iSquint 0.9j
by Tyler Loch
TylerL82@mac.com - http://www.isquint.org
iSquint is an iPod video conversion app.
It's up to 5 times faster than Apple's method, works well with AVIs and MPEGs, and is infinitely free-er.
It's also really easy.
Just drag in your file, and click Start.
You can also choose "TV" or "iPod" size, set your quality, or even go all-out by playing in the Advanced drawer.
On a 1.5GHz G4, iSquint can convert most video files to iPod-screen-sized videos in realtime. Depending on a few factors, a 20 minute video will take up anywhere from 50-150MB of disk space.
System Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
A computer capable of running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
One or more videos worth watching.
iPod not included.
Supported codecs:
Video:
MPEG-1
MPEG-2
MPEG-4 (DivX, XviD, etc)
MSMPEG4
WMV7/8
WMV9 (with Flip4Mac plugin)
H.264
H.263
DV
Cinepak
Audio:
MP3
AAC
WAV
AIFF
PCM
AC3
WMA
Supported containers:
QuickTime .mov
AVI .avi
MPEG .mpg .mpeg .m1v .m2v .vob
ASF .asf
WMV .wmv
DV .dv
Matroska .mkv
OGM .ogm
FAQ
Q: What codec do you convert to for the iPod?
A: iSquint converts to H.264 Baseline Profile using the x264 codec, and MPEG-4 Simple Profile using the XviD codec.
Q: What about DVDs? I got some ripping to do.
A: HandBrake can help you out there: http://handbrake.m0k.org
Q: I don't like your error buttons.
A: I don't like your FACE.
Q: Windows version? Please?
A: Sorry, can't help you there. Doesn't feel very good to want a piece of software you can't have, does it? I'm sure someone out there can make a .NET frontend to ffmpeg.exe, but it won't be me. AppleScript Studio is enough of a stretch...
Known issues:
H.264 encoding is broken. That's why it's disabled.
iSquint 0.9j is English-only until it can be given a good test and some new localizations.
Advanced Tidbits:
"Optimized for iPod Screen" sets the image size to 320x240 (or 320x176 for 16:9).
"Optimized for TV Screen" sets the image size to 544x408 (or 640x360 for 16:9).
iSquint uses ffmpeg with XviD and x264 to compress its videos.
Global flags: "-g 300"
"Conservative Disk Usage" uses these flags: "-qmin 5 -b 1000". It sets a maximum quality with quantizer 5, and a absolute-ceiling of 1000kbps.
"Go Nuts" uses this flag: "-b 2300". Only a ceiling bitrate is set. For many sections of video, especially iPod-optimized clips, there's no way to reach the ceiling even at quantizer 1.
Credits:
ffmpeg is a trademark of Fabrice Bellard.
http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/
ffmpeg rocks your socks. Support it.
XviD ©2005
http:://www.xvid.org
FAAC and FAAD ©2004 AudioCoding.com
http://www.audiocoding.com
x264, liba52, credits go here.
Thanks to the SomethingAwful goons for putting their lives on the line trying out my first attempt at a useful AppleScript Studio application
Thanks to Amanda, for putting up with me, protecting me from my own stupid decisions, and for just about everything else she does.
DISCLAIMER:
iSquint is provided for free without any warranty or support contract whatsoever.
I take no responsibility if this program malfunctions, reducing your computer to a smoldering heap of toxic components. So far, about 15,000 people have tried iSquint, and nobody has been rushed to the hospital as a result of it. Yet.
iSquint may or may not bring your computer to life and cause it to kill your cat. I've seen it happen.
Gruesome.