15-Minute Reviews :: Wondershare iPhone Video Converter v3.1.1

Hello everyone and welcome to another 15-Minute Review! Today’s application is Wondershare iPhone Video Converter version 3.1.1 by Wondershare Software – An application to convert a wide array of video files to iPhone (Not yet released,) iPod and Apple TV.

Software Description

As Giveaway of the Day states:

“Convert almost all popular video formats to Apple iPhone, iPod, Apple TV video and audio formats easily.

Wondershare iPhone Video Converter is a powerful and easy to use iPhone Video Converter software program. It can convert all popular video formats including AVI, WMV, MOV, RM, RMVB, DAT, FLV, ASF, MPG, MPEG to Apple iPhone MP4 video, H.264 video, iPod video and Apple TV video with various settings and very fast conversion speed.”

Quick Pros

• Supports more than just the iPhone – iPod and Apple TV
• Interface fairly straightforward – Easy to get running
• Cropping, effects and trimming features handy
• Encoding speed mediocre
• Batch conversion-capable

Quick Cons

• No DVD support directly within itself ($10 more for the bundle that includes it)
• Application launches almost clear off my right edge of my right screen each time
• Can we be sure the file will work on an iPhone when it comes?

Expansion

With the eminent arrival of the Apple iPhone through AT&T coming, it was certain you’d see utilities popping up long before it arrived. This application is one of these; While offering iPhone support, it also covers the iPod as well as the Apple TV unit as well.

The interface is surprising straightforward and very familiar. You can add files using the + sign or drag and dropping into the application. It can be used as a batch converter which is pretty handy – Set it up with a few files to run along with overnight or while you’re at work. There is an assortment of options to perform to the files as well. Cropping to a specific size, trimming the video as well as adding effects to the videos.

I didn’t know if I was fond of the encoding times; With the video I converted, it took 34 minutes for an original file that was 1 hour 22 minutes. Not the slowest I’ve seen, it just seems pretty mediocre speed. Since I do not have an iPod or Apple TV, I can not truly test the resulting file’s quality however, so that is something you’ll have to look at and see if it does come out looking good.

Few issues I do have; There is no DVD support (Even though the clone from Aimersoft does – See below;) You can only convert video files that you already have on your system, which would mean another whole encoding step, bringing up the time to convert even longer. The application for some bizarre reason likes launching almost right off the right side of my right screen for no apparent reason and launches there each and every time, even when I reposition it myself. And, my true concern; While we know the iPhone’s specs, how do we know the resulting files are truly for the iPhone until it is available fully on the market and the developer either has one to test on or a community to test with? I’d hate to convert an entire series of video files in advance of my purchase of an iPhone (If I were to get one,) and find out that something wasn’t quite right with the settings.

One last comment and is something that people can ponder on: Why does this application run like Aimersoft’s titles with a different skin? The settings menu is the same, conversion window’s the same. Positioning of elements are the same. If you look at the screenshot for Wondershare Video to Flash Encoder it looks exactly like the interface to, say, Aimersoft’s DVD Ripper – Are they the same company? Do they buy the code from someone and then modify it to sell themselves? Would be interesting to hear a response. At least I didn’t have to disable my SAN drivers and Logitech SetPoint drivers to run this application like what was needed with Aimersoft DVD Ripper.

Final Verdict

While the iPhone specs are out, the iPhone doesn’t come out until June 29th. While there shouldn’t be a compatibility issue with the resulting files, there is a possibility there might be. That said, this does cover the iPod and Apple TV, which may make a good alternative for Windows users wanting to offload their videos to their iToys. While free, it may be nice to have for anyone who has an iPod, Apple TV, or who plans on picking up an iPhone, and give the title a try to see if it suits your needs. As for paying $29, I’d likely hold off a little bit to ensure compatibility with the iPhone; I’d more likely recommend picking up the Wondershare iPhone Converter Suite for $10 if you were to buy it, and get the DVD encoding as well (Which itself is $29 by itself.)

Posted by BladedThoth on Friday, June 08, 2007