14 DAY TRIAL // Video conversion has become a very simple and easy thing for computer users. The only catch is choosing the right software to do it with and electing the proper codecs for the encoding. There is a myriad of softwares just waiting to help you with this task. Some of them are better equipped than others, and the results may differ accordingly.
The software we are going to dissect today is called ALO Video Converter and the developer is ALO SOFT and the price for the full version is $19. What the software offers for this money is a fast conversion from AVI, MPG, DAT, WMV, ASF, MOV, QT, RM, RAM and RMVB to AVI, MPG, WMV, and RM file formats.
The program has taken some security measures and the trial is restricted to only 14 runs of the software and you cannot add more than one file in the conversion window. Once you buy it, you will benefit from free lifetime upgrades and a full, unrestricted license.
The software's interface is very nicely drawn and every option is contained by the main window. There are no additional menus, except for those of the video codecs. The first window in the application window you have to look at is the Add Files one. You will see that the software offers you the chance to add an entire directory that contains files of the same video format. So you cannot add files of different formats and convert them into AVI.
Next you get to select the output folder. If you already have created a folder where to store the converted files, than all you have to do is browse for it. As I've said before, the supported video formats you can convert a file into are AVI, WMV, MPEG and RM.
Choose your desired format and you will notice that the Video Format window will change accordingly. For AVI conversions there will be the most fuss, because here you have to choose an AVI codec and configure it. Do this wrong, and the result will reflect your efforts.
If you want large videos, you can set the AVI Codec bar reading Full Uncompressed, but you should know that the resulting file will be extremely large (a 300KB file can reach to almost 300MB). The video codecs in the software include the Cinepak Codec, Intel Indeo(R) Video, Microsoft Video 1, Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec, DivX 6 and XviD MPEG-4.
For the audio, your options are the WAV, ALAW, ULAW, ADPCM, GSM and MP3 formats. The channels choice is simple and they can be either mono or stereo.
For MPEG conversion things are not that complicated and all you have to do is choose the compatibility (SVCD, VCD or DVD, PAL or NTSC) of the .mpg file, the framerate, and the video bitrate and the MPEG version (MPEG 1 or MPEG 2). In audio you have to select the channels, frequency and the bitrate.
The WMV and RM video formats are designed to be played on the Web, so for them you have to set the Internet connection they are for. I have to mention that - for the RM format - you can add the video information (title, artist and copyright).
The Extract window is handy only when you want to convert just a certain part of the video. You can set the beginning and the end of the file in percentages. The user can also set the width and height of the output video file. That's all, now all there is left is press the Convert button.
The Good
The interface is great. It is simple and the color is an icy gradient blue. Although there aren't too many options, the resulting file's quality is good (of course, it depends on the codecs you use in AVI).
The Bad
The 14 runs in the trial version and the fact that you cannot convert more than one file are definitely a drawback in testing the application.
The Truth
It is a good software and, once you buy it, you will never have to worry about paying more money for the upgrades, because they are free and for life.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
