Tutorial 2006-V01: Transcoding of video files for iPod with Video (5G) using Nero Recode 2 on Windows PC

Date: 3rd January, 2006

Step 1:

Launch Nero Recode 2 from either (i) Nero StartSmart on Windows’ desktop:

or (ii) "Start" menu:

Step 2:

Click "Recode DVDs and Videos to Nero Digital":

Step 3:

When the main menu of Nero Recode appears, click "More >>":

Step 4:

Select the "Portable" profile from the "Nero Digital profile" drop-down menu. Although the "Portable – AVC" profile can render smaller files with the same, if not better, quality, the resultant files are not playable by iPod.

Step 5:

Click "Import Files" and the "Import Title" dialog box will appear. Browse to the file or disc that contains the video you want to transcode:

Video files and each titles on a disc can be previewed by clicking the "play button" below the "Video" tab. Since Nero Recode 2 can batch process multiple files, you can continue to use the "Import Title" dialog box to browse and "Add Title".

The "Audio", "Subtitle" and "Info" tabs display detailed information about each video file.

Step 6:

Below, I have imported a main movie from a DVD disc and a recorded TV program:

By default, the file names are used to describe the videos. I have changed them into more descriptive names below (this step is entirely optional):

Step 7:

Since only one audio track is allowed under the "Portable" profile, I have to make a choice using the "Audio #1" tab for the selected video file which has multiple audio tracks:

From my own experience, I find optimal playback of transcoded files on iPods is achieved by leaving options for other settings like "Video" as they are. So, click "Next".

Step 8:

When the "Burn Settings" page appears, click "Nero Digital Settings":

Step 9:

Click "Expert mode" to make changes to the default settings:

Select "High quality encoding (2-pass)" under "Encoding Method" if you want the best quality under the "Portable" profile, which, of course, means longer processing time:

Again, select "Extra quality" under "Quality/Speed" if you want the best quality under the "Portable" profile:

To ensure playability on iPods, "Simple profile (QuickTime(TM) compatibility)" under "Advanced" MUST be selected:

The above is all it needs to setup Nero Recode 2 to transcode videos for playback on iPods! Click "Burn" and the transcoding process will begin:

The amount of time it takes to transcode a video file depends heavily on the capability of CPU being used. I use a Pentium D 820 Dual-core CPU running at 2.8GHz. It took me about 100 minutes to transcode the above two videos which have a total running time of about 160 minutes: