The Great How-To Convert Your Beloved AVI/MP4 files to the 5800XM Via HANDBRAKE

(Hardsubs only guys... MKV/OGM/Anything using H264+Softsubs will have to wait for later, until I try to convert them enough to be able to post instructions)

Okay, here's the Tut I promised you guys... Do take into account, I haven't tried experimenting with the encoding settings yet, so while I get a sharp, smooth Video MP4 for the 5800XM, the file will be SLIGHTLY LARGER then the SOURCE AVI file (in my case, 232MB AVI --> 256MB MP4)...

Where to get Handbrake? Uncle Google is your best friend...

Oh, another thing... If you're running Handbrake in Vista, MAKE SURE its running WITH Administrator Rights (Run as Admin)...

So now, to the Tut!

Step 1:

1) Open your video file... Click here and select Video File.
2) Check that the path is correct.
3) Click here and select the DESTINATION DIR/FILE (what file you want it to turn into and where do you want to put it). Check the box besides it afterwards.
4) Check that you've selected the BASIC preset from the sidebar (MAYBE I'll prepare a 5800XM XVID preset later when I've finished tweaking them video files to Optimum Transcoding PerfectionTM... ).
5) Click here and choose MP4 file (it might also be a good idea to DO THIS before NO 3).
6) Click beside ANIMORPHIC, choose NONE. In the "Width/Height" box above it, enter "640" into the FIRST box. Leave the 2nd box empty.

Step 2:

7) Click on VIDEO.
8) Click on VIDEO CODEC. Select MPEG-4 (XVID).
9) Go to AVG. BITRATE and key in 1200 (over the default 1500... This is also where you'd want to experiment to get smaller files).

Step 3:

10) Click on AUDIO & SUBTITLES
11) Check the picture. You probably would have to change the MIXDOWN to stereo, and the BITRATE to 128 (also, you can experiment here, try MONO and/or a lower BITRATE).

FINALLY:

12) Click on START.
13) PROFIT!!!

In all actuality, converting MKV/OGM/DVDs aren't much different from the above, only with the addition of Choosing Title/Chapters (skip to the movie part, not the titles, or a specific part in the movie - it's in the Source part) for DVD; Choosing Audio Streams (again from the Audio part of the above) for MKV/OGM/DVDs; and Choosing Subtitles (see the audio part) for MKV/OGM/DVDs...

So... Anybody want to belanja me Starbucks for this?

What type of file is the source?
Options you want are in the third pic... See Audio Tracks? The first drop box says "Automatic", right? Click there and choose an Audio track (in the case of my MKV, its labelled as "1 Japanese (AAC) ()" ). That SHOULD fix the no audio problem...

And I'm not quite sure its a Hardsub if you can't get it to display (as Hard-encoded subs are imprinted straight onto the video stream itself (IINM), so you will ONLY get a problem with the audio, the Subs SHOULD still be there) , should be some sort of Softsub. If it IS some sort of softsub (SRT or SSA I can bet), you're in a bind. Handbrake, as of now, DOES NOT SUPPORT SRT/SSA subs decoding/encoding (YET).

If you have some sort of Softsub MKV/OGM files, try to transcode it into a XVID/DIVX Avi with a hardsub first using something else; THEN you transcode it AGAIN through Handbrake.

A bit of a problem, yes. But as of now, this is all I can come up with.

THIS linky might come in handy...

This is why I STILL have an entire bunch of AVI/DIVX files floating around in my computer (some of which is in my UTTERLY CORRUPTED HDD... )...