<p>Based on the <a href="http://blog.zencoder.com/2010/09/30/how-to-encode-video-for-mobile-use/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">link</a> given in <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/5871802">this</a> answer on stackoverflow I will try to explain how to encode a video in an iPhone friendly format. </p>

<p>The steps below are carried out on a Mac, but the windows version of Handbrake should be similar.</p>

<ol>
<li>Open Handbrake.</li>
<li>Go to <code>File -&gt; Open Source</code> and browse to your video.</li>
<li>Choose <code>MP4 File</code> as container. </li>
<li>Input the settings shown below for the respective tabs:</li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Picture tab</strong>:</p>
  
  <p>Keep aspect ratio - check<br>
  Width - 480 (set to 960 if encoding for the iPhone 4)<br>
  Anamorphic - None<br>
  Cropping - Automatic  </p>
  
  <p><strong>Video tab</strong>:</p>
  
  <p>Codec - H.264<br>
  Video quality - RF = 21<br>
  Constant framerate - 30  </p>
  
  <p><strong>Audio tab</strong>:</p>
  
  <p>Codec - AAC<br>
  Bitrate - 128<br>
  Sample rate - 44.1</p>
  
  <p><strong>Advanced tab</strong>:</p>
  
  <p>Add the following text in the textbox labeled <code>Current x264 Advanced Options String:</code> if you're encoding for a pre iPhone 4 device:</p>
  
  <p><code>cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:bframes=0:weightp=0:subq=6:trellis=0:8x8dct=0:level=3</code>  </p>
  
  <p>If it's an iPhone 4 or higher the text should be:</p>
  
  <p><code>level=4.1</code></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The Advanced tab should look like this (for the iPhone 3 encode):
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/hpuiK.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>Here's a MediaFire link to the converted video for iPhones before the 4:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?tlyzcg1hyygq8zf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.mediafire.com/?tlyzcg1hyygq8zf</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T22:37:11.770Z
Hey Bart, thanks for the thorough explanation. The encoding was great for everything but the latest iPhone (iOS6). Not sure what the problem could be.
Dimitry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T22:37:46.840Z
Could there be something in this doc? 

http://developer.apple.com/library/safari/#documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/CreatingVideoforSafarioniPhone/CreatingVideoforSafarioniPhone.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40006514-SW4
Dimitry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T22:47:10.320Z
For the iPhone 4 and up try to change the `Advanced Options String` to only `level=4.1` and the width to 960 (but keep aspect ratio checked). And please try to work out some stuff yourself. I'm glad to help, but you've shown little effort in working out the problem even though I have pointed you to different resources.
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-24T04:48:32.357Z
Thanks Bart. I've been trying this for three days now. I'm a software developer, not an encoding specialist, and your help is very appreciated.
Dimitry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-24T14:46:34.087Z
@Dimitry Did my solution for the iPhone 4 work as well?
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-24T15:11:35.383Z
Hey, so the latest video is up and it's not being read. I couldn't set the width higher as Handbreak kept changing it back to 640x304.
Dimitry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-24T15:37:46.410Z
Is anamorphic set to none?
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-24T15:40:42.230Z
let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/7241/discussion-between-bart-arondson-and-dimitry)
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T22:06:30.097Z
2013-01-24T15:40:12.293Z
2017-05-23T12:40:36.170Z
Saaru Lindestøkke
<p>I've been trying to encode a video trailer for mobile Safari playback (iPhone). Using Handbrake for Windows, I selected the source .mov file and chose the iPhone 4 preset. I then checked off the Web optimized option and started the process. </p>

<p>The resulting video did not play on my iPhone's Safari browser, however.</p>

<p><a href="http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/trailer.mp4" rel="nofollow">http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/trailer.mp4</a></p>

<p>For reference, here is the original file:</p>

<p><a href="http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/53159_high.mov" rel="nofollow">http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/53159_high.mov</a></p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-22T22:42:34.957Z
A similar question has been asked on stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5722505/embedding-html5-video-for-mobile-safari-on-an-iphone-3gs-vs-an-iphone-4  And for a complete guide there is the [Safari Developer Library](http://developer.apple.com/library/safari/#documentation/AudioVideo/Conceptual/Using_HTML5_Audio_Video/Introduction/Introduction.html)
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T14:32:29.270Z
Bart, I saw that answer but it was not specific to the tool I'm using. I've tried the baseline settings but they didn't work for me.
Dimitry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T21:22:56.930Z
Have you clicked through on the [link](http://blog.zencoder.com/2010/09/30/how-to-encode-video-for-mobile-use/) in the first answer? Because there it says that you should end up with an `.mp4` file. You have an `.m4v` file in the link.
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-23T22:38:15.263Z
File updated based on first answer.
Dimitry
<iphone>
How to encode a video for the iPhone with Handbrake
Dimitry
# How to encode a video for the iPhone with Handbrake

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-01-22)

I've been trying to encode a video trailer for mobile Safari playback (iPhone). Using Handbrake for Windows, I selected the source .mov file and chose the iPhone 4 preset. I then checked off the Web optimized option and started the process.

The resulting video did not play on my iPhone's Safari browser, however.

<http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/trailer.mp4>

For reference, here is the original file:

<http://mobilevideo.jt.citeeze.com/static/53159_high.mov>

Thanks!

**Tags:** iphone

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: A similar question has been asked on stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5722505/embedding-html5-video-for-mobile-safari-on-an-iphone-3gs-vs-an-iphone-4  And for a complete guide there is the [Safari Developer Library](http://developer.apple.com/library/safari/#documentation/AudioVideo/Conceptual/Using_HTML5_Audio_Video/Introduction/Introduction.html)  
> **username_0**: Bart, I saw that answer but it was not specific to the tool I'm using. I've tried the baseline settings but they didn't work for me.  
> **username_1**: Have you clicked through on the [link](http://blog.zencoder.com/2010/09/30/how-to-encode-video-for-mobile-use/) in the first answer? Because there it says that you should end up with an `.mp4` file. You have an `.m4v` file in the link.  
> **username_0**: File updated based on first answer.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-01-23. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Based on the [link](http://blog.zencoder.com/2010/09/30/how-to-encode-video-for-mobile-use/) given in [this](https://stackoverflow.com/a/5871802) answer on stackoverflow I will try to explain how to encode a video in an iPhone friendly format.

The steps below are carried out on a Mac, but the windows version of Handbrake should be similar.

1. Open Handbrake.
2. Go to `File -> Open Source` and browse to your video.
3. Choose `MP4 File` as container.
4. Input the settings shown below for the respective tabs:

> **Picture tab**:
>
> Keep aspect ratio - check  
> Width - 480 (set to 960 if encoding for the iPhone 4)  
> Anamorphic - None  
> Cropping - Automatic
>
> **Video tab**:
>
> Codec - H.264  
> Video quality - RF = 21  
> Constant framerate - 30
>
> **Audio tab**:
>
> Codec - AAC  
> Bitrate - 128  
> Sample rate - 44.1
>
> **Advanced tab**:
>
> Add the following text in the textbox labeled `Current x264 Advanced Options String:` if you're encoding for a pre iPhone 4 device:
>
> `cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:bframes=0:weightp=0:subq=6:trellis=0:8x8dct=0:level=3`
>
> If it's an iPhone 4 or higher the text should be:
>
> `level=4.1`

The Advanced tab should look like this (for the iPhone 3 encode):
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/hpuiK.png)

Here's a MediaFire link to the converted video for iPhones before the 4:

<http://www.mediafire.com/?tlyzcg1hyygq8zf>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hey Bart, thanks for the thorough explanation. The encoding was great for everything but the latest iPhone (iOS6). Not sure what the problem could be.  
> **username_0**: Could there be something in this doc?   http://developer.apple.com/library/safari/#documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/CreatingVideoforSafarioniPhone/CreatingVideoforSafarioniPhone.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40006514-SW4  
> **username_1**: For the iPhone 4 and up try to change the `Advanced Options String` to only `level=4.1` and the width to 960 (but keep aspect ratio checked). And please try to work out some stuff yourself. I'm glad to help, but you've shown little effort in working out the problem even though I have pointed you to different resources.  
> **username_0**: Thanks Bart. I've been trying this for three days now. I'm a software developer, not an encoding specialist, and your help is very appreciated.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Did my solution for the iPhone 4 work as well?  
> **username_0**: Hey, so the latest video is up and it's not being read. I couldn't set the width higher as Handbreak kept changing it back to 640x304.  
> **username_1**: Is anamorphic set to none?  
> **username_1**: let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/7241/discussion-between-bart-arondson-and-dimitry)  

---

