Watching Grass Grow or Video Conversion

So you spent a truck load of cash to build the worlds most powerful home super computer but your not a gamer. You managed to convince your wife somehow you need this kind of power for touching up family pictures or creating that musical master piece. You won't be able to prove this me. The only other reason you need this kind of horsepower is for video conversion.

Express video conversion software MediaShow Espresso is for converting your videos for playback on your smart phone, iPhone, iPad, PSP, Xbox 360, on YouTube, and more.

I'm only going to write about how this new software is taking advantage of the capability of the investment you made making your PC a virtual super computer. Many of the other features available can be seen at the web site.

http://www.cyberlink.com/products/mediashow-espresso/overview_en_US.html

The software uses multi core CPU's processing muscle to transcode videos. Support for multi-threading allows MediaShow Espresso to utilize up to 4 processing cores at once.

They also utilize the stream processors in your GPU to convert your videos faster than ever with optimization for hardware acceleration technologies from Intel® Core™ i3, i5, and i7; NVIDIA® CUDA™; and ATI® Stream™.

CyberLink is leveraging ATI's Unified Video Decoder (UVD) in its MediaShow Espresso video converter application. This allows it to quickly convert digital video files for use on portable devices like Apple's iPhone and Sony PSP. CyberLink has also optimized its PowerDirector 7 video editing software to take advantage of ATI Stream.

Tests conducted by ATI showed a reduction in transcoding time of at least 50% in most applications. For example, a 94 second 1920x1080 video encoded at 24 frames per second using H.264 took 131 seconds to transcode to a format suitable for the iPhone using just the CPU. It took just 46 seconds using a mid-range Radeon HD 4670 video card, reducing the time needed by almost 65%. Results would be even more dramatic using a higher end Radeon 4870 or Radeon 4890 GPU. Addition GPUs through CrossFire would provide even greater performance improvements.

So at $40 this might not be High Tech on a Budget but with $1000 dollars or more into a high end system this by comparison not only makes good sense but it is a steal.

One Giant Leap

So you need to get that HD video from your new camera into a format people can use?

Even though the logo looks more like a fox, they are both scavengers and so are we so here it is free of charge. They have many other great tools that I have written about in the past like FLV player. They have a good wmv and mp3 converter as well.

http://www.koyotesoft.com/indexEn.html

Free HD Converter V1.4

Free HD Converter is a freeware designed to convert all your MTS and M2TS files. AVCHD is a format for the recording and playback of high definition video. Video compressed in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format. This format is used by camcorders like Canon HF10, HG20, Sony HDR-SR1, HDR-XR100 and many more.

This freeware will let you convert your HD files from your camcorder easily to AVI, MPEG2, DVD format, Ipod, Mp4, Wmv format. Very fast conversion and completely free to use.

• Batch conversion,
• output video parameters configuration and presets,
• Preview during conversion,
• Fast conversion process and easy to use.

Freeware

Compatibility: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Seven
Size: 3.46 MB

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Free Mp3 Wma Converter V1.9

Free MP3 WMA Converter enables you to convert your MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, M4a, MP4, Ape, Ac3, FLAC, WAVE files:

• Mp3 to Ogg, Mp3 to Wma, Mp3 to AAC, Mp3 to Wav...
• Wav to Mp3, Wav to Ogg, Wav to AAC, Wav to Wma...
• Wma to Mp3, Wma to Ogg, Wma to AAC, Wma to Wav...
• Ogg to Mp3, Ogg to Wma, Ogg to AAC, Ogg to Wav...
• AAC to Mp3, AAC to Wma, AAC to Ogg, AAC to Wav...
• Ape to Mp3, Ape to Wma, Ape to Ogg, Ape to Wav...
• Flac to Mp3, Flac to Wma, Flac to Ogg, Flac to Wav...
• M4a to Mp3, M4a to Wma, M4a to Ogg, M4a to Wav...
• Ac3 to Mp3, Ac3 to Wma, Ac3 to Ogg, Ac3 to Wav....

And even more possible conversions !

You can convert Itunes audio files (m4a format) free of charge in MP3, WMA, OGG…! Tags's editor integrated (V1 and V2). Copy your audio CDs very rapidly thanks to “Free CD Ripper”. Simplicity at the service of efficiency.

For a full list of products

Your Teacher Wants What?

Your kid is assigned to make a movie for a class project. A DVD movie?
Not just a video clip you can email but a DVD you can play in front of the whole class.

You may be tasked with teaching training class at work but don't like speaking in front of lots of people.

We all likely have old copies of home movies that we might want to convert to DVD. There are many products that get the movie to the PC but gtting it on that DVD seems to be the source of quite a bit of technical blackmail. Sure Nero came with your DVD burner but what do you need that burner the most for? You guessed it, video. Of course my son comes to me with a project where he has movie files captured in MP4 format. He wants to author a movie with sound tracks and special effects.

Step 1: Get that movie into a MPEG2 or WMV format.
AVI works in many cases but the extension says AVI but it comes in many flavors most of which will leave you wondering what the hell happened. Use a program called Any Video Converter. You can use the free version from the download page. I'm not sure how they can even sell a version since the code behind the converter is the open source MPLAYER.

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Step 2: Author that video.
I have a progam called ULEAD Video Studio. All it is is Windows Media Encoder with a interface almost identical to Windows Movie Maker. So naturally I use windows movie maker. My post to getting HD quality out of MovieMaker is below. It comes with plenty of cheesy effects as well.

Turn Windows Movie Maker into the best HD video production software for free.

Create your movie.

Step 3. This is where technical blackmail comes in.
You get just about to the end of this project and the Nero software says they can't support your audio format without paying $30. Many of these free DVD players do the same with limited audio functionality.

This is when I found: DVD Flick

It can take a number of video files stored on your computer and turn them into a DVD that will play back on your DVD player, Media Center or Home Cinema Set. You can add additional custom audio tracks as well as subtitles of your choice.

Features

• Burn near any video file to DVD
• Support for over 45 file formats
• Support for over 60 video codecs
• Support for over 40 audio codecs
• Add your own subtitles
• Easy to use interface
• Burn your project to disc after encoding
• Completely free without any adware, spyware or limitations

Basically this gets the movie from the PC onto that DVD. They are working on menus in the Beta which I don't recommend at this time. This tool takes that video and imports it, encodes it, and burns it. Its a bit slow but beggers can't be choosers. In this case Biggars.

Not Too Rich for My Blood

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

I was trying to convert wmv to avi for a video contest my kids were trying to enter. I was unable to find a free program that could make this happen without crashing or butchering my video. Here is a free solution. The pay for versions have a direct from DVD conversion option. I haven't used this feature so you may want to stick with Intervideo and DVDXCopy XPRESS
which I have recommended in the past.

This is a free video format conversion utility with a feature rich interface. I have posted about other utilities that do what this can do and more. This interface has a much more commercial look and feel.

Any Video Converter is a professional video converter which can convert video files from various formats with fast converting speed and excellent video quality . It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for iPod/PSP or other portable video device, MP4 player or smart phone. It also supports any user defined video file formats as the output. It has an unmatchable speed and high quality. Any Video Converter makes it easy for anyone to enjoy the any format video with your iPod, PSP, mobile phone or MP4 player.

Restoring the past the way you remember it

DScaler 4 - Studio quality video capture for free.


http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/

Have you ever captured and converted those home movies to your PC or onto a DVD. If you haven't, you need to as soon as possible. The VHS movies will degrade over time. Maybe you own a VHS version of your favorite movie and want to preserve it for the best quality playback as possible.

DScaler is a piece of software that grabs analog, interlaced video, and deinterlaces it to make it a progressive scan feed then allows scaling to any resolution for use on your computer monitor or projector.

Analog, interlaced video is what devices like VCRs, laserdisc, and game consoles output.

DScaler 4 captures video, processes it, and scales it for presentation on a projector or computer monitor. DScaler implements highly sophisticated algorithms that work in real-time to provide PC owners with image quality matched only by very expensive equipment.

In order to get the most out of DScaler 4 you will need a supported capture card.

DScaler performs a variety of functions:

• Grabbing video from a DVD player, game console, laserdisc, or VCR in a reliable fashion, in either analog or digital form;
• Deinterlacing video source, such as sports and news produced with a video camera, as well as console games;
• Detecting and removing 2:2 pulldown (PAL) and 3:2 pulldown (NTSC) for movies and filmed television programs;
• Reducing video noise on analog sources;
• Automatically calibrating video capture cards for optimal brightness, contrast and color;
• Manipulating video through gamma, sharpness and other filters;
• Viewing still images;
• Reducing judder and other video timing anomalies; and
• Presenting all of the above in the desired resolution and aspect ratio.

Video capture conversion guide

If you would like me to write my own guide or have a specific project you want to tackle send me an email about what you want to accomplish. There are many ways to approach a problem and with such a variety of tools it can be confusing to figure out what method works best for you.

Baby Steps - A simpler way to convert video for portable devices

Videora Converter - FREE (no skill required)
http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/

"It allows you to convert your regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into the proper video format that your mobile or fixed video device understands. Each version is tailored specifically to the device in question."

This is a suite of applications specifically tuned to the device you want to create video for. So there is a seperate download for each application depending on your device.

This covers the IPOD, IPhone, PSP, XBox 360, Tivo, and PMP.

For more advanced options and in many cases better quality results, check out my post for MPLAYER and the MeWiG GUI (some PC skill required)
http://thinkbiggar.blogspot.com/2007/10/get-it-while-it-lasts-powerful-media.html

Free iPod Video Converter

http://www.ipod-video-converter.org/

Free iPod Video Converter provides an easy and completed way to convert all popular video formats to iPod video.

Supports DVD/VCD and AVI, MPEG, WMV, RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB video files to your iPod with few clicks. The program is a freeware and does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors.

YouTube to MyTube - Capture that Flash

Update - Get Down with Download manager

This is a firefox extension.

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http://vixy.net/


Online FLV Converter : Download online videos direct to PC / iPod / PSP. It's free!

The service lets you submit a URL. The site will extract the video and decode it. You can then download later for personal viewing.
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Ok lets say you might want to be a bit more discrete.

It's going to cost you a bit but well worth it. This thing is like magic. It captures everything in the background so you do need to have a little focus to clean up when your done surfing.


Applian Replay Media CatcherVersion: 2.10.00.00
http://www.applian.com/
http://www.media-catcher.com/replay-media-catcher/index.php


The Ultimate FLV & MP3 Capture Tool
Record all kinds of FLV format Flash Videos.
Capture streaming MP3 files.
Automatically names songs and video files.
One click recording.
MP3 tag editor.
Works great for hard-to-capture sites using RTMP protocol.
Free Trial! - $40 to buy
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Another online capture solution. Again free, my guess is not for long.

Turn Windows Movie Maker into the best HD video production software for free.

Links:

Microsoft Posts Windows XP Movie Maker 1.2.1
Update
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/bonuspack/default.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx

Good writeup on Windows Movie Maker

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/expert/bridgman_02february4.mspx

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Here is how to make it work:

Creating your own Windows Movie Maker custom export profile:
You need the free Windows Media Profile Editor, which is installed as part of the Windows Media Encoder download.
Get Windows Media 9 Series codecs.

You can download the encoder from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/default.aspx

From Windows Media Encoder:
open Profile Editor from Start > All Programs > Windows Media > Utilities > Windows Media Profile Editor. You are going to create a custom profile.
Name your profile and give it a description. It will be easier to identify in the Windows Movie Maker Save Movie wizard.
Check off Audio and Video boxes and use the default Windows Media Audio 9.1 and Windows Media Video 9 for the codecs.

You now need to set a target bit rate. Click the Add button to get started. Select a target bit rate type of either K (kilobits), M (megabits) or G (gigabits).
Kilobits would be used for portable devices or Web downloads.
I set video at 30fps, 15fps is the default. Change the keyframe interval to 3-4 seconds from the default of 8.

Click the Save and Close. Name your profile and be sure to save it in the :\Program Files\Movie Maker\shared\profiles folder. The next time you step through Save Movie Wizard, select your new custom profile from the Other Settings drop down menu before saving the final project.

Windows Media Encoder has pre-built profiles you can use as a guide, click the Import button and select a profile from the listing in:
:\Program Files\Windows Media Components\Encoder\Settings