Playing movies on the N97

If I remember correctly the N97 don't do divx - I've not tested this...

I think someone mentioned that the Ovi Suite does a pretty good job of converting movies though...

Cool. Will give OVI a go!

You need to convert the video from avi to mp4 at 640x480 not to h264 standard though. Video quality is very good although you may find you have to turn the volume up to max to be able to hear it. I did a search on google and found a program that converts from avi to nearly every other format for free.

I recommend Any Video Converter.
I've found it to give better results than the built-in converter in OVI

Fleksnes wrote:I recommend Any Video Converter.
I've found it to give better results than the built-in converter in OVI

Does this have a setting for the N97 or does it have a million settings like Superc meaning you need to know exactly what to set to optimise it for your specific phone?

I use a Mac, so use a free programme called Handbrake ( also available for Windows )

THis will rip, and compress files down to around 700mb, and had various pre sets that are very easy to use, I usually go for the PSP pre set, which then means the film will play on the phone and the iPod.

If you are copying an encrypted DVD - eg a 'proper' movie dvd, then you may need to also download VLS Media PLayer, which is also free, and AFAIK, is also in Windows version.

Produces very good quality quality compressed files IMHO.

Ah, ok, so PSP settings work.. good to know.

Some really good video conversion tips and prog's here (with settings):-

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum//forum/thread/85466/

Have fun!

Cheers for the link - going to try Any Video Converter.

I tried Ovi and it's OK but I converted a cinema scope film and when I watch it on the phone it stretches it to fill the screen and hence the people look a bit tall and thin.

I tried Any Video Converter and I would say the quality is about the same as OVI but again I got the same problem - with some movies you need black bars at the top or the bottom to keep the ratio right, either that or have the ability to crop the edges of the film off.

I tried DVIXPSP and that just errored right at the beginning of the encoding each time I tried it.

Currently giving my trusty Superc a go, it has loads of settings including a crop function so with a bit of trial and error maybe I can get it right.

Try this little test BanziBarn....

Using the built-in File Manager, go to your video that usually plays with black bars and play it from its location.

Good suggestion - I tried this already actually and it just plays in one of the other zooming types that you can get from the menu of the media player. So, it was still wrong unfortunately.

The problem is with the actual encoding. For example, if I play the original in VLC on the PC the VLC player opens up in the shape of the movie. In the case of the movie I've been converting this is very wide and not very tall (i.e. cinema scope).

When I play the encoded version in VLC the player is 16:9 to match the dimensions of the file i.e the dimensions of the file has been changed.

What I need is to have black bars actually taking up some of the pixels of the movie, or for the media player to be able to squash the picture.

Whenever I convert videos for my N97, I use Xvid4PSP. It's simple to use and the quality of the videos have so far been outstanding! The version I have has pre-made settings for making videos for the Nokia 5800, and since the N97 has the same OS and resolution as the 5800, I use those settings.

Here's a link to a version that includes settings for the 5800:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/hwnmzxzbzzt/XviD4PSP_5030_full.exe

And here's a link to a post of mine that outlines the settings I use to produce my videos:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum/showpost.php?p=426849&postcount=5

Hope this helps.

I'm confused! (doesn't take much)

When I tried Xvid4PSP first time it just didn't work, failing as soon as I started but it did ask me where I want to save the output file to.

Then, I tried again using zxon's settings and it seemed to work, with the only difference being that it didn't ask me where I wanted the video to be saved.

I assumed that it was going to put it on my desktop as that's where I chose previously.

The encoding how now finished and I can't find the file at all. Got a feeling it isn't anywhere because when it finished it did mention an error, but only after getting to 100% :con?

Downloaded the software, converted the xvid file (with all suggested settings) and all I get is a grey screen with just the sound when playing on the 97. Now it won't let me delete the file from the N97 because it says it's "open". Tried deleting through the video menu and through the file manager with no luck. Think I'll just try the ovi suite converter instead, although I now have 105MB taken up with a useless file I can't get rid of on my mass memory.

Ho-hum

...update...did manage to delete the file after much opening and closing of the video file.

It would be lovely if v20x gave us the ability to download codecs for xvid and other faves. I'm sure it's only just a matter of time before someone gives us an N97 standalone vid player that will fit the bill.

Sorry to hear you've had problems with the software (It isn't anything I've made btw). The first couple of times I used it, it did crash on me, but when I told it to encode my video it would ask where to save it and the results have been brilliant.

I'm going to see if I can replicate your problems by converting a few series of Top Gear for my phone.