Video files and movies are hardly optimized for viewing on smartphones. They often take up too much memory space and are encoded in a format that the smartphone cannot play without downloading external applications and, even when played, we often find deformities in the image or problems with the sound (due to lack of the right codecs ).If we are talking about a DVD movie or a Blu-ray, we will necessarily have to convert it into a compatible video file before being able to see it on the screen of your mobile smartphone, be it an iPhone, an iPad, a smartphone or a android tablet.
In this article we will show you in detail i best programs to convert and compress a video on your computer, so that it can be played with the same quality even on a smartphone.
In addition to showing you the applications, we will also show you how to configure the conversion parameters, so as to obtain a video file perfectly compatible with Android and iPhone / iPad.
Programs to convert videos for smartphones or tablets
Note that all smartphones read the MP4 video format, so we will have to orient ourselves on this format for all the files that we are going to create for the smartphone or tablet. We saw in another article how compress MP4 with programs, apps and sites.
HandBrake
A very simple program to use is HandBrake which is one of the best video converters, which works on Windows as well as on Mac OS and Linux.
HandBrake allows you to convert a movie from a physical DVD to a file that can be opened on a mobile phone without the need for manual configurations. On HandBrake, we click on the menu source and choose the type of video you want to convert. We select the file or folder (to convert all video files in it) or insert the disc into the computer to choose the DVD.
Once the file has been added, the destination must be chosen.
In Tools -> Options, select the output file and enter a default path in the path or path box. For example, you can tell HandBrake to automatically save all converted video files to your desktop or to another folder.
To quickly select the transcoding settings, click on the option in the column Presets and let's make sure select Devices -> Android 720p30 o Apple 720p30 Surround.
Optionally, you can change the conversion settings after selecting a preset; for example, you can change the width and height of the video.
Once ready to perform the conversion, we press the button Start Encode.
To learn more we can also read our guide Convert video and DVD to MP4 or MKV on PC and Mac. HandBrake is also one of the best programs to convert videos so you can watch them on iPhone and iPad.
FreeMake Video Converter
FreeMake Video Converter is the very beautiful program to look at and more comfortable to use thanks to a complete and very easy to use interface, even for beginners.
To convert a video, click on the + Video button at the top left to add the file to convert and press one of the buttons below; for all Android smartphones and tablets we press the button MP4 and add the new preset by choosing the resolution, height and width of the smartphone screen; if we have an iPhone or iPad, we can use the Apple profile instead of MP4 (which is still fine), so as to obtain files compatible with all iPhone and tablets with the bitten apple. To start the conversion, all we have to do is click on the button Convert. Of course, it supports all popular video formats, including AVI.
VidCoder (portable)
Another good program to convert movies and videos to watch them on a smartphone or tablet is VidCoder, also available for free in a portable version, so you can start it immediately without having to install anything (you click and start it even from a USB stick).
With this program we will not have to do is load the video file to convert by dragging it into the window and select the profile for the conversion, pressing at the top on Encoding profile and selecting in Devices -> Android 720p30 o Apple 720p30 Surround. At the end just press up on Converted to start converting the file.
Format Factory
Format Factory is the simplest program to use to convert video and its ability to have pre-configured presets makes it particularly suitable for converting any video so that it can be viewed on a portable device such as a mobile phone.
Format Factory">The conversion profiles are listed in a drop-down menu indicating the video resolution, i.e. the height and width dimensions. In the settings Output Settings it is therefore possible to select the screen resolution of your smartphone or tablet quickly (decreasing the video resolution compresses the file which becomes much smaller).
For this purpose we can use the profiles present on the Mobile Devices or the generic MP4 profile, so as to be sure that the files will be played correctly.
SUPER Special Edition
SUPER Special Edition is one of the most powerful audio and video converters we can try on Windows.
SUPER Special Edition">This program supports all types of files and allows you to quickly choose both the video codec and the audio codec, so as to be able to convert any video or film to be seen on smartphones. However SUPER is also a more complicated program, with a less immediate user interface than the programs seen previously.
Transfer files from PC to smartphone / tablet
The video file converted to MP4 can be copied to the mobile phone using the USB cable connection or via Wifi, using the AirDroid app and website, compatible with both Android and iPhone / iPad.
Alternatively, we can use the Telegram messaging app, available for PC, Android and for iPhone / iPad, which has a personal chat in which to insert each file to be transferred between the various devices.
To learn more, we invite you to read our guide to best Cloud apps for android and iphone.
Conclusions
If you do not want to perform any type of video conversion, we can still see the films on your mobile phone with different applications than the standard one, as seen in our guides. 10 Apps to watch videos and movies on iPad and iPhone e Best Android Apps to Watch Videos and Movies.We must also not forget that it is also possible to download VLC on smartphones and tablets, so as to reproduce everything at the highest possible quality.
If your video files take up too much storage space on your mobile device, please read our article on how Compress videos so as not to take up too much memory on your tablet and mobile.
