Review of AVS Video Converter vs. RealPlayer
You might think the notion of comparing the file format conversion capabilities between a dedicated converter and a general-purpose media player just doesn’t seem fair. But, that’s exactly what we’re going to do as we review the $199 AVS Video Converter versus the free RealPlayer.
Video format conversion, which had previously been the domain of encoding gurus, has become an increasingly important tool for most everyone with a computer or a mobile device. As video becomes more commonly used for online and mobile entertainment, business, education and social communication, the need to convert one video format to another has become a necessity.
A FIRST LOOK AT THE AVS VIDEO CONVERTER
The AVS4YOU software does not have a typical pricing structure. There are two tiers, one for an “Unlimited access subscription” and the other for a “1 year access subscription.” The unlimited version costs $199, while the 1-year is priced at $69. Unlimited means you can use the software and get updates and support for as long as you want, which is how software is typically licensed to users. The one-year AVS Video Converter version is just that, limited to one year of use.
To make it a bit more confusing, by purchasing the AVS Video Converter, you are also buying a suite of 18 separate video and audio tools. So, for the unlimited price of $199, you not only get the video converter, but also can access 17 other programs, each of which must be downloaded separately if you want to use them. You are buying the suite, but must pick and choose which applications you need to download individually. You can just download and use the video converter, or get any or all of the remaining applications.
For evaluating, I downloaded and am using a non-activated version. All the features of the video converter are fully functional, but a text overlay saying, “Created with a non-activated version, www.avs4you.com” is inserted over output images.
Although the workflow is flexible, one of your first steps would be to select the input file to be converted. For our testing, I downloaded the MP4 format, 1080p HD trailer from “Sintel.” It is available from the Blender Foundation for use under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
Simply click on the Browse button to the right of the Input File Name field and navigate to the file you need. Do the same in browsing to the Output Directory, where the converted file will be saved.
SELECTING THE VIDEO FORMAT, DEVICE OR WEB FOR CONVERSION
The interface has tabs for Formats (for playback on your computer), Devices (mobile and consoles) and Web (social media sites) output selections. Each tab contains a variety of options that helps you zero in quickly on the target profile.
Below, the Devices tab is opened, and Consoles has been selected because we’re going to convert the “Sintel” trailer for use on an Xbox 360. Clicking on the Profile drop-down menu reveals a selection of consoles, each with a preset codec, frame size and frames per second.
The AVS interface is clean and attractive, using colorful and easy to understand icons.
Clicking on the Advanced button allows access to changing the details of several file format profiles.
CONVERTING YOUR VIDEO FILE TO ANOTHER FORMAT
Now that you have set the input file, output directory and device profile; just click Convert Now and the format conversion process begins.
A preview of the video can be displayed, but don’t expect it to play at a smooth, full motion video rate. The conversion does not happen as real time playback. Depending upon the codec, bit rate, frame size, and your computer, the conversion could take more or less time than the running time of the content.
Along with the video playback, a progress bar, elapsed and remaining time and overall progress readings are displayed.
EXTRA FEATURES IN THE AVS VIDEO CONVERTER
Like many all-purpose, dedicated video format converters, the AVS Video Converter offers additional features beyond its format conversion capabilities. These focus on editing and creating special effects for the content you convert.
Some of the useful functions the AVS video editor can perform:
- Trim head and tail of a video clip
- Delete and join segments
- Add special effects such as wipes, rotation, blur, etc.
- Adjust brightness, contrast, hue and more
- Insert subtitles into videos
- Create chapter points
- Make DVD menus
- Take snapshots
- Export images
- Save sound track to MP3 or WAV
INTRODUCTION TO THE FREE REALPLAYER VIDEO FORMAT CONVERTER
You probably know the free RealPlayer as being one of the more popular, all-around media players available. It’s compatible with nearly every common digital video and audio format, but it also includes a built-in video file format converter. That’s a powerful combination as the need to change videos formats so they can be run on a variety of devices becomes more prevalent.
ADDING VIDEO CLIPS TO THE REALPLAYER CONVERTER
Free RealPlayer provides several simple paths for your content to the converter. I found using the Library the most convenient way to select which video clips to convert. Just right-click on a clip thumbnail and a pop-up menu with the “Convert to…” choice appears. Click it, and the RealPlayer Converter application opens in a separate window, while placing that video in the list of clips to be converted.
You can also select a clip, and then click on “Convert to…” under the main Library menu on the left. Once the RealPlayer Converter is open, you can drag & drop clips from the Library directly into the converter.
Clicking “Convert” while viewing a clip in the “Now Playing” window will also send the video to the RealPlayer Converter.
SELECTING THE DEVICE TO CONVERT YOUR VIDEO TO
With the “Sintel” clip added to the RealPlayer Converter, it’s now just a matter of choosing the Xbox 360 from the extensive list of output format categories and specific products from all the major manufacturers. More detailed settings for the video format, quality, resolution, audio format and bit rate are also customizable within each device.
The destination folder where the completed RealPlayer Conversions will be saved in is also set.
RUNNING THE REALPLAYER CONVERTER COULDN’T BE EASIER
Frankly, there isn’t anything for you to do other than click on the Start button. The converter does its work, and then prompts you when the conversion is completed, transfers the new video to the device (make sure it’s connected to your computer properly before the conversion), and even places a copy of the converted video in the library.
EXTRA FEATURES AVAILABLE IN THE FREE REALPLAYER
Since the focus here has been on the capabilities of the RealPlayer Converter, which is part of the free RealPlayer software, there hasn’t been mention of the extra video features in RealPlayer. Here a brief list that makes RealPlayer special:
- Trim the head and tail of video clips to select only sections you want
- Post videos to social websites like, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
- Login to Facebook to see friends videos
- Send video via email
- Download videos from the Internet with one click
- Manage media Library and Playlist
If you want a more enhanced set of features, upgrading to RealPlayer Plus, at a cost of $49.99, is available. With RealPlayer Plus, you get the additional capabilities to:
- Make audio CDs with special, controlled volume levels
- Burn video to DVDs and watch on big screen television
- Burn High Definition content to DVD and watch on a Blu-ray player
- Download video from the Internet three times faster
- Transfer videos to mobile devices in half the time
- GPU acceleration for faster format conversion
AVS VIDEO CONVERTER vs. FREE REALPLAYER CONVERTER COMPARISON CHART
| Compare | AVS Video Converter | RealPlayer |
|---|
| Price | $199 for “Unlimited” license. Includes a suite of 18 applications. | FREE |
| Input File Formats | ||
| Input File Types | HD Video (Blu-ray video, AVCHD, MPEG-2 HD and WMV HD), AVI (DivX, Xvid, etc.), DV AVI, MP4 (Sony PSP, Apple iPod and Archos), WMV, 3GP, 3G2, QuickTime (MOV, QT), DVD, VOB, VRO, MPEG-1, 2, 4, TOD, MOD, MPG, DAT, VCD, SVCD, Real Video (RM, RMVB), ASF, ASX, MJPEG, H.263, H.264, DVR-MS, MKV, OGM, FLV, F4V, AMV, MTV, TS, M2TS, M2T, MTS, DPG, NSV, FLI, FLC, CDG, PPT, GVI, TRP, GIF | AAC, M4A, PLS, EPL, AVI, CDA, IVR, MP3, MPA, MPG, MPEG, MPV, MPS, M2V, M1V, MPE, RA RV, SMIL, WAV, SSM, MP4, M4E, M4V, WMA, WMV, WAX, ASX, ASF, WM, WMX, MICROSOFT MEDIA SERVER PROTOCOL, MOV, QT, AU, AIF, AIFF, ACP, 3GP, 3G2, DIVX, DVD (RP+), AMR, AWB, QCP, EVRC, EVR, FLV, VOB (RP+), REALAUDIO LOSSLESS, MP2 (RP+), MP1, MPGA, MID, MIDI, RMI |
| Output File Formats | ||
| Output File Types | HD Video (Blu-ray video, MPEG-2 HD and WMV HD), AVI (DivX, Xvid, etc.), MP4 (Sony PSP, Apple iPod and Archos), WMV, 3GP, 3G2, QuickTime (MOV, QT), SWF, FLV, F4V, DVD (PAL & NTSC), MPEG-1, 2, 4, MPG, MJPEG, H.263, H.264, MKV, MPEG1 DPG, AMV, MTV, GIF, TS, M2TS | RA, RM, RV, WMV, MP4, AAC, H.264, H.263, RealPlayer Plus H.264, 3GP, CELL PHONE, M4A, MP3, RealAudio Lossless, WAV, WMA |
| Conversion to Output Devices | ||
| Mobile and Set top Devices | Android, Apple, Archos BlackBerry, Google, HTC, iRiver, Microsoft Zune, Motorola, Palm, PS3, PSP, SanDisk Sansa, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, 3GPP | Android, Apple, Archos, Barns and Noble Nook, BlackBerry, Creative Zen, Google, HTC, iRiver, KIN, LG, Microsoft Zune, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, PS3, PSP, Samsung, SanDisk Sansa, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba, T-Mobile, ViewSonic, Xbox, 3GP |
| File Format Processing Support | ||
| Pre-set Format Profiles | Yes | Yes |
| 720p and 1080p HD Support | Yes | Yes |
| GPU Acceleration | No | Yes, with RealPlayer Plus* |
| Multi-pass Encoding | Yes | No |
| Fixed and Variable Bit Rate Encoding | No | Yes – Audio Only |
| Calculator to Estimate Output Size and Time | Yes | Yes |
| Batch Processing | Yes | Yes |
| Video Quality – Sync, No Skipped Frames | Excellent | Excellent |
| Conversion Speed | Better | Good |
| Editing Capabilities | ||
| Trim Head and Tail of Clips | Yes | Yes |
| Crop Video Size | Yes | No |
| Makes Screen Grabs | Yes | Yes |
| Merge or Join Files | Yes | No |
| Adjust Brightness, Contrast, Color, etc. | Yes | No |
| Video and Audio Special Effects | Yes | No |
| Graphic Watermark | No | No |
| Create Subtitles | Yes | No |
| Other Features | ||
| DVD Ripping | Yes | No |
| DVD Burning | Yes | Yes, with RealPlayer Plus* |
| Hi-Definition Burning | Yes | Yes, with RealPlayer Plus* |
| Easy Upload to Social Media Sites | Yes | Yes |
SUMMARY OF AVS CONVERTER vs. FREE REALPLAYER VIDEO FORMAT CONVERTERS
Although work flow for each was simple and straightforward, I did prefer the more graphic interface of the free RealPlayer Library with its thumbnails of the video clips. This provided more ways to send clips to the converter and access other features such as posting to social websites, adding to playlists, etc.
The AVS converter has a slight edge on output file formats, but RealPlayer had a more extensive selection of mobile devices it can convert videos to. Something I was not surprised to see in comparing a $199 product to the free RealPlayer was the AVS dedicated converter is faster.
If you need special effects and more complex editing features, AVS Video Converter has the lead there. AVS converter also includes DVD and High Definition burning capabilities, but upgrading the free RealPlayer to *RealPlayer Plus for $49.99 gives you those features, plus GPU acceleration for faster operation.