Free HD Video Converter

Pros

• Versatile interface
• Video effects
• Supports DVD conversion
• Takes video snapshots
• Precise controls

Cons

• Doesn't upload to YouTube
• Doesn't merge video files

Free HD Video Converter is a versatile Windows application for converting high-definition video files between various formats, such as MP4, Video TS, H.264 and AVI.

Installing Free HD Video Converter is relatively straightforward and easily accomplished by double-clicking the small installation file downloaded from the website. The installation wizard configures the media libraries and directories on your computer and then gives you the option to launch the application.

Although the application is free, it performs all the operations you would expect from a full-featured media converter. It's compatible with most video container formats as well as a wide range of audio formats. You can convert videos to MP3, M4A, WAV or WMA to listen to them on an audio player or upload them to Facebook or SoundCloud.

The interface is attractive and easy to navigate as it organizes all the application's functions elegantly in one window. You can preview your files before converting them by playing a video in the playback window. The playback controls are embedded directly beneath the preview window.

Free HD Video Converter supports extracting audio and video from CDs and DVDs as well as adding effects to converted files. You can change a video's resolution during the conversion process by selecting "Crop" from the Options menu, or you can split a video into smaller clips by choosing "Trim."

When converting a video file, you have the option to add subtitles from a separate file located on your hard drive. If a DVD or media file includes separate audio tracks, you can choose which one to extract from the Audio Track menu in the conversion controls section.

After making your selections and clicking "Convert," a Settings window pops up to give you several more conversion options. This window allows you to choose a new resolution and audio bitrate as well as the media codecs you want to use in the container file. Other options include the number of audio channels, frame rate and audio sample rate. This ability to fine-tune your output file is standard for most free video converters.

Converting media files can take a long time using any software, and Free HD Video Converter is no exception. Prepare to wait up to an hour to extract a DVD or convert a feature-length video. While many video converters include options for uploading converted files to websites such as YouTube and Facebook, Free HD Video Converter lacks these options.

You can save frequently used settings in the Preferences menu so that you don't have to waste time selecting the same options every time you use the software. One useful feature of Free HD Video Converter is that you can export images from DVDs and video files to a specified directory on your computer.

Pros

• Versatile interface
• Video effects
• Supports DVD conversion
• Takes video snapshots
• Precise controls

Cons

• Doesn't upload to YouTube
• Doesn't merge video files