iPod Video Converter

As the name of this piece of software implies, iPod Video Converter allows you to prepare video files (e.g. 3GP, FLV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MPG) for iPod devices (MP4 and AVI).

But it can also extract the audio stream as well as convert audio tracks to the MP3 format. Plus, it can turn images (such as BMP, GIF and PNG) into JPEGs.

The interface of the program is clean and pretty intuitive. Media files can be imported into the file queue by using only the file browser because the "drag and drop" method is not supported. Handling multiple items simultaneously is possible.

You can view the name, source format, media time and status of each file. Once the output directory and file type have been specified, you can start the conversion operation with the default settings.

Skilled users might be interested in fiddling with the audio and video properties in regard to the compressor, size, bit rate, quality, frequency, frames per second, key frame and VCD channel. iPod Video Converter also lets you change the resolution and quality of images. You can preview clips in a small, built-in media player.

In the "Options" area you can change the interface language, change the temporary folder and set iPod Video Converter to turn off the computer after encoding. Settings can be restored to default. Once all items are processed, the program opens the output directory automatically.

The video processing tool requires a low-to-moderate amount of system CPU and memory, and has a good response time. It can take a long while to convert a video and outputs a poor image and sound quality. iPod Video Converter does not let you trim or merge audio tracks or video clips. You cannot set the thread priority or minimize the tool to the system tray.