Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

Hi everyone

I decided to rip a few of my DVDs and put them onto my Nokia n800 for an upcoming trip, however I am having issues with the playback.

Firstly, I am on the latest Nokia operating system, and am playing back the movies via mplayer.

I started by converting the DVDs through the use of the Fair Play wizard (using all the default settings). After the conversion, I transferred the file onto my Flash card and played the movie on mplayer - fantastic picture quality, but the picture was jerky every now and then.

I presumed this was because I had the quality settings too high, and the processor couldn't keep up. Therefore I ran the file through the Maemo movie converter.

However when I watch the new file on my Nokia, the picture is still jerky at odd intervals, like the processor is unable to keep up with the framerate - why is this happening even after I have run the file through movie converter?

I used the default settings in Movie converter, which I believe are as follows:

Video: 400x240
Video bitrate: 512 kbps
Audio bitrate: 64kbps

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get a movie on my Nokia that will play smoothly, without a jerky picture?

Many thanks in advance.

Martin.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I too have the same problem, whether I convert using N800 video converter, Aflegg Maemo converter, or whatever (PocketDivXEncoder, for example). I am waiting for a new SDHC card which I ordered through eBay to see if the actual one (2GB PQI SD) is too slow (I had various problems in the past during file transfer from and to the card). The on I ordered is a Class 4 SDHC Kingston 8GB :D

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

It happens with every video file, on every video player on the N800; reducing bitrates or resolution never made a meaningful difference for me. A ray of hope: it has been steadily getting better (well, I mean less hops) with every release of mplayer (I haven't noticed any improvements on the native player lately), meaning that by the time the next tablet comes out, mplayer will play smoothly, but the entire cycle can start anew for the new version...

You see, my 770 plays almost without jerks -- albeit with a significantly lower resolution.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

Yes, I absolutely agree that 770 was way better concerning video... :(

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

True, but IMHO the N800's higher resolution makes up for the occasional (and only ever so slightly irritating) hickup. I hardly ever play videos on my 770 anymore.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I find that one encoding pass gets the best results. Also keep the video framerate the same as the original.

Fair Use requires the dvd files to be on a DVD disk and I prefer them to be on hard disk. So I can't be more helpful with this particular app, sorry.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I mostly use 400x240, 1024 kbps, 64 kbps with MediaConverter. Mplayer plays smoothly, no problems at all even for heavy scenes. MediaPlayer has sync problems, but they disappear when I recode the audio to constant bitrate. About 20 DVDs, no problems!

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

If you search the forums there are many techniques that work for people. In the end we do what works for us.

FWIW I have tired a video bitrate of 1024 and the size:quality ratio is just too great for me. 512 is my sweet spot with a resultant size of 600mb approx.

reedy, your settings look fine to me, I suspect your playback issues are related to codec/player choices. Perhaps try other encoding techniques?

My experiences is that some results play back better on the Nokia Media Player than on MPlayer and vice versa.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I just tried playing back the .avi file on my PC after it had been ripped from the DVD using Fair Use Wizard and it runs without any glitches whatsoever. Similarly, once I have run it through Media Converter it runs fine on the PC, but it sticks when I play on my Nokia.

Any other thoughts?! Should I expect a movie to play back sluggishly if my flash card is relatively full (6 Gb used on an 8gb card)?

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

Again, in my experience playing it back on your pc is one thing, playing it back on the N800 is quite another. My video files reside on sd cards that are pretty chokka and no issues.

I suggest you try different encoding techniques, there are quite a few of them posted in various threads. Search under 'Handbrake' for starters.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

You know what? I just formatted my memory card and put the movie file back on, and it plays fine without any picture juddering - that's from the original rip - before running through Media Converter, too.

I wonder if one of the music players I have on my Nokia was scanning the cards music files, hence the slowdown of movie playback?

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I have no problem playing back converted DVD's using mediaconverter (same parameters as Martin: 400x240, 512, 64) and playing with UKMP. Just now tried it again - very smooth, excellent quality. There have been times when I began watching and there were occasional glitches. I found that when I switched the n800 to offline mode, the glitches disappeared. As I recall, this usually occurred when I was out of wireless contact so it may have been related to the n800 periodically trying to establish wireless contact.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

How do you go into offline mode? Is it just a case of disconnecting from the current network you are connected to?

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

To enter offline mode, briefly depress the power button (right button on top of n800), then in "device mode" menu, highlight "offline mode" and click "OK". This mode turns off wireless and bluetooth radios.

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I will soon be loading my music tracks back onto the memory card - as a result I expect the movie playback to start failing. Is there a way of checking what processes are running so I can determine what program is the resource hog once I have filled the card back up?

Re: Converted DVD problems with Nokia n800
 

I use a status bar plug-in called "load-applet". See https://garage.maemo.org/projects/load-applet/
There are also ways to do this at a lower level with xterm but someone else will have to advise you. I know just enough about linux to be a danger to myself! By the way, the "Search" feature at the top of the page will give you the answer to just about any question you may have.