GOM Encoder

4.0 stars

"Good priced multi-faceted Video Encoder (Free to Try)"

October 30, 2010  |   By IDAREYOU

Version: GOM Encoder 1.1.0.39

Pros

Fast...very fast and yet still retains the quality of sound and image as the original being converted. I found the Gom Encoder supports a wide range of codecs (although you may have to disable other codec applications you have previously installed).

Cons

When using the trial version, you must have an internet connection and if you use mobile broadband this is costly. You MUST check the lower right box to be sure of the correct conversion setting. The watermark on the freebie is FAR too intrusive.

Summary

Unlike the CNET reviewer, I did NOT find the GOM encoder the easiest to use, but free or paid versions both produce quality converted clips at a very fast rate. As mentioned above, you must check various components of the encoder EACH time. Despite your default settings, the GOM has a mind of its own and can default back to its own settings. Check to output folder. (Where the converted clip will go when completed). It should NOT be in your DOCUMENTS, but you'll have to change that manually. There is a cool preview setting which gives you a glimpse of how the finished product will look.
Technical Support for the GOM Encoder seems erratic. I visited both the GOM Player and Encoder sites at GOM Labs. Although many of the questions could have been answered if the user had read the manual available on line, many of the problem questions were serious and seemed not to be User Error. The responses from the Technical Staff..when they gave answers, are not under or next to the question asked, they are at the end of all the questions and referenced only by the date the user posted the question, not subject of the question.. Sheesh! That's a lot of scrolling.
Most of the answers are formula, pre-scripted responses which usually do not address the specifics of the problem asked. The support people DO often ask for more information so it's possible the questions do finally get resolved. I just couldn't scroll that far back and forth to find out.
If SUBTITLES are something you use, beware of the GOM. Letter after letter bemoans the inability of the GOM Encoder to sync, remove or add subtitles in any consistent way. (NOTE: an update to the Encoder came out this week 10/20 -10/28 which claims to address the subtitle issue, so check it out).
There are so many cheesy, gaudy, unstable products out there in the video player, encoder market that it may seem petty to pick at an encoder which, a) really is free for 6 months, no strings attached, and b) produces a high quality conversion.
It's just that these folks at GOM/GRETCH see VERY committed to giving us the best possible product. They repeat this commitment time and time again.
So, because I want them to succeed, its worth my time to note not just the positive (there's plenty of that), but also areas of growth still unfulfilled. In this case, I think they will succeed. I'm rooting for them.
A company like this makes one so aware of the dreck that high profile companies like ArcSoft foist off on the internet public. I'm grateful to GOM just for that.

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