When it comes to video files, nothing is ever as easy as it should be. Thankfully, VLC Media Player offers a one-stop solution for the file-format problem. The program supports playback of OGG, MP2, MP3, MP4, DivX, DVD, and a whole slew of other file types. This latest release candidate features a number of fixes that should make VLC Media Player run more smoothly. You will need Mac OS X 10.5 to use this version.
Also this week we have the latest version of GraphicConverter, the low-cost image-editing and batch image conversion software. Our game this week is Luxor 3, in which your matching skills will be put to the test as you battle against the god of Chaos.
Don't forget to check out our iPhone apps of the week!
There are several well-regarded, free ways to take advantage of the Print function to transform just about any file to a PDF. PrimoPDF and doPDF sit at the top of the list, but what about reverse engineering that conversion? Converting in the other direction, from a PDF to a Microsoft Word-compatible format like DOC or RTF is trickier.
For one thing, there's a lot of crap out there. Many PDF-to-DOC converters have similar or even identical names, differentiated sometimes by nothing more than a cunning tap of the space bar. Many offer features that are hamstrung in various ways unless you pay for an upgrade, and just about all of them offer imperfect conversions. Even with these problems, though, you can get a reasonable conversion from the four programs and three Web-based services listed below.
Sometimes right: Some PDF to Word Converter 1.5
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Some PDF to Word Converter 1.5: A basic but uncluttered interface introduces all of the program's conversion options in a sidebar on the right. Some handles batch conversions, converts outer fonts into text and embedded fonts into images, and supports both All Pages and page-range specific conversions. It can remove graphics on demand from the output document, which is always in the RTF format, and supports encryption.
The program suffers from two big drawbacks: the conversions aren't always the cleanest, with occasional image and text overlaps, and there's noticeable image deterioration. In place of drag-and-drop to add PDFs, you can add an entire folder via the folder icon. Some of the interface's option descriptions could be better phrased, too: "delete all graphics" with an option of "false" or "true" really could be posed better as "remove all graphics" and "yes" or "no."
Free PDF to Word Doc Converter 1.1 makes you jump through hoops for a great end result.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Free PDF to Word Doc Converter 1.1 also gets a few things wrong, but eventually lands you the DOC output you want. Impressively, it offers one of the cleanest and most accurate free PDF-to-DOC conversions of the programs tested. You can change the output path and name, convert an entire document or just specific pages, and ditch images in the source PDF if need be. The final output will give you a pitch-perfect conversion.
From there, it goes a bit downhill. The option to open the output DOC in WordPad didn't function when we tested it, nor did the All Pages button. You can work around this by choosing Page Number instead of All Pages (Page Number defaults to the full page count), but it's still irritating. The other big frustration is that while the program is free, after five conversions you're asked to answer a math question a bit harder than the average Captcha. Batch conversion and encryption support are missing, too. If Free PDF to Word Doc Converter's bumpy ride didn't result in such a smooth landing, it wouldn't be worth touching.
Free PDF to Word Converter 1.3: common name, common problems.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Free PDF to Word Converter 1.3 shares many things in common with its competitors besides a similar name: there's an imperfect balance of useful features and a perfect output. What's wrong: there's no drag-and-drop support, and you should be prepared for some minor yet annoying formatting errors, with occasional and minor word and image overlap.
What's right: The program can batch convert PDFs without being restricted to specific folders, can change your output destination, and put out either RTF or DOC. There's support for high levels of security, with space to provide passwords from the PDF owner and the PDF user. You can remove graphics on conversion and micro-manage the spaces between words and text boxes. It's fine for image-free PDFs, but somewhat less than exact with others.
Advanced PDF to Word Converter Free 5.0: nearly-perfect output.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Advanced PDF to Word Converter Free 5.0 nearly crashes and burns on takeoff, but surprisingly leaves you with a nearly-perfect document. It will ask you to reboot on installation, which makes sense for programs that have deep hooks in your operating system but is a clarion warning for such a simple converter. However, as with all these converters, it's the final output that counts the most, and this program's final DOC output looks pretty good.
There's no support for encrypted PDFs, and when you convert or close the program, there's a nag screen to get you upgrade. Batch conversion, RTF and TXT output, and image deletion are restricted to the paid upgrade. The program does offer drag-and-drop additions, adding an entire folder, and user-selected output folders and output renaming. OpenOffice.org users will appreciate that this converter puts out a DOC that OpenOffice Writer can cleanly read images from--unlike many of the others. The biggest problem, of course, is that there is still some image quality degradation and minor text alignment problems.
OpenOffice users should take note that during these tests, I found that the OpenOffice Writer doesn't always play nicely with Rich Text Formatting. There are several free online conversion options as well, and they tend to have better output than the desktop programs.
You can send your PDF as an attachment to Adobe, and within a few minutes they'll send you back either a plain text TXT or HTML file. The service is basic but extremely fast. As long as you don't mind the lack of frills, you can e-mail pdf2txt@adobe.com for the plain text conversion and pdf2html@adobe.com for HTML output, although the HTML service wasn't working when I tested it. More details are here.
PDF to Word, from Nitro PDF.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Nitro PDF, the makers of PrimoPDF, offer a glossy interface for their online PDF to Word format converter. Clearly delineated instructions guide you through uploading your PDF, choosing an output format--either DOC or RTF--and entering your e-mail address. The conversion took a bit longer than Adobe's, but it's worth the wait. The conversion output is a perfect document, precisely the kind of painless process that most of the downloadable options lack. There's no support for encryption, nor for batches, but Nitro's service gets high marks for its precise and fast conversion. Apparently, there are plans to incorporate the PDF-to-Word feature in future editions of Nitro PDF.
There are two other PDF-to-Word services worth mentioning: Koolwire and Zamzar. Koolwire will convert PDFs up to 10MB, but it can also handle DOC, XLS, PPT, VSD, MPP, RTF, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and MS Office 2007 formats like DOCX. Unlike the other services, clicking on their Web site opens an e-mail to which you only need to attach your PDF and then hit Send. The PDF comes out as RTF, with very minor image degradation and no formatting problems.
Zamzar's uploading interface.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Zamzar will convert PDFs up to 100MB at a time, and in addition to converting your PDF into DOC or RTF, it can output ODT, TXT, PS, and PNG. It can handle batch conversion, as long as you don't mind uploading the files one at a time. When it finishes converting, you receive a link that stays active for 24 hours from which you can download your converted files one at a time or all at once in a ZIP. There was minor image degradation, similar to what Koolwire spit out, and one instance of a formatting error.
Overall, there is no option that can be declared 100 percent perfect. Where one service--whether it's online or desktop--fails, it also tends to offer a better interface, or more conversion options than others. The reverse also seems to hold true, where the best conversions are not always buttressed by the greatest of user experiences. Nitro PDF's PDF-to-Word Web site wins for its output and usability, but if you must go with a desktop client I'd choose Free PDF to Word Doc Converter 1.1 for the resulting document only. If you don't mind minor hiccups, but need a better user experience or more conversion options, Zamzar and Free PDF to Word Converter 1.3 are probably what you need.
Disagree with my picks? Have a better suggestion? Tell me about it in the comments.
[h/t Freeware Genius]
Kindle users know they can e-mail documents as attachments to their Kindle account and Amazon will convert and upload them to the e-book reader for a 10-cent fee. Windows users aren't tied to the e-mail option, though, thanks to the Auto Kindle eBook Converter.
This PDF-to-Kindle converter doesn't have much of a GUI, but works fine.
(Credit: Art by Alex Samlihan/CNET)Compatible with PDF, HTML, LIT, PDB, and CHM files, the program opens to a Windows file browser. Choose the file you want to convert, hit Open, and then choose your destination folder. The converter goes to work, generally converting files quickly--although this depends on the length of your document.
When it's done, connect your Kindle to your computer and move the MOBI file into the Documents folder. Safely disconnect the Kindle, and the converted file will appear in your main list of documents, automatically converted on the Kindle to its default MPB format.
However, it lacks a decent interface. The file-browsing option that you get doesn't slow down the conversion process--it's just jarring. There are other areas where the program will hopefully be improved, too. A setting for a default directory isn't dependent on getting that GUI and would cut out the unnecessary step of navigating to your preferred output folder.
Ideally, the program will eventually auto-detect your Kindle and save the converted document directly to the proper folder on the e-book reader.
Auto Kindle eBook Converter bridges the gap between DOC and TXT files and the Kindle. Using a print-to-PDF program like doPDF or PrimoPDF, you can convert a DOC or TXT to PDF, and then use the Auto Kindle eBook Converter to make your document Kindle-friendly. While not the slickest of methods, it should work for most users. Even saddled with a list of improvements, the Auto Kindle eBook Converter holds a lot of promise.
Whether you're looking to change a video format to save space or because you lack a necessary codec, the freeware FormatFactory could be the last converter you'll need. It's not perfect, but it handles 12 types of video formats, six audio types, eight image formats, and DVD/ISO conversions with speed and accuracy.
The interface is simple and utilitarian, although spiked with format-icons and a big banner announcing the program's name for no reason other than to put lipstick on the pig. The left navigation menu has collapsible links to the various formats you can convert to, based on type: video, audio, image, mobile device, and ROM device. Below the massive title banner, the central pane sports decorative icons until you start the conversion process.
Once you've selected your files, you can change the output quality to presets or custom settings. Hit Start on the Toolbar of the main window to begin the process, which is surprisingly fast for smaller video files. FormatFactory excels at batch conversion without error. It does, however, eat up much of your processor while it's running even one conversion.
Because there are so many file formats out there and even more codecs, it's likely that FormatFactory will fail to convert at some point. Nevertheless, FormatFactory is a solid, free, catch-all converter, with excellent tools--lacking only a more sensible interface.
Whether you're looking to change a video format to save space or because you lack a necessary codec, the freeware FormatFactory is likely to be the last converter you'll need. It's not perfect, but it handles 12 types of video formats, six audio types, eight image formats, and DVD/ISO conversions with speed and accuracy.
FormatFactory supports batch conversions and most major codecs.
(Credit: FormatOZ)The interface is simple and utilitarian, although spiked with format-icons and a big banner announcing the program's name for no reason other than to put lipstick on the pig. The left nav holds collapsible links to the various formats you can convert to, based on type: video, audio, image, mobile device, and ROM device. Below the massive title banner, the central pane sports the aforementioned decorative icons until you start the conversion process.
To do so, click on the icon on the left of the format you'd like to convert to, such as All to WMV. From the right side of the new window that opens, you can add files one at a time, or choose to convert an entire folder or three. The batch conversion feature is one of the app's strong suits, and it handled multiple files for me without error. Unfortunately, drag-and-drop file adding isn't supported.
The lengthy list of formats supported by FormatFactory.
(Credit: FormatOZ)Once you've selected your files, you can change the output quality using the Output Setting button at the top of the "All to" window. The Output main window informs you of the current output format details--if it's a video, for example, it'll tell you the output codecs being used and resolution. These can be changed via the Profile drop-down menu, but they change depending on the output format. Still, all output formats offer custom settings, another excellent feature for users who get feisty about how files are encoded.
When you're ready to convert, hit Start on the Toolbar of the main window. I'd normally suggest going to get a coffee at this point, but unless you're re-encoding an entire movie FormatFactory flies through a task like a dedicated assembly-line worker. For larger files, the Factory naturally takes longer. Either way, it will most likely demand the lion's share of your system's resources while it's running--it just does it so fast for smaller files that the wait can be stunningly short.
Because there are so many file formats out there and even more codecs, it's likely that FormatFactory will fail to convert at some point. It succeeded with one Quicktime file I had, but couldn't properly convert a different MOV. Nevertheless, FormatFactory is a solid, free catch-all converter, with excellent tools like batch conversions, lacking only a more sensible workflow.
It's not uncommon for music converters to swap around a handful of formats, but in this case, Free MP3 WMA Converter has been given short shrift. In addition to supporting the two titular formats, this straightforward application also converts for OGG, AAC, WAV, and APE files. The speedy converter sports a three-part user interface and lets more advanced audiophiles specify the frequency, bit rate, and compression for a given tune.
Lightweight and effective, Free FLV Converter is a great way to convert video files from Flash formats into something more versatile. Specializing in formats meant for portable devices, Free FLV Converter also supports AVI and can download embedded SWF or FLV vids directly from the Internet when you punch in the URL.
The app can also perform local searches for vids as well as convert to FLV. Hitting either conversion tab will automatically open a file browser so you can choose your victim. From there, a conversion window opens, and you can change the basics such as settings, including output format, quality, and destination directory, as well as more advanced options like the codec, the aspect ratio, and the frame rate. Tap convert at the bottom of the window when you're ready, and the Free FLV Converter works smoothly and without interfering with other programs.
Free FLV Converter does have one annoyance: When you install it, be sure to opt out of the Dealio toolbar. It's no more than a minor drawback, though, and doesn't cause problems later on. Seeing as how the app ran smoothly in the background, it's definitely a must-use piece of freeware.
CNET guest blogger Matt Rosoff found himself in the middle of a digital media tangle of WMA, AAC, FLAC, OGG, and MP3 files. This file would work on that media player, but not that one, and so on. As the situation became more desperate, Rosoff turned to dBpoweramp Music Converter to unmess his muddle. Could the popular download also be the right digital converter for you? This First Look video can help you decide.
Click, drag'n'drop, and click again is all it takes to convert image formats in XnView.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Power Downloader tries his best to help all, but recently his friend Francois Foto approached him with a tricky problem: is there a way to easily convert photos from one format to another? ''Ze emphasees,'' said Francois, ''eez on easy.'' Power had a simple solution, a freeware program called XnView.
XnView is a robust program, an image browser and viewer as well as a converter. For conversions, though, it can handle more than 400 formats from Camera RAW, JPG, GIF, TIFF, and other still image formats all the way through AVI, MOV, MPEG, and a multitude of movie formats. Metadata EXIF and IPTC formats are also supported, ensuring that you don't lose any location or shooting data. Setting up a conversion was so basic that even Francois, who's far more proficient with cameras than he is with computers, was able to figure it out.
On the Toolbar, click on the red arrow button. A window will open--simply drag and drop your files or folders into the open text field, select the output directory, format you want to convert to, and tweak the other settings, and then you're good to go. Francois' workflow has now simplified considerably, since converting from RAW to JPG for Web publication takes no more than a few minutes, and Power Downloader can rest easy that another computer crisis has been averted.
The very popular Videora iPod Converter is one case in which an app shouldn't be too hastily judged by its name. This video-converting freebie transforms files for the range of Apple's ilk--three types of iPods and the iPhone to boot. Videora iPod Converter can grab and convert YouTube videos through an in-app browser (this is good for owners of the classic iPods), and will also work over files stored on your desktop (this is good for everyone).
However, Videora iPod Converter isn't the only free converter in town, and it has some notable drawbacks. Decide if it's for you by watching the First Look video below, and brush up on other YouTube video converters for your iPod or cell phone.
