HowTo: Encode Video for iPod Video

[quietglow]

I was just setting up a machine this morning and also noticed that libgpod is missing from the repositories. I wonder what the heck is up. If you're interested, its pretty easy to build from source: check the gtkpod page for info.

[endersshadow]

libgpod is in the Dapper repositories, and you can find the debs here.

[Vincent_Lin]

Thanks.

I actually downloaded source code from sourceforge and compiled it. So the whole installation is working. I had to link libgpod.so from /usr/local/bin to /usr/lib though.

Just one question about gtkpod: How can I download video encoded using your encoding GUI program? These .mov files are there, but I can't seem to find the procedure to put it on to my brand video pod? gtkpod recognises ipod, but I just can't find a way to put .mov onto ipod.

Thanks again.

Vincent

[endersshadow]

Oh, sure...here's how to do it:

Load up gtkpod, hit the Read button. Then, go to the playlist that you want your video to be in (or none) on the left hand side. Then hit the button "Add files." Select your videos, then hit Sync, and you'll be all set!

Oh, and one note on this: You must manually edit the metadata on the files once they are on the iPod to have the length written to it. Otherwise, you will not be able to scroll through the movie. This is a limitation of gtkpod, as it does not copy metadata for videos (as of yet).

[jacrider]

Vincent: I started with this post that has the website to download the source for libgpod:

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthre...hlight=libgpod

Then in order to compile this, I needed to install XML/perl.

I started with this forum topic:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...843#post282843

but ran into problems, so I had to install another library:

sudo apt-get install libexpat-dev
(Note: I see a more recent post that says this is now lipexpat1-dev)

Then the instructions in the second thread worked perfectly.

Then, I had the means to install the downloaded package (which is a .deb) file) with the following terminal line:

sudo dpkg -i libgpodxxxxx.deb (the xxxxx is the version you download)

Then I was done. If you don't have any luck with gtkpod, you can do the same process.

Good luck.

[halfname]

When I try to get ffmpeg, this is what happens

sudo apt-get build-dep ffmpeg Reading package lists... 
Done Building dependency tree... 
Done E: Build-dependencies for ffmpeg could not be satisfied.

Can anyone help me with this?

[Vincent_Lin]

Hi, again.

So I fooled around gtkpod with sync, add files, add folders, read, etc..., and eventually those files got copied to ipod. Honestly, I still did not know what sequence caused the operation to suceed.

Then I went ahead to change metadata of the files on ipod.

It's the right click on the files/.mov items when ipod is the focus, right? Select "Edit Details" and change "Play Time" to the actually run-time I got form gxine, apply it, and Quit. Unit is in minutes. So 2 hours 20 minutes and 20 seconds run-time would be 140:20.

Then I right-click again to click on "Update", after all tracks/videos have been typed with proper run-time.

Then I click on sync.

Now all the information I typed in gtkpod are transferred to ipod.
(This procedure costs me a couple of hours to figure out.)

And video I encoded with your setting can be played on iPod video. Hurray!!

Only one problem: audio will only play about one minute then iPod stops playing the vidoe, for a brief monent. Then it resumes without audio. Well, scroll forward a couple ticks and it is in sunc again. Then it plays a munite or so, then the same drill. Note: short video (2:35) would not have this behaviour.

Simply can't figure out what happened. All the video files are from DVD, and they play well under gxine.

So far so good, I would say to myself. But, Help!!

Thanks all the time and efforts in doing the developing and supporting. Can't say enough about that!!!


Vincent

[hal pacino]

I have the exact same problem: video pauses and resumes with audio cut out. What's that about?

[endersshadow]

For kicks and giggles, what happens if you don't set the play time?

[Vincent_Lin]

If playtime is not set, I could not sroll (forward / backward) at all.
The display on ipod is always 0:00 and 0:00 when playtime not set.

When playtime is set, it shows the correct run-time at left, and the total play-time at right, as usual song playing would display.

Thanks.

Vincent