iPhone Resolution 640x or 480x width?

samj · Post by **samj** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:54 pm

I used the iPod preset and tried 1 version with the width set to 640x480
Then I tried the same video but changed the width to 480 (constrained proportions on) = 480*386.
Both videos look identical on the iPhone.

Is one better or 'recommended' over the other?

average of 1500kb/s per the preset. Is this cool to?

Thanks!

nightstrm · Post by **nightstrm** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:29 am

If all you are looking to play it back on is an iPhone, chose the 480x width and lower the bitrate to maximize file size. As long as you don't go too crazy, you won't be able to tell the difference.

samj · Post by **samj** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:33 am

What do you mean by 'lower the bitrate to maximum file size'?

Also -

I've noticed with all the settings I've tried, there always seems to be bars on the left and right - until I double click and zoom in on the iphone.

Is there a way of 'natively' filling the whole screen without having to 'zoom'?

benn600 · Post by **benn600** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:26 pm

The resolution of the iPhone is 320x480 ... or 480x320 when viewing videos.

nightstrm · Post by **nightstrm** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:42 pm

samj wrote:What do you mean by 'lower the bitrate to maximum file size'?

Also -

I've noticed with all the settings I've tried, there always seems to be bars on the left and right - until I double click and zoom in on the iphone.

Is there a way of 'natively' filling the whole screen without having to 'zoom'?

By lowering the bitrate, you'll create a smaller file that will look great on the iPhones screen. You don't need to keep it at 1500 if all you are only looking to play the video on the iPhone. I encode mine at 1500 because I want to use the same file on both my iPhone and AppleTV.

samj · Post by **samj** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:11 pm

What bit rate would you use for the iPhone? 1000?

What are your optimal settings for a files that looks good on both the iPhone and the AppleTV. I didn't think there was one?

Also - do you know a way to make video's truly full screen on an iPhone?

Even though I choose 480 width, you still get small black bars on the left/right sides unless you 'zoom' which does look ok. Is this even possible?

PuzZLeR · Post by **PuzZLeR** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:28 pm

The idea is simple.

If you intend on encoding, and watching, this video ONLY for your portable device, it simply doesn't make sense encoding higher than 1000kbps. On a tiny screen, you don't need high bitrate for viewing quality at 1500kbps, which may be overkill. It's best to "maximize" or "optimize" your usage of your device by keeping the file sizes lower and carrying more video on the hard drive instead for the "same" quality.

Now, if this is video that is also intended to be watched when hooked to a TV, or for Apple TV, especially for a big screen, then go with 1500kbps with H.264, or even higher with MPEG-4, otherwise the weaker quality from lower bitrates would be revealed.

As far as your screen size is concerned, maybe your width and height doesn't match the the aspect ratio, hence the need for black bars at width. This is especially true with square pixels. Now, I don't personally have an iPhone, and not sure if this will work, but to make it fit better, try a test encode at:

432x320 if your source is 4:3 (1.33), or
480x270 if your source is 16:9 (1.77)

(I'm assuming the mod 16 rule for all heights and widths as well.)