DVD to MP4 or M4V

Been searching discussions for information on converting DVD's to either MP4 or M4V format. About the only free source I can find is HandBrake. Is that the best one?

This is a far shot but depending upon who you had do your original transfer from film your best bet would be to get the original pre-DVD capture from them (they may no longer have it). Even compressing to DVD is using a lossy process vs. original raw format (which will be huge files). I don't do much video work but we recently had a home DVD re-edited by somebody and from what I understand he just converted it all back to Quicktime format before re-encoding it a second time to DVD, vs. editing the original mpeg2 VOBs. I compared sections from the two versions and maybe I would have noticed more difference if it hasn't been from a 1980s videocamera originally.
I suspect in the end if you use reasonable quality conversion settings you won't notice much difference between DVD and the mp4 given the original format was home movies on film.

Similar Messages

Quicktime Update No Longer Plays Any of My MP4 or M4V Video Files!?

Hi there everyone. I am absolutely desperate to find a solution to my problem now, so I was hoping someone on here might be able to help me out. I have a G4 that I use as a media center via frontrow to play my huge collection of MP4 and M4V video files that are local and streamed from the library on my main intel mac. This has been working fine for some time and I haven't had any problems playing files.
However, when iTunes 9 came out, I ran software update and updated iTunes and Quicktime to 7.6.4, as well as updating the OS to 10.5.8. As soon as I did this, all the MP4 and M4V files that had worked fine up until that point stopped being playable by frontrow/itunes/quicktime. A lot of these are movies that I bought from the iTunes store, and it will not even play those now. It is definitely not a video format problem. When I try to play them in quicktime, I get the error "file is not a video file". This applies to all old files, plus new ones I have attempted to add. Also, frontrow WILL play video files streamed from my main computer, but not local ones (same files). I did the exact same updates on my main mac, and all the files will play perfectly fine on that machine, it is only this one that won't play.
I have tried everything I can think of, I have reinstalled both apps several times. I have also checked the System/Library/Quicktime components and they are all intact, exactly the same as on my other machine. Now it looks as though my only option is to start again from scratch and reinstall the operating system - a time consuming option as I do not back up this secondary machine..
Does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do to fix the Quicktime installation? Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you

Ok well if you want to go about it down and dirty you can try this. Take a file that does copy over correctly, for my purposes I had a Rocky and Bullwinkle episode that if I changed the file extension to .m4v it would add correctly through iTunes. From Terminal search /Volumes/youripodname/iPod_Control/Music/ for any file with the m4v extension and take note of them. Now add the "supported" file through iTunes then after it finishes do another search from Terminal and see which file with an m4v extension wasn't there before. Now from Terminal copy the "unsupported" file over to the same location with the same name. Here's what mine looked like cp /Volumes/harddrivename/Video/MUTEMATH.mp4 /Volumes/youripodname/iPod_Control/Music/F12/SJXB.m4v Now in iTunes change the Info for that file with the "Get Info" menu and your set. Mine now plays a video file that it wouldn't let me add through iTunes after the 9.0 update.
I'm sure there's a better way and when I figure out a quick script to do this by directly modifying the itunes database I'll try and repost a solution.
Message was edited by: Eli Barb

IPod Classic 160GB film library sync problem - trying to sync films that have converted from purchased DVD to mp4 format locally, not purchases from the online store - all other libraries sync perfect - why?

Hello Apple and the iTunes Windows PC users community.
I am trying to sync films that I have converted from purchased DVD to mp4 format locally, not purchases from the online store. The mp4s all appear and play successfully in my iTunes application but will not sync across to the iPod film library folder.
For your information: I am using iTunes 11.1.3.8 on a Windows 7 64bit machine with 500GB hard disk and 8GB of Ram in the UK.
I have restored the iPod classic 160GB three times now to see if it was a hardware problem with no joy. Each time all the music restores properly as do the podcasts and all the items in TV programmes all appear to sync and work fine.
I have also tried to copy films into the TV Programmes to get around it with no joy. They always go to the films section to start with. It is just the Films library that does not sync - all others work perfectly. As a last resort I have uninstalled and re-installed iTunes with no joy either.
I am technically savvy and have gone through the itunes and ipod settings but nothing appears to make a difference - This is the first time I have had to post here as I can usually solve the majority of the ipod anomilies but this one has me flummoxed.
Has the film encoding type changed in the newest itunes update? - Has this happened to anybody else and is it a hardware, software, or operating system problem.

Having uninstalled the current version 11.1.3.8 and loaded and older version of iTunes 10.7.0.21 I can now categorically confirm that the newest update seems to be causing the problem as the films and TV Programmes are syncing perfectly on this older version.
If you are going to do this please dont forget to remove the ' iTunes Library.itl' file as this stops the older versions from running as I've just found out

Media Encoder CS4 issues with MP4 and M4V files

I've just got CS4 and and very happy so far. EXCEPT I'm
trying to convert some MP4 and M4V videos to FLV using the new
Adobe Media encoder.
When I look at preview screen in the settings panel, the
preview is all wrong. It is just Green and Purple - kind of like
some weird negative image. This also is how the final converted FLV
looks. The CS3 version of Flash video encoder converted these exact
same files OK (although the preview was only a blank screen, but
the final file was OK).
Has anyone else seen this and more importantly, did you
manage to solve the issue?
I'm running this on an iMac G5 with 2GB RAM - could this be a
PPC issue?

Sorry my computer AND media encover version. I run Creative Cloud on a new Mac Pro
File seems to render fine
Log info:
- Source File: ***
- Output File: ***
- Preset Used: Match Source - High bitrate
- Video: 1920x1080 (1.0), 25 fps, Progressive, 00:00:42:17
- Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz, Stereo
- Bitrate: VBR, 1 pass, Target 10.00 Mbps, Max 12.00 Mbps
- Encoding Time: 00:13:13
04/27/2015 03:55:51 PM : File Successfully Encoded
No errors reported.
And this is what I end up with.
Is that helpful?

Using an animation-friendly codec for decoding DVDs to MP4

Hi,
I have some purchased cartoon DVDs that I'd like to convert into MP4s for travel purposes etc. Using Handbrake has resulted in a lot of artifacts, and I wonder if using an animation-specific codec would give better results - not to mention smaller file sizes. Could someone advise me how to go about converting DVDs to MP4s using an animation codec? I own QT 7 Pro and iMovie. I also have Diva and Drop2DV.
NB: I am aware of the copyright restrictions on recorded media and wish to re-assure the MPAA, RIAA, FACT, PRS, FBI, CIA, CPS and South-East England Water and Sewerage Workers Union that I in no way intend to distribute, freely or otherwise, any of the backups I may make as a result of receiving information on this forum.
Cheers,
Charles U. Farley (AKA SiR G.)
12" iBook G4 800MHz w/ 640MB RAM (128MB built-in), 80GB HDD & Airport Extreme; Mac OS X (10.4.9) Power Mac G4 MDD dual-867MHz, 1.25GB RAM, Sonnet Tempo SATA card; iPod Nano 8GB

Well say you had plain vanilla DVD content from your iDVD you made. The bitrate on the animation codec is huge, and the resulting file would likely be actually larger than from the DVD file you began with. And won't conform to MPEG-4 since it is not the MPEG-4 codec anyway.
Just use MPEG Streamclip, export to MPEG-4 and if this is for iPod press the iPod button. You need the Apple MPEG-2 component and don't forget to fix timecode errors. H264 is plenty good for this transcoding.

DVD to MP4 programs, all non-US companies?

In the brief search I have conducted on the web, it looks like the DVD to MP4 converters are all companies from outside the United States. Are their legal issues (it seems so) that do not allow a person to rip their legally purchased DVD into a format to allow them to watch it on their iPod?
I am reluctant to purchase (with my credit card) from overseas or to violate the copyright laws.
Can someone shed light on this issue?
Thanks!
Windows XP

Although these software apps will allow you to copy DVDs into a format that the iPod can read and play back, and are widely used and recommended here on the forums, it is in fact illegal to do this.
All commercially recorded DVDs have a copy code encryption embedded in them to prevent this, and those software apps break this code.
It is illegal to copy these DVDs in the USA and here in the UK (No comment on other countries since I don't know).
I'm not making any accusations here about DVD piracy (before anyone flames me), just stating the facts, and yes, you would be violating copyright laws.
Many folks ignore this because they feel it is "fair use" to copy a DVD that they own and put that copy on an iPod.
You don't need to purchase anything as there are free ones.

Help.... convert dvd to mp4

iBook G3, mac osx 10.3.9, how to convert dvd to mp4?
the handbrake 0.7 "qiut" when i double click the icon.
why????

u can also try to use http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/moviepod moviepod is said to be one of the greatest converters for mac. My friend uses it and he says that it works like a charm.

Is there any difference in quality between mp4 and m4v?

Is there any difference in quality between mp4 and m4v? I am figuring out how best to save old VCR files. Is the 264 category the best?

So, what would that software be? Anything that I mentioned, e.g., iMovie? Any Video Converter?
I'm a Mac user so I want files that play "natively" in QT X, QT 7, QL, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, and/or TV players. This means I want the H.264/AAC compressed data in MOV, MP4, or M4V file containers. I can use QT 7 Pro, MPEG Streamclip, and /or QT X to move MPEG-4/AAC compressed data to MOV file containers, MPEG Streamclip to movie M4V and MOV MPEG-4/AAC data to MP4 file containers, and Subler to move MP4 or MOV MPEG-4 AVC/AAC/AC3/Chapter data to M4V file containers. This is strictly a simple "copy" operation and no recompression of data is involved. (I.e., the quality is not changed.)
iMovie is a video editor and it forces an export conversion of your project once completed which can degrade quality. Have never used the Any Video Converter so I don't know if it has an audio and/or video "passthrough" feature for data already in a compatible compression formats. If it doesn't then any conversion it makes has the potential to degrade video content.
As to AVI, this is a legacy file container abandoned by Microsoft a dozen years ago in favor of their modernized WMV compression format/file type products. Compared to MKV, AVI is an outmoded/out-of-date container which I don't recommend you use unless you are a glutton for punishment. However, if you must use it, then you might try the AvidMux app. It can "copy" compatible content to a number of file container types—including AVI and MKV. Just don't blame me if its use creates more problems than it solves on current Mac systems.

Hi there , I have Ipad 2. just upgraded to OS 5.1 and now cant transfer any videos to it. videos already stored can be played but when i try to copy any new video, it says that the video cannot be played by Ipad.I have tried mp4, mov, m4v but nothing play

hi there , I have Ipad 2. just upgraded to OS 5.1 and now cant transfer any videos to it. videos already stored can be played but when i try to copy any new video, it says that the video cannot be played by Ipad.I have tried mp4, mov, m4v but nothing plays.

Log in to the Developer forum. You will find instructions on how to install the lastest beta. Your problem is the beta you have installed has expired. All of them did on October 5; you will find hundreds of threads discussing this. If you have a beta it is assumed that you will continue as a beta tester, so a simple update using iTunes will not work.
If you no longer want to be a beta tester install the GM 7.0.2 by restoring from iTunes using DFU mode.

Trouble Importing MP4 and M4V files

Hi, I am creating iMovies and importing them into YouTube as MP4 and M4v files. All was fine until a week ago, and now all MP4 & M4V files are failing to load in YouTube. I have had no luck on the YouTube discussion forum. Has anyone had this problem and offer a solution? I have tried the multi-loader to no avail. My videos are all to spec with YouTube ie less that 10 min and under 1 GB. Thanks for your help.

Anyone seen this error before? I went ahead and recereated
what I could in Flash but I have some other wmv and mov files that
I would like to import, but right now I keep getting the error.
Any help would be much appreciated. thanks!

How to export as .MP4 or .M4v rather than .MOV?

I have a PS3 which supports MPEG-4, however when I export "movie to MPEG-4" it creates a .MOV Quicktime file rather a .MP4 or .M4V. The PS3 doesn't support .MOV. The only way I can find to export with .m4v is to use the AppleTV default which reduces the 1080 res to 540. I can't find a way at all to get a .MP4
So how do you export a 1080 iMovie as a 1080 .MP4 or .M4V format? Is this a handicap of '08 and something you could do in iMovie HD?
I really wish the AppleTV would support higher bitrates and 1080i, but that's another topic.

Use Share/Export using Quicktime...
Pick h.264 as codec and set up for 1920x1080 with a high data rate.

No Video (audio only) Playing MP4 or M4V in QT Pro 7

I have QuickTime Pro 7.6.6
MacBook Pro - 2.33 GHz Intel Core Duo
OSX version 10.5.8
2 GB Ram
When I try to play MP4 or M4V files, I don't get any video, just audio when trying to play them with QuickTime Pro. The weird thing is, the same files will play OK from the finder window using preview (space bar). These same files will generally play OK in Final Cut Pro 6 too. I only have problems trying to play them with QuickTime Pro. I think I used to be able to play these files in the past, (but I'm so old now, it's hard for me to be sure).
I also have a MacPro Desktop machine OSX 10.6.4 - 2 X 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon and QuickTime 7.6.3 and the same files play fine using QT Pro.
Sorry if this has been asked and answered before. I spent a couple of hours searching and reviewing posts and couldn't find anything that addressed my problem.

How would I go about posting a short sample though? I've never done that before.
Generally speaking, most mail clients will allow an attachment of 20 MBs or less if you want to email it. Larger sample files are normally posted to an online server. If you have a MobileMe account, the easiest thing to do would be to post it to your public area (or gallery or an iWeb page). If you don't have an Apple account, you can try posting it to your ISP server space. (I.e., most ISPs provide varying amounts of user space but you would have to check your ISP FAQs to learn how much space is provided and how to access your space. Lastly, some online sites provide space on a third-party basis if you sign up with them. These services may be free or incur a monthly charge. As a last resort, you can contact me at my profile email address for an additional alternative.
Do MP4 files play in QuickTime 7 for you?
Yes, compatible MPEG-4 and H.264 (MPEG-4/AVC) files play under QT 7 (OS 10.4.11, 10.5.8, and 10.6.5) and QT X (OS 10.6.5) on various platforms I'm still using in MP4, M4V, and MOV file containers. However, remember that there are many "flavors" of MPEG-4 content and some may require third-party codec component to be compatible with QT. In addition, some codec combinations cause conflicts when installed together on the same system. (E.g., the Perian component package may not play well with DivX components installed.)

Apple store installed optical drive replacement. It plays CD and DVD but will not let me change a DVD to .mp4 without stalling and or going very very slow. Can I fix the HL-DT-STDVDRW GA11NR?

Apple store installed optical drive replacement. It plays CD and DVD but will not let me change a DVD to .mp4 without stalling and or going very very slow. Can I fix the HL-DT-STDVDRW GA11NR? The Apple store is a two hundred mile one way trip.

I didn't imply anything; I simply explained the terms of the ToU here because you had not specified what you were trying to do. Most such related questions are about copying protected content and I would not appreciate having my post removed with the obligatory email from Apple because I violated the ToU. In any case, you can find dozens of threads googling (or here) about the newer burners being slow copying content if it is protected. FWIW, if the DVD was produced by a commercial outfit, they may have used some sort of protection or an unusual file format - that problem has been discussed here previously.
As for your slow burner - since we don't even know what type of Mac/model/year/OS you have, it is impossible to guess. If it's an iMac, those vertically installed burners are known to be less than perfect; the horizontally installed versions are better, but still not as good as an external. I've used an external burner for years.
As for the conversion time: the burner should have nothing to do with that; it is your software and your Mac's processor and amount of RAM that matter for conversions and rendering. I have no idea what you are using to burn the DVD. And, as a last consideration: you should always burn your content at a slow speed so you can avoid burn errors and have better results.
Good luck.

Trying to convert video made in iMovie from Mp4 to M4v so I can burn to DVD downloaded Aimersoft video converter but not having any luck

I have downloaded a wedding video done on my iPad and put it in iMovie on my MAC. Have spent many hours refining it and now want to burn onto DVDs for other family.
When I did this same thing 4 years ago, I had one-to-one help at apple store and saved the video in M4V format and it was not a problem to share the video.
Now this video is in Mp4 and I need it in M4V - that is what the burning devise tells me.
I downloaded a video converter, but it didn't seem to make the coversion.
IDEAS?

Have you tried this -> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-mp4-converter/id693443591?mt=12?
It's free at the Mac App Store...
Clinton

Family DVDs to mp4 for AppleTV

I have a PC with Vista, as well as an iPod video and an AppleTV. I'm wanting to know if were to upgrade to Quicktime Pro if I will be able to convert my family video DVDs (unprotected, .VOB files) or other MPEG2 files to H.264 format so I view them on AppleTV or my iPod.
I'm assuming I would also need MPEG-2 Playback Component, but still I can't seem to find any straight answer, even when I called the Apple tech support phoneline. I'm just wanting to know if I were to spend the $30 for Quicktime, and maybe the MPEG2 software, if it will work and produce the compressed MP4 files that I can upload to my AppleTV.
On top of the conversion, I'd like to know if Quicktime will preserve the chapter markers, and/or allow me to add meta-data to the files so that AppleTV displays it like the movies I buy from iTunes.

Good questions.
Here are the answers:
QuickTime Player and the Apple MPEG-2 Playback Component will allow you to "playback" most non encrypted DVD's (MPEG-2). But it isn't an editor or a converter (even Pro upgrade).
Windows and Mac users can use MPEG Streamclip (free) and the MPEG-2 Playback Component ($20) to export and edit in this app. It can also export to QuickTime formats (including the iPod settings when using MPEG-4 Video codec).
If you have version 7.1.5 of QuickTime the "Export to iPod" preset found in MPEG Streamclip should make a 640X480 (4:3) .m4v file that will work with TV.
Do a short test file before committing to a big project.

DVD to MP4 or M4V

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