Input:
flv, mpg, vob, mp4, mov, avi, 3gp, dv, wmv, wma, ra, rm, mp3, m4a, mkv, mka, m4v, aac, aiff, flac, mod, and wav.

Output:
mpg, vob, mp4, mov, avi, 3gp, mp3, m4a, wmv, dv, flv, mkv, and aiff.

You might use this program to make a YouTube video into something your iPod can play.

• Playable on older computers, some DVD players, VCD and SVCD players.
  
• Not resource intensive
  
• Well established standard
  
• Limited frame rates
  
• Supported in QuickTime
• Set to VCD specifications - limited options to change
  
  

• Out performs MPEG 1 in terms of video quality
  
• Used in DVDs
  
• Works in VLC player
  
• Limited frame rate
  
• Doesn’t play in QuickTime (for free)
  

• Works with the iPod and Apple TV
  
• Can be resource intensive
  
• Supported in QuickTime
  
  

• Works with iDVD, iMovie, iTunes, QuickTime Player, and other applications
• Playable on Windows
  

• Works with some high-end DVD players
  
• High compression rates
  
• Excellent video quality
  
• Can be resource intensive
  
• Works with QuickTime (with free plugin)
  
  

• Popular on mobile phones
  
• Limited resolutions available
  
• Supported in Quicktime
  

• Used in iMovie
• Creates very big files
• No settable options
• Format available (to this program) in Mac OS 10.3 or higher
  

• Windows Media Player file
• Very popular format in the PC world
• Nice compression ratio and video quality
• Format available (to this program) in Mac OS 10.3 or higher
• Not very Mac friendly :(
  

• The king of streaming video formats
• High compression ratio
• Quicktime doesn't support this format (without Perian plug-in)
• Playable in VLC player

• Completely Open source
• Feature rich
  
• New format - not widely used yet
• Quicktime doesn't support his format (without Perian plug-in)
• Plays in VLC Player
  

• High compression ratio
  
• Very popular format
  
• Supported by virtually all MP3 players
  
• Audio only
  

• Higher compression ratio than MP3
• Supported by the iPod
• Audio only

• Uncompressed audio
  
• Lossless
• File sizes can be high
• Playable on really old computers
  

• For small screens (320x240 resolution)

• For iPhones (480x320 resolution)
  

• Best for computer monitors (640x480 resolution)
  

• For viewing on standard definition displays (720x480 resolution)

• For viewing on high definition displays (1280x720 resolution)
  

Bitrates



The bitrate in a video file is just like the bitrate in a mp3 file. The higher the bitrate, the better the video quality will be. Higher bitrates lead to larger files. It is usually best not to change the bitrate. To change the value, click the blue box with the black arrow in it to select a preselected value, or delete the ‘no change’ text and enter a value. The value must be greater than 0. Please note that when an application like Quicktime Player tells you the bitrate (Data Rate), it is giving you the value of the video stream plus the value of the audio stream. This is one reason why the set bitrate and the actual bitrate don't match. Another problem with setting the bitrate is there is a limit on how low and how high a certain video file's bitrate can be. This is largely cause by the resolution of the video file. If you wish to use the bitrate feature, the quality should then be set to "automatic". The quality feature will interfere with the bitrate feature otherwise.

When using the mp3 or m4a formats, only a limited number of bitrates will be available. This is due to these formats' specification.


Adding Files to be Converted



To add files to be converted, simply push the Add button. A dialog will show up for you to select the files you want to convert. Multiple files can be selected at one time by holding down the command key and clicking on the files in the dialog box that are desired. Files may also be added by dragging them from the Finder onto the file list area. To remove files from the conversion list, click on the file and push the Remove button, or by pushing the delete button on the keyboard.  Files can be added to or removed from the list while a conversion is taking place.

Destination Folder



The Destination folder is where the converted files are saved. The default location is the Desktop folder. To change the location, push the Change button. A dialog box will show up and you can then select the destination folder. The destination can also be changed by simply typing in a new destination. Make sure the new destination exists before the conversion starts.



Starting the Process



Push the Start button to start the whole conversion process.



Stopping the Process



The Start button turns into the Stop button when the conversion process is active. Pushing the stop button halts the conversion process.



Sound Settings



The sounds options are No Change, Stereo (two speakers), Mono (one speaker), or No Sound. When the converted file is meant for a cell phone, it is usually best to select mono. If you were interested in only the video part of a file, then selecting No Sound would be the option to use. For listening to the file using a dual speaker system, Stereo would be the option to choose. Of course No Change is just fine if you are happy with the sound.

The sampling rate is the number of audio samples taken in a second. If you don't understand what that means, it's ok. Only a few things need to be known about this feature. One thing is the sampling rate of an audio cd is 44.1 KHz. Having a higher sampling rate than that is usually not necessary. Another thing to know about sampling rate is the higher it is, the bigger your file is going to be. The last thing to note is each audio codec has its own allowable sampling rate values.

The volume of a sound file can be changed. Click on the 'Sound' menu and select 'Volume (%)'. The values represent a percentage of the original volume. To increase the volume of a sound file, select a value that is greater than 100. To decrease the volume, select a value that is less than 100.


Improving Quality

 

The quality of a video file can be controlled by selecting one of the items from the Quality Menu. The automatic menu item attempts to strike a balance between Speed and Quality. No Change gives a video file that is about the same quality as the original. This quality setting is usually good enough. The high, medium, and low options will give lower quality videos, but in smaller file size. A little experimenting will help you learn which option is best.

Statistical Data

Statistics for the program are available. Go to the "File" menu and choose "Statistics".  The information there tells you the following:

Cropping a video

A video file can be cropped so that only certain areas of a video are shown. Simply click on the Video menu and select Crop to use this feature. Just enter the number of pixels you want removed from each side. Then push the Set button. Please note that all numbers entered must be even.

To disable this feature, simply open the window again and click the cancel button.

Selecting a Certain Time Interval in a File

This feature allows the user to specify a certain time in a file to use. This is useful when only a part of a video file is needed. Click on the File menu and select "Time Interval" to open the above window. To select the starting position in the file, click on the Start time text field. Then enter the start time. The format of the time is hours:minutes:seconds. To select a start time of 1 minutes 23 seconds, the entered value would be 00:01:23. To enter an ending time, select the End time text field, and enter the the desired end value. An example end time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 33 seconds would be entered as 01:13:33. Be sure the radio button next to the End time text field is selected when using a custom end time.

To activate this feature, push the Set button.
To deactivate the feature, push the Cancel button.
To reset the window to default values, push the Reset button.

Preserving Aspect Ratio

When resizing a video, the width to height ratio should be the same. When the width to height ratio of a video is changed, it leads to undesirable stretching and shrinking. To prevent this from happening, go to the Video menu and select "Same Aspect Ratio". This will allow you to resize the video with little or no stretching or shrinking. This feature isn't perfect. Sometimes a video looks better with the feature disabled. It works by adding black rectangles on two of the sides. This is known as letterboxing.

Preferences

The preferences feature allows the user to select the default format, default save location, and the version of FFmpeg (the conversion engine) that will be used in each conversion session. Release 0.5 is the newest version and suggested for use. The available versions of FFmpeg change with the operating system. Here is a breakdown of what you can use:

Each version of ffmpeg included with this program have their strengths and weaknesses. If you notice a problem with one version, try your conversion again using a different version.

While converting to MPEG 1, the log might show multiple buffer underflow messages (if the "Print Engine Messages" option is on). You might also notice seeking problems if this problem takes place. This indicates that there are problems converting your file. Selecting "Automatic" from the "Quality" menu will fix this problem.

Converting files on a flashdrive while using a computer that is running Mac OS 10.1 is not suggested. The files should be copied onto the hard drive and then converted there.

Creating mpeg 1 files on Mac OS 10.1 and 10.2 can have its problems when using the ffmpeg-0.5 conversion engine. One work around is to convert the file into a mp4, then  switch the conversion engine to ffmpeg-7000 to convert the mp4 into a mpeg 1 file.

Contact

My email address is Programmingkidx@gmail.com. Feedback is always welcomed. Bug reports are also welcomed.