14 DAY TRIAL // Video converting is a trifle nowadays. Everybody can do it with the right software. Transforming an AVI into WMV is now only a matter of the codecs you use. The technology is so advanced today that creating DVD videos has become piece of cake.
How would you feel if you had one software that was capable of doing all the video conversions you wanted? I bet you would jump up and down with joy. I have not found such a software yet, but I'll let you know the minute I bump into it.
The software I am going to analyze today is an application that brags about its capabilities of converting into the following video formats: AVI, WMV and MPEG (MPEG 1 and 2 for DVD, VCD and SVCD, both PAL and NTSC). Let's see what it is all about.
The software's name is Speed Video Converting (this already sounds like a promising application) and its developer is Flyers Software. The application is available for the users in trial version, the only limitation it has being the fact that the conversion will be of only 50%. The full version is $25, but don't rush over to buy it, try it for a sec to see if it fits your needs.
I was pleasantly impressed by the software when I first launched it. The interface is nicely drawn and very comforting for the eyes. At a first look, the application did not seem to possess unusual options and the relative simplicity seems to be an asset as the users can handle it with ease.
The maneuvering of the application is not at all a back-breaker. The program has few options and most of them are codec-related. The only buttons of the program are displayed right under the title bar. The most valuable feature of the application is its capacity of batch-converting. Thus, you can add as many files as you want and convert them to a single video format.
The files subject to the transformation do not necessarily have to be in the same format. You can add all sorts of formats (MPEG, WMV, AVI, MP4, MOV, ASF, etc.) and turn them all into AVI, MPEG or WMV. The main window of the application displays the source file, the target file and the output format. The target file is usually the same folder as the source file. The difference between the original and the converted file is that the latter has "(Converted)" added to its original name.
The buttons of the software are Add Video, Remove, Move Up and Move Down. Right beneath the files window there is the Select output format menu. Lower in the window you get to choose the compression codecs, both video and audio. There is a wide range of video codecs to choose from, and I will enumerate only the most representative of them: DivX, XviD, ffdshow, Indeo, Intel Indeo and some of Microsoft codecs.
The audio compression codecs are also varied and they are as follows: PCM, MPEG Layer-3, GSM, IAC2, IMA ADPCM, etc. The user can also choose the audio format with the frequency and bitrate (I must admit that the range is pretty good). Of course, if you want quality in the converted file you have to input quality in the converter.
The Configuration button in the right lower side of the application window is designed to help you make the necessary video codec settings. Here you are all by yourselves as it all depends on your skills to make the settings so that the output file rises to your standards.
The software makes available changing the width and height of the video as well as the framerate. Of course you can preserve all the sets of the original and this is actually the default setting.
The Good
The converting job is done very fast, once you have configured the codecs. The interface is very nicely drawn.
The Bad
The 50% conversion for the trial version is not enough. When I saw the range of video formats supported I was also expecting that Matroska codec was also included. The user has to buy the video codecs as they are not included in the price of the software.
The Truth
It is a nice software that does the job pretty fast. The application is easy to handle and all the problems you may have are related to the video codec settings.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
