a few buttons for update and restore, and below that a couple of checkmarks. While iTunes has numerous options to automatically transfer videos and songs, the easiest to transfer videos to your iPod Video is by enabling the checkmark for “Manually manage music and videos”. If you do not have this selected, it is hard to manually select the movies you want to transfer.

*Once you have enabled the “Manually manage” checkmark, click on Apply to have it set.

Step 4: Transferring the movie to your iPod Video.

When the conversion is finished, DVD Catalyst automatically opens the folder where it stores the video files. By default, the files are stored in your “My Video” (for windows 2000/XP/2003) or “Videos” (Vista/Windows 7), so if you closed the dialog, you can find it again by opening on “My Computer” and browsing to your “My Documents” folder or your “user” folder.

There are a few different ways of transferring the files to your iPod Video. If you are like us, and have a big collection build-up with movies and TV shows, it might not be desirable to have them all in iTunes. Rather than having 1000’s of files in iTunes, which makes it a bit slow, we prefer to bypass the iTunes library feature, and just transfer the files we want directly to the iPod Video.

Method 1 (preferred), bypassing the iTunes library.

*In iTunes, click on your iPod Video on the left, so that right underneath it, it will show Movies, Music (and your playlists if you have any on there) Click once on the movies so it shows the movies that are already on your iPod Video (if any) on the left side. Now go to the Windows Explorer dialog that shows the video file(s) created by DVD Catalyst. Left-click and hold the file, and drag it over to the video selection of your iPod Video. The mouse arrow should show a green “+” icon after a few seconds. Once this happens, left go of the mouse button, and iTunes will transfer the file.

If you already use iTunes for your music collection, you might want to have it manage your video collection as well. If this is the case, just add the video file to the library.

Method 2: Add to the iTunes library, and then transfer from library to your iPod Video

To add files to the iTunes library, just drag the video files to it in the same way as mentioned in method one, however, instead of selecting the “Movies” item underneath your iPod Video, select the “Movies” item underneath the library. You can also use the “File > Add file to library” or “File > Add folder to library” in the iTunes top menu as well. Once you have your movies in the iTunes library, transfer of the movies to your iPod Video works the same as for music.