2022-10-26
To change the video format, specialized programs are used, the name of them - converters. The following will be discussed in connection with the Android platform. Where to download a program to change the video format, how to change the video format - all this will be considered in this article.
This part of the review is practical, not theoretical. Imagine the situation: there is a file in a certain format that you want to convert to another format (for example, MP4 to AVI). What newbie user usually does in this case? He simply changes the file extension to the necessary one in Explorer, expecting that after that the file can be played along with other /files with the same extension. This is a fallacy: changing an extension is not a format change.
MediaCoder - Video Format Converter
Size: 46 MB
License: freeware
Before we proceed to the detailed review of this famous, free and very useful video converter for the phone, let us give you an idea about its capabilities.
The MediaCoder software works with audio and video, letting you convert video, change one format to another in batch mode.
Batch processing is convenient and automated. Choose any number of /files of different formats, make a list and convert.
With MediaCoder you can compress, resize any source file. Video clip can be not only converted to another format, but also the audio track can be "pulled" and its properties changed. The program includes functions for CD or DVD grabbing/ripping.
Ripping - converting from analog to digital
Video File Conversion - reformatting by recoding a video stream
Another feature of the program is the support for plugins. MediaCoder supports digital players, mobile phones, PDA, PSP, VCD/DVD players, etc.
In MediaCoder video converter has everything included, you do not need to search for and configure the right codecs. The encoder has a friendly enough graphical shell, but at the same time it allows you to work within the program via the command line.
Supported audio formats:
Audio: MP3, Vorbis, AAC, AAC+, AAC+v2, MusePack, Speex, AMR, WMA, RealAudio,
FLAC, WavPack, Monkey's Audio, OptimFrog, AAC Lossless, WMA Lossless, WAV/PCM
H.264, Xvid, MPEG 1/2/4, Theora, Flash Video, Dirac, 3ivx, RealVideo, Windows Media Video
Video: AVI, MPEG/VOB, Matroska, MP4, RealMedia, ASF, Quicktime, OGM
CD, VCD, DVD, CUE Sheet
Download this video converter free, so all functions are immediately available out of the box. There is one noticeable disadvantage - instability of work: sometimes MediaCoder "crashes". But it does not crash during format conversion, so that is not a bad thing.
MediaCoder installation
There are different versions of MediaCoder video converter available at www.mediacoder.sourceforge.net which you can freely download: 32 and 64-bit, compilations for different types of processors. You can also choose the latest version at the moment or the most stable one. The stable one is considered to be optimal for work . We advise you not to use unstable MediaCoder as you may encounter a lot of errors the developers have not fixed yet. The more so that the number of the unstable version is not too "far" from the stable one.
When installing you can select one of the two languages of the installation wizard: English or Chinese. Note that the translation of the program interface is separate and the choice is not limited to two languages at all. At the stage "Choose Components" we select the components you want to install. Once you have done the installation, please run the program.
Programming interface
Warning right away: the video format editor is not meant for the novice user. There are so many options and unfamiliar terms, it's easy to get confused. The developers have provided you with several modes of working with the program.
There are four types of interface:
- Simple Mode: no tabs, only buttons to work with the list of /files. This mode is not very "practical": without any presetting it makes no sense to convert /files in another mode.
- Skinned Mode: transparent tab at the end of the list. In general, Skinned Mode interface is usable, even if in terms of design it is not entirely successful. Everything is simplified to the minimum.
- Device Mode (tab available only in the early versions of the program): operation with devices. At the bottom of the main window a list of the extensions appears.
- Normal Mode: mode where you should start. Nothing superfluous but everything you need at the same time.
- Expert Mode : A mode for "expert" users who find it useful to encode audio/video through the console. In addition to this there is a detailed statistic about the processes involved.
Change the behaviour of the program through the menu Options - User Interface Mode.
In the right side of the list of /files to be encoded there is the Properties menu. Here you will find information about the selected file: size, bit rate, resolution (for video) and other parameters.
You may notice the status line at the bottom of the main program window. Here you can see CPU type (a kind of hint for downloading optimized version of the program with higher speed). In the next right window you can see the information on the format selected for conversion: Video and Audio.
Start working with MediaCoder
So choose the Normal interface. How to start working in the program? Setting the output format is done through the tabs. If you understand what they do, you won't have any further problems with conversion. The most important sections are:
Output: here we define where the converted /files will be copied to (upper field). Working Folder is the directory for the temporary /files.
Audio : this is the Audio Settings tab. If there is more than one stream, each one is configured separately.
Video : video settings. When you select this tab a few more appear on the right side where you can select and configure one of the codecs. Please note: in order not to waste time configuring the codec you can choose one of the pro/files. In the remaining tabs on the right side of the window you can set the command line options. In the earlier versions of MediaCoder it was even more difficult for a newbie to understand the tabs - they were not arranged very logically. Now it is very clear: you can select the "Enable Audio" or "Enable Video" option and know for sure what format the output file will be generated.
Picture - parameters of the "video picture": you can specify frequency, aspects, change format. By the way, you can also trim a video with the EasyCropper tool (Ctrl+F6 shortcut).
Time - time settings, in particular the synchronization of the audio with the video.
Subtitle - Subtitle setting.
Plugins - list of plugins that may help with the encoding. Some of these can be configured with the Configure button.
Remote - quite interesting feature to encode /files over the net.
Summary : in order not to "run" through the tabs, here you find general information about the format you want to convert. The main thing you should pay attention to is the Estimated Size field (final file size).
That is, in brief, a list of the basic MediaCoder settings. Once the output video (or audio) format is specified, you can press "Start" (F5) and wait for the result. In Options - When all tasks completed, select the action you want to perform after completing the encode: shutting down the computer, hibernate, logout, etc.
Let's see how to change the video format for mobile devices.
Video converter for Android: changing the video format on your phone
The topic of video format changing for mobile devices deserves a separate talk. With MediaCoder we can convert video for phones, players and other devices. Presets are few and the list is limited to two dozen devices. At the same time from version to version the list of devices in MediaCoder grows.
In MediaCoder menu there is Extensions section. To view the available devices call Extensions Manager from the Extensions menu or just browse through the menu items in this section. The Extensions Manager dialog window is only opened through the browser, which, admittedly, is not very convenient MediaCoder is constantly "looking for a reason" to open the browser. It has to do with the fact that the program, as the description on the site says, is based on the XUL interface and uses the browser as a renderer.
Despite the small variety of Extensions, there is almost always a way out. The settings for a particular mobile device are suitable for many others. In addition, once the codec settings are well understood, it is possible to change the video format via the main program window.
