avi

Helpful file converter

RER AVI Converter provides a simple method for converting AVI files into other formats for playback in a wide range of media players. With its useful layout and fast results, this is a great program to add to your video toolkit.

RER's interface is simple to navigate, with its major functions laid out in large, easy-to-read command icons. We never felt a need to seek out help or further instructions because everything on screen was so intuitive and easy to understand. We were able to take any AVI file and convert it to any one of nine file types, … Read more

Video maker

AVI-Mux GUI creates new audio and video files from multiple existing audio and video files.

This program has a minimal interface with no supporting drop-down windows or other helpful controls. The top window instructs you to open files via dragging and dropping them into it, so we tried this with two MP3 files and were able to transfer them with no problems. Clicking the Start button at the bottom of the interface prompts the program to create the new file. The program's default format for saving files is the AVI file type, but when our test file finished, AVI-Mux … Read more

Enjoy the show

Watch enough different kinds of videos in Windows and eventually you are bound to run into a codec problem. Codecs encode and decode digital data, and popular media viewers like Windows Media Player don't always have the codecs needed to view all types of videos. ALShow is an easy-to-use media player that comes equipped with plenty of codecs, and it's prepared to download more if needed.

ALShow's interface is plain but intuitive, with its features organized neatly in uncluttered menus. Users can play videos in AVI, MPG, MPEG, DAT, VOB, WMV, ASF, ASX, and many other formats, … Read more

Quick video converter

Leap Free AVI FLV MP4 WMV to HD Video Converter offers a simple solution for converting video files into high definition video. With a simple layout and fast results, this is a great tool for video quality buffs.

The program's interface is impressively simple, thanks to its onscreen instructions and easy-to-use commands. We never felt lost and were always in control. The program allowed us to track down as many AVI, FLV, MP4, and WMV files as we wanted and place them in a queue. From there, it was a simple one-step process to convert these files and send … Read more

Play WMV files on your Mac

Most PCs can handle QuickTime videos, but playback for Windows Media (WMV) files on a Mac isn't always predictable. Flip4Mac WMV is a free collection of QuickTime components that lets you play WMV and Microsoft Silverlight files on your Mac, either through QuickTime Player or right in your browser. You can also pay to upgrade Flip4Mac for more advanced WMV features, such as importing, exporting, and creating encoding profiles, which integrate with other QuickTime applications like Final Cut Pro.

If you just want to play videos, you only need the free Flip4Mac WMV Player. Flip4Mac then installs plug-ins that … Read more

Helpful photo doctor

Amazing Photo Editor provides users with the tools to make either sweeping or subtle changes to their pictures. While there are a lot of things to love, there are a few annoying spots that make this program less-than-perfect.

The program's interface is best described as cluttered, but manageable. Combining several small screens and a long string of command icons, users will want to look over the Help file before getting started. We were frustrated that simply scrolling our cursor over a specific icon didn't tell us either its title or what function the button provided. The only way … Read more