Tools4Movies, the official home of DVD Catalyst » DVD to iPod

DVD Catalyst Free

Mitch — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:15:59 +0000

DVD Catalyst Free

build 1.7

Convert DVD to your iPod, your iPhone, Pocket PC, PSP, Droid, Nexus One or Zune for free. DVD Catalyst Free is the ONLY free 1-click DVD conversion utility available, and enables you to create video files for your portable devices without the need to read through complicated guides or to install a variety of different programs.

Before DVD Catalyst Free, the only option for free DVD conversions was to use guides found on community websites. These guides usually require the user to install a couple of different applications, all designed to perform a single task, and then follow the steps in order to get to the end-result. While these guides do offer a lot more control over the actual conversion quality, the problem is that it takes a lot of time and trial-and-error to get things figured out for new users. In most cases, forums where these guides posted, there are numerous newbie users who are confused or have problems with one step in the process. As a result, we decided to create DVD Catalyst Free.

DVD Catalyst Free takes care of all the steps in those guides, and eliminates the need to install additional software. It is based on DVD Catalyst 3, and while it lacks many advanced features, it retains the 1-click user interface, and the most popular device profiles.

Besides converting DVDs, it can also convert video files from and to a variety of different video formats, without the need to install codecs. No additional software is required for DVD Catalyst to do it’s thing.

Features

Multi-Award Winning, DVD Catalyst has won major awards for every major version released.
Works without the need to install additional software. (for some devices (PocketPC, Android) a decent (free) video player applicationmight need to be installed.
Converts recorded DVD, as well as commercial Movie and TV show DVDs.
Converts DVDs using a “track” system, which displays all the video content on the DVD, including special features, trailers and easter-egg tracks.
Supports subtitles, language selection and Closed Captions
Converts ‘on-the-fly’, no huge storage space is needed, only the filesize estimated for the created video files.
Supports ‘batching, multiple DVD drives, multiple video files, or a mix thereof are all converted in order. Add as many as you want, and let DVD Catalyst run overnight.
Automatic DVD, DVD Catalyst detects new DVDs on insert, and ejects them when done.

System Requirements

IBM-compatible PC with a minimum 500 MHz Pentium-class microprocessor and 128 MB RAM
Windows 2000/XP/XP64/VISTA/VISTA64/7
40 MB hard-disk space + space for the created files

Included device profiles

Apple iPhone. (All versions) Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality. This is the same format Apple uses for its content on iTunes.

Apple iPod Touch. (All versions) Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality. This is the same format Apple uses for its content on iTunes.

Apple iPod Nano. (3G, 4G) Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality. This is the same format Apple uses for its content on iTunes.

Apple iPod Video. (5G, 5.5G, Classic) Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality. This is the same format Apple uses for its content on iTunes.

· Cellphone 3gpp. Compatible with most cellphones with video capability.

· Zune 4. Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality.

· Zune 8. Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality.

· Zune 30. Files are created with the WMV video codec to ensure compatibility.

· Zune 80. Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality.

· Zune 120. Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality.

· Playstation Portable. Files are created with the H264/AVC video codec to produce the best quality. Files need to be stored in the “VIDEO” folder located directly on the memorystick.

· Windows Mobile. Files are created with the DIVX video codec to produce the best quality. For playback, a DIVX-capable video player application such as TCPMP is required. You can find many versions of TCPMP on www.tools4movies.com/tcpmp

· Windows Mobile VGA. Files are created with the DIVX video codec to produce the best quality. For playback, a DIVX-capable video player application such as TCPMP is required. You can find many versions of TCPMP on www.tools4movies.com/tcpmp

· Palm Treo. Files are created with the DIVX video codec to produce the best quality. For playback, a DIVX-capable video player application such as TCPMP is required. You can find many versions of TCPMP on www.tools4movies.com/tcpmp

· Palm Centro. Files are created with the DIVX video codec to produce the best quality. For playback, a DIVX-capable video player application such as TCPMP is required. You can find many versions of TCPMP on www.tools4movies.com/tcpmp

· Audio only MP3. Converts only the audio portion of your videos/DVDs, basically turning them into audiobooks.

NEW in 1.7:

Google Nexus One

HTC Droid Eris

Motorola Droid

Options

DVD Catalyst Free is created to provide a simple way to convert movies for portable devices. Besides a basic quality adjustment, it does not have configuration options to modify settings set by the device profiles. Selecting a device profile automatically sets parameters required for creating video content compatible for the selected device, but nothing else.

To be able to modify additional profile settings, such as audio quality or black-bar removal, please upgrade to one of our other products, found on www.tools4movies.com. Besides offering more configuration options, they offer faster DVD conversions for most DVDs as well.

Selecting a device profile automatically selects the proper video format required for playback on the selected device. Some devices, such as PalmOS- and Windows Mobile-based devices do not have proper video playback, and for these devices, additional software is needed to be able to play the created video files. Please refer to the “Included device profiles” section for details on this.

In addition, the device profile sets the screen size of the device, which is used to optimize the video to make it fit, while preserving the best possible quality. The video will just be resized to fit within the screen size set by the profile, without further modifications. Depending on the device, as well as the video content, you might have black borders when viewing the video on your device. To eliminate this, please upgrade to one of our other software products.

The video quality is also automatically set by the device profile, but you can freely adjust this to fit your needs. The default setting for each device is selected based on providing a good quality at a reasonable file size. A quality indication (Q-value) gives you an indication of what quality to expect. Usually a value of 8 provides good quality. If you increase the video quality, keep in mind that the resulting quality can never be better than the quality of the original video, and going over 12 will not really be noticeable.

Purchase DVD Catalyst 3

Mitch — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:14:59 +0000

DVD Catalyst 3

Faster, easier and more features than ever before

Watch a DVD on your iPod, iPhone, Pocket PC, Zen, Zune or any other video-capable device with one click.

DVD Catalyst 3 is the most advanced, feature-rich DVD conversion tool on the market today, and besides the standard features found in similar products, it offers numerous industry-first features to make it as easy to use as possible.

$19.95 $9.95

Convert DVD to your iPod, your iPhone, Pocket PC, Zen, Zune and more in a breeze. DVD Catalyst is the most advanced, feature-rich DVD conversion tool on the market today, and besides the standard features found in similar products, it offers numerous inductry-unique features to make it as easy to use as possible.

DVD Catalyst enables you to convert your own DVD collection to a format that can be played on a video-capable device that does not normally play DVDs. It creates video files from DVDs that are compatible with many different devices, including Apple’s iPod and iPhone devices, Blackberry, Pocket PC, PSP, XBOX 360, PS3, Zen and Zune.

Features

Multi-Award Winning, DVD Catalyst has won major awards for every major version released.
Works without the need to install additional software. (for some devices (PocketPC, Android) a decent (free) video player applicationmight need to be installed.
Converts recorded DVD, as well as commercial Movie and TV show DVDs.
Converts DVDs using a “track” system, which displays all the video content on the DVD, including special features, trailers and easter-egg tracks.
Supports subtitles, language selection and Closed Captions
Converts ‘on-the-fly’, no huge storage space is needed, only the filesize estimated for the created video files.
Supports ‘batching, multiple DVD drives, multiple video files, or a mix thereof are all converted in order. Add as many as you want, and let DVD Catalyst run overnight.
Supports ‘profiles’, create your own custom settings, and save them as profiles for quick access.
Supports ‘multi-device’, only DVD Catalyst enables you to queue up multiple different devices. Everything will be converted for all selected devices.
Automatic DVD, DVD Catalyst detects new DVDs on insert, and ejects them when done.
Folder monitor, DVD Catalyst can scan selected folders for new files, and select them for conversion.
Automation options, most of DVD Catalyst’s options can be set to automatically perform certain tasks, such as language/subtitle selection and black bar removal.
0-Click. DVD Catalyst can be configured to run completely without any clicks. Insert a DVD, and it will convert it, new files found in a folder will be converted, subtitles, languages etc, all can be set automatically.
Proven to be stable and fast and does not require additional software.
Includes profiles for ALL the common devices (190+), and new ones are added on a regular basis.

System Requirements

IBM-compatible PC with a minimum 500 MHz Pentium-class microprocessor and 128 MB RAM
Windows 2000/XP/XP64/VISTA/VISTA64/7
40 MB hard-disk space + space for the created files

DVD Catalyst 3.82 Beta

Mitch — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:40:43 +0000

The first beta version is available for registered users.

DVD Catalyst 3.82, the next version of DVD Catalyst 3 is currently available in beta form.

While most things are fully functional, there might be some issues.

Whats new:

To clean things up a little, 2 new TABs have been added in Global Settings.

*Boosterpack TAB, containing the settings for turning off boosterpack, as well as room for future options.

*Advanced TAB, containing additional settings that do not really fit in the other tabs, or are for more experienced users.

The Advanced Tab includes the following:

*AVCHD framerate. Some camera files do not report the video information properly, causing severe issues with conversions.
This is used for those files.

*Run before conversion: run a program (or bat file) before the conversion starts.
*Run after conversion: run a program (or bat file) after the conversion is finished.
these are usefull to stop and restart a program that might interfere with the conversion. These options actually run anything. The Browse dialog is set to look for All Files, enabling you to pick whatever you want to run. You could pick a program, but also a wav file or an mp3 to play when conversions are complete. To test-run the file, click on the filename in DVD Catalyst after you selected a file. Note that the execution of the file is NOT monitored by DVD Catalyst. it will not wait for a script to finish.

*SRT subtitle font scale: video files with SRT subtites tend to convert subtitles really small. this fixes that.

*Ask for DVD track selection: Rather that using DVD Catalyst automatic scanning, this will enable you to manually select the tracks you need.
Handy for those DVDs with a lot of tracks, or if you had issues, and restarted DVD Catalyst and remembered which track you need.
Shows playtime of the tracks, and has a preview as well.

*Shutdown DVDCat when done. closes dvdcat when conversion are completed.
*shutdown computer when done. (has been in dvdcat since the beginning) turns off computer when conversions are done.

To play with the beta, use the “Email Us” button in DVD Catalyst 3 to contact us.

DVD Catalyst 3 supported formats

Mitch — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:39:23 +0000

Because DVD Catalyst uses the opensource mplayer/mencoder tools for it’s conversion engine it can read and create a huge number of video formats.

DVD Catalyst can read (convert) the following video files and formats:

DVD: Recorded as well as commercial (rental/store bought) DVDs.

DVD ISO: ISO files in a variety of different file formats. (usually backups of DVDs created using other software).

DVD FOLDER: Folders containing VOB and IFO files. (usually backups of DVDs created using other software).

SVCD/VCD: Commonly used in Asia, or backups created from DVD using other software.

MKV: Anime / BRrips etc.

DIVX/XVID/AVI: DVD rips (DVD backups), internet downloads etc.

MPEG1/M1V/MPEG2/M2V/VOB: Recordings (Camera/TV Card), DVD backups etc.

WMV / DVR-MS / VC-1: Windows Media formatted files, Media Center recordings etc.

AVCHD / MTS / M2TS / MT / TS / TP / M2T / M2P/ TRP : HD Camera recordings. Some formats work already, however, better support will be added in 3.82.

OGM : Open-source video format (Anime).

MOD : MPEG2-based video camera recordings.

FLV : Flash Video, video from websites like YouTube.

3GP / 3G2 / AMR / H263 : Cellphone camera recording format.

M4V / MP4 / MPEG4 SP : MPEG 4 Simple Profile, used for some camera recordings.

MOV / MP4 / MPEG4 AVC / H264 / x264 : MPEG4 Advanced Coding Profile, HD video format used in BluRay(rips), HD TV recordings, iPod/PSP optimized files.

And more (most of the ones listed here)

If for some reason DVD Catalyst ignores the files you add, you can use the “Add file(s)” button which lets you bypass the file-extension check. DVD Catalyst will try and access the file as a video file, and if it can do something with it, it will enable it for conversion.

DVD Catalyst can write (create) video files using the following formats:

H264 MP4 : The best-quality video format at this time. Used for all HD content, including Apple iTunes video and BluRay.

h264_ipod : DVD Catalyst h264 format, with specific settings for compatibility with Apple’s devices. It is also the most compatible H264 format, and is playable on most devices that can play H264 video.

h264_ipod_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format, settings optimized for quality, while retaining compatibility with most devices.

h264_appletv : DVD Catalyst h264 format with specific settings for AppleTV, outdated, use h264_ipod instead.

h264_appletv_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format with specific settings for AppleTV, outdated, use h264_ipod_hq instead.

h264_5.1 : DVD Catalyst h264 format with 5.1 audio. only for PC playback, not compatible with any known device. (.mov)

h264_5.1_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format with 5.1 audio. only for PC playback, not compatible with any known device. (.mov)

h264_5.1_mp4 : DVD Catalyst h264 format with 5.1 audio. only for PC playback, not compatible with any known device. (.mp4)

h264_5.1_hq_mp4 : DVD Catalyst h264 format with 5.1 audio. only for PC playback, not compatible with any known device. (.mp4)

h264_xbox : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for XBOX360, not compatible with any other device. (.avi)

h264_xbox_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for XBOX360, not compatible with any other device. (.avi)

h264_ps3 : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for Sony PS3, not compatible with any other device. (.avi)

h264_ps3_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for Sony PS3, not compatible with any other device. (.avi)

h264_psp : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for Sony PSP, not compatible with any other device. (firmware 3.10+)

h264_psp_hq : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for Sony PSP, not compatible with any other device. (firmware 3.10+)

h264_psp2 : DVD Catalyst h264 format specifically for Sony PSP, not compatible with any other device. (firmware 2.00+) This format is very picky in file naming, folder location on the PSP, and is not recommended for use at all. Upgrade your PSP, and use the other format for better quality.

MPEG4 SP : Less demanding video format (older devices)

mpeg4_ipod : Most compatible MPEG4 SP format, compatible with most devices that can handle MPEG4-SP. Used in “Fast” profiles for Apple iPod / iPhone / Apple TV due to better performance on older computers. Less quality though.

mpeg4_psp : DVD Catalyst MPEG4 format specifically for Sony PSP, not compatible with any other device. (firmware 1.00+) This format is very picky in file naming, folder location on the PSP, and is not recommended for use at all. Upgrade your PSP, and use the other format for better quality.

amv_mp2 : specific video format for cheap Asian mp4 video players. (.amv)

Audio MP3 : Converts any DVD or video file to an MP3 audio file. (.mp3)

flv_mp3 : Creates video files in Flash Video format, compatible with internet websites and flv players.

H263 / 3GP / 3GP2 : Low quality video format for processor-limited devices (cellphones)

3gp1_aac: basic 3gp video file, compatible with most cellphones such as Nokia and Motorola (.3gp)

3gp1_aac_mp4: 3gp video file with .mp4 file extension used for Sansa Connect.

3gp1_amr-nb: basic 3gp video file, most compatible with anything that can play 3gp files (.3gp)

3gp1_amr-wb: variation of the above, using slightly modified settings, not used.

3gp2_aac: 3gp2 video file format(.3g2), not used.

AVI / MPEG4 ASP

msmpeg4_mp3 : basic AVI video file, requires no codec install on computers that have Windows Media Player 7 or higher installed. Used by DVD Catalyst for inbetween file for some video formats.

divx_mp3 : divx encoded avi file, optimized for Nokia Internet Tablets

divx4_mp3 : divx4 video file format, used for some older Epson, Blackberry and Creative Zen models.

divx4_copy : divx4 video format with the original audio left untouched. Not used.

divx5_mp3 : divx5 video file format, compatible with any device capable of (Certified) DIVX playback.

divx5_copy : divx5 video format with the original audio left untouched. Used for some HQ profiles.

divx5_mp3_cam : special conversion format, recommended to be used for low quality conversions, such as cellphone recordings to another format. Using any other format with these kinds of files might fail conversions.

divx5_mp3_palm : special conversion format specifically intended for use with older PalmOS devices.

xvid_mp3 : opensource version of DIVX, compareable to divx5_mp3.

xvid_mp3_sansa : xvid format with specific settings for the Sansa Fuse.

xvid_mp2 : xvid video format with mp2 audio, usable for some older devices. Not used by DVD Catalyst at this time.

xvid_copy : xvid video format with the original audio left untouched. Used for some HQ profiles.

MPEG / MPG

mpeg2_mp2 : Standard MPEG2 video format with MP2 audio

mpeg2_mp2_hq : Standard MPEG2 video format with MP2 audio with additional quality settings enabled

mpeg2_copy : Standard MPEG2 video format with original source audio

mpeg2_mp2_hq : Standard MPEG2 video format with original source audio with additional quality settings enabled

and more

DVD Catalyst 3

Mitch — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:31:06 +0000

DVD Catalyst 3

Build 3.84

Features

Multi-Award Winning, DVD Catalyst has won major awards for every major version released.
Works without the need to install additional software. (for some devices (PocketPC, Android) a decent (free) video player applicationmight need to be installed.
Converts recorded DVD, as well as commercial Movie and TV show DVDs.
Converts DVDs using a “track” system, which displays all the video content on the DVD, including special features, trailers and easter-egg tracks.
Supports subtitles, language selection and Closed Captions
Converts ‘on-the-fly’, no huge storage space is needed, only the filesize estimated for the created video files.
Supports ‘batching, multiple DVD drives, multiple video files, or a mix thereof are all converted in order. Add as many as you want, and let DVD Catalyst run overnight.
Supports ‘profiles’, create your own custom settings, and save them as profiles for quick access.
Supports ‘multi-device’, only DVD Catalyst enables you to queue up multiple different devices. Everything will be converted for all selected devices.
Automatic DVD, DVD Catalyst detects new DVDs on insert, and ejects them when done.
Folder monitor, DVD Catalyst can scan selected folders for new files, and select them for conversion.
Automation options, most of DVD Catalyst’s options can be set to automatically perform certain tasks, such as language/subtitle selection and black bar removal.
0-Click. DVD Catalyst can be configured to run completely without any clicks. Insert a DVD, and it will convert it, new files found in a folder will be converted, subtitles, languages etc, all can be set automatically.
Proven to be stable and fast and does not require additional software.
Includes profiles for ALL the common devices (190+), and new ones are added on a regular basis.

System Requirements

IBM-compatible PC with a minimum 500 MHz Pentium-class microprocessor and 128 MB RAM
Windows 2000/XP/XP64/VISTA/VISTA64/7
40 MB hard-disk space + space for the created files

Included device profiles

Clearview miPC Infinity
Apple AppleTV (Fast)
Apple AppleTV (HQ)
Apple AppleTV (HD)
Apple AppleTV (HQ HD)
HD ( 720) Apple TV
HD ( 720) Apple TV HQ
HD ( 720) eGreat 720
HD ( 720) eGreat 720 HQ
HD (1080) eGreat 1080
HD (1080) eGreat 1080 HQ
HD ( 720) Zune HD
HD ( 720) Zune HD HQ
HD ( 720) XBOX 360
HD ( 720) XBOX 360 HQ
HD ( 720) PS3
HD ( 720) PS3 HQ
HD ( 720) WD HD
HD ( 720) WD HD HQ
HD ( 720) NMT XVID
HD ( 720) NMT XVID HQ
HD ( 720) NMT H264
HD ( 720) NMT H264 HQ
Apple iPhone (Fast)
Apple iPhone (HQ)
Apple iPhone 3G (Fast)
Apple iPhone 3G (HQ)
Apple iPhone 3GS (Fast)
Apple iPhone 3GS (HQ)
Apple iPod Classic (Fast)
Apple iPod Classic (HQ)
Apple iPod Nano (Fast)
Apple iPod Nano (HQ)
Apple iPod Touch (Fast)
Apple iPod Touch (HQ)
Apple iPod Video (Fast)
Apple iPod Video (HQ)
Apple iPod TV-Out
Toshiba TG01
Toshiba TG01 (HQ)
Generic 3GP Cellphone
Audio Only Movie to MP3
Tivo to MPEG
Tivo to MPEG Copy
Generic VCAST Cellphone
Verizon Droid
Verizon Droid HQ
Verizon Droid HQ2
Motorola Milestone
Motorola Milestone HQ
Generic MPEG4 Cellphone
Generic AVC/H264 Cellphone
Nokia Nokia 3GP
Nokia 9300
Nokia Nokia AVC (N95)
Nokia Nokia 5800
Nokia Nokia MP4
Dingoo A320 (AVI)
Generic Windows Mobile PocketPC (TCPMP)
Generic Windows Mobile Smartphone (TCPMP)
Smartphone Generic DIVX (TCPMP)
HTC Touch (TCPMP)
HTC Touch 3G (TCPMP)
T-Mobile myTouch 3G
HTC Touch Viva (TCPMP)
HTC Touch Pro (TCPMP)
HTC Touch Diamond (TCPMP)
HTC Touch Diamond2 (TCPMP)
HTC Touch Dual (TCPMP)
HTC Fuze (TCPMP)
HTC TyTN II (TCPMP)
HTC P6500 (TCPMP)
HTC P3570 (TCPMP)
Verizon XV6900
HTC Touch Cruise (TCPMP)
HTC Touch HD
HTC Touch HD2
Nokia 810
Nokia 810 HQ
HTC Touch LEO
HTC Touch Pro2
HTC Imagio
HTC Imagio HQ
Verizon VX6975 (Imagio)
Verizon VX6975 (Imagio) HQ
HTC MAX 4G
HTC Touch HD (HQ)
Generic WMV
Generic WMV HQ
Generic DIVX HQ
Generic AVI HQ
Generic MPEG2
Generic MPEG2 HQ
Microsoft Zune 4
Microsoft Zune 4 (HQ)
Microsoft Zune 8
Microsoft Zune 8 (HQ)
Microsoft Zune 30
Microsoft Zune 30 (HQ)
Microsoft Zune 80
Microsoft Zune 80 (HQ)
Microsoft Zune 120
Microsoft Zune 120 (HQ)
Microsoft Zune HD (HQ)
Microsoft Zune HD (TV )
Microsoft Zune HD (TV HQ)
Zune Zune HD (TV)
PocketPC PocketPC 2000
PocketPC PocketPC 2002
Microsoft W Mobile 2003
Palm Palm Treo / Centro
Palm Pre
Palm Pre (HQ)
PocketPC Palm Treo 7XXw
Palm Treo 7XXp (TCPMP)
Epson P2000
Epson P2000 AVI
Epson P4000 AVI
Creative Zen 4GB
Blackberry 81xx Pearl
Blackberry 83xx Curve
Blackberry 8330 Curve
Blackberry 87xx Series
Blackberry Storm
Blackberry Storm2
Blackberry Storm (HQ)
Blackberry Storm2 (HQ)
Blackberry 89xx Curve
Blackberry 89xx Curve (HQ)
Blackberry Tour 9630
Blackberry Tour 9630 (HQ)
Blackberry Bold
Blackberry Bold (HQ)
Misc Meizu M6 Miniplayer
Microsoft W Mobile 2005
Philips GoGear Opus SA5295
Microsoft W Mobile 5
Microsoft W Mobile 2006
Microsoft W Mobile 6
Microsoft W Mobile 2003 VGA
Microsoft W Mobile 2005 VGA
Microsoft W Mobile 5 VGA
Microsoft W Mobile 2006 VGA
Microsoft W Mobile 6 VGA
Microsoft PocketPC DIVX (TCPMP)
Smartphone Smartphone DIVX (TCPMP)
PocketPC DIVX VGA (TCPMP)
Asus eee 7″
Asus eee 9″
Asus eee 10″
MSI Wind 9″
MSI Wind 10″
Generic Netbook 7″
Generic Netbook 9″
Generic Netbook 10″
Generic Netbook 11″
Generic HD Media Player (Average)
Generic HD Media Player (Good)
Generic HD Media Player (Best)
Archos A404 H264
Archos A604 H264
Archos A605 H264
Archos A605 XVID
Archos 105
Archos 405
Archos 5 (with H264 plugin)
Archos 7 (with H264 plugin)
Archos AV500
Archos AV700
Misc Camera2DIVX
Misc Cowon A2
Cowon Q5W
Cowon A3 (DIVX)
Cowon Q5W (H264/AVC)
Cowon iAudio 6
Cowon iAudio 7
Cowon iAudio X5
Cowon S9
Cowon O2PMP (DIVX)
Cowon O2PMP (H264/AVC)
Cowon D2+
iRiver Spinn
iRiver LPlayer
iRiver E100
iRiver P7
iRiver Clix
Samsung Omnia
Samsung i8510 INNOV8
Samsung Omnia II
Samsung Omnia HD i8910
Misc Cavalry CAPP6
Misc Disney MixMax
Motorola KRZR
Motorola RAZR
Motorola SLVR
Motorola MOTOKRZR K1m
Motorola MOTORIZR Z6tv
Motorola MOTORAZR maxx Ve
Motorola ZN5
Motorola MOTORAZR V9m
Motorola MOTO Z6c World Edition
LG VX 8700
LG VX 8350
LG VX 9400
LG enV
LG EnV Touch
LG EnV Touch HQ
LG Chocolate
LG VENUS
LG Voyager
Samsung Gleam
Motorola DEXT MB220
Samsung Eternity
LG Vu CU920
Sony-Ericsson p910
Sony-Ericsson SE Xperia X1a
Sony-Ericsson Aino
Sony-Ericsson Satio
Samsung FlipShot
Samsung SCH-u540
Samsung SCH-u550
Samsung SCH-u620
Samsung Alias SCH–u740
Creative Zen Vision
Creative Zen Vision M
Creative Zen Vision W
Misc GP2X
HandheldPC Jornada 720 (TCPMP)
HandheldPC MobilePro 900 (TCPMP)
HandheldPC MobilePro 900c (TCPMP)
HandheldPC Sigmarion 3 (TCPMP)
HP IPAQ 22xx
Nokia N770
Nokia E72
Nokia N82
Nokia N800
Nokia N900
Nokia N900 HQ
Nokia N70
Nokia N73
Nokia N91
Nokia N93
Sony Playstation 3(PS3)
Sony Playstation 3(PS3) HQ
Sony Playstation 3(MPEG)
Sony Playstation 3(MPEG) HQ
Sony Playstation 3(COPY AUDIO)
Sony Playstation 3(COPY AUDIO) HQ
Sony Playstation 3(AVC)
Sony Playstation 3(AVC) HQ
Sony Playstation 3(H264)
Sony Playstation 3(H264) HQ
Sony Playstation P(PSP)
Sony PSP (PSP)
Sony PSP HQ
Sony Mylo2
Sony Playstation P(PSP) HQ
Sony PS3(AVC)
Sony PS3(AVC) HQ
Sony PS3(H264)
Sony PS3(H264) HQ
Sony PS3 DIVX
Sony PS3 DIVX COPY AUDIO
Sony PS3 DIVX HQ
Sony PS3 DIVX HQ COPY AUDIO
Sony PS3 XVID
Sony PS3 XVID COPY AUDIO
Sony PS3 XVID HQ
Sony PS3 XVID HQ COPY AUDIO
Sony Walkman NWZ
Sony Walkman X
Samsung S8000 JET
Samsung S5230 STAR
Misc Samsung U800
Misc Sansa Connect
Misc Sansa Fuse
Misc Sansa View
YouTube Flash Video
Misc FLV
T-Mobile T-Mobile G1 (Fast)
HTC HTC Dream (Fast)
T-Mobile T-Mobile G1 (Standard)
HTC HTC Dream (Standard)
T-Mobile T-Mobile G1 (HQ)
HTC HTC Dream (HQ)
Android HTC Hero
Android Acer Liquid
Acer neoTouch
Samsung B7620
Generic XVID_MP3
Generic DIVX_MP3

Add

Mitch — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:27:21 +0000

The “Add” menu item in DVD Catalyst provides a quick way to add additional content to DVD Catalyst to convert.

*Scan DVDs. This will have DVD Catalyst scan your DVD drives for actual DVDs. By default, DVD Catalyst does this by itself. Unless you disabled this in Global Settings, there is no need to manually do this.

*Add files. This will open a file dialog enabling you to select individual video files to add to the conversion.

*Add folders. This will open a folder dialog enabling you to select folders containing video files to add to the conversion.

DVD Catalyst 3 supports Drag & Drop to quickly and easily add files to the conversion. Just drag files and/or folders onto the program, and DVD Catalyst will sort out what it can handle, and add it to the selection queue.

DVD Catalyst User Review (2007) from Phoenix, Arizona

Mitch — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:59:37 +0000

Unbelievable Product!: by Frank from Phoenix, Arizona
on Feb 5, 2007; I’ve tried 5 other products before this one, and this product is the best, hands down. Blazing fast and easy to use. I’ve had other programs that didn’t convert certain dvd’s but DVD Catalyst has converted everything I’ve put in front if it. I have a PPC, PSP, and an IPOD and it’s perfect for all of them. Search no more. A must have product.

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DVD Catalyst User Review (2006) from Chichester NY

Mitch — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:16:02 +0000

The BEST DVD Converter Software!!
j.grant from Chichester NY, May 17, 2006

I had to purchase 2 others that promised to work.. and be easy.. NEITHER worked.. or were easy and support stunk! I then purchased this one DVD CATALYST.. I first did the trial.. and I had a few questions about how to get it to work.. and the support at dvd catalyst was INSTANT and very helpful.. I had the problem solved and was using it right away! I couldn’t believe how helpful they were ..and I hadn’t even bought it yet.. I have since purchased it.. DO NOT even bother buying another one.. This is it. works great for my palm TX and on my sons video ipod. cool.

Clinton Fitch reviews DVD Catalyst GT

Mitch — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:48:51 +0000

With the explosive growth of mobile devices, the need for making entertainment mobile has grown as well. The proliferation of portable DVD players, MP3 players, and Windows Mobile devices along with ever increasing performance demands from these devices are a testimony to this trend. The challenge – as it has always been – has been combining functions and features into a single device to prevent having to carry multiple devices.

Over the past several years, many developers have released DVD ripping applications which allowed users to copy a DVD to their hard disk for playback directly on their PC, their iPod or Windows Mobile device. While the legality of such software – especially in the United States – has been a subject of debate, the developers have continued to produce these applications with ever increasing performance and quality.

As part of this growth in DVD copying was and continues to be DVD Catalyst. With the award winning 2.0 version currently available – and a new version on the horizon – DVD Catalyst has been one of the stronger applications in this genre. The problem facing DVD Catalyst has been the same however for all of the applications: complexity. Simply put, there are dozens of variables that can go into the ripping of a DVD or the conversion of a video file to another format. For new users, the overwhelming amount of features in DVD Catalyst 2 can seem a bit intimidating.

With this in mind and a goal of ease-of-use in mind, the makers of DVD Catalyst have released DVD Catalyst GT. In a nutshell, it is the quickest and easiest DVD conversion software application I have had the opportunity to use to date. Unlike it’s more sophisticated older sibling, DVD Catalyst GT makes conversion of a DVD or video file as simple as a few mouse clicks. While it does have some small customization ability, the idea behind GT is to make it simple – literally for anyone to use. This means that GT does not have many of the advanced editing features of DVD Catalyst but has all of the features that the majority of users will want and need. For the professional, DVD Catalyst 2 is still the best choice.

In addition, GT also provides you the ability to crop a video to be viewed on different devices ranging from Windows Mobile devices to Sony’s PSP or an Apple iPod. This is all done in a preview window, allowing you to see exactly how a file is going to look on your device before you convert it. It is a nice touch to a well written and easy-to-use application that can make DVD ripping and file conversion simple, fun and rewarding for any level of user.

DVD Catalyst GT is installed on your desktop PC and requires approximately 20MB of hard disk space. Since there is no Windows Mobile component to the installation, there is no space requirement on your device. The only storage you will need on your device is for the output files created by GT. After installation and GT is started, you are provided two options: “I want to Convert a DVD” or “I want to Convert a File”. As the names suggest, Convert a DVD is to be used to rip a DVD and make it into a file on your hard disk while Convert a File is designed to allow you to convert an existing video file on your hard disk to another format. For example, you could convert an AVI file to WMV (note that in order to convert file to WMV, you will need the Windows Media Encoder which is a free download from http://www.windowsmedia.com)

Figure 1: The DVD Catalyst GT Start Screen

To use the convert to DVD function you must first have the DVD in your computer’s DVD drive then select the convert a DVD option. The main display of GT is split into two sections: The preview pane on the left and the conversion settings in the right hand pane. On the preview pane you will see the DVD playing, which is automatically started by GT. It is on this pane that you select the type of device that you are going to be using to view the video file. For example, you can choose a Windows Mobile 5 device, an Apple iPod or a Sony PSP and you will see how the video will look on that type of device. The selection of the device is critical as the codec that GT will use will be based on your selection. If you choose a Windows Mobile 5 device, GT will automatically use the Windows Media Video (WMV) codec so it can be played on your device. The same is true for iPods or PSPs as it will put the video in the proprietary format of these devices. This automatic step by GT takes the guesswork out of how to configure or which codec to use when converting a DVD.

Figure 2: DVD Catalyst Configured for a Windows Mobile Device

Figure 3: DVD Catalyst Configured for an Apple iPod

You will also note that there is a PocketPC DIVX output option as well instead of Windows Mobile 2003 or 5.0. This will allow you to convert the file into a properly proportioned file for Windows Mobile devices using the DIVX codec which can then be played on your device with the TCPMP player. The TCPMP player can be downloaded directly from the DVD Catalyst website at http://www.dvdcatalyst.com/support/downloads/.

Once the format is chosen on the left-hand pane, the file name, location, video and audio qualities can be adjusted on the right-hand pane. By using the slide bars, you can choose how high you want the video or audio quality and can see in the information window above how big the file is going to be based on your settings. So, for example, a 300Kbps file is going to be smaller than a 600Kbps file. You will also note in the information window four options for cropping the video file. By default GT will automatically crop the video viewing to fit your device. However you can override this to make it full screen or have no cropping at all. By doing this it is possible you will cut out some of the video edges so be sure to use the preview window to see exactly what you will get before doing a conversion. Once the settings are to your liking click the Start Conversion button to have GT begin converting the DVD to a file on your PC.

Figure 4: Auto Cropping of The Video File…

Figure 5: Full Screen with no Borders on the Video File

When the conversion process starts, DVD Catalyst GT will display a window showing you the file names being created and the progress being made on that conversion. Most DVDs can be ripped in less than 1 hour depending on the codec being used. If you are ripping to WMV then the conversion process can take up to 3 hours. This is one reason the developer of GT has recommended the use of the TCPMP player and a DIVX output for Windows Mobile device users. Once the DVD is converted, the outputted file can then be viewed on your PC or copied to your Windows Mobile device and played. Moving a file to your Windows Mobile device can be done via a storage card reader on your PC or through Explorer in ActiveSync.

You will also note that you can change the priority of your conversion process on the status window. By changing the priority, you can instruct DVD Catalyst GT to have a normal priority, a lower processing priority or a high processing priority. This will essentially instruct your PC how much processing power to put into the program, speeding up or slowing down the conversion process based on your choice. It is usually best to leave it in Normal mode for conversion and the ability to use your PC while it is working in the background.

Figure 6: The Conversion Status Window

Figure 7: A Converted File on a Windows Mobile device

In essence, DVD Catalyst GT is that simple! With only a handful of mouse clicks you can convert a video or DVD for your favorite device, copy it to that device and view it. There are no other adjustments or settings required and the output quality is fantastic. It is clear that the developers at DVD Catalyst have hit the mark when it comes to simplicity but they have also hit on the application being feature rich and not stripped down in order to reach the simplicity goal. As impressed as I was with DVD Catalyst (See my review at http://www.clintonfitch.com/reviews/dvdcat/dvdcat-3-0/default.asp) I’m even more so with GT because it opens up a whole new world for many Windows Mobile users who are new to video conversions.

To be sure, DVD Catalyst GT is not for everyone. For the serious video converter who wants to have the ability to tweak every aspect of the output file, you need to look at DVD Catalyst 2 as GT simply does not have the “knobs” to turn as it’s bigger sibling. If you want to convert your DVDs and files but don’t have the desire to do all the custom tweaking, GT is definitely the right choice. Make no mistake however; GT is not a crippled version of Catalyst 2. They are intended for a different type of user and both meet their intended audience exceptionally well.

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Tools4Movies Addition:

DVD Catalyst GT is the predecessor of DVD Catalyst 3, and is no longer available.

Simplep Productivity Blog DVD Catalyst review

Mitch — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:19:40 +0000

Why Did I Buy This?

Why I bought my iPod classic, I went for the 160 GB because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of room. After all, my Creative Zen had 40 GB, and that held only a fraction of my music library and audio books. After loading up the iPod, though, I realized I had a lot of room left over. I decided to put my favorite DVDs on there so that I could watch them while on the treadmill.

After trying multiple free solutions that required long processing time that sucked all the power out of my machine, I tried out DVD Catalyst. I was hooked. It was a one-stop-shop package to rip the DVD and put it on my iPod. You start the package, put in the DVD, select your settings and press a button. That is all there is to it.

Free Full Trial

Another thing I really liked about this software is that the trial version is a full version, available for 7 days. That allowed me to try out the software without having to extrapolate functionality.

Summary

I think that DVD Catalyst is well worth the money. The free solutions are, well, free, but paying the $20 has saved me a lot of time and effort to get my DVDs onto my iPod.

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