[SanFrancisco]

UPDATE: Nov. 14, 2006 - There is a new version of this program, 2.0 There are some slight differences in how it works, but it is still as easy as I describe in here.
______________________

OK, there was another thread asking about BlackBerry Video Generator that was on Handango for $20. I searched the Net, found it for sale at $15. So I said what the heck, $15 won't buy a decent dinner in this town.

So I bought the program [there is no trial version] installed it and gave it a whirl. I have to say I was super surprised at how easy it is to work. A good thing because there are absolutely ZERO instructions or help, either on the downloaded program or on the Net.

Anyway, as I suspected, the program is the publisher taking the FREE mencoder program and configuring it so that we do not have to fool with DOS, etc.

This program does it all for you. That makes the program worth $15 to me since I could not figure out how to use mencoder.

I guess I'll run through the steps.

To buy it you go to this site:

http://www.mobilesoftmarket.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=10&products_id=7 1&osCsid=dff7bcc9fe0bca2f9377a158d7e216f1

The program seller will ask you to create an account, including providing your DOB. Just make up a DOB, but make sure you show that you are 18.

You can use your credit card or PayPal to pay. I chose PayPal. The site sent me to PayPal where I confirmed I was really at PayPal. I then paid the $15.

After that I got a "download here" link where I then downloaded the program. It's about an 18.5 MB file.

After downloading I installed it. It is an exe file so there was no unzipping required.

I then opened the program by clicking the icon. This is where it got funky because all it did was open up Windows Explorer and asked me to open or select the file I wanted to convert.

I selected an FLV music file and the next thing that happened confirmed the program was using mencoder. This is because a DOS window opened and the program started to convert the FLV file into an "avi" file that would play on the Pearl. At the top it said "mencoder."

At the end of the conversion it tells you the conversion went fine and to "copy and paste the video into your Pearl."

I opened my Pearl's file folder, went to the video folder and pasted the newly converted file into the Pearl.

Then I opened to play the video on the Pearl and it played perfectly. There was no lag in the controls like there was with my Super C 3GP conversions.

____________________

I then tried converting a WMV file. That did not go well. While the converted file played fine with my PC media player, on the Pearl it was intermittent and "scratchy" on the sound.

_____________________

I then tried converting an avi file, that went fine.

I also converted DVD "VOB" files with success.

_____________________

The FLV files converted extremely fast. A five minute video converted in about 1 minute. AVI to Pearl was a little slower.

____________________

One of many things they do not tell you is that wherever you select the file to be converted, that is where the program will place the converted file. E.g., if the video you select for conversion is in C:/My Documents/My Videos, the converted filed will be placed into that same folder. Easy concept to understand unless you are not paying attention.

____________________

Conclusion: for $15 this product is fantastic. It cranks out conversions fast and the videos play on my Pearl. Heck I would have paid $15 if it only converted FLV files.

Here are the FLV and AVI files I had converted. Load them on to your Pearl and try them out.

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/b...Generation.avi

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/c...midnightBB.avi

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/b...leMiserlou.avi

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/bbsnlwhatislove.avi

[MrKyoo]

Ixxx8217;d rather learn a couple of quick steps in DOS than pay $15.00. The information was readily available to do so. It wasnxxx8217;t that hard to learn.

~MrKyoo

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by MrKyoo

I’d rather learn a couple of quick steps in DOS than pay $15.00. The information was readily available to do so. It wasn’t that hard to learn.

~MrKyoo

As I mentioned TWICE, I acknowledge that this $15 program is simply some programming repackaging of the FREE mencoder, which is a DOS based video conversion program.

I could NOT get mencoder to work as I did not know how to set things up, notwithstanding all the appreciated help offered in the video section.

So for me, it was worth $15 for someone to make using mencoder a one-click process.

So you can make up your own mind. Heck, I think I spent over $500 in time in trying to make video conversions, so even if this program was a wash, I was prepared to pay $15 on the gamble that it would work.

And since it converts FLV files [e.g., from Google and YouTube] turbocharger fast, I would have paid $15 just for an FLV converter.

[MrKyoo]

I see now where you were having problems with mencoder. I edited the original post, hopefully to reflect clearer instructions for using DOS.


~MrKyoo

[TheBigNewt]

What video formats play on the Pearl? I've used several free conversion programs for my Ipod to covert avi digicam files as well as DVD files (the trial only lets you do about 5 minutes per conversion, fine for a concert song).

[SanFrancisco]

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so what is a video worth, 10,000 words?

I made a quick video of the Converter in action.

I opened the program and converted a 10MB FLV music video.

As you can see, the conversion took about 40 seconds.

I then copied the file and pasted it into my Pearl.

Then played it to complete the demo.

The video of the video is not that clear, my little camera does not take video of LCD screens all that well [most digital cameras don't].

As you can see, the program works quite well. It is as simple as one click operation.

Update: Nov 14, 2006, I put a new demo of BBVG working, it's of the new version, 2.0

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/bbemoAF.AVI

[nigletsyz]

nice find.. this would definitely be worth $15 to me if it worked on a mac....

P.S. I was hoping your GGW video would be a little more revealing.. hehe

[nigletsyz]

oh yeah and is there an option to up the bitrate? The video was below my standards quality-wise

[Special K]

I can't get any of the videos to play on my computer...is there a special codec I need? Going to try adding it to my Pearl and see if it'll play there.

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by nigletsyz

P.S. I was hoping your GGW video would be a little more revealing.. hehe

Lot's of guys do. But this is not that kind of site. Too bad for you.

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by nigletsyz

oh yeah and is there an option to up the bitrate? The video was below my standards quality-wise

There are no adjustments that I could detect.

Which video is below your standards? The demo I made? If you are referring to that one, I said it was a crappy video to begin with.

If it's the others I posted that are below your standards, well to each their own. You can search for a converter that makes true DVD or MPEG4 conversions. But the file size is going to be about 50MB for a smaller video.

Of the samples I posted, the quality BEFORE conversion ranged from good to excellent. The Elvis one is probably the best. If even that one does not meet your standards, whatever. I suspect MP3 files don't meet your standards either.

Feel free to continue the search for a program that will convert your videos to DVD quality, if that is what your standard is. But IMHO what we are talking about is playing GGW videos on a friggin cell phone. I don't expect the same quality as that of my home theater or DVD players.

[nigletsyz]

nah, i dont expect dvd quality at all... but they were a bit too blocky for my taste, thus the reason I was asking if there were any adjustments for the bitrate. But like I said, nice find on the converter and thanks for posting up your results, this is really good info.

[apw100]

Its not a problem with the converter, its a problem with the source video(it was already very bad to begin with I guess). I converted a clean video with this converter and it came out with excellent quality. No compression artifacts(or very few). Well worth the money, by far the best converter to use with the 8100.

[blakeatl]

So this mencoder will convert an avi file to play on a blackberry? I need to watch movies while I'm at work. I have a 1gig microsd card. Do I have to convert it or can I just put the movie on the card and play it that way?

[JinFocker]

Originally Posted by blakeatl

So this mencoder will convert an avi file to play on a blackberry? I need to watch movies while I'm at work. I have a 1gig microsd card. Do I have to convert it or can I just put the movie on the card and play it that way?

you need to convert it. check out the "sticky" thread- How to encode video

[SanFrancisco]

There is a new version of BlackBerry Video Generator. In a few minutes I will post another of my not so famous demo videos here, with some sample conversions you can put on your Pearl.

The new version is 2.0 and it's still priced at $15.

The interface is easier to understand [not that things were all that confusing before].

Also, after the conversion is done the folder opens to where BBVG put the converted file. [the old version did not do this, so people were wondering where the converted video was on their hard disks].

[SanFrancisco]

BlackBerry Video Generator [BBVG] came out with Version 2.0 It is better than the first version.

From what I can tell, it appears that they listened to our complaints or concerns. The new version addressed and remedied the problems.

Bottom line, the program still effortlessly converts videos for the Pearl, although they now refer to the converted files as "recoded" instead of converted.

I tested the program by recoding a Quicktime "mov" file. That worked.

I recoded an FLV file, that worked. [FLV is the format that many sites use when posting videos on line, sites such as YouTube].

I recoded an AVI file, that worked fine.

I tried to recode a WMV file [Windows Media Video]. That did NOT work.

I recoded a DVD, which is a VOB file. That worked fine.

I did not try recoding a DIVX mpeg file because I was tired of doing all the testing.

___________________________

As to changes [for the better]:

1. Instead of the old way of opening a file for conversion, an interface [GUI] now pops up and it has boxes for steps 1, 2 and 3.

2. You now can press "start" to begin the recoding process.

3. When the conversion [recoding] is done Windows Explorer opens to the folder where the recoded video is located. In the old version the program would close and you had to wonder where the program put the converted video.

4. The old version identified the "Pearl ready" video with a "BB" in the file name. Now the word "recoded" is added to the name, no more "BB."

[SanFrancisco]

Updated, so I deleted this post info.

[BigFrost]

You obviously put a lot of time and effort into giving everyone a detailed demo of how this works, and that is what actually helped me make my mind up. Thank you!

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by BigFrost

You obviously put a lot of time and effort into giving everyone a detailed demo of how this works, and that is what actually helped me make my mind up. Thank you!

Thanks for the thanks, always appreciated.