short letter : We recently detailed ways to exchange TV specific for Apple TV .

With its ever flesh out catalog of moving-picture show and TV show , the iTunes Store is a with child place to stock up on video content for an iPod . But why spend your hard - realise money there when you already have a vast assembling of videodisc , iMovies , and other video files at your fingertips ? With the help of some free software , you could convert these television into iPod - compatible file .

Rip movie DVDs

Let ’s say that you purchased a movie on DVD , and that you require to convert it to watch on your iPod . Because rip commercial videodisc circumvents the copy - protection system engage on these discs , the legality of the operation is questionable — even if you own the DVD and are ripping it only to see it in another form . You ’ll have to assess these risks for yourself . If you make up one’s mind to take the dip , read on .

Scanning the DiscIf you intend to follow the video solely on your iPod , download Tyler Loch ’s innocent HandBrake Lite 1.1 ( HandBrake Lite 0.7.0 , ) , a simplified ver - sion of the full HandBrake computer software ( discussed later ) . To rive a DVD , kill the disc into your drive and launch HandBrake Lite . select the Open button , and the program will run down the disc for picture information .

HandBrake Lite might not be capable to register the record ( this sometimes occur with late DVDs that have especial copy auspices ) . If you see the message “ No Valid Title Found , ” download a written matter of MacTheRipper , a utility that is more good than HandBrake Lite at bypassing DVD copy protective covering ( its Web internet site has locomote several times , so do a Google search if you postulate it ) . Once you ’ve used MacTheRipper to create an unencrypted reading of your DVD on your hard private road , launch HandBrake Lite . In the tack that appears , choose the VIDEO_TS Folder Or Disc Image option . sail to the VIDEO_TS folder of the disc you ’ve educe .

take up RippingOnce HandBrake Lite has scanned the disc ( or the VIDEO_TS pamphlet if you ’ve used MacTheRipper ) , it present you with a list of items in the Title pop - up bill of fare ( see “ HandBrake Lite ” ) . The titles will seem as digit and clock time that equate to discrete element such as the pic , incentive interviews , the qualification - of documentary , and so on . Pick the deed you desire to convert — the pic is the particular with the longest duration . In the File window on the right side of the interface , give your file a name and specify a locating in which to save it . press the Rip button and go for a manner of walking — the process can take a while , depending on the distance of the TV and the fastness of your Mac . The resulting single file will be formatted perfectly for your iPod ’s screen .

If you ’re distressed with the way your finished movie await when you apply the default spiritual rebirth options — or if you ’d like a little more control over encoding the disc — check up on out HandBrake Lite ’s advanced option ( to debunk them , press the green maximize button in the upper leftover corner of the window ) .

Rip TV-show DVDs

If you ’re ripping a DVD that contains an entire season of telecasting shows , your good wager is to apply the free app Instant HandBrake . Do n’t let its generic icon sucker you — Instant HandBrake is the comfortable fashion to convert multiple filing cabinet from a DVD ( you’re able to also use it for motion-picture show , although it be given to produce larger file than HandBrake Lite ) .

enclose a videodisk , afford it in Instant HandBrake , and wait for the software to detect the various titles on the phonograph record . To rive all the episodes , find oneself all the claim that are like in length ( around 22 minutes for a half - hour show and 43 instant for a one - hour show ) ; then select their check boxes ( see “ Instant HandBrake ” ) .

Under the titles is a list of background . The File Format belt down - up menu features two iPod presets : iPod 5 G ( H.264 ) and iPod 5 G ( MPEG-4 ) . Stick with H.264 , as choosing MPEG-4 will result in a larger file . From the Picture Format pop - up menu , choose Original to hold the video ’s prospect proportion . Finally , verify to plunk your language from the Preferred Audio bolt down - up menu ( it may not always default to English , so pay off close attention ) . come home on Convert , and then sit back and relax while Instant HandBrake does its thing .

Videos for the big screen

Video iPods sustain high - resoluteness file than you see on their screens , so you may encode videos that will also look peachy when played back on a telecasting ( via the iPod or the Apple TV , for example ) .

The aforementioned ways of rip a DVD wo n’t give you the good results on a turgid concealment ; however , with a small tinkering , you’re able to create video recording Indian file that look enceinte on both your iPod and your TV .

Pick Your SettingsStart by downloading HandBrake 0.7.1 . infix the DVD , await for HandBrake to run down it , and then choose the longest championship on the disc from the Title pop - up menu .

Set HandBrake ’s File Format come out - up menu to MP4 File and its Codecs menu to MPEG-4 Video / AAC Audio if these options are n’t already take . In the Encoder bolt down - up menu , leave the FFmpeg setting and enter

maximise Video DimensionsAccording to Apple ’s stipulation , iPod - compatible MPEG-4 motion-picture show can have a maximal resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and a maximum bit pace of 2,500 Kbps — but the iPod can actually play movies with higher resolutions than Apple lets on . That ’s because it confine movie not by frame size but by 16 - by-16 - pixel blocks calledmacroblocks . MPEG-4 picture can contain as many as 1,200 macroblocks ( 307,200 picture element ) . To bet the maximal solving for your motion-picture show , split up the pixel elevation by 16 , fraction the pixel breadth by 16 , and then multiply those two numbers . If the last result is less than 1,200 , you ’re in business .

Now you could press the Picture configurations release , verify the Keep Aspect Ratio pick is selected , and adjust the telephone number in the Width field ( the platform will fill in the top for you ) until your resolution is just under 1,200 macroblocks . When you ’re done , press Close . Go to the main HandBrake window , name the movie in the File field , and choose the locating you ’ll salvage it in by clicking on the Browse button . cluck on the Rip release to encode your pic .

Set Up telly DVDsIf you ’re ripping TV shows , you ’ll need to do a few surplus steps . First , select Enable Queue at the bottom of the HandBrake windowpane . Then , for each episode , select its rubric , give the file a name , conform the preferences as draw previously ( for standard appearance , you should n’t necessitate to make any Picture preferences adjustments , but for wide - filmdom programs , you might ) , and sink in on the Add To Queue button . When you ’ve finished , press Start to begin encode all the files in your waiting line .

Convert hard-drive videos

Of course , videos are not limited to DVDs . Your Mac ’s hard drive is believably brim with video files you would like to have on your iPod . For flying and easy conversions , check out Techspansion ’s freeiSquint 1.5 . It ’s tight , it handles most file types with repose , and the video it produces do n’t hog precious iPod space ( these are problems you’re able to play when you utilise QuickTime to export file to an iPod data format ) . If you ’re going to consider the videos only on your iPod ’s screen , use iSquint ’s Optimize For iPod set and leave behind the Quality setting at Standard . Drag the video you want to convert to the iSquint window , and dawn on the Start button .

If you want video that will also expect good on a television blind , select the Optimize For boob tube pick . This will create a file with the largest form size possible within the iPod ’s playback limitations . If you ’re not happy with the results , you’re able to always increase the Quality setting , or dawn on the Advanced release and tweak the material body size of it , bit pace , and so on .

Tag it

Once you ’ve encoded your files , it ’d be nice if they showed up on your iPod as nicely organized as if you ’d purchase them from the iTunes Store . But they ’re not going to unless you track each file . You could utilize iTunes to add shred information like season , installment name , and number , but its port for this Book of Job is n’t great .

A good solution is to utilise a program to tag file before you import them into iTunes . My favourite covering for this determination is Parsley is Atomically Delicious 1.5 ( Parsley isAtomically Delicious 1.3.3 , ) , James Huston ’s free graphical interface for the mastery - seam MP4 metadata editor AtomicParsley . apply Parsley to go after TV shows , movie , and music videos with all the necessary info so they show up in the right place on your iPod .

[ Jonathan Seff isMacworld ’s fourth-year news editor in chief . ]