Looking for some recommendations....

My own stuff is all JPG's - still images. But as I update the family website, I'm getting more and more videos that need to be dealt with. Most of them are already MP4's, which is fine, since my Matrix skin will display them nicely.

The problem, of course, is that the files are huge, a bit too large for comfortable web use. They're usually at least 30MB, and sometimes well over 100MB. For this kind of material, I don't need to preserve the videos in all their hi-def glory. After all, we're talking about short films that document world-shattering events like the 6-month-old grandnephew's first encounter with mashed peas (very funny ).

So, I'm looking for some recommendations for a software package that will let me get MP4's down to size by reducing the dimensions, changing the data rate, etc. While I'm at it, it would probably be good if the package would also allow conversion from other formats, like WMV's.

A free package would be nice, but if there's a piece of pay-for-it software out there that really stands head and shoulders above the crowd, I'm willing to shell out some cash.

I'm firmly planted in the Win7 world, so MacSoftware won't do the trick.

Thanks!

Thanks - I'll give it a shot.

You're not kidding about "well-hidden!" It's as if they really don't want you to have it.

Yup, that's the one!

First impression is that the application is a bit flaky. The user interface tends to fight with the user. I've also gotten some odd errors, like the application "Not responding," and something about an index list being out of bounds. Yet it successfully completed the conversions.

AVG anti-virus also complains bitterly when Super opens one of the codecs (x264.exe), but I managed to add an exception for it.

I'll have to do some more experimenting. One thing that's sorely lacking (unless it's there, and I just haven't found it yet) is something that will give you a rough file size estimate based on the settings you've chosen for things like the size (like 640x480), the bitrate, and so on. You have to do the conversion (which takes some time), then take a look at the output.

I have used numerous video converters over the years and, from memory, none of them had this feature. Maybe it's too hard to calculate.

To be honest, I have never found a video converter I like, and I have tried quite a few. If you do find one you consider "good", please share...

I'm still just feeling my way around, since I know almost nothing about video formats in the first place (beyond knowing that the JW Player I've embedded in Matrix can handle MP4's and FLV's, so that's my target format).

First impressions of Laza's recommended package, XMedia Recode, are very positive. It seems stable, and the interface is intuitive enough that I've managed to find my way through it, though I don't understand a lot of the settings. Gee, what "Maximum Quantizer Delta" do I want? When in doubt, stick with the defaults.

It also takes a stab at estimating the file size that will result from the settings you've chosen. It's only an approximation, of course, but it seems to do a pretty decent job.

The source video I've been playing with is about 66MB of 1280x720 hi-res MP4, which is overkill for a website. With this software, I've produced a 728x408 MP4, using half the original bitrate (1000 vs 2000), and the resulting file, with no visible loss in quality, is under 7MB, which is more practical.

I did some experimenting with converting to FLV, but I've had trouble preserving the aspect ratio - probably just user error, so I'll revisit it.

The price is certainly right - it's freeware, and even the PayPal donate button on the site is discreet.