Here is a really useful tool that should come in handy for your conversion needs, HandBrake.

Handbrake is a utility that can convert standard DVDs into a compressed format of your choice; mp4 with AAC audio or AVC with h264 video and AAC audio. HandBrake also gives you the freedom to crop the image to get rid of the black bars to bring down the size even more and lets you choose options as to how you want it encoded. HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.

The latest version, HandBrake0.8.5 Beta 1 has this major change:

• Encompasses everything that was in MediaFork 0.8.0b1 and much more

One of the things you will enjoy about this software is that it’s easier to use than others in its category and very intuitive.

Want to give it a try? Go to http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=2

As I said it’s open source so it won’t cost you anything.

JLC’s Internet TV is a program for watching free online TV channels. You will enjoy the fact that it gives you a wide range of choices as it automatically finds over 1400 channels and have an online updater to keep the channel list updated.

Still not sure this is for you, check out some of its cool features:

• Watch over 1400 online TV channels for free!
• User friendly interface with inbuilt channel list
• Channel updater which keeps your list synchronized with the list at World Wide Internet TV
• Program updater automatically keeps your program up to date
• Powerful search function lets you easily find any channel
• Favorite list to keep a track of your favorite channels
• Absolutely NO spyware/adware or malware included!

The latest major change in the latest version is the inclusion an installer.

Want to check it out? Go to http://jlc-software.com/index.php?page=internet_tv.html

If Book Label has solved your book collection – organization problems, then this software from Code|Aero Technologies will help you manage your movie collection superbly.

Movie Label 2007 is a powerful yet easy-to-use movie collection organizer. You will love the fact that it enables you to catalog your entire movie collection (DVD, VHS, Laser Disc, movies on your hard drive, etc). It downloads all information about your movies from the Internet, so there is no need for typing. It is built on a solid client/server database for optimal reliability and speed.

But that’s not all, there is so much more, here are a couple of features that make Movie Label a really useful tool.

With Movie label, you can:

• Catalog your entire movie and TV-series collection
• Download all data about movies and TV-series from the Internet
• Export your data to XML, HTML, Excel or textfile
• Watch streaming Trailers for the movie in your collection
• View statistics of your entire movie collection
• Manage multiple collections
• Keep track of loans and send email reminders
• Supports old and new formats (such as VHS and Blu-ray) as well as user defined formats
• Client/Server database engine for optimal reliability and speed
• Export to third-party application MoviezToGo for use on handheld Palm

And lots more.

Teen Spirit (Conium) – A Good Audio-Video Player And Organizer

Here is tool that you will definitely find useful; it is called Teen Spirit (Conium).

Teen Spirit is an Audio-Video player and organizer. What I love about it is it’s very user friendly interface. Want to retrieve info on your favorite artistes from the net? This tool is for you, it can retrieve info from internet such as lyrics, album reviews, album covers, artist biographies, and artiste pictures easily.

Teen Spirit also keeps history of the files you play, and allows you to review statistics and generates a personal hitlist based on your most played songs. One thing you will appreciate in this software is the fact that it helps you discover tracks in your vast music collection with features like auto-continue or by playing the music quiz.

The latest version in the software market now is Teen Spirit 0.91b[it was just released yesterday] and it comes with these changes:

• Virtual Track Collections. Add YouTube links as ‘Virtual’ Files in your collection. You may also import/export these files as ‘xlc xml link collection files’
• New actiion logger
• Easy Drag Drop tagging in tree view
• Web Services. Quick Search in Google – YouTube – Wikipedia (add yours in the services.xml) for artists / albums / tracks
• New ‘Tango’ compatible icons
• Many bug fixes and visual enhancements

Want to try it out? Visit http://www.artificialspirit.com/

If there ever was a simple multimedia encoder and player this is it.

SUPER © is all you need if you need a simple, yet very efficient tool to convert (encode) or play any Multimedia file. The fact that you can get your encoding/conversion done without having expert knowledge, makes this tool really cool.

SUPER like the name implies is a Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer.
It is a multimedia encoder and a multimedia player that is so easy-to-use, all you need to get things done is in one simple click.

The latest version, SUPER © 2007.build.22, which was just released on March 14th 2007 has these changes:

ADDED:

• Multiple files drag & drop
• ‘Direct Stream Copy’ feature
• H.264/AVC video codec to the 3gp/3g2 profile
• AAC audio codec used/muxed with AVI files
• 11025, 12000 KHz to mp3 and 16000, 32000 KHz to mp2/mp3 audio codec
• 1280:544 widescreen videoscale to PS3 profile
• 480:272 widescreen videoscale to PSP profile
• 320:180 widescreen videoscale to Zune profile
• 128:96 and 170:144 low resolution videoscale to MP4/MOV[H.264|MPEG-4|DivX|XviD]
• Option to select spaces/underScores in output file name
• Option prompting renaming of VOB file
• Play Images (bmp, dib, fax, jpg, png, rle, tif, wmf) through Win2K/XP Microsoft(R) resources

FIXED:

• Enhanced support for HDTV .TS & .M2T files
• Lot of other enhancements and bugs

Want to check it out? It’s 100% free; don’t get suckered into paying for it.
CLICK HERE or go to http://www.erightsoft.net/SUPER.html for download and more info.

Here is a good open source for you to make DVDs. It’s called DVD Flick.

DVD Flick is a simple tool but don’t mistake it’s simplicity for lack of functionality; it’s a very powerful DVD Authoring tool. With DVD Flick you can take several video files stored on your computer and turn them into a DVD, this DVD will play back on your DVD player, MediaCenter or Home Cinema Set without any hassles.

Like I said earlier it’s Open Source; this means not only is it free for download the program’s source code is also free for modification. That’s not all several external programs are used by DVD Flick to do “the magic” [“the magic” includes encoding and combining of video material]. All of these programs are free, some are also Open Source.

The latest version, DVD Flick 1.2.1.2, which was just released only yesterday, has these changes:

• Added: Custom video bitrate option
• Added: Option to manually set a subtitle’s framerate, so that it will get converted to the movie’s framerate
• Added: Warning to prevent graphical subtitle files from being loaded
• Added: Drag and drop support for video sources, audio tracks and subtitle files to titles
• Added: Minimize to tray button in the progress dialog
• Added: Option to save a subtitle’s settings as default
• Added: Options for more audio encoding control
• Fixed: Subtitle desyncing
• Changed: Rewrote DVD recorder detection. It should detect all SCSI3-capable recorder drives now
• Changed: Tweaked video encoding options a bit more

CLICK HERE for more info and download.

TVU Player is a free program that enables Internet users to watch streaming live Television programs around the world which which they may not normally be able to get on their real television. It promises to feature hard-to-find special-interest TV channels, international sports, lifestyle, news, and your favorite channels from around the globe as well as user-generated content.

You can switch between multiple TV channels just like on a TV. TVU Player is extremely simple to use, you just double click on the tv channel of your choice, wait for it to buffer, and start watching.

Thanks to the improvement of broadband connections, watching channels on your computer is now possible like this, some of the available channels are Fox, Fox News, NBC, ABC, Animal planet, Bloomsberg, Nasa TV, some sports channels, Comedy Central, Sci Fi, Nickelodeon, BBC News 24 and many more.

Check out Vidoo.com which also has a support forum and the tv channels daily program schedule and of course to download it.

If you’ve been looking for a good and reliable software to burn your videos to DVD, you need to check this out.

ConvertXtoDVD is a software to convert and burn your videos to DVD. What I really appreciate about this software is that in just a couple of clicks you can backup your movies to DVD playable on any home DVD player easily.

You won’t have any problem converting in any popular format as it supports popular formats such as Xvid, MOV, VOB, Mpeg, Mpeg4, MP4, AVI, WMV, DV and stream formats. It simply converts your files into a compliant DVD Video set of files and burns it on a DVD media.

I’m sure you will love the fact that ConvertXtoDVD 2.1.12.214 works for NTSC and PAL video formats and creates chapters automatically. Multiple audio tracks are also supported.

Want to see if it is what you need? CLICK HERE

Here is a great program worth checking out.

This free software, ProgDVB allows you to watch SAT-Television and listen to Radio channels directly from satellite but you must use DVB-PCI cards with hardware decoders on the board, SAT-dish, and personal x86-compatible computers with Microsoft Windows installed.

It has options for working with network broadcasting and Audio/Video recording of the stream to different digital-media formats.

The latest version released a couple of days ago, ProgDVB 5.00.01, has these changes:

• Supports skins for main form (and in future it will support skins for OSD)
• Notes: This version does not support OSD and localization and has no important new functions so far. Besides, .Net version will always work a little slower

Want to try it? It’s FREE! CLICK HERE!

Here is a cool open source for you. It’s called Democracy player and just like democracy, gives you freedom. The freedom this Democracy gives you is the freedom to watch Internet videos like you watch TV.

It’s really very easy; you just download and watch all the best internet TV shows and videos in one powerful application. The cool thing about this player is that new channels arrive daily in the built-in Channel Guide.

Remember those videos you use to squint at to get what was going on? With Democracy Player that is a thing of the past as you can just sit back and watch big, high resolution videos one after another. It’s so easy to use that you’ll be watching interesting videos in moments.

Want to check it out? CLICK HERE