Blackberry video conversion, how to make best settings and convert

I have got a Blackberry Storm as my birthday present and I was deeply in love with the gorgeous screen. I can’t wait to fill the 8gb card with videos to show off to all my friends. Before that I have tried watching a movie on my blackberry that I had already ripped with iPhone/iPod touch settings, The video works but the file size is unnecessarily large and the audio didn't match up with the video well when playing on the Blackberry. I collect information here and there and at last get the problem solves. So below is the details shared here.

Output video format: mp4
Output audio format: mp3

Video:
Video Size/resolution: 480x320
Video Bitrate: 1200kbps

Audio:
Audio Bitrate: 64kbps
Channels: 2 channels

Now if you have no idea what to do with that, then here are some simple instructions for you.

First you need a third-part software. I use Nidesoft program, probably the best Blackberry converter available. I download from its official website: Nidesoft.
Note: the program you downloaded on nidesoft is free trial version, you are limited to creating video files that are a maximum of 2 minutes long.
In order to convert videos longer than that, you will need to purchase the software with 25 dollars, or download the full version somewhere on google.com

Then if you convert videos from DVD, you should use Nidesoft DVD to Blackberry Converter and follow the step-by-step ways.
Step 1: Launch the program; Insert the DVD disc into the DVD Drive. Click the “Open DVD” button, browse your computer, find the DVD folder of the movie, open it, select some titles and chapters you want or you may select the whole video to convert.

Step 2: make settings: click “profile” drop-down list to select “BlackBerry MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4)” format, click “Settings” to set video size and bitrate. If you want to combine two or several titles into one, you may select titles and click blank box before “Merge into one file” to merge them together.

Step 3: click “convert” button to convert videos. Then it will be completed in few minutes.

However, if you convert from other videos, you should use Nidesoft Blackberry video converter with the following ways.
Step 1: Launch the program and Click "Add" button to load source video files to be converted:

Step 2: make settings: click “format” drop list to select “Blackberry MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4)” as output video format. Set your video size and quality under the preview window.

Step 3: Click "Convert" button to start to convert video format.
After the file is converted, just transfer the file to the videos folder on your BlackBerry through the Desktop Manager and enjoy your newly created video. By the way, the file converted can not only used on Blackberry Storm, but also other Blackberry phones such as Blackberry Pearl, Bold, curve.

Ok, until now you have got the whole idea of how to do with it. But you may encounter some other problems when doing it. Below are my problems and solutions I have collected after long time practice, list here to share with you.

[color=red]I think there's a virus in this Program!!??[/color]
There's no virus in Nidesoft. One person reported being infected by Backdoor.Graybird, but if you got it from the site I linked to in my post it did not come with the download. If you downloaded it from somewhere else on the web then I am not sure. Probably malware/spamers have uploaded it to phishing sites to snag people. Always make sure you download things from their original website, or from a trusted location like download.com, and always run antivirus and scan stuff you are installing.
[color=red]
The higher the resolution, the better the video quality?[/color]
Not necessarily at all. If you’re converting a video that is 640×480 and convert it to the same 640×480 resolution then all you’re leaving is more work for your phone. I understand the login behind it, the pixels get compressed and shop up more clear and sharper. But if you compress these pixels in the conversion process wouldn’t the same thing happen? So why not just convert straight to a 480×320 and save your Storm the trouble?

[color=red]The higher the bitrate, the better the quality?[/color]
Yes, that is true. However, the higher the bitrate, the larger your video files. So it is not necessary to raise your bitrate very high when you feel your video quality is fine. I have spent hours working different settings and the best results have hovered around 1200 kbps.

[color=red]Where do I find the files? [/color]
You may change the output directory by press "browse" button, or the destination will be set automatically at C:\temp, you may press “open” to find the files.

[color=red]Can I get ringtones into my Blackberry with the above idea?[/color]
Yes, you can. You may get ringtones in that way both from DVD and video. But you need to make a little different settings. As Blackberry audio support .mp3 format, you need to select “Blackberry MP3 Music (*.mp3)” as the output file format. Then drag the converted file into ringtones folder in your memory card.

[color=red]I'm trying to convert a movie purchased from itunes but the Nidesoft software gives me an error. When I view the details of the error it tells me not enough space on my drive. I have plenty of space. Now when I tried it with a movie (same extension .m4v) that was ripped in the past, it works. Any suggestions??[/color]
Meet DRM.
Itunes store video files are encoded with fairplay digital rights management that means they will only play on Itunes, Ipod, or AppleTV. I have found another thread to solve this problem, go to: http://forums.crackberry.com/f135/ [...] cs-118585/

[color=red]Why are there black bars on my video?[/color]
Even though it looks "widescreen" the storm is native 4:3 not 16:9. So unless you want to stretch everybody and make them tall and skinny you will still have the black bars.

[color=red]Is there a way to make it fullscreen without the black bars?[/color]
Yes, you can crop the file when you do the transcode, but I haven't done it with Nidesoft Blackberry video converter yet. I'll post it when I figure it out.

Ok, that is my details and I would keep updating my thread when got more solutions.

hi, there are lots of comparisions on Internet. Here is one comparing Blackberry Storm and iPhone:
http://wonderfulsoftware.blogspot. [...] phone.html

Nidesoft Video Converter is a powerful video conversion software which could convert video and audio files between all popular formats such as convert AVI to MP4, MP3 to WAV, WMV to MPEG, MOV to AAC, etc.
It supports very comprehensive video formats, including DVD, VCD, AVI, MPEG, MP4, WMV, 3GP, Zune AVC, PSP MP4, iPod MOV, ASF, etc. Additional, the Video Converter provides an easist way to convert video or audio file to popular audio formats, like MP2, MP3, AC3, M4A, OGG, AAC etc.
Nidesoft Video Converter could support all of the popular multimedia devices. It works as: iPod Video Converter, Zune Video Converter, PSP Video Converter, Audio Converter,etc. All conversion processes, such as AVI to MPEG, WMV to MPEG, WMV to AVI, are very easy and fast with the best quality.

It is also easy to use, only three steps you could complete the conversion.
download and install it
Step 1: Click “add” button to import your videos from your computer. Select the video files you want to convert. Also you may preview your video in the right window.
Step 2: click the “format” drop-down list and select the format you want.
Step 3:click the “convert” button and start the conversion. The conversion will be completed in few minutes
Plus: under the preview window, you may set your videos by few clicks. Here you may set your video size, crop mode, video quality and audio quality to make your best video.