Free Video Converter?

[launched]

I've had the same problem finding converters that work well with .3gp and .mp4 files.

Does the Arista Transcoder convert these files? Has anyone tried it? I'd probably install Ubuntu somewhere just for that - I have a bunch of HD videos on my Android that I want to convert.

[64Guitars]

I've had the same problem finding converters that work well with .3gp and .mp4 files.

Does the Arista Transcoder convert these files? Has anyone tried it? I'd probably install Ubuntu somewhere just for that - I have a bunch of HD videos on my Android that I want to convert.

I just tested it and it worked. I didn't have any .3gp files so I downloaded Feist's "1234" from this page:

http://www.mv3gp.com/3gp_videos_songs.php

I then used Arista Transcoder to convert it to a .mp4. The file size of the .3gp was 3.6 MB and the resulting .mp4 is 10.5 MB. Conversion time is just slightly faster than real time (original video is 3:05 and it took about 2:59 to convert it). Picture and sound quality of the .mp4 are about the same as the original .3gp, however the .3gp is pretty crappy to start with so it's not a good test of quality.


You can also convert .3gp to .mp4 using VLC. Just select "Convert/Save" from the Media menu. On the File tab, click the Add button and select your .3gp file. Then click the "Convert/Save" button in the lower-right. Use the Browse button to select your destination folder and filename. Under Destination, set the Profile to "Video - MPEG-4 + AAC (MP4)" and click the Start button.

[64Guitars]

Conversion time is just slightly faster than real time (original video is 3:05 and it took about 2:59 to convert it).

I tried it again with video preview turned off. This time it only took 2:09 to convert the same .3gp file to a .mp4. So there's a bit of a price to pay for video preview.

[launched]

Thanks! Appreciate the research. I guess it's time to reserve a partition for Ubuntu.

You can also convert .3gp to .mp4 using VLC. Just select "Convert/Save" from the Media menu. On the File tab, click the Add button and select your .3gp file. Then click the "Convert/Save" button in the lower-right. Use the Browse button to select your destination folder and filename. Under Destination, set the Profile to "Video - MPEG-4 + AAC (MP4)" and click the Start button.

Did not know that - I use VLC quite a bit too. Works much better than WMP.  

[64Guitars]

I guess it's time to reserve a partition for Ubuntu.

A separate partition for Ubuntu is the best way to install it in the long run. However, if you just want to check it out first, it's easiest to install it under Windows using the wubu installer I mentioned above. Then you don't need to create a partition. Instead, the installer creates a big Windows file of the size you specify and uses that as a virtual disk for Ubuntu. This is not only easier than messing around with partitions but a lot safer too. I think the installer defaults to a 1GB virtual disk but you might want to make it 4GB or bigger so you'll have some room to install extra Ubuntu programs, although it comes with most of what you'll need (Firefox, Thunderbird email, Office Suite, etc.)

[Gnasty]

Thanks for that vital info 64. My computer is old and i have no intention of loading more onto it when i`ll be buying a new laptop by the end of the year so when that happens i`ll look into Ubuntu.

My friend got me a copy of Total video Converter so once i figure it out it`ll help me.
Looks easy but then again! Never know!