Archives – July, 2007

MVPD Converting with EZBuilder

EZBuilder is a very powerful conversion tool used to convert videos. It can convert videos for the iPod, PSP, DS and Play Yan.

The following tutorial shows how to convert to MVPD files. For those that don’t know. MVPD can only be played on 1st generation iPod Nano’s that have Linux installed. If I have time I’ll write on how to do that. But until then, read about it at ipodlinux.org.

Software needed:

EZBuilder
AVISynth
KLite Mega Codec Pack

  • Download English version of EZBuilder.
  • You need codecs, I usually use the Klite Mega codec packs from free-codecs.com
    • This has every codec under the sun, DIVX, Xvid, RM, QT, etc
  • Download and install AVISynth. I’m using 2.5.7
  • Unzip EZBuilder to a directory (www.7zip.org to download decompresser)
  • From the iPod_nano_MVPD_profile_20070720.rar file:
    • copy “mv_encoder.exe,” “mpvd_builder.exe,” & “cygwin1.dll” to “..\ezbuilder\tool” folder.
    • copy the folder “iPod nano MVPD” to “..\ezbuilder\profile\tool” folder.
  • Copy the videos you want to convert into the MediaFile folder
  • For SRT subtitles, put them them in MediaFile folder with the same name as the movie. ex. shrek.srt with shrek.avi
  • For SSA/ASS/IDX/SUB subtitles, put them in Subtitle folder
  • Run ezbuilder.exe
  • Choose [1] iPOD NANO MVPD
  • Wait, encoding times varies with your CPU, I have core2duo 1.8Ghz and it converts pretty fast.
  • When your file is converted, it should show up in the DoneFile directory
  • Copy the WHATEVER.MVPD file in the DoneFile directory to your iPod Nano
  • Launch mvplayer from Linux and watch

Hints:

1. Try not to have funky characters or spaces in your file name

2. Use the NTFS Link Shell extension

July 24, 2007

NTFS Link Shell Extension

Sometimes I need to convert gigs and gigs of video for my DS/iPod/Play Yan. However, you have to “copy” or “move” the video into the “MediaFile” folder which takes time and lots of extra HD space. By using “Hardlinks”, you don’t have to copy/move them there at all. You just make a symbolic link to the file. Not a shortcut but a link so that programs will think it’s actually in that directory when it’s not. NTFS supports this and is very useful.

In order to make this happen, you need to download and install the NTFS Link Shell extension.

Right-click on a media file you want to link to and chose “Pick Link Source”

Go to the ../ezbuilder/MediaFile folder and “Drop HardLink”

Now you’ll see that the files show up in the folder just as if they were copied/moved in that directory. But really it’s not, it’s just a link to the source.

Run EZbuilder as usual and it will convert it without problems. After you’re done, delete the “hardlinks” in the MediaFile directory, the originals will remain.

So that is how you save time from copying/moving files to the MediaFile folder as well as space. Sometimes you don’t have enough HD space.

July 22, 2007

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