So I just got a 32gig touch and am trying to figure out how to get the movies onto it. Do I have to buy them from the itunes store? What if I already own the movie and just want it to be transferred to the ipod, can I do that? Or are there any other ways that you guys know about that are easy and fast...

 

I'm not sure about the ipod touch but If it's the same as an regular ipod my friend uses a program called "Total Video Converter". That way he's able convert series/movies which are in *.avi format to *.mp4 and then just import them in iTunes and put them on his ipod.

 

If you want movies you own you will have to "rip" them from the DVD to your computer. Im not sure on how to do this for windows, google ipod dvd ripper or converter. If you have a mac, download a program called Handbrake, works perfectly.

HandBrake

it seems they have handbrake for windows, but I haven't tried it.

 

Thanks guys I'll try these out. Now I am assuming that if I buy the movie from iTunes that I can sync any of those right to the iPod right???

 

correct

 

handbrake is awesome. i've been able to encode 99% of my library with just this utility.

 

Alright I am using handbrake and on the far right there is the menu that will change settings based on what you are trying to use the file for I assume. If I want to play these videos on my touch do I have to select touch or can I leave it as basic/normal and be ok also? I only ask because basic will take about a quarter the time that the touch setting will so if I can get away with it that would be awesome.

 

Also how long should this take? And another potentially stupid question is if I rent a movie can it be saved onto the touch or must you buy it for that??

 

you should read the handbrake documentation. does the basic preset use h.264 compression? if not, it won't play on the touch. i would just use the ipod preset. i personally use a hybrid that allows me to play videos on my ipods and my apple tv. i think handbrake now has a universal preset to accomplish this, but i created this hybrid before this was available.

if you only plan to watch videos on the touch, i would encode to the minimum specifications to save time and space. if you are considering watching your media via apple tv or front row, i would use the universal preset or create a hybrid.

for me, a typical 90 minute movie takes about 2 hours if encoded straight from the dvd. if you rip the ts folders to your hard drive, it's significantly faster and you can cue several movies at a time.

 

i only plan on using it for my ipod and the basic settings had a 2hr DL time but the apple settings, which is the one with h.264 compression, is slated to take 10!!!!