How to convert videos and transfer them to the Samsung Galaxy S

The Samsung Galaxy S has a big, beautiful screen that just begs for some quality video to show off. But what is the best way for you to convert your favorite videos and transfer them to your Galaxy S? In this guide, we show you what software you need to convert videos for viewing on the Galaxy S, and we also show you how to get your newly converted videos onto your handset.

Requirements:

1. Installed copy of Handbrake software
2. Video files and or DVD of your choice
3. Samsung Galaxy S with microUSB cable

Step I: Launch the Handbrake application on your computer and select the video source

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1. Launch Handbrake (figure 1)
2. In the menu on the right-hand side, select the iPod Legacy preset (figure 1)
3. Select your video source by clicking on the Source dropdown menu (we used a DVD for our testing purposes)
4. Select the destination and name for the file once it has been converted (both the .mp4 and .m4v extension work for the Galaxy S)
5. Confirm that the container is set to MP4 File and that Large file size, Web optimized, and iPod 5G support are unchecked

Step II: Adjust Handbrake's Video Settings

Picture Tab:

1. Uncheck Keep Aspect Ratio
2. Set the Galaxy Sd Width and Height (the Galaxy S supports a maximum of 800 x 480 pixels)

Video Tab:

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1. Set Handbrake's encoding settings by clicking on the Video tab (figure 2)
2. Confirm the Video Codec is set as H.264 (x264)
3. Framerate (FPS) should be set to Same as source
4. Under Quality, select the Avg Bitrate (kbps) and change it to 1500

Step III: Adjust audio settings

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1. Set Handbrake's audio settings by clicking on the Audio tab (figure 3)
2. Confirm the Audio Codec is AAC (faac)
3. Mixdown should be set to Stereo
4. Change the Samplerate to 48
5. Change the Bitrate to 160

Step IV: Save as a preset for future use

1. Click on the Presets menu and select New Preset
2. Enter Galaxy S in the dialog box and click Add
3. "Galaxy S" will now be saved as a preset and listed on the right hand side in Handbrake to be used in the future

Step V: Convert the video and copy to your Galaxy S

1. Click on the Start button in Handbrake
2. A command line/DOS window will open and start to process the video conversion
3. Once the conversion is done, mount your Galaxy S on to your computer via USB (figure 4)
4. Once mounted, create a folder named Video in the root folder on the Galaxy S
5. Copy converted file into the Video folder

That's it! The converted video can now be played on your Galaxy S using the Gallery app. It should look fantastic on the Galaxy S's screen as long as the original source was of good quality.

A few things to keep in mind when converting video:

1. The Galaxy S does not like video file sizes over 2GB (the settings in Step II should help insure that the file size is kept under 2GB)
2. Your converted video will only be as good as the source video
3. If your source is over 800 x 480, you must be sure to set the width and height to a maximum of 800 x 480 as noted in Step II

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