Simple Video Converter

Pros

• Free
• Very simple interface
• Useful for inexperienced computer users

Cons

• Lacks downloading, uploading and disc-burning functions

Simple Video Converter is a simple, free Windows program that converts video files in many common formats.

When you first download Simple Video Converter, you receive an installer file that launches Windows Setup Wizard and configures your system to convert videos. Everything about Simple Video Converter is simple and easy to use, including the installer. To configure your system, follow the instructions in the setup wizard and choose which file types to associate with Simple Video Converter. The program supports 3GP, WMV, AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4 and several other popular formats. To launch Simple Video Converter, click the Start screen tile or double-click the desktop icon.

The target user of Simple Video Converter is a casual computer user who doesn't want to spend a lot of time learning about video compression or bit rates. There are no unnecessary controls on the program interface, and all a user needs to do is choose a video and then click Convert. The simple user interface includes just one parameter for output video quality. For high-quality conversions that take slightly longer to convert, slide the Quality slider all the way to the right. For faster conversions, slide it more to the left. Just below the slider is an indicator that tells you exactly how high the output quality will be when the video is converted. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell you how long the video will take to convert.

It's hard to complain about free software. This is especially true if it's a program that makes video conversion accessible to people with less computer literacy. You might want to use different software if you need more control over your conversions or if you need to perform special operations, such as extracting clips or images. As far as simple video-conversion programs go, there are alternatives that offer a broader feature set with a similar level of complexity as Simple Video Converter. For example, Simple Video Converter doesn't allow you to download or upload YouTube videos or burn DVDs. You may want to try a few programs to decide which one converts videos the fastest and offers the best stability on your computer.

Simple Video Converter has just two menu options: File and Help. The File menu allows you to import video files from external sources or save your settings for future sessions. The Help menu opens the Simple Video Converter help page in a Web browser. Otherwise, all video-converting options display in the program window. To load a file, click Open next to the Input File slot. To choose a conversion format, click Save next to the Output File slot. After choosing your settings, start converting your video by clicking Start. If you need to abort the process in mid-conversion, click Stop and wait just a moment for the signal to go through.

Pros

• Free
• Very simple interface
• Useful for inexperienced computer users

Cons

• Lacks downloading, uploading and disc-burning functions