With such an ever growing range of multimedia devices, no wonder format converters are becoming so popular these days!

Any Audio/Video Converter is one of those converters: a simple, easy-to-use application that support pretty much any format you can find nowadays and lets you convert both audio and video files in just a few steps.

The program works with a list where you add the files you want to convert, no matter what format they are. Then you configure the conversion options for each one of them separately and finally click on the "Convert" button to let the program do the rest. I think this method is quite handy and saves you loads of work and time; pity the trial version only accepts one file on this list!

Any Audio/Video Converter includes a built-in player in its interface, but it's only good to watch the video while it's being converted and not preview it before actually starting the process.

With Any Audio/Video Converter you can convert basically any audio and video file you can think of, in a quite easy process that involves very little effort.

Download Any Audio/Video Converter 5.6 in Softonic

Have you ever been in a situation where you've viewed a video on YouTube and you know that it must have been cached on your hard drive somewhere but you can't find it?

If so, then you need VideoCacheView which can find cached FLV files from video sites such as YouTube and DailyMotion. VideoCacheView automatically scans your Internet Explorer or Firefox cache and finds all video files that are currently stored in it. It makes it easy to copy the cached video files into another folder so you can play or watch them whenever you want.

If your movie player can play FLV files it will play the video directly from your browser's cache. Alternatively, you can simply copy and paste the files into another folder so that they're easier to locate without VideoCacheView in the future. However, it's still hard to find the clips that you want because in your cache they've all got similar generic names.

VideoCacheView is a great way to find all those FLV files that you thought were lost forever on your hard drive.

Download VideoCacheView 1.21 in Softonic

If you have different devices with video capabilities, you need a complete video tool like ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter.

With ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter you can convert from the most popular video formats to those formats used in devices such as the iPod, the Zune, the PSP, the PS3 or the Apple TV. All you have to do is load the source video, select the target format and let the program take care of the rest. Plus, you can convert several videos simultaneously.

Formats are conveniently organized in profiles according to the target device.
ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter lets you tweak those target profiles by customizing bitrate, frame rate, video codec, audio bitrate and other elements, but unfortunately you can't save this customization as a new personal profile.

ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter features a straightforward interface and is really easy to use. It includes a video window preview, but it's meant to only show video as it's being converted, not work as a built-in player.

With ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter you'll always find the right combination to convert videos from one format to another and watch them on any device.

Download ALO AVI MPEG WMV 3GP MP4 iPod PSP Converter 6.6 in Softonic

When you extract audio from video there's usually an inevitable loss of quality but Pazera Free Audio Extractor extracts audio tracks from video files without any notable loss of sound quality.

Whatsmore, it converts to a huge range of formats including MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, OGG and WAV formats. Pazera Free Audio Extractor also works with most major video formats including AVI, FLV, MP4, MPG, MOV, RM, 3GP, WMV and VOB. Alternatively, you can just use it as basic audio converter so you can switch between formats fairly easily and with rapid conversion times.

The program is useful for either novice or advanced users. Novice users are able to use predefined settings (known as profiles) depending on the type of conversion you perform. This means that you don't have to worry about setting the correct compression ratio or encoding algorithm to use as it's all done for you. However, if you do need extra control, you can access advanced encoding parameters as long as you know what you are doing.

Pazera Free Audio Extractor is not the most attractive looking converter or audio extractor but it handles a huge range of formats in double quick time.

Download Pazera Free Audio Extractor 1.2 in Softonic

Some players come loaded with too many features and too many codecs - not MPCStar. MPCStar is a universal video player that can play most formats of films downloaded from the internet. MPCStar has been developed using open source libraries, so it's highly customisable if you have any programming knowledge. One of the best features however is a pop-up blocker which prevents pop-ups appearing that sometimes come loaded with films.

To ensure smooth playback and not get weighed down with too many codecs, MPCStar contains only the major codecs including Media Player Classic, FFDshow Codec Pack,
RealPlayer Codecs, ActiveX controls, QuickTime Codecs and DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter). The only problem is that these codecs are regularly updated and there appears to be no automatic update function but overall, this is one of the simplest and most powerful players I've tried since VLC player.

Download MPCStar 3.1 in Softonic

You've probably spent many hours pouring through the videos on YouTube and then the next day intended to go back and enjoy them again. However, often you either forget or simply find that it's been taken off due to a copyright violation. WebVideoCap solves this issue by prompting you to save FLV (Flash) video files every time you watch them.

Just enter your target URL and hit "Start Capture." When you've done browsing, you can see all your video files stored in the folder that you selected. WebVideoCap allows you to capture the video files of all the most popular video-sharing sites, including YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, iFilm, Metacafe, Putfile, and more.

For video fans and archivists, this is a simple but effective tool to make sure your videos are saved for good.

Download WebVideoCap 1.33 in Softonic

MatchWare ScreenCorder is a video recording program that captures everything happening on your screen.

It's the kind of tool you need when you're building tutorials or instructions about how a particular program should be used. You've got two ways to control MatchWare ScreenCorder - either by mouse or by keyboard shortcuts. Mouse is a lot easier but keyboard shortcuts are useful if you don't want the annoyance of a mouse cursor on your screen.

What makes this particular screen recorder a bit different are the multimedia elements which means arrows, boxes, magnifying glasses and notes that can be used to annotate your screencasts in an interactive way. For example, you can add elements such as self-assessment questionnaires, the results of which can be sent automatically by mail to the researcher. Screencasts can be imported to WMV, AVI of Flash although the developers only recommend exporting to Flash if you've used a questionnaire.

If you're looking to do more than just show but also question people how they use a program, MatchWare ScreenCorder is a very promising solution.

Download MatchWare ScreenCorder 5 in Softonic

Audio/Video To EXE converts audio files and video executables and allows you to send them to another person without having a player and codec. In addition to this primary function, Audio/ Video To EXE also performs conversions between various media formats.

There are two types of conversion offered - EXE and multimedia formats, with a list of tasks and completed quickly. The only drawback of this free version is that you cannot select the sampling frequency and hence the quality of the resulting files. This is a great tool for sending small videos and songs by e-mail, ensuring that the recipient can play the file. Almost all audio/video formats [3GP, AAC, AC3, AIFF, ASF, AVI, EXE, FLAC, FLV, GIF, M1V, M2V, M4V, MOV, MP2, MP3, MP4, MPC, MPG, NUT, OGG, RA, RM, SWF, VOB, VOC, WAV, WMA, WMV, WV, YUV] are supported. You can even play and convert your executables without a player or a codec. It works as a standalone and the latest version adds M1V, M2V, M4V, and YUV support.

If you love to share clips with someone who's forever having problems with their media player, then Audio/Video to EXE is the answer to your prayers.

Download Audio/Video To Exe 1.5.3.0 in Softonic

Not a day goes by – at least for me – without having to convert media files to one format or another. If you too are in this situation, you need something like FormatFactory.

This full featured format converter enables you to convert all sorts of multimedia files (audio, video and images) between the most popular formats, including WMV, AVI, MPG, MP3, WMA, AAC, JPG, PNG, GIF and more. What's more, FormatFactory supports all the media formats used by portable devices like the PSP or the iPhone.

The program is really easy to use – that is, once you get used to its somewhat weirdly designed- interface. Don't look for any File button or menu, because there isn't any. The option to add files to the program's interface doesn't appear until you select the target format. You can select individual files or complete folders, and also tweak some basic conversion settings if you want.

Despite its slightly confusing interface, I found FormatFactory to be a really handy, efficient application, and also one of the few I know that converts everything: photos, music and video.

With FormatFactory you'll be able to convert pretty much any media file to other formats, including those used by most portable devices.

Download Format Factory 1.48 in Softonic

As far as open source multimedia entertainment centers go, Elisa is a very impressive effort although it requires a lot of processing power and RAM.

Elisa has an intuitive interface that gives a professional feel and can be used to view both TV streams and most major video formats. You can even access it remotely from another computer if need be. Elisa also makes a pretty good audio player and displays album covers and other band related images as it plays your music in the same way as iTunes does.

Indeed, some of the inspiration for it appears to have come from iTunes although unlike iTunes, it extends itself to photo viewing and even browsing the Internet. The latter two functions are not the strongest areas of the package, although the browser is mainly designed for watching videos.

If you've got plenty of RAM to spare and fancy doing all your multimedia functions under one umbrella, Elisa is a beautifully presented and free open source solution.

Download Elisa 0.5.10 in Softonic

If you have a large collection of videos and a video-capable portable device, this might be the perfect app for you.

ImTOO MPEG Encoder Ultimate provides you with a straightforward tool to convert video files between a wide array of formats, with special attention to mobile devices, handheld consoles and multimedia players such as iPod, iPhone, iRiver and Zune. All supported formats are saved as profiles that you simply choose from a drop-down list, though you can also create your own format profiles by tweaking a few settings.

Besides converting, ImTOO MPEG Encoder Ultimate includes some extra tools with which you preview the video, take a snapshot, add special effects, trim the image or even add a watermark to it. Too bad the program was so unstable during our tests: it crashed every now and then without any apparent reason.

Despite these crashes, ImTOO MPEG Encoder Ultimate is a very complete video converting tool that well deserves a try.

Download ImTOO MPEG Encoder 5.0.9.9 Ultimate in Softonic

Many people spend hours on Youtube and other similar sites watching online videos. But wouldn't it be better to download them to your PC and watch them any time you like?

xVideoServiceThief is precisely the tool you need. This smart app lets you download online videos from more than fifty video sharing sites and convert them straight away from FLV to other popular video formats including AVI, WMV, MPEG, 3GP and MP4 (iPod-compatible format).

xVideoServiceThief is extremely easy to use. Just copy and paste the video URL from your favorite video site and it'll be added to the download list. You can then start downloading it right away or collect a few videos to download them all at the same time later on. This is quite convenient, as you can leave xVideoServiceThief working in the background while you keep on working on something else, and you'll get a notice window as soon as the download process is finished.

Like I said before, xVideoServiceThief supports more than fifty video sharing sites and allows you to block inappropriate content if necessary. The program also features a handy drag-and-drop window where you can directly paste the video URL. It would be even nicer if it recognized URL addresses when copied to the Clipboard though.

With xVideoServiceThief you can easily download and convert online videos from pretty much every video sharing site you know.

Download xVideoServiceThief 1.8.2 Alpha in Softonic

Have you ever wanted to search for and download your favourite videos without using your browser? Free FLV Converter lets you automatically access sites such as YouTube, DailyMotion, Google and Metacafé without opening anything else.

You can search by keyword and preview each video found in the rather basic interface and also download them in FLV format. After that, you can convert the files to AVI, IPod, IPhone, 3GP or PSP format. It also works vice versa and if the files in question are already in FLV format, it can convert to DivX, Xvid, MPEG, DVD and AVI with automatic HTML embed links. This means you can paste them into your website or blog to share instantly with the world. If you don't require these functions, the program interface still provides a convenient search platform because you can browse and watch videos at the same time. With just one click, you can download the video you are previewing. For ease of use, it allows you to create a download list of videos you want to save. Once it's complete, you can just leave the program to download the videos whilst you get on with something else although unfortunately, it still doesn't support batch downloading.

A very useful application for those who are not content with only having videos on the Internet but also want them on their hard drive but don't want to visit each video content site seperately.

Download Free FLV Converter 5.6 in Softonic

Ares Tube is a multi-video downloader that comes with a built-in browser and allows you to save clips from YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, Blip TV, DailyMotion, Metacafe and many more sites that support FLV files.

Ares Tube automatically converts to IPOD, MP4 and MPEG so you can watch films on your iPod or external device. Alternatively, you can export downloaded videos automatically to iTunes. Simply surf to YouTube and Ares Tube will automatically prompt you to convert and import the file directly into iTunes.

When you connect your iPod , Ares Tube will automatically prompt you whether you want to transfer your converted files to your device. Note, however, that you'll have to install the .NET framework to use it, although if it's not installed the first time you use Ares Tube, you will be redirected to it.

Ares Tube is a great way to download FLV files from multiple sites without having to worry about which particular one it is.

Download Ares Tube 3.2 in Softonic

If you want to download and convert videos from YouTube without having to spend ages doing so, look no further than this no-nonsense software. YouTube Catcher allows you to do everything (i.e. the downloading and conversion) from within the same window. All you need to do is input the link to the video and select the format you want to convert to and YouTube Catcher does the business for you - at a very quick pace to boot.

Rather handily, the program can also be used as a standalone file converter, letting you take a FLV file and transform it into a different format using a similar process. The program also dishes up a bevy of useful options, such as the ability to define the quality and resolution of the video, audio channels, codecs used and more. All in all, YouTube Catcher is a brilliant tool for quickly grabbing cool movies from the popular site.

Download YouTube Catcher 1.0.252 in Softonic

When it comes to P2P file sharing, eMule usually wins hands down but UseNeXT is an interesting, slightly more sophisticated offering which has a lot to offer.

For starters, depending on your connection, it can be remarkably quick. You can download at speeds of up to 25 Mbps with DSL/Cable and it¡s pretty constant rather than the fluctuations you often get with such services. The network also prides itself on security over it's rivals such as Limewire and eMule - with ISPs continually cracking down on users, UseNeXT promises users far more anonymity than most.

The Usenet archives are supposedly some of the biggest in the world - more than 300 Terabytes of data available at all times and they claim that around 2,000 Gigabytes of new files are added daily. The problem in the past was that UseNeXT used to be a very complicated affair that only tech geeks can handle. However, nowadays, it's been simplified to such an extent that eMule, Limewire and other P2P users will feel more than comfortable with it.

While it can't possibly hope to compete with the reach and depth of the major P2P networks, UseNeXT offers an impressive selection with some super fast downloads.

Download UseNeXT 4.81 in Softonic

Would you like to create your own presentations in Flash but you don't even know where to start? Then FlyPaper is for you.

FlyPaper is an intuitive application that lets you create Flash presentations without having to code a single line. Simply select your favorite photos or videos, add some transition effects and save the result as an FLV, MPG or MP4 video.

That said, the truth is that I expected FlyPaper to be easier to use. The interface is not as straightforward as I thought but luckily the program at least features a complete tutorial you can watch the first time you run it. Also, FlyPaper includes a wide array of material (templates, themes, ready-made stories…) to get you started, although the files are actually stored on the program's website and you have to download them in order to use them.

In spite of all, FlyPaper is a very decent tool to create multimedia presentations which comes in specially handy for those of us who don't have the slightest idea about Flash.

FlyPaper lets you create beautiful customized Flash presentations with photos, videos and animations even if you don't know anything about Flash.

Download Flypaper 1.0.1.2 in Softonic

With multimedia portable devices growing in popularity and features, it's not surprising that DVD ripping tools like Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate have started to offer support for them so that you can take your favorite movies anywhere with you.

Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate is one of those applications: a full featured DVD ripper than can extract all data inside your DVD movies and convert it right away to another video format, including the most popular ones and – of course – video formats for mobile devices such as the iPod, the iPhone and the PSP.

Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate lets you choose the video size, image quality and audio quality, and also create and use different profiles according to the target format or device. Also, Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate lets you trim specific video fragments, edit video effects, adjust subtitles and even add a watermark so that you obtain fully customized DVD video and audio files.

Additionally, Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate can help you clip video segment, crop video size, edit video effects, adjust subtitle, and add video watermark, to get the customized DVD audio and video files.

In addition to ripping the whole DVD, you can also select specific chapters and convert only those. The whole process is done via drop-down menus and Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate is generally very easy to use.

With Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate you can rip the contents of your favorite DVD movies and convert them to different formats – including mobile video - in just a few easy steps.

Download Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate 5.0.40.0729 in Softonic

Convert your video files into Flash FLV format using the FLV Hosting Encoder. FLV is a "Flash Live Video" file. It is a format that is designed for web playback, offering high rates of compression The Flash Player browser plugin can play an FLV, but the FLV must be either embedded in or linked to a SWF. That means, you can't just put the actual FLV on an HTML page. You can however reference the FLV file using action script and SWF

Download FLV Encoder 3.6.0.0 in Softonic

Video DownloadHelper installs in the Firefox toolbar to enable you to download in just a few clicks.

When it animates, clicking on the video icon downloads it directly. This simple extension downloads anything from YouTube videos, to MySpace, Google Video, DailyMotion, Porkolt, iFilm and more. You can select the folder you want to download videos where you will find them in FLV format. To make things even easier to keep track of, the files are added to the list of Firefox downloads like any other file. So you can see in a glance exactly what you've downloaded and how many videos you have in your collection. The only problem you might find is that sometimes, the downloads don't start immediately. It can take time depending on the streaming on the video site server but also, it seems that the program itself has to process the file before it starts downloading. The latest version has introduced some major innovations in the interface which make it much faster to use. One example is that FLV videos that you view are now remembered by the program so you can view your viewing history at any time and request the download of several videos in one batch or go directly to their original page. You have to enable this function via the system preferences and select 'enabled' in the 'History' tab. The developers have also reduced the number o duplicate entries that used to plague the previous version and there are fewer memory leaks so it's lighter on your RAM.

A useful FLV video downloading tool for Firefox users and the latest improvements have fixed many of the speed problems which hampered it before.

Download Video DownloadHelper 3.2 in Softonic