FormatFactory

Actually we’re not sure who these folks are who constantly convert files from one format to another and back again, but if you are one of those, you may find Format Factory quite useful. Under the simple and truly straightforward interface of this program lies a functional and efficient tool allowing bulk multi-format conversions that can be done in a finger snap.

Format Factory works as a file-to-file converter: You specify a file or a folder with media you would like to convert, choose a destination format, and launch the process. Alternatively you can use the bulk conversion option “All to NNN”, which easily turns a variety of input formats into the same output format. Another convenient option iPhone and iPod users should appreciate is “All to mobile device”. The list of supported video, audio, and picture formats contains MP4/3GP/MPG/AVI/WMV/FLV/SWF, MP3/WMA/AMR/OGG/AAC/WAV, and JPG/BMP/PNG/TIF/ICO/GIF/TGA. The tool can also rip CD/DVD to files.

Even with its nearly perfect interface, Format Factory has some minor conversion glitches though. Not every conversion pair works flawlessly, and some of them produce strange results, for example, MPEG to GIF.

Nevertheless, Format Factory does the job well when it comes to common media formats. In addition to direct conversion, it also can merge or split files and repair damaged audio and video. Being a donation-ware, the program is free for all, and thanks to the multi-language interface supporting over 60 languages at the moment, the program can definitely be recommended.