[ericugs]

lol sanfran, awesome vid!

[sanfrancisco]

Sorry... I have deleted all video samples.

[desjr7359]

I purchased this today, and even though I know how to do it via the Command Line, I'm very pleased with it. Still having some issues with ripping from DVD, but those are normal (sync, sound, etc - just taking tweaking). But would say, that it's not money thrown away.

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by desjr7359

I purchased this today, and even though I know how to do it via the Command Line, I'm very pleased with it. Still having some issues with ripping from DVD, but those are normal (sync, sound, etc - just taking tweaking). But would say, that it's not money thrown away.

I would recommend you get Mobile Clone DVD. It will convert your DVD's to portable format. Then from there you can create Pearl conversions with BBVC.

Otherwise as far as I know, BBVC only creates separate conversions for each VOB file on the DVD. I prefer a single DVD movie on the Pearl rather than 4 or 5 separate files/titles to see the entire film.

[desjr7359]

I have the Xilisoft Suite, which for the most part works well, and allows me to convert for my Ipod as well. I'm taking the MP4s and converting them to AVI with the Blackberry Video Creator. The only time this doesn't work well, is when I don't get a good MP4 of the DVD. Right now I'm attempting to convert STNG Season 1 to Avi, but it's being a pain atm. Everything else is going well. I'm usually able to get a good MP4 on the stubborn DVD's though. Just depends on how much you really want something I suppose.

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by desjr7359

I have the Xilisoft Suite, which for the most part works well, and allows me to convert for my Ipod as well. I'm taking the MP4s and converting them to AVI with the Blackberry Video Creator. The only time this doesn't work well, is when I don't get a good MP4 of the DVD. Right now I'm attempting to convert STNG Season 1 to Avi, but it's being a pain atm. Everything else is going well. I'm usually able to get a good MP4 on the stubborn DVD's though. Just depends on how much you really want something I suppose.

I think Clone DVD has a trial period. Try it out. Has not once failed to convert my files.

As to TV shows, I have recorded Battlestar Galactica from Sci Fi Channel on to DVD [with my dedicated DVD player/recorder], then placed the DVD into the PC and converted to avi with Mobile Clone DVD and from there down to Pearl format with BBVC.

Truth be told, I'm somewhat amazed it all works as well as it does.

[AlexJacob]

Hey guys,
I just downloaded this program you are talking about, and I am mainly trying to convert mpeg files that contain DivX or tv shows from cd to .avi to put in my blackberry. When i choose the video I cannot find where the converter placed it in order for me to put it on my blackberry.
sorry if this is a stupid question.

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by AlexJacob

Hey guys,
I just downloaded this program you are talking about, and I am mainly trying to convert mpeg files that contain DivX or tv shows from cd to .avi to put in my blackberry. When i choose the video I cannot find where the converter placed it in order for me to put it on my blackberry.
sorry if this is a stupid question.

Read my post below. I said that BBVC puts the video into the same folder or place where you opened the file for conversion.

For example, if you told BBVC to open a file in C:\My Documents\My Videos, then BBVC will put the newly converted video into that same folder.

Got it? Easy......

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by AlexJacob

Hey guys,
I just downloaded this program you are talking about, and I am mainly trying to convert mpeg files that contain DivX or tv shows from cd to .avi to put in my blackberry. When i choose the video I cannot find where the converter placed it in order for me to put it on my blackberry.
sorry if this is a stupid question.

By the way, let us know what type of files you convert. I only posted a review of avi, FLV, and DVD vob files. Curious what other formats work with BBVC.

[sanfrancisco]

I previously reported that Microsoft Windows WMV files did not convert well with BBVC [audio playback on the Pearl was bad].

As a workaround I used Super C to convert WMV files to FLV. I then used BBVC to convert the FLV file [formerly a WMV file] for the Pearl. Worked perfect.

Don't know if that is the best way to deal with BBVC limitations in converting certain files, but if you run into problems, try converting the file with Super C first and then use BBVC.

[abbyhoffman]

I plopped down $15 for the blackberry video creator yesterday and converted 4 divx compressed avi's to my pearl. Took ~1hr for all 4. Audio/Video isn't super, but does all I need it to. It appears that the program is just ffmpeg repackaged with all the settings listed in another post. It's a nice & simple repackage job though.

[ricwms]

Why not just use Super C instead of BBVC? It seems to be working fine for me.

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by abbyhoffman

I plopped down $15 for the blackberry video creator yesterday and converted 4 Divx compressed avi's to my pearl. Took ~1hr for all 4. Audio/Video isn't super, but does all I need it to. It appears that the program is just ff-mpeg repackaged with all the settings listed in another post. It's a nice & simple repackage job though.

I converted some DVD's directly with BBVC and the video/audio was great. So it seems that BBVC quality is a direct result of the quality of the video selected for conversion.

The DVD's that I converted to AVI with Mobile Clone DVD shrunk a 7GB file down to a 500MB file ["medium" quality and size settings on Mobile Clone, could have gone up to 1GB]. So this initial conversion significantly degraded the original DVD file.

On converting to the Pearl, that compressed the 500MB file down to 380MB. Of course, that degraded the 7GB movie even further.

So I don't know that it is fair to expect "super" video/audio conversions from BBVC. I am not aware of any program that will produce DVD quality files that are a manageable size, meaning that will fit on to the Pearl's 1GB to 2GB chips. For example, I have DIVX and while that program creates high resolution "DVD like" movies, the files are huge compared to what else is out there.

[sanfrancisco]

Originally Posted by ricwms

Why not just use Super C instead of BBVC? It seems to be working fine for me.

I originally endorsed and recommended using Super C, that is until BBVC came out.

I could not get the Super C settings right [even after reading and trying everyone's posted tips on using Super C]. And this after using Super C for a few years on other conversions. In fact, I was the one who originally suggested using Super C for Pearl conversions.

With Super C the default settings for Sony Ericsson created small video files that would work, but there was the lag in the Pearl's player user controls [e.g., press "pause" and the video would pause 20 seconds later].

When BBVC came out, it turned things into a "one-click" process. For $15 I did not have to fool with settings, etc. And the BBVC video worked perfect, e.g., no lag on the Pearl's video player user controls.

Yes BBVC simply programs the FREE mencoder to work in one-click fashion, but I tried to use mencoder and could not figure out how to get it to work.

So BBVC comes along and for $15 makes the process fast and simple. As I said before, $15 in nothing in San Francisco. My time is worth more than spending ten hours trying to make the FREE stuff work.

Maybe others can fire mencoder and Super C right up [as indicated in the sticky thread on encoding video], but spending hours reading that tread and trying to get things to work, I could not.

[abbyhoffman]

I'm w/ Sanfran on that one. I tried Super C and it worked great on small files but tended to not play video files >1 hour in length on my pearl. My wife inherited my p900, so I can still get some use out of the Super C software (not to mention it has some other great options). BBVC made the process painless