IPod Video Woes? - Nero Recode 2 Works Great!

Question

Well, like many of you, I've tried to convert video unsuccessfully to my iPod. I've tried Videora, PSP Video 9 and a few other programs. Not ONE of these programs has created a successful video that can be ported to the iPod (even though, for some, that's ALL they are advertised to do). The Videora iPod Converter is a program to convert, yet it doesn't work for me AT ALL... even using the SP modes. Sure, it loads into iTunes fine, but getting it to load into the actual iPod is another, sad, sad story! LOL!
We all are aware that, as of right now, the H.264 codec doesn't seem to be working for many of us and MPEG-4 is, so I finally got my iPod and tried Nero Recode 2 today (part of the Nero 7 Ultra Edition).
Using Nero Recode 2, I was successful in not only creating 320x240 files that loaded into iTunes, but they also loaded right into my new iPod with no playback problems, errors, or skipping. I used a 1.78:1 16:9 source (a DVD that was ripped to my hard drive) and loaded it into Nero using the following settings:
In AUDIO #1 I set it to:
STEREO (CUSTOM PROFILE) LC (LOW COMPLEXITY) NERO DIGITAL AUDIO @ 48,000 Hz and 160 kbit/s
For VIDEO the Setting I used the slider to set the "Video Quality" to 764.6 Kbps
Make sure you UNCHECK the "Fit to Target" box and then click on the VIDEO button on the right (underneath the CHAPTER button). Since it was an anamorphic DVD I was using, I disabled "Deinterlace", disabled "Crop" and I resized to 320x240 and checked the LETTERBOXING (SQUARE PIXEL) box. Checking this box is necessary with anamorphic material so that the final file you create will be properly letterboxed (not stretched) in the 320x240 display on the iPod (it'll have the black bars properly placed at the top and bottom of the video).
Click NEXT after adjusting the above settings...
In NERO DIGITAL SETTINGS, make sure EXPERT MODE is checked.
Encoding Method = High-Quality Encoding (2 pass)
Quality/Speed = Extra Quality
Advanced = Check "Simple Profile (QuickTime Compatibility)"
Then hit BURN and come back in a couple hours.
Your file should be done and ready to load onto your iPod with very nice picture and sound quality and in the proper aspect ratio for the iPod screen.
The ONLY thing I wish Nero Recode could do is, like in Videora and PSP Video 9, raise the volume level of the encoded sound. I watched my movie through the headphones on my iPod and it sounded great, but I had the volume turned all the way up to the max. I wish there was a setting to boost the audio a bit, but at least the videos actually WORK!
I hope this helps you all.
I have used the above settings for three films so far and all are fine. They range between 600-800 meg in size. That's big, but I have a 60 gig iPod, so I have plenty of room. If you want smaller files, maybe try 128kbit/s instead of 160 kbit/s for the audio and lower the video bit rate slider a bit.

Answer 1

I have converted 6 movies now with Nero Recode 2 and transferred them to my iPod. The audio ISN'T that low on any of them. As a matter of fact, the audio is perfectly acceptible, but the volume is turned all the way up. At the max volume setting, the audio is at just about the point where my ears want to turn it down, but it's OK.
The main reason why I wish the audio could be boosted a little is because, if the movies are slightly low and I turn up the volume, then I STOP watching a movie and switch to music, the music might be soooo loud, it'll blast my ears because of the volume differences between the two formats (this happened last night and it was certainly annoying). People might forget to turn down the volume when switching programs/audio.
So far NO movie convert app has got all the bells and whistles to be a perfect solution for converting movies.
NERO RECODE works, but lacks a volume adjustment in the files. It also allows you to letterbox your source video properly for the iPod display if you use anamorphic widescreen videos. It also imports DVD VOB files perfectly, with no sync issues.
VIDEORA IPOD CONVERTER does have a volume adjustment capability, but doesn't adjust the 16:9 image to add letterboxing bars for proper playback on the iPods 320x240 screen. It would work for full-screen material, I guess, but it still doesn't work for me on my system for some reason, even in MPEG4 SP mode. The resulting video files DO load into iTunes and can be played on my computer, but not on the iPod. When loading the files to the iPod, the audio plays... the movies don't. Some people are saying Videora works for them, but I can't get anything to play on my iPod using the SP/320x240/768/128 MPEG4 profile. Must have something to do with the fact that I'm using VOB files, maybe?
I've tried PSP VIDEO 9, to no avail, as well...
I guess I could go the whole TMPGENC to 320x240 route and adjust the audio there, but that would mean I'd have to rip and re-encode the video to MPEG2 first, THEN covert again to the iPod MPEG4 format. That would mean re-encoding the audio/video twice (degrading the video even more than it would be otherwise) and it would take MUCH longer to do. But, this being said, it might be the steps I'd need to take to actually get Videora iPod Converter to work properly.
Someone needs to create a program that successfully converts DVD movies directly from the VOB file structure, allows up to 160kbits/s encoding on the audio (as well as audio volume adjustment) and that allows for you to reformat the video to 320x240 letterbox format for 16:9 anamorphic materials. Nero Recode 2 is ALMOST perfect... but not quite... it does do everything except allow volume adjustments in the final MP4 file.
No matter how much people are touting Videora iPod Converter, I just cannot get it to work successfully for what I need. Even if I found a solution to the problem, Videora CANNOT reformat stretched 16:9 anamorphic videos to letterboxed format, like Nero can. Sure, it can CROP... but it cannot RESIZE. I do not want to watch stretched, distorted video on my iPod.