It is my opinion that HandBrake with an importable preset for N900 friendly converting is easier for windows users than using most anything else. Especially for users that know nothing about A/V encoding.

I don't want to downplay Jaffa's tablet-encoder... On linux, it integrates right in with what Linux already is and does and has - 1,2,3 you're done... but on Windows.. I don't really think the installation of mplayer, perl, mencoder, and possibly cygwin are within the realms of what "normal" users want to be doing.

If we can get windows users to the point that they simply "Install application A, Import Preset B, Profit".. it'll be the easiest solution.

If somehow Jaffa gets a windows installer/wrapper that includes (automatically) both perl and mencoder or cygwin.. that would be awesome.

This is all just my opinion.. don't mean to offend anyone.

ETA:

It is also my opinion we should have a wiki article with all of these options details in a step-by-step. Including the installation of tablet-encoder on Windows, Linux and Mac, as well as 3 presets for Handbrake (normal, good, best) video qualities. Would need to maintain two presets in some cases it seems, since windows lacks some options that Linux/Mac have. Maybe DVDFab as well.

@fatalsaint, agreed entirely. Here's your starting point for the wiki article - it's one of the oldest in existence:

http://wiki.maemo.org/Video_encoding

There are also a couple of other options available in the Windows world for good conversions. I agree regarding the push buttons and type in filename level of things - it's siply the windows way.

Right, a couple of bacardis and a lot of chocolate and I'm geared up for battle.

Thought I'd try the method of using Fatalsaint's preset imports. And hit Yet Another Bloody Windows Snag. Vista won't let me change the actual file extension. And I don't seem to have a programme that will let me save it as a 'plist' file.

Please can someone upload that as a plist file instead of a text file?

Your problem is windows sucks and wants to think for you.. this is how to fix it:

1. Click Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Classic View
4. Double-click Folder Options
5. Click the View Tab
6. Uncheck Hide Extensions for Known File Types
7. Click Apply button (at the bottom of the window)
8. Click Apply to Folders button (at the top of the window)
9. Click OK

From: here.

That stupid "Hide file extensions" is one of the most ******ed things I've seen.

I should add the reason I didn't keep it plist is this forum doesn't have "plist" as a supported file extension for attachments. So I had to change it. If we fix the Wiki Jaffa linked to we should be able to keep all the presets with ".plist" on them, I believe.

might you get around the web site limitation by zipping up the file?

Oh hey... someone did a Wiki!

Check out the thread.

Kathy, there is a plist in that wiki you can download. I don't know how it is in comparison to mine.

Ah... yeah... I suppose I could have. Guess it doesn't really matter now.

I didn't think of it because, well, "zipping" a single text file just did not occur to me .

Yeah, in spades. Would you believe that for the last two years I've been transfering files to XP if I needed to change an extension without a programme? See, that's why I want to master an OS that doesn't treat me like an idiot... older versions of windows let me do that - over time it thinks I've got more stupid. Well, at my age I probably have, but there's no need to rub it it.

Meanwhile, in other news... I am encoding a short video and will let you know the results.