14 DAY TRIAL // There are as many needs as there are users. That's a fact and nobody can argue with me on this. I agree that there are some needs that are "embraced" by more users, but those are general. The deepest ones are unique. You will not find two identical computers except if they belong to the same user. Everybody tries to customize it to his/her own needs.
You will find the same softwares installed on a multitude of machines, but they will always be different in what concerns the use, the looks, the options enabled etc. And need is the main source of creating new applications that do the strangest things. A friend of mine, for example, found a software that generates sound from a JPEG image. There must be a use for that too (although I cannot think of one).
On the other hand, Allok Video to FLV Converter is a useful application that allows the user to convert a video file into SWF or FLV. Why would someone do that? The advantages of SWF and FLV files are well known as the FLV video can easily be streamed in from a remote location, so that the end-user receives a constant feedback. So video posters should be interested in this, as streaming will be enhanced and a preloader becomes obsolete.
Allok Soft Inc gave a thought about this and decided to develop this application. Of course, considering the broad range of converters they produce, this step was as predictable as inevitable. The same simple interface is preserved as in all the other softwares developed by them. So the user will find an application that is easy to use and not at all complicated. Indeed, the software does not do too much, and it is not professional, but for home users it is excellent.
The airy interface gives the user the comfortable feeling necessary for getting the job done. There is only one window in the application that includes all the options available. The software is so simple to use that you can complete the job in just three steps. I am aware that the method of the three-steps to get your job done is overused, but - in this case - it is also efficient.
The first step is to add the file you want to convert. If you are using the trial version, then you will not be able to encode to FLV or SWF a file longer than five minutes and editing the video (trimming the video) is also unavailable.
The flexibility of Allok Video to FLV Converter goes as far as letting you make the basic output settings which are to be found at the bottom of the application window. And when I say flexibility, I mean that the software is really "bendy" for home users. You can choose the result to be saved as one of the two flash video formats available on the market (SWF, FLV) or both. After the mission is complete, you will find in the output directory the two conversions of the original file.
Lower in the application, the user will get the chance to further customize the output, select the video quality (up to 1500kbps), the resolution and the framerate. Audio settings are available and you can select the audio quality (up to 192kbps) and the sample rate (maximum of 44100 Hz). You should be aware of the fact that the result depends entirely on the quality of the video you process. The same rule in audio mastering (7448 in, 7448 out) applies here. So, if it is crap that you input in the software than a similar crap will come out.
To prove some more of its flexibility, the software makes available two pretty interesting options. The first one allows the user to insert a subtitle file in the resulting conversion and the means to do that is found in the right side of the software (the little green up arrow). To tell you the truth, I was impressed by the wide range of supported subtitle formats. The most popular ones are included (.sub, .srt, .ssa, .idx) but other formats are not neglected either (.ass, .psb or .smi).
The second option is to insert the video into a webpage. When enabled, the application will create a HTML file and integrate the output video. I encountered some problems with this as the default association in my case was with IE and there was no integration of the video in there. But, as soon as I opened the file with Maxthon, I saw the video centered right in the middle of the page.
The Good
Very comfortable application that gets the job done in no time. Of course, due to the trial version used, I converted only files with limited duration and this may have contributed to the quickness of the conversion.
The Bad
When I found out about the price for the full version ($39.95), a bitter taste came into my mouth. It is not extremely high, it's just that I was not expecting it. I was prepared for a price around $25, but $39.95 left me speechless.
Even if I only mentioned that only under five minutes videos can be processed by the software in the trial version you should be aware that the result of these files will have a watermark displayed right in the center.
The Truth
A software that it's worth trying and the result is not at all bad. The compression is done fast and the quality is good enough for home users.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
