9:13:00 PM
How To Play 3GP Files
design
Most people out there heard about 3GP files but the truth is that few really know how to play this format and when faced with the need to watch 3GP they do not know what to do. That is when tutorials are researched and we try to learn how to do it. Let us see what we are dealing with and this will be the only tutorial you will ever need on playing 3GP files.
3GP is a file format that is a container for video and audio streams. It basically stores streams of video and audio in one file with the extension: .3GP. The video inside the container is usually MPEG-4 Part 2 at H.264 or H.263. The audio stream is usually AAC or AMR. In most situations 3GP files will be found on mobile phones as it is a popular file format to record video.
How to Play 3GP Files on your Personal Computer
Generally speaking, if you want to play video files you will have to use software that is capable of splitting the file and decode it. We are talking about the audio and video streams. You should know that 3GP files can even be played in Windows Media Player but you will have to hold the right software to read and decode the format. The good news is that there is software capable of playing 3GP files and we will now look at options that you have.
VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is one software that is constantly gaining popularity. We can say that it is actually the easiest way to handle your file playback needs. You need to know that this software does offer support for 3GP. The problem is that it does not feature the needed software that will decode audio AMR. If the 3GP file comes with an audio stream in AAC it will play it. Download VLC Media Player HERE - FREE!
All you will need to do next is go to File and then Open File. Browse to th location where your 3GP file is stored and just click on OK. VLC Media Player will then start to play the file you want.
Haali Media Splitter
Few people have actually heard of this freeware software. You can use it in a connection with DirectShow Players and 3GP video. This software is basically used in order to split AVI, MP4 and MKV. You need to know that this program also goes under the name of Haali Matroska Splitter due to the focus on MKV files. Remember that we are basically talking about a decoder and not an actual player. Download Haali Media Splitter HERE - FREE!
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is basically a DirectShow player. It is capable to play most 3GP files but will need extra software in order to achieve this. You can use FDDShow and Haali Media Splitter for this.
3GP Files Playback in DirectShow
Once you are capable of splitting 3GP files you should be able to play them as well by using a DirectShow player. The most common example stands in Windows Media Player or Media Player Classic. There is a big chance you have at least one of them installed on your personal computer.How To Play 3GP Files
8:58:00 PM
Step 1 Select Source DVD
Insert the DVD disk into your DVD-ROM, and choose "Select Source DVD drive".
If you have more than one DVD drive, make sure which one has got the DVD disk and you have selected the right one.
If the DVD movie is stored in the hard drive, choose "Select DVD folder from hard disk drive".
You should manually specify the DVD folder in the window beneath which show the file system of your computer.
Click "Next" to load the DVD movie.
Step 2 Select Movies to Convert
In the dialog of this step you can see a list of all the movies included in the DVD disk.
- Choose movies
Normally, a DVD contains a main movie and several extra movies. And a movie consists of one video, several audios and the relating subtitles. You can see the detailed information of a movie in the list, including the movie's duration, the audio and subtitle's language, the format and number of channels of the audio. When you select one movie, the software will select the video track, one audio and the corresponding subtitle for you by default.
Select "None" for "Audio Track" or "Subtitle" to remove the audio or the subtitle of a movie.
Uncheck the "Video Track" and check one "Audio Track", you can get an AVI formatted audio with no picture. - Create movies separately
Check this selection: "Convert the movies and save the created files repectively", then the movies will be processed separately. If the box is unchecked, then all the selected movies will be converted and saved as one file.
Step 3 Specify the Settings
Output Directory
Select a path that you want to save the created 3GPP/3GPP2 files. Each output file will be automatically named by the program.
File format
3GPP/3GPP2
There are two formats of 3G video file: 3GPP and 3GPP2. 3GPP uses ".3gp" as file extension, and 3GPP2 uses ".3g2". Generally, you can select 3GPP as the output format to avoid compatibility problems.
Audio Settings
Specify the audio and video settings for the conversion.
- Audio format
AMR-NB - This is the most compatible audio encoding format, and it can be supported by all mobile phones. AMR-NB formatted audio has lower requirements for mobile hardware. But its quality is not satisfying. The sample rate is fixed to 8K Hz, the audio bit rate can not be higher than 12.2K bps, and and stereo (2 channels) is not supported.
AAC-LC - AAC-LC formatted audio has better quality, as you can choose higher sample rate, bit rate, and stereo channel. But some mobiles of former types might not support this format. You can check the manual of your mobile to see if it supports AAC-LC encoded audio.Please set the Audio format, and the relating sample rate, bit rate, channel according to your mobile's capability.
- Gain
Gain: You can adjust the audio volume by dragging the gain slider. The range is from -5.0 to 30.0db. Please note that if the gain is too high, the audio may get distortion.
Video Settings
- [Dimension]:
There are 3 different dimensions available - 128 x 96, 176 x 144 and 352 x 288. Please make sure the dimension does not exceed the resolution limit of your mobile when setting it. For example, the resolution of Nokia 2855 is 160 x 128, so you can only select 128 x 96. The resolution of Sony Ericsson W810C is 176 x 220, thus you can choose 128 x 96 or 176 x 144. Certainly, you'd better choose 176 x 144 for better quality.
- [Bit rate]:
Choose higher bit rate to get better video quality. Some mobiles may not support high bit rate videos or would have unsynchronization problem during playback, so please set the bit rate carefully.
- [Frame rate]:
Most of the mobiles support 15fps video playback. Some high-end mobile phones even support 30fps video playback. However, You can select "Do not change" to let Sothink 3GP Video Converter keep the frame rate of the original video to get the best video quality.
Conversion Process
- Status
During the conversion process, the program will show the detailed conversion status, including:
- File - file path and name.
- Estimated time - the overall estimated time that the conversion would take.
- Elapsed time
- Time Left
- Progress - the finished percentage of the conversion.
- Post-processing Options
The program will show the detailed conversion information to you, including the Estimated Overall Time, Time Left, etc.
And there are two operations you can choose to let the program do after the conversion:
"Play a sound when conversion is finished" - Let the program tell you that the conversion is done by playing a sound.
"Shut down the computer after all tasks are finished" - Let the program automatically shut down your computer after all tasks are done.
Conversion Result
When the conversion is finished, the program would give a result summary, which shows the number of total source files, successfully converted files, and failed files. Click "Open Folder" to open the folder where the created video files are saved.
Click "Finish" to back to beginning panel, you can continue to convert other DVD.
Click "Exit" to quit the program.
