One-drag video conversion?

[dcsev]

Hi all,

I am looking to convert ALL of my AVI, 3gp, DAT mkv, etc.  videos to MPEG-4/H264 in an effort to save file space (will I be saving space??).  I just want to drag all of my videos, press convert. The resolution and everything remains the same. The only things that change are 1) format 2) container (MP4).  I do something similar with my music using xrecode II. 

I know about Handbrake, Freemaker converter and a few others, but are not really what I am looking for.

Is there a utility like this out, or am I out of luck?

[4wd]

VidCoder

1) Install it.
2) Run it.
3) Select an output directory.
4) Make sure Preset is set for Normal, (default).
5) Drop files on window.
6) Hit Encode.



It'll save the settings for the next time it's run, so you'll only have to drop files on it and press Encode next time.

You're unlikely to save space on 3gp files since they're already MP4-AVC/AAC usually.  As for AVI and MKV it depends what codecs the contents are encoded with, if it's already MP4-AVC then space saved will be minimal.

For DAT, should save a bit since they're normally MPEG2.

[Ottoman]

I use AppGeeker video converter. It's nice and simple but has enough depth to do what you want.

How to Convert AVI to MP4 (or MP4 to AVI) on Mac/ Windows

It will convert anything you throw at it to mp4 (MPEG-4/H264).

[Curt]

I would be surprised if you save space worth mentioning

[Renegade]

VidCoder

That looks really interesting. Downloading the source code now!

[Vurbal]

I am looking to convert ALL of my AVI, 3gp, DAT mkv, etc.  videos to MPEG-4/H264 in an effort to save file space (will I be saving space??).

Whether or not you save space is purely a function of bitrate. If you use bitrate-based encoder settings you can guarantee the output will be smaller but there's no way to predict what the quality will be. If you encode using a quality-based setting the output quality will be very consistent (assuming consistent input quality) but the bitrate is likely to fluctuate significantly from one source to the next.

In either case the output quality will be lower than the source. The difference may be obvious, imperceptible, or anywhere in between. But as long as you're converting from one lossy format to another it's unavoidable.

[Siuuu]

Some popular tools to convert AVI to MP4 include HitPaw AVI to MP4 Converter, WorkinTool VidClipper, FoneDog Video Converter, Aiseesoft, Leawo, and Allavsoft, plenty.

I use the FoneDog one , dare not to say the best, but it is the most cost-friendly one for me .