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How to get movies on your Android Phone or Tablet …

How to get movies on your Android Phone or Tablet …
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As an Android user, wether it’s a phone or a tablet, you’d like to be able to copy your movies or videos as well – so you can watch videos when on the move as well. Nothing beats your own selection, and you can watch your movie while traveling, commuting, or during a work break, … when you want it and how you want it.

In this article I’ll describe how you can copy your movie(s) to an Android device under MacOS X, Windows and Linux, without having to spend money on tools.

Apple users should follow these guides: with or without iTunes, or with additional hardware.




Getting a Movie

Before we can copy a movie to an Android device, we of course need to actually have a movie. You can download them or you can make a copy of your own DVD (MacOS X, Windows, Linux) or Blu-Ray disk with freely available tools. Next a few points to consider to get a proper video file that can be played on your Android.

A few considerations before we start

Before we start we will need to know what the capabilities of your phone or tablet are. For the average user most certainly not a “routine” task.

Supported Video Codecs

Build / Default video player of your Android:
Rule of thumb is that “old” Android devices can only handle h.263, an old format originally designed for video conferencing. Newer Android version should to be capable of h.264 playback. (reference)

I found through testing quite a few devices, that if you convert a video/DVD/Blu-Ray with HandBrake, setting the “Video Codec” to “MPEG-4 (FFmpeg)” results in videos that can be played on old and new Android devices with the standard video playback app without a problem.

Media Player App:
The Android market, or Google Play now a days, and the Amazon App Store, have plenty of free video play back apps that are capable doing other formats as well! I did find however, that transcoding (converting a video file from one codec to another) with HandBrake is typically quick and results in a surprisingly small file for your Android that can be played without the need for an additional app.

Some good choices:

  • BSPlayer – only at Google Play, free, with ads and supports most subtitle formats and multiple audio tracks,
  • MXPlayer – only at Google Play, free, with ads and supports most subtitle formats, might require additional codecs,
  • VLC – only at Google Play, free, no ads, currently in beta (pick Joe VLC for now) and supports subtitles,
  • MoboPlayer – free, no ads, available at Google Play and Amazon, supports multiple audio tracks and subtitles.

 

Personally I prefer VLC or the build-in app.

Maximum Screen Resolution

This is optional but when you’re tight on storage space on your Android device, it might be worth looking into.

The display of your device has a particular resolution (number of dots to create a picture). Playback of a movie with a higher resolution than your screen can display will not only take more space to store, and computer power to scale it down, but it also will not produce any better picture. So if you’re low on storage space and/or your phone or table is slow: consider downscaling the movie to a more adequate resolution.

In HandBrake this can be done through the “Picture Settings” option which brings up a window where you can enter values for width and height. You only have to enter (using the up and down buttons) the highest number of your video resolution in the “Width” field – height will automatically be adjust to maintain aspect ratio. The “highest” number can be found below, where I show you how to determine your screen resolution – in that example the “highest” number is 800.

HandBrake - Resize Video

HandBrake – Resize Video

Determining Screen Resolution

If you have read the “How to determine my Android version” article, then you might already have the “Android System Info” app installed which can also show you the native resolution of your Android device. If not, you can get the app at Google Play or at the Amazon App Store.

When you open Android System Info, tap the “System” tab, and find the “Screen” line. You’ll now see the native resolution of your phone or tablet.

For most DVD based movies, you’ll probably have no need for resizing. For 720p (1280 x 720) and 1080p (1920 x 1080) movies you might consider doing this though, specially when your screen has a low resolution like shown below.

Android System Info - Screen Resolution

Android System Info – Screen Resolution

Subtitles and additional audio tracks

Most of the video playback apps that come with your phone or tablet are not capable of handling subtitles and/or multiple audio tracks. Removing the unneeded tracks will save storage space so this might be something to look at when you have limited storage space on your Android.

To be honest, I don’t see the need for additional subtitles or audio tracks unless you want to share your movies with others. After all, you’ll be pretty much the only one watching the movie on your phone, so you already know if you need a particular language for audio and/or subtitles.

If you however want to use subtitles then you have 2 options:
– Have HandBrake “burn” the subtitles in (which means you cannot ever disable them),
– Use a 3rd party app for playback.

If the additional audio track is needed, you’ll have 2 options as well:
– Only include the audio track you want,
– Use a 3rd party app that supports multiple audio tracks.

Available Storage Space

To be able to play a movie on your Android device, you will need to have the video file stored on it. If you’ve done everything correct, then a video file doesn’t have to be super big, but do count on 500 Mb to 1.5 Gb (1500 Mb) of space that is needed per movie.

Typically video files are stored on the so called SD or micro-SD card – with most devices you can access this card and upgrade it if needed. With some devices however you cannot access the card and upgrading is not an option.

When you access your files: check first if you have enough room left for the movie. Some of the previously mentioned topics can contribute to a smaller file size.

Getting your Movies

As said before,  there are plenty of options to get your hands on a movie, be it downloading, ripping a DVD or ripping a Blu-Ray or converting an existing video file.

We have some guides for you available to walk you through this.

When following these guides, I’ve found it most helpful to start with the “Androidpreset in HandBrake.

For maximum compatibility in HandBrake, use the “MP4” file format and set “Video Codec” to “MPEG-4 (FFmpeg)” as this appears to result in the most compatible format for miscellaneous Android devices. More recent devices however, can handle “h.264” as well.

All other settings I typically leave as they are, which results in relatively small video files – consider changing the resolution if needed though.

NoteThe DVD to MP4 guides are also suitable for converting existing video files – just pick the file as your video “Source” instead of the DVD.

 

At the end of this exercise you should have one (or more) MP4 video file suitable for your Android device.

Copying a movie to your Android device

I’ve written a relatively extensive article on several methods how you can connect your computer to your Android device. If you have never setup a connection between your computer and your Android device, then consider reading it.

Note : If you cannot find a “video” or “movie” folder on your Android device, then just make one on the SD card.
You can also optionally copy the movie in the DCIM folder.

Video Playback

It’s going to be difficult to explain here how to playback the video file since it appears that every Android device has it’s own video or movies playback app. Long live consistency. Anyhow … I’ll work through some examples, maybe one of them matches your Android device.

Samsung Galaxy S

File location I used:
Without SD card inserted, I created a folder “video” in the root, and it picked it up just fine.
With SD card inserted, I placed the movie in the “movie” folder that resides in the “media” folder, which worked as well.

Go to the “Gallery” app – your movie files should appear right away, possibly in a album called “video“.
If you tap the video, after opening the album, playback should start. If you however installed another video playback app, then you should, the first time at least, get a request what app to use:

Select what to use for Video playback

Select what to use for Video playback

Asus Nexus 7

File location: I dropped the video file in the “Movies” folder.

Press the “Movie” icon, tap the menu button in the upper right corner and select “Personal videos“. Your movie should be selectable now, tap it and it will play. As with the Samsung Galaxy S, if you installed other media players, Android will ask you which one to use.

Nexus 7 - Play Movies

Nexus 7 – Play Movies

Kindle Fire HD

File location: I copied the movie in a folder called “Movies” that resides in the “sdcard” folder. If the folder “Movies” does not exist, simply create it.

Kindle most certainly is not your regular of the mill Android device – and personally I really do not like what Amazon has done with it. For the playback of personal videos you will need to go find the “Personal Videos” app – or an app like MoboPlayer.

Note that the audio of the Kindle Fire HD is very good compared to other tablets.

For the “Personal Videos” app you will have to go to the “Home” screen and type “Personal Videos” in the search field to go find it. Once found, tap it and you can watch your videos. If you have multiple media players installed, Kindle will also ask you which one to use.

Kindle Fire HD - Movie playback

Kindle Fire HD – Movie playback

HTC Glacier / T-Mobile MyTouch 4G

File location: I copied my file on the SD card in a folder that I created “media“, in which I created a sub-folder called “Movies“.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S, go to your “gallery” app, and you’ll find you video file there.

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Comments


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  • Jun 3, 2016 - 9:49 PM - Bill Comment Link

    If I copy MP4 files using USB connection from my computer to my tablet, the files will not play.  However, if I copy files to a thumb drive then plug the thumb drive into the tablet USB port, the file plays fine.  Does Android modify MP4 files copied using USB cable?  On the PC when trying to copy, I get a warning saying “this file may not play on your device, copy anyway?” but the only other option is to not copy the file.

    Reply

    Bill

    • Jun 7, 2016 - 1:23 AM - hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi Bill,

      I assume that you use the same video playback app in both cases.
      Could it be that the app, that copies the file from the USB drive, modifies the movie?
      Can you copy it back to the USB drive so you can compare on your computer?

      Reply

      hans

  • Jul 14, 2016 - 2:36 PM - Rupok Chowdhury Comment Link

    Do you know where subtitle files are stored when downloaded through the Android App?

    Reply

    Rupok Chowdhury

    • Jul 15, 2016 - 4:21 AM - hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi Rudok,

      usually the subtitles are stored with the movie, if you use a network share or movies on your device.
      If you use a streaming service (Specto, 1Channel, Genesis, etc) then the subtitles are stored in the addon data directory of that plugin (if I’m not mistaken).

      Reply

      hans

  • Jan 25, 2017 - 6:30 AM - John Gray Comment Link

    I was going to watch a film on my Galaxy tablet, never done this before & I was told I could “down load” or “Android System”.  What does Android System mean please.  I am not computer literate, just “muck about”

    John

    Reply

    John Gray

    • Jan 25, 2017 - 9:20 AM - hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi John,

      no worries, we all had to start at some point as newbies as well.
      Let me see if I can help/clarify things.

      First of all there are basically 2 ways of watching a movie on your tablet:
      1) You have copied the movie to your tablet, which basically entails copying a file,
      2) You stream video to your tablet, and in that case your tablet will retrieve pieces of the movies while you’re watching it.

      Streaming is what you typically see with NetFlix, HULU, Amazon, etc.
      The advantage being that you do not need to worry about storage space in your tablet, and it saves you the hassle of “copying” the movie.

      In this article we look at the latter though. So a movie get’s copied from some source, for example from a DVD you own, and the resulting computer file then get’s transferred to your table. The advantage of that method is that you can watch your movie, even when you do not have WiFi access – for example when you’re traveling. 

      Now the keywords you mentioned are a little vague – which I fully understand since you’re new to this.
      “Download” means that something (for example from the Internet) is being copied to your tablet or computer. If used correctly, this would mean you’d be getting the entire movie on your tablet. Unfortunately, some folks use the word “download” where they really mean “streaming”.

      The “Android System” is the operating system of your Galaxy. See it as the ‘Windows” for your PC, or “MacOS X” for a Mac. It’s the base “system” that can be found on your tablet, which actually makes it work and provides basic functions (ie. handle files, draw windows, handle actions when moving your finger over the display etc). The Operating System of your Galaxy (called Android) is rather fixed and cannot easily be changed – unlike your Windows PC where you simply install something else, like for example Linux (another Operating System).

      The best way to help, is if you’d explain what you’re planning on doing with your Galaxy. So you’d want to watch a movie on your Galaxy. Are you planning on using a service like NetFlix? or are you planning on copying a DVD or BluRay you own and play that on your Galaxy?

      Reply

      hans

  • Mar 7, 2017 - 6:08 AM - lattertree Comment Link

    There is a professional converter – Avdshare Video Converter to convert the unsupported MKV to Samsung Galaxy.

    Reply

    lattertree

  • Jun 9, 2017 - 4:25 AM - caopei1234512 Comment Link
  • Nov 16, 2017 - 1:55 PM - Anna Comment Link

    I already have movies on my phone, but i’d like to know he can I edit them to say information about the movie. 

    Reply

    Anna

    • Nov 19, 2017 - 4:00 PM - hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi Anna,

      making meta data visible on your phone very strongly depends on the app you’re using to play videos.
      So far I have had good experience with VLC, available on iOS and Android. But as all apps, even VLC is not perfect.

      The desktop version of VLC allows some editing, but my experience with that has been limited.

      As for editing meta data on a phone, well, I honestly have zero experience with that. Sorry 

      Reply

      hans

  • May 28, 2018 - 7:27 AM - Samantha Comment Link

    I’ve recently bought a flek 10- Neos soultech 16gb. I mainly bought it as was told by prev owner I could download iTunes app & App Store app onto it. At presant I haven’t got wifi to see if this is true yes I know try before buy but owner bought it brand new & was in box with all equipment still in packaging ( none opened) what I need to know is 1) can you download iTunes & App Store apps onto this tablet & 2) can you watch movies or download music onto tablet. If not will need to resell & get a iPad or laptop. Can someone answer asap please 

    Thanks 

    Samantha 

    Reply

    Samantha

    • May 28, 2018 - 9:40 AM - hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi Samantha,

      I’m not familiar with that tablet, but I do know that iTunes and the Apple App Store are geared towards Apple hardware, which this does not seem to be. So without any tricks, I doubt iTunes will work with your tablet. Since most non-Apple tablets run Android, you may be able to use the Android App Store (called: Google Play), but here again; not all Android devices work with this (especially when it’s a cheap Chinese tablet with some less standard components in it).

      In case Google Play doesn’t work either, you could try to find and download the so called APK files of the apps you’d like to install.

      Reply

      hans

      • May 29, 2018 - 4:53 AM - Sam Comment Link

        Hi Hans thankyou for reply the tab does have google play & play store. It has a play music app need USB stick to download music it has a play symbol on tab & when press it says video player as I have no int it says no movies. So I’m guessing u can download movies. I’m in two minds to sell or not to sell. 

        But thanks for reply if anyone else can help please reply.

        Reply

        Sam

      • May 30, 2018 - 9:47 AM - hans - Author: Comment Link

        Hi Sam,

        well, it sounds like a cheap tablet, but that doesn’t need to be a wrong thing – it all depends on what you intend to do with it.
        For example; I have an expensive tablet for one purpose, and a cheap one that is used on trips, for the kids, etc … the cheap one, I don’t care if it breaks or not (it has been holding up pretty good).

        If the tablet is cheap and does what you’re looking for; keep it and keep in mind what it’s purpose is.
        If the tablet is not cheap, then maybe consider returning it or selling it and use the money for a better tablet.

        Reply

        hans

  • Jan 12, 2020 - 1:12 AM - dom Comment Link

    Which programs do you recommend to burn video to DVD that plays in DVD player? I remember years ago people would use DVD Fab and Img Burn and recently heard of Handbrake, DVD Flick/Img Burn (but incredibly slow). Any recommendations?

    Reply

    dom

    • Jan 12, 2020 - 4:02 AM - Hans - Author: Comment Link

      Hi Dom,

      I assume you mean to create a DVD from a video file you have (since the topic here is more about video files, and not about DVD’s).
      I also assume you mean an application for Windows, considering the applications you’re mentioning.

      Handbrake is not really intended to create DVD’s, rather more used to convert video from whatever source to a video file (eg. MP4 or MKV).
      As far as I recall DVDFab is also more intended to rip DVDs or BluRay disks, but it may be able to create DVDs as well.

      For starters; I haven’t burned DVD’s in a very long time. So to make a recommendation what is “best” is a little hard.
      Here a few good applications:

      I used to use Nero Burning Rom often, mostly because it did everything I wanted and it came quite often for free with a DVD drive (it is a commercial product).

      Over the years quite a few alternatives surfaced and quite a few of these are free:

      I’d go through the list in this order, in the first 5 you’ll probably find something that works for you (all free).

      Notes

      1. These are applications to create a DVD from one or more video files you have (for example something you’ve recorded with your phone, of a video you’ve downloaded somewhere).
      2. The DVD standard does not support HD resolutions like 720p and 1080p. Some applications will convert the video for you, or you’ll have to convert the video yourself to (if I recall correctly) 480p.
      3. A USB stick may be a better medium. Quite a few modern “smart” TV’s and BluRay players are able to play HD videos directly from a USB stick. For example Samsung supports MP4 and AVI already for quite a few years. Creating of such a stick is much easier (just copy the video file on a FAT32 formatted USB stick) and keeps the HD quality of your video file.
      Hope this helps! 

      Reply

      Hans

  • Mar 3, 2020 - 9:00 PM - Ashley Comment Link

    For some iTunes movies, I think it might be hard to copy them to Android devices because of copyright protection. But it’s not impossible to do that. I’ve used a tool named TunesKit M4V Converter which helped me convert iTunes movies to common MP4 format so that I can transfer them to my Android phone easily. Hope my experience is helpful to people who need it. 

    Reply

    Ashley

    • Mar 4, 2020 - 2:28 AM - Hans - Author: Comment Link

      Thanks for the tip Ashley,

      I wonder how this now works since Apple dropped iTunes.
      How do you get the movies on your computer?

      Reply

      Hans

  • Mar 18, 2020 - 8:38 AM - Jim C Comment Link

    Does my phone playback in HD? 

    If I buy or rent movies from amazon it tells me to get SD as my phone doesn’t support HD playback. I have the LG V50 though, and it’s got a 1440×3120 display with 640 density. I don’t understand. In Google or Xfinity it doesn’t say whether I can play hd or not. But is Amazon wrong? Or does my phone really not play hd? I CANNOT find an answer to this anywhere. I’ve looked a half dozen times over the past few months. Can you help? Am I being dumb? I suspect that might be the problem :)

    Reply

    Jim C



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