Creating customized DVD movies is a piece of cake with Droppix DVD Maker. The program takes care of everything so that you only have to worry about enjoying your favorite videos from the couch.

You can use any video files stored in your local drive (the program supports the most popular formats) or import videos right away from famous video websites like Youtube, Daily Motion or Google Video with just a single click. Droppix DVD Maker also includes several ready-to-use menu templates you can use to create personalized DVD menus, though the method to change them is not very well implemented (a double click on the current menu image would be much more intuitive than having to open the program's settings menu).

Another drawback to Droppix DVD Maker is the fact that you can't preview the video before converting and recording it to the actual disc, while other similar tools usually include a built-in player. At least the conversion process is easy and quite fast too.

Droppix DVD Maker lets you create customized DVD movies in a very easy way, but lacks some handy features found in other similar tools.

Download Droppix DVD Maker 1.5.0 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

Forget paying for a program to rip your DVDs to your computer because thanks to the wonders of open source, HandBrake is here to convert disks to MPEG for free. Considering it doesn't cost a dime, the application delivers exceptional results. Converting any type of DVD through a simple-to-understand UI, the program whizzes through the process of producing an MPEG-4 file to save on your machine.

You'll need to have the right codec installed for the type of file you wish to convert (DivX, Xvid, OGM, 3ivx, etc.) but HandBrake lets you perform two-pass conversions and to codify a double soundtrack. Another great feature is the bitrate calculator, which alters the quality of the video according to the final file size you wish to achieve. You can even trim the black bands around a movie to maximise the size of the file. Although I experienced a couple of crashes with this version of HandBrake, it's nevertheless a great open source solution for ripping your DVDs.

Download HandBrake 0.9.2 in Softonic

Apex Free 3GP Video Converter is a free converter that can convert any popular video to work on your Mobile Phone in 3GP format.

Apex Free 3GP Video Converter supports a huge number of formats. You can convert your favorite movies from AVI, DIVX, MOV, QuickTime, MPEG, VCD , DVD, WMV, ASF, RM, RMVB to 3GP. As far as converters go, Apex Free 3GP Video Converter is pretty quick and getting started is relatively easy, with a quick and clear interface.

The converter supports batch conversions so you can queue an unlimited number of files to convert and let it work through them. You can also define exactly which in and out points you want, so you can select exactly how big you want files to be. The limit is 2GB which is pretty big and you can set it to automatically shut down your PC after conversion.

Apex Free 3GP Video Converter has everything you need to convert files to 3GP format although it's shame it doesn't support just a few more file formats.

Download Apex Free 3GP Video Converter 6.49 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

PSP is the classic Sony console that apart from running games, also allows you to play all kinds of videos, but unfortunately only in the native format of the console.

PSP Video 9 however allows you to convert any video format to PSP. The program has a wide variety of options that lets you select both the quality of video and sound and it includes an administrator to copy video created directly to the console. All you need is a USB cable and your PSP to transfer files to your console. However, as you'll see in the developer forum, nothing goes quite as planned with this program. Although files are transferred, frequently you won't be able to watch them which is what a lot of users are reporting. One of the problems is that files will frequently appear as 0KB and the developer suggest that it may be because your PSP memory is not "clean" enough for the program to need. What you'll need to do is reformat your entire PSP memory card which is a drastic step but seems to be the only way to get things going again.

If you've got a PSP, and want to watch movies and clips in other formats, this is an option although you may find it hit and miss.

Download PSP Video 9 2.17 Beta in Softonic

Converting video to DVD format is obviously essential if you want to watch any of your favourite films or clips stored on your hard drive on your DVD player.

The likelihood is, most of your videos are in various formats so you'll need someway of converting them all without requiring a different program for each different format. Sothink Movie DVD Maker is designed for those that want maximum flexibility in this regard allowing you to burn to DVD format files from a wide variety of sources including AVI, MPEG, internet clips and those recorded by DVC or webcam plus virtually any other format you can imagine. When adding clips to the GUI, you can play your source clips to check that it's the right video you were looking for. Conversions can be cancelled at any time so if it's taking too long, there's no problem but it would have been much better if the developers had allowed us to pause conversion for completion at a later stage. However, they have added an option to extract video files to a DVD folder so that you can burn your films to DVD at any other time.

With the ability to add subtitles as well, you can create some surprisingly professional results with Sothink DVD Maker and it supports just about any format out there.

Download Sothink DVD Movie Maker 1.0.70424 in Softonic

It's great to have a portable multimedia device such as a PSP, an iPod or a Zune to watch movies on the go. The problem comes when you need to convert those videos from the PC to a suitable format so that you can watch those videos while commuting or traveling.

Koyote Free Video Converter can help you handle this issue in a very simple way. Far from complicated, bloated converting tools, this easy app lets you convert videos in a snap. You can choose between a wide range of formats, including those which are used in all popular portable devices. Available formats are presented as profiles with set preferences, but you can easily tweak them to suit your preferences.

Koyote Free Video Converter includes a small video window, but sadly it's only intended to watch video frames as the conversion process is working. It would have been nice to be able to use it also as video player to preview the contents of the movie before converting it.

With Koyote Free Video Converter you can easily convert videos to a variety of formats, including those suitable for portable devices.

Download Koyote Free Video Converter 1.2 in Softonic

Videora Converter claims to convert all your videos to play on your iPod without requiring any “technical know-how” on your part. The program’s process in itself is simple: search and select the desired file, click ’Convert’ and there you have it, ready to play on your iPod.

Despite its simplicity, Videora Converter suffers from a number of shortcomings. For one, the interface, particularly the main window, is riddled with horrible flashing pop-up ads. This makes using the wizard a fairly tedious process and one that you should skip altogether. We were also surprised by the very haphazard video settings. For the video format, you have a choice between “old” or “new”; for the video size “ipod” or “tv”, with no explanation as to what Videora considers the “tv” size to be. Setting quality levels for audio and video continues in the same foggy way: basic, medium, high or best are the only choices you're offered.

The quickest way to convert is under the Current Conversion tab. This interface is probably easier to use than the wizard. Select your file, the device you wish to convert it for and the profile you want to use. Videora has more than two-dozen preset encoded video formats to choose from. While you should find what you want in that list, it would have been good to let users tweak the settings according to their requirements. In terms of your video file library, Videora keeps your created output files in folders, divided according to the devices and video formats. You can also automatically add the converted files to iTunes.

If not for the bewildering interface and extremely vague video settings, Videora Converter could actually have been a very simple iPod converter. In the future, let’s hope Videora makes the wizard actually user friendly and gets rid of all the pop-ups.

Download Videora iPod Converter 3.06 in Softonic

Lots of videos these days (e.g. those you'll find on Google Video or YouTube) are encoded in Flash Video format. The problem is that not all media players support the format, so you'll need to get yourself a third-party app to convert it for you.

Pazera Free FLV to AVI Converter is one such utility and as the name suggest it allows you to transform a Flash Video file into an AVI. The program also lets you convert your FLV video to an MPEG if you so desire.

The program's user interface isn't exactly a visual delight and despite the fact that there isn't an icon in sight, it's pretty functional and you should be able to find your way around pretty easily. All you really need to do is load the FLV file or files that you need to convert using the 'Add Files' button, then click convert. The conversion process seems to be reliable and quick (though obviously this depends on the size of the file).

There are plenty of advanced options to tinker around with if you know what you're doing. For instance, you can adjust the audio and video codecs used, set the resolution or change the bitrate (only for AVI). You can even crop the video on all sides if you want.

If you want a no-frills solution for converting FLV files, the Pazera software is an able piece of software.

Download Pazera Free FLV to AVI Converter 1.1 in Softonic

While Apple is slowly rolling out their highly coveted iPhone across Europe, many developers have started to create software apps to be used specifically with today's most fashionable mobile phone.

MediaCoder iPhone iPod Touch Edition is one of those tools, a video converter that enables you to adapt your favorite movies, shows and video clips to the video formats used both in the iPhone and the iPod Touch. This app is in fact a simplified version of the original MediaCoder that has been adapted to these two new video platforms.

The program features a highly detailed interface that displays all the necessary information for each conversion, including an iPhone-like preview window. In fact, it's so complete that it may feel a bit overwhelming for first-time users.

The confusion still goes on – and even grows – when opening the program's exhaustive configuration menu. But once the initial shock is gone, MediaCoder iPhone iPod Touch turns out to be an excellent conversion tool that works really fast and obtains excellent results.

MediaCoder iPhone iPod Touch is pretty much everything you need to convert and transfer videos to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Just take your time to learn how to use it.

Download MediaCoder iPhone iPod Touch Edition 0.6.1.4077 in Softonic

Photo slideshows are probably the best way to share photos with family and friends, but the software tools to create them are often difficult to use. Extra Photo to Video Converter makes a difference here by offering you a very easy-to-use app with which you can create attractive photo compositions in no time.

The program features an intuitive interface divided into three categories: one to choose images, another one to choose background and the last one to select the format of your slideshow. Advanced options enable you to add text captions (referred to as "subtitles" in the program), synchronize the soundtrack's length to that of the photos and also choose among a wide variety of transition options. There's also the possibility of letting the program choose the transitions randomly.

Extra Photo to Video Converter allows you to preview the slideshow before finally exporting it to the selected format. Though the process of creation was very fast in itself, the program sometimes seems to freeze, especially when working with many photos. The final quality of your slideshow depends on the original images as well as the chosen format.

With Extra Photo to Video Converter, creating photo slideshows with music is a cinch: select the images, add the music, choose transition effects and you're done! Basic, but effective.

Download Extra Photo to Video Converter Free in Softonic