This weekend saw a few video-related apps given away...
WonderFox DVD Video Converter 65 from GOTD seems a later build [maybe it's just the GOTD version?] than the last version I had from ~1 month ago, though versions numbers are the same. What used to be a fully portable app now stores some files in My Docs. It fits the mold of "tried & true" generic ffmpeg converters out of China. As these converters can have bugs pop up when they have a new version, which is usually fairly often, I tend to hold on to several brands -- then if one misbehaves there's always another I can try. Because the basic coding for these converters is so well known & has been so often used, I no longer see much variation in speed or quality.
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WinX DVD Copy Pro was given away on another site. As the downloaded file name implies, this is from January, 2014 -- installation opens a web page offering an Easter freebee from WinX -- the code given will no longer register the software. Regardless, this is one WinX app I've never, will never use. It adds a driver, & that means some amount of risk. Adding/needing a driver for this sort of thing is very unusual -- there are loads of other apps that provide the same functions without adding a driver. To me it adds nothing that can't already be done better. FWIW, if you need to mount a DVD/Blu-Ray layout as a disc in a drive, the free DVDFab Virtual Drive is what I like & use -- it can very quickly create a mini-iso & mount it... working with DVD/Blu-Ray the only times I work with real ISOs is burning a dual layer DVD or using Sony DVDA, which will only output Blu-Ray as an ISO [a PITA].
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The Zoom Player is what it is -- an old brand name that's managed to hang on, though I don't feel it's done so through innovation or superior performance. The crew behind it is one of relatively few, often old school fans of codec packs [yuck]. They are fond of using the registry, with 4k+ new entries, & that's with file associations unchecked during installation (!), but some may find their on-line station database useful.
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I found Abelssoft's Video Compressor interesting because it prompted me to ask "Why?" over & over again. The most basic question I had is Why would anyone try this app, let alone buy it, so I took to Google to see what a total novice would find. Either there's not much interest in video conversions, or the folks writing converters are really inept when it comes to Google ranking, or there's been a Lot of legal threats from the likes of the MPAA. At any rate, I found almost nothing that I expected. SO with a little marketing work re: Google, Abelssoft might be able to get this POS to show up in the 1st few Google hits, and so might make a few bucks. That's really the only reason I can come up with for Abelssoft [Ascora] writing it.
Video Compressor is yet another ffmpeg front end. You can find a partial listing of alternatives at videohelp.com/tools/ffmpeg , or follow the link on that page to download compiled Windows versions of ffmpeg, or just visit ffmpeg.org. I was surprised that a German developer would violate the ffmpeg license -- I expect that sort of thing from Chinese devs [that's not a judgement - it's an observation], but not from some company in the West.
One thing that makes Video Compressor so poor is it's use of .NET. I'm .NET agnostic, but in this case it adds complexity without any good reason, & complexity means less efficient & slower. Nor does Video Compressor add any value -- true, you get a GUI rather than having to use ffmpeg from the command line, but you get access to almost none of ffmpeg's features or options. What it does do is try to re-encode your video in the same format using a lower bit rate, though you aren't given any indication of before & after values, and the projected size in tests was quite a ways off. Again with the why -- why would you want to do that?
After quite a bit of thought, what I came up with is: there are people who want to save video files they were given or downloaded rather than just deleting them after watching. Some subset of those people are worried about the disk space that takes, but also very unconcerned about the quality of that video. Those are the only one's that I could see using Video Compressor. If you wanted to watch that video on a tablet, cell, or media player box you'd most likely use a converter to match the size & format requirements. If you wanted to rip a DVD or Blu-Ray you'd already be using [Much] better software. If you were recording video you'd either choose your desired format & bit rate beforehand, or since recording takes a small bit of learning to start with, you'd know to use a converter or save to whatever format after editing. If you were a novice who wanted to save YouTube video you'd most likely use a download app that had better conversion built in.
At any rate the whole thing to me is incomprehensible. On a more basic level, if you were that much a novice, the odds are high that you were given or downloaded video that was already prepared by someone with at least an inkling of what they were doing. If that was the case, chances are that video is already at a reduced bit rate to start with -- at as low a bit rate as the person(s) preparing it thought acceptable [no one likes to manage files that are bigger than absolutely necessary -- it costs money & time & hassle].
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Leawo's Blu-Ray Player is also being given away again. I compared it to the DVDFab & MacGo players that were on GOTD. The DVDFab player choked on the disc's Java, the MacGo player showed a very rudimentary version of a menu, & the Leawo player just proceeded right to playing the video. Most all of these players are based on XBMC, which is a good thing -- lots of contributions over years have made XBMC a nice media center app. But, all of XBMC's limitations apply, which in the case of Blu-Ray means no Java menus & such -- if you have something that doesn't work & want to know if it's the player's fault, check the XBMC forums to see if someone's talked about the issue. XBMC doesn't do DRM -- that's the value added by companies like Leawo. Leawo'a player does add files in a Common Files\ Appkeys folder -- I don't know why, but suspect *maybe* it has to do with the player's working with a remote, which is mentioned in the ad copy.
Usually when a Blu-Ray player like this is offered someone(s) says to just use whatever media player. They are not Blu-Ray fans who regularly watch Blu-Ray discs. A couple of recent experiences illustrate... My youngest son is a computer nerd. When his older brother had him assemble a PC he had him stick in a Blu-Ray drive. When the younger son started explaining how he gets a Blu-Ray to play, using Passkey Lite & MPC-HC, his older brother's eye's glazed over, & he actually got a bit upset at the thought he wasted his money on the Blu-Ray drive. A Blu-Ray Player app handles all that. My younger son realized why he needs a Blu-Ray player himself when I rented a disc with one of his all time favorite movies, that had just been re-mastered to Blu-Ray. After setting aside a time when he could really enjoy it, he came to me Very dissapointed -- he said we'd gotten a bad disc. We didn't -- it played fine -- he just didn't have the proper software. If either of my sons regularly watched Blu-Ray discs they would have already known the answer -- use a Blu-Ray player app. [BTW, that's why I rented the disc instead of buying it for him -- I wasn't sure at all that he could play it.]
One thing I did not check out comparing the 3 players is the possible video enhancements, because both interest & compatibility vary widely. It gets complicated. A basic LCD panel, whether it's in a PC monitor or HDTV, cannot come close to displaying the full range of colors possible or expected. A great deal of that is overcome through the device's electronics, with the results varying considerably between brands, models, & the hardware's display mode that has been selected [most PC monitors have several -- most HDTVs I think have at least 2, often presented as options that can be turned on/off]. Windows software can A) alter the picture, e.g. making colors more vivid, which some people think looks better, or B) actually change the way that Windows renders the video on your display, using alternate files than what Windows normally uses.
Some people can't see a difference, some feel the changes make things look worse, & some don't want to be bothered, while their hardware may not be capable of showing any difference, or their graphics drivers may prevent the changes, which may/may not be something you can set. And that's all if software compatibility problems don't raise their ugly head. Mileage really does vary, & any improvement is by nature subjective. But since you're the one watching, you're the only one that has to be pleased, so if you like your results playing with display options, go for it by all means.