Encoding Videos in 720p and 1080p on Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone 7 users if you’ve been using Zune to encode your videos you know that Zune will sometimes do an automatic conversion that will leave the quality of the videos much to be desired and along with it a lack of advanced options such as subtitles also poses somewhat of an inconvenience.

Thanks to an XDA Developer member rvmax there is now a guide that teaches Windows Phone 7 users to encode their videos into better quality, namely in the 720p and 1080p range.

Originally posted by rvmax
Encoding HD Video for Windows Phone 7

Zune offers by default an automatic conversion of videos for Windows Phone 7. However the quality is not always what you want, the encoding time is endless and often lacks many options such as subtitles.

This guide was produced for encoding high definition video 720p or 1080p to Windows Phone 7. You can use the same method to encode videos lower quality but the result won’t be conclusive.

Software & Encoding Setup

Many programs exist to encode each with their advantages and disadvantages. Some are paying others do not.

VidCoder offers all the advantages: free, easy to use while providing many functionalities.

The encoding is configured with the following parameters:
Container
mp4 File

Video
800 x 480 resolution (default for Windows Phone 7) in order to have 1:1 pixel ratio
Codec : H264 2 Pass
Bitrate 1200 kbps

Audio
AAC Stereo 128 kbps

Experienced users can manually adjusted the settings.

To read the full guide just head on down to the XDA Developers forum here.