The BlackBerry records videos in 3GPP format (.3GP extension), which isn't the most portable format. If you send a .3GP video to someone, the odds aren't great they'll be able to play it. Xvid, with an encoding example below, isn't most portable either, but VLC will play it on all platforms, recent versions of Windows Media Player support it, and QuickTime on OS X will play it with the Perian components installed.
Get FFmpeg
FFmpeg is a fantastic cross-platform audio/video encoding solution. In fact it's so good that many commercial applications like to use it without paying license fees to the appropriate patent holders.
Download Windows ffmpeg binaries from http://ffmpeg.arrozcru.org/autobuilds/
On some Linux distros, like Ubuntu, you'll likely need the -unstripped builds.
There aren't many binary releases of ffmpeg for OS X, but the Audacity Project has a build from July, 2009 available. You can also compile it yourself, or use MacPorts.
Conversions
When quality is not a concern – and with such a low quality source, it isn't – you let ffmpeg use it's default settings without issue. Codec names will vary based on the age/version of your ffmpeg build. Run ffmpeg -codecs to see all the available codecs. If you want to keep the video bitrate the same, pass the -sameq parameter to ffmpeg.
Convert .3GP to Xvid
libxvid may just be xvid, and libmp3lame may be called mp3 instead.
ffmpeg -i MOVIE.3GP -f avi -vcodec libxvid -acodec libmp3lame MOVIE.AVI
A 4.3 MB .3GP file was encoded to a 783 KB .avi, 82% reduction in size.
Convert .3GP to MPEG1
ffmpeg -i MOVIE.3GP MOVIE.MPG
A 4.3 MB .3GP file was encoded to a 910 KB .mpg, 79% reduction in size.
Convert .3GP to standard MPEG4
ffmpeg -i MOVIE.3GP MOVIE.MP4
A 4.3 MB .3GP file was encoded to an 825 KB .mp4, 81% reduction in size.
Convert .3GP to standard Windows Media 7
ffmpeg -i MOVIE.3GP -vcodec wmv2 -acodec wmav2 MOVIE.WMV
A 4.3 MB .3GP file was encoded to an 885 KB .wmv, 80% reduction in size.
Tags: BlackBerry, encoding, ffmpeg, OS X, video, VLC, Windows
March 11th, 2010 at 4:15 am
Hi, you misunderstood what the Hall of Shame is for. It has nothing to do with "using it without paying license fees to the appropriate license holders". It has to do with violation of the (L)GPL, the license under which FFmpeg is written.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:50 am
The size reduction is mostly due to the default bit rate of FFmpeg being 200kbps for video and 64kbps for video. '-sameq' isn't for keeping the bit rate the same, it's to use the same level of quantisation as the source which could well result in a very different bit rate depending on a lot of factors.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Hi Rachel found it, here download for free
converting 3GPP to Zen Stone, Free 3GPP 2 Zen Stone Fast Convert is still a professional and wonderful program. This program can convert at relatively fast speed and give you the best output quality even though it is free of charge. So don't hesitate, just download and convert! The interface is really user-friendly, you do not need any manual or tutorial at all.
http://download.softsutra.com/audio/audio-encoders-decoders/3gpp-software-converter-free-3gpp-2-zen-stone-fast-convert.html
December 13th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Hi i'm using a really fast converter
There is the link http://encode-video.com/
December 16th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
I have to say that I've given up on 3gp. Editing 3gp on my Windows PC was just not easy enough for me…a casual user. I got myself a Kodak Zi8 camera which shoots in .mov and it's been just awesome, super high quality, and really easy to work with. I understand why my Android phones use 3gp, and I'm not knocking it, but life has been a little easier for me using .mov.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
And having worked with TamPogo Video, I'll attest to the Zi8. He just guided my business partner and I to this camera, and we really like it as we explore it. Casual users need it easy! :)
February 13th, 2011 at 10:25 am
It is always worth to know such things but I'm interesting how to do that in the counter-way.
How to convert FLV/MPEG for example into 3GP file?
TIA
Regards
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