Choosing the perfect video converter software is like choosing the perfect car, it all depends on what you need the program to do and how far you want to go. In some cases, all you need is the basic sub-compact without luxury upgrades to get you from point A to point B. Others need a powerful, feature-filled, mega-program that will convert just about every file format under the sun.
The main purpose of most video converter programs is to convert media already on your computer to a more compatible format on other computers or digital devices. There are three main types of uses for video converter software; to convert home video, online video and DVD or VCD video.
This is not the kind of software you need if you are trying to copy home movies from your camcorder to a DVD, although some support this function, most video converter programs are not designed for it. If that is the kind of software you are looking for, visit TopTenREVIEWS Video Editing Software review.
When shopping for the right video converter, ask yourself these two specific questions: What do I need to convert? Which formats do I need to convert to?
Here is how video converter software can work for you:
Home Video- Capture the Moments
Video converting software is particularly handy in two home video situations. Emailing special clips friends and family and uploading to a format compatible with your personal media device, like iPod or Zune.
Emailing and sharing home videos with relatives near and far is a great way to keep in touch. However, the camcorder or video editing software you use is usually partial to certain file formats and you don’t always know the software your relatives will use to play the video back. Frequently, a well meaning birthday hello or introduction to the new baby turns into a lengthy technical phone call. With video converter software you can simply change your Windows Media Video to .avi or another friendly format.
Video converter software is particularly useful when you own an iPod, but have a computer that uses Windows. A conundrum many are running into is they are uploading and editing their home videos on their home computer, but they can’t transfer and play them on their iPod. Although iTunes works with Windows, most other Mac based software doesn’t; including video files.
If you are converting from a video camera that supports miniDVDs look for programs that will support .vob input files.
If your main purpose is to convert home videos directly to your personal computer, via USB, or to your portable media player look for simple, familiar formats like .wmv, .avi, DivX, Xvid and MPEG-2. If you are using a Mac or iPod look for .mov and .mp4.
Online Video- People in Cyberspace
According to Quantcast, YouTube attracts more than 50 million unique visitors a month, making it one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Most videos you see on YouTube, company websites or personal blogs are displayed using a Flash (.flv) file format. In conjunction with a flash downloader like RealPlayer, some video converter software can change your .flv file to a .mp4 or .avi file compatible with your iPod or other portable media device.
If your main purpose for purchasing a video converter program is you want to share clips of yourself singing along to JLo either on YouTube or your blog, look for a converter that supports a .flv input and output. Warning, only select applications supports this function.
DVD, VCD and SVCD- Oh My!
Video converter software can be extremely useful when converting short clips from your home video DVDs or videos recorded on your media center. A video converter program allows you to choose specific files from DVDs to convert to compatible formats and play on your iPod, Zune, Creative Zen, Archos or other media player.
We’d like to emphasize this software is impractical for copying entire DVDs to your portable device. That said, most video converter programs comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and can not break DVD encryptions.
Like cars, there is no "one size fits all" video converter. Know what files you have and which device you want them converted to before purchasing a video converter program.
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