The PC Utilities Guide to...

Video conversion tools

Digital video files needn't be awkward to work with - whip your movie projects into shape with our pick of the best free conversion tools

Working with digital video is a task that's often not for the faint-hearted. Whether you're editing home movies, downloading from or preparing for the Web, or backing up DVDs, the sheer range of techno-speak you need to wade through is frightening.

Formats and codecs, quality settings and aspect ratios, frame rates and bitrates, encoding and compression — it's no wonder that many think video conversion is something best left to the pros.

This is far from reality though, as a vast array of video conversion and compression tools are available catering to every level of user and requirement. Not all of them ask for much technical knowledge from the user, either.

Digital video comes in a range of file and playback formats depending on the output required. The process of preparing a video to meet a certain format and its specifications is known as encoding or conversion. For instance, a video encoded for the iPod will differ in settings, including quality, resolution and file format, from one encoded for a home theatre system.

Video formats include file types like MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Windows Media, QuickTime etc, resulting in various filename extensions like .avi, .mp4, .mpg and .wmv.

These are not to be confused with codecs (an abbrevation for compressor/decompressor), a technology for compressing and decompressing digital data which can be implemented using hardware or software.

Conversion software uses a variety of codecs to convert videos between formats.

— Payal Dhar. This article is an excerpt from a larger article in issue 111 of PC Utilities magazine. Each month PC Utilities magazine reviews scores of great new programs. Have you considered taking advantage of our no-risk subscription offer?

This page was last updated on 06 Jun 2009

# Name
1

Any Video Converter Free
Convert video files between a wide range of formats, including PSP-compatible .mp4 files - installs toolbar unless opted out

2

DivX Plus
Codec and player that allows you to view movies in the compressed DivX format

3

FormatFactory
Convert video, audio and picture files between all the popular formats

4

HandBrake for Windows PIC
Convert DVDs and assorted movie files into a range of compressed video formats, including MP4 - Open Source

5

MediaCoder REVIEW PIC
Transcode virtually any audio or video file into a wide range of alternative codecs - Open Source

6

Quick Media Converter PIC
Convert between most audio and video formats, including AVI, DVD, QuickTime, Flash, XviD, DivX, MPEG, MP3, WMA, MP4, 3GP and many others

7

SUPER (c) 2009 REVIEW PIC
Convert virtually any media file into a range of alternative formats using a range of settings