How to Convert a Movie for an iPhone With VLC (9 Steps)

By Maxwell Payne

i Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The iPhone by Apple is a smartphone that also doubles as an iPod multimedia device. It is capable of playing full length movies and video. These files must first be converted and placed into iTunes before being placed on the iPhone itself. VLC is a free video player that also serves as a video/audio conversion program. VLC supports the same format required for video playback on the iPhone. iPod touch, and iPod devices.

Step 1

Open VLC player. Click on "File" in the top menu bar and click on "Streaming/Exporting Wizard."

Step 2

Select "Transcode/Save to File" on the screen that appears. Click the "Next" button.

Step 3

Click "Choose" on the next screen that appears. Make sure the "Select a Stream" button is highlighted. Locate the movie file on your computer that you want to convert. Click "Open," and the file will appear in the "Select a Stream" text box. Click on "Next."

Step 4

Click the check boxes next to "Transcode video" and Transcode audio." This is important, if you only check off one and not the other you may end up with a video with no sound.

Step 5

Choose "MPEG-4 Video" from the drop-down menu next to "Codec" under "Video." Under "Audio" choose "MPEG-4 Audio" from the drop-down menu next to "Codec."

Step 6

Click on the drop-down menu next to "Bitrate (kb/s)" under the "Codec" drop-down menu in the "Video" section. Choose the bitrate you want to use. Repeat this step in the "Audio" section.

Note that a higher bitrate offers higher quality video and audio but makes the file larger, which takes up more space.

Step 7

Click "Next" and select "MPEG 4/ MP4" from the list of options. Click "Next." Click "Choose" to name the file and select where to save the converted file. Click "Next," and the file will be converted.

Step 8

Open iTunes and click on "File" in the top menu bar. Select "Add to library." Locate the newly converted file where you saved it and click "OK" or "Choose." The file will appear in iTunes under "Movies."

Step 9

Sync your iPhone with iTunes to import the converted movie to your phone. Be sure you have enough space on your phone to accept the movie, and be sure the movie you're trying to import under the "Movies" tab in iTunes has been selected to sync.

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