DVD-Software.info

[Pamela]

Hi there,

I am a complete newbie to video conversion; hopefully you will be able to
help me...

I have a mp4 video I would like to add to my web page. However, after a
little research I decided that wmv would be the better format. Is there any
free software out there (I only need to do the conversion one time) or is
there something available with XP that will allow me to do convert this file
to wmv?

Thank you for your help!
Pamela

[Rehan]

1. Windows Movie Maker, found already on your xp system

2. Windows Media Encoder, can bedownloaded from MS for free.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/default.aspx

3. Stoik converter,
http://www.stoik.com/utils/convector.htm

....

--
Rehan
www.rehanfx.org - get transitions and effects for Windows MovieMaker

[Pamela]

Hi Rehan,

Thank you for your reply. I must be doing something wrong in both Movie
Maker and Windows Media Encoder 9 Series. The following are the errors I
receive when attempting to use them:

In Windows Movie Maker, I selected File | Import Into Collection, but when I
click OK, I get, "filename.mp4 is not a supported file type, and it cannot
be imported into Windows Movie Maker."

In Windows Media Encoder, I use the wizard to convert a file and get,
"filename.mp4 is not a valid source file. It may have an unsupported or
invalid format or may be corrupted."

Am I using the wrong options?

I will try the Stoik converter and see if that works, but I am interested to
find out the correct way to use Movie Maker and Media Encoder. Any
assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Pamela

[Rehan]

Sorry. from your original post it wasnt clear what format is the video
exactly. MP4 is a general sort of extension for MPEG4 video which canbe
encoded using many of the codecs. DIVX and WMV themselves are a form of
MPEG4. However I suspect your mp4 movie might be one of the quicktime
type... In which case it cannot be converted using any of my stated
softwares. You need to convert it using either Rad Video Tools (free) or
Quicktime Pro ($30).
Rad Video Tools: http://www.radgametools.com/bnkdown.htm
Quicktime Pro: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

If it is not a quicktime movie then you might be missing a codec to play the
movie. Download GSpot utility and find which codec is used by it.

--
Rehan
www.rehanfx.org - get transitions and effects for Windows MovieMaker

[Pamela]

Thank you once again, Rehan. You're right - it is a quicktime movie. I
downloaded the Rad Video Tool and convert the mp4 file to an avi. The
original size of the mp4 file is 1Mb; however, the new avi file is now
102Mb. I just did a simple convert - left everything at the default
settings. I hate to keep bothering you, but am I doing something wrong? Is
avi the correct file type to use? BTW I want to use this video in a
FrontPage web.

Thank you for all your help!
Pamela

[Rehan]

You must have selected the default "Uncompressed" option which explains why
the video file is so big. You need a compressor (codec) that is suitable for
your target audience.

I would suggest download and install Divx or Xvid (google for these). Once
these codecs are installed Rad Video tools will list these codecs to choose
during conversion. The file size using one of these should be comparable to
quicktime file.

If your target viewers are all windows people then just convert the big AVI
once more to WMV using Windows Movie maker or Windows Media Encoder.

--
Rehan
www.rehanfx.org - get more effects and transitions for Windows Movie Maker

[Pamela]

Thank you once again Rehan for your invaluable information! I was able to
reduce the size of the AVI by converting it to a WMV using Windows Media
Encoder.

I appreciate all your help!

Pamela

[Balbir]

Hi Rehan,
I've been having the same problem: I have a bunch of MPEG4 files which I
want to open in Windows Movie Maker or Media player, but they are not a
supported format.

I've followed your advice and downloaded the RAD video tools - however
whilst they convert the video ok they don't convert the audio, leaving me
with a soundless clip :-(

any idea why? thanks,
Balbir