Anyone has information on how to download 640x480 videos to iPod?

Question

Videos purchased on ITMS are now 640x480. They download to my 5th Gen iPod great. When I play them on my iPod and view them on my TV, the picture is significantly better than the old 320x240 (still not DVD quality though, but certainly better).
I ripped one of my DVDs to 640x480 using Handbrake, copied it to iTunes but it will not download to the iPod because it says it cannot be played on the iPod.
Any idea how to download higher resolution to iPod? If Apple download higher resoution content, why can't I?
Thanks... Ralph
PowerMac and Sony Laptop   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   2.5 Gig Dual G5

Answer 1

I plan on using Handbrake, so is it better to
convert to MPEG-4 or H.264? Should I choose 320 x
240 or 640 x 480 (or other)?
Here is how I do it...
Codec: Select H.264 video/AAC audio
File Format: MP4 file
Encoder: (Baseline profile)
On picture settings, I do 640 x XXX (as close to 480 as you can get).
Rip. Once Handbrake is finished, drag the mp4 file to iTunes. Then try to move it to your video iPod. If iTunes say that video will not play on your ipod, then go to the Advance menu in iTunes and choose the Convert selection for iPod.
Now the movie will move and play in the iPod.
I plan on playing these
only on my iPod, not to a TV, so what resolution does
the new iPod support?
The iPod screen displays 320 x 240 (native resolution), if you convert to this resolution, it will download to iPod great and no additional conversion required. Also this will yield a much smaller file.
Since sometimes I watch my shows on my 32" LCD in my bedroom, I prefer 640 x 480, or 640 x 400, etc. due to the better resolution. Negative - much bigger file sizes.
This works for me, hope it works for you.
let me know how you do... Ralph