video converter

hey everyone, I've downloaded a few .avi and .wmv files and now I want to convert them to .mpeg, I've been looking around but I'm not sure what to get, I just need a program that can simply do that without too many excess steps (noob here) I mainly want a program that can work with .wmv files but .avi would be great too. Can anyone link me up please? Thanks.

 

well, I just browsed over the video section and it looks like we have mostly tweaks and such, not video editing software. Let me go look at a few websites and get back with you.

 

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/62652

try those instructions. I know that there aren't many easy ways to do it.

 

Here's one:

VideoEdit Converter Pro

It's not free though, I think it's $25, and it might be a little more complex than what you're looking for.

 

Unless you plan on making VCD's you are better off leaving them in .avi and .wmv format. They are much smaller that way.

I you want to change them, a freeware program is TMPGEnc, it has a steep learning curve but works well. It won't do .wmv files though.

Another one that is real easy to use is, EasyX Video Converter, I have tried the trial, and it works well. Costs $30.00 to register. Will convert many formats.

Do a Google search or check out Web Attack for lots more.

 

thanks for the help guys, i downloaded tmpgnec and it worked perfectly, well almost perfectly...i converted the file from a 10 MB wmv file into a 19.6 mpeg file, my only question is why's the MB so much higher on the mpeg? Is there any way to effectively lower that number without comprimising video quality? Thanks for all the help.

 

As I said in my other post, .avi and .wmv files are much smaller for the same quality of picture and sound. The only time I convert to mpg is if I want to put the files on a VCD so I can view them with my DVD player.

By shinking a mpg file, you will lose detail and quality.

 

David,

Tmpgenc wasn't to hard to learn, took me just a few seconds to understand things with fw's link, thanks! wmv worked for me while using the program also... The only reason I wanted to convert the files was so that I could merge several of them together using tmpgenc, and thanks to you guys, it worked nicely, the MB are a bit high, but all in all, works well

 

I guess the better question for you David is... Are there any programs that can merge a few wmv or avi files into one larger one (doesn't matter what format, but probably .asf)? I tried avi/mpeg/rv/wmv joiner from dvdrhelp.com but my trial is already expired, dang it...

 

For .asf and .wmv files, I have used AsfTools. Works well, and easy to use.

For .avi files, check out Peck's Power Join.

Here is a site that has lots of stuff and some howto pages. DivX Digest, in fact, that's where Peck's Power Join is located.

 

ah, wonderful programs David, much easier to just use those tools to merge the files rather than convert the files in tmpgenc and then merge them, much appreciated!

 

ya, i've come to find out that .wmv files suck, you can convert them in tmpgenc though, if you wanna