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How to convert video files for iPod/iPad/iPhone and Android

by seth_y
50 replies
Hi,

I run a membership site with educational videos. We currently have 2 formats: Flash and WMV.

A lot of people have requested to see the videos on their iPod/iPhone/iPad or Android.

I have a bunch of different video production tools available: Camtasia, Super, Windows Movie Maker (or Windows Live Movie Maker), and FreeStudio. I am tech guy but I can't figure out what movie format and settings to use.

Can someone please tell me what tool to use (for Windows Vista or XP) and what the format(s) and settings should be?

And is there a way to test that the files work without having to borrow the hardware each time? I only have an Android and an iPod.

Thanks!

Seth
#android #convert #files #ipod or ipad or iphone #video
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    You can just use Camtasia and create mp4 videos. These should work fine on those devices.
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    • Profile picture of the author seth_y
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      You can just use Camtasia and create mp4 videos. These should work fine on those devices.
      Thanks: I did try MP4 but it didn't work. Maybe because I picked the wrong encoding or maybe it was a prob with my Android or something. I am not sure.

      In fact I tried a lot of things... Also tried m4v I think it was, for example. But each time it didn't work in my Android or iPod even though it worked from my PC browser.
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      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by seth_y View Post

        Thanks: I did try MP4 but it didn't work. Maybe because I picked the wrong encoding or maybe it was a prob with my Android or something. I am not sure.

        In fact I tried a lot of things... Also tried m4v I think it was, for example. But each time it didn't work in my Android or iPod even though it worked from my PC browser.
        MP4 videos work on Apple products... I know that for certain since I have used them many times. Not sure what format the androids use.
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        • Profile picture of the author seth_y
          THANKS very much for all the feedback!

          I have been playing with this all day and have produced MP4 and M4V videos that work on my iPod.

          Some of those videos worked on my Android but most did not and I don't know why one works and another doesn't.

          So... now that everyone has helped me so much for the iPod (and I assume iPhones and iPads) can anyone tell me what format to use for the Android?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jelle Kaldenbach
    Seth, you could use Handbrake
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  • Profile picture of the author doylesoft
    Jelle beat me to it.
    +1 for Handbrake.
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    Brandon Doyle
    http://doylesoft.com Simple, effective, and affordable software. Knowledge Base software.

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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    I use Aiseesoft Total Media Converter for this sort of stuff. I got it as a giveaway of the day a while back, but I'm sure you can buy a copy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Robertson
    For the Apple products, you can definitely use MOV. This is Apple's preferred format. It's almost identical to MP4. Both make the best quality videos using the H.264 codec.

    I don't know whether you need to do anything else other than rendering your video in the MOV format. You might need to provide multiple video sizes to accommodate the different size screens.

    Steve R.
    R.A.M. Video
    a Mac house since 1984!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    Just FYI QuickTime pro has a great built in converter specifically designed to output mp4 video sized and formatted properly for all the apple devices, the code it gives you to embed the video detects the type of device you are using and displays the correct video to the end user... Qtpro is an apple product after all

    Mp4 will play on the android however many android devices do not allow for progressive download meaning users will have to wait for the video to finish downloading before it will play... I have used video a few times for very specific mobile playback projects and the only format that I was able to find that played progressively on all devices was 3gp which is specifically designed to be a light weight mobile video format. You can also generate 3gp with QuickTime pro and was the only software I was able to tweak the settings enough to give decent enough playback.

    QuickTime pro cost about $30 and can be used on both Mac and pc in my opinion it was worth every cent.

    HTH

    I can pm you an example of a mobile site I did with video if you want to test it out

    Just FYI I was in same scenario as you and didnt want to be rendering multiple formats of video

    Cheers

    Jay
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

      the only format that I was able to find that played progressively on all devices was 3gp which is specifically designed to be a light weight mobile video format.
      Jay,

      Correct me if I am wrong but I have tried several times with 3gp videos on the latest iPod Touch and they will not play. They work on the Blackberry but not the Apple products it seems.

      I have done a bit of research on this as well and found lots of people in forums, etc who also can't play those 3gp format videos on their iPhones, etc.

      Which is why I have always advised against using video on mobile sites because there does not seem to be one format that will across all devices as yet. HTML5 will solve that eventually but until all the major devices support that technology then it still isn't a great option.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
        Hi Will

        I have tested literally thousands of dollars worth of software and found that only 3gp rendered by QuickTime pro worked seamlessly across both apple and android devices, you can checkout Oakridge Bellows - Metal Expansion Joints obviously on a mobile device as an example - the requirements where to specifically target apple and android devices, so am unsure how it works on a blackberry or non smartphones. I just double checked on iPhone 3gs, Itouch4, and android video works fine.

        I will be doing a new update shortly with a more efficient design approach that I am developing. Am also in the process of getting both blackberry and windows phones for more thorough testing.

        Biggest downside to it is grainy output - hence why it's an absolute must that you can tweak the 3gp settings, using default settings leaves much lower quality output, obviously viewing it on a larger screen like the iPad or regular desktop would be a horrible experience. This is one reason am leading to using more interactive output dependent on user agent ie show different video formats and quality of video for different devices.

        Literally spent hours researching and testing this! Lol

        I agree too - normally I wouldnt put video on a mobile site but this was a requirement for this particular project.

        Hope that helps

        Jay
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        • Profile picture of the author WillR
          Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

          Hi Will

          I have tested literally thousands of dollars worth of software and found that only 3gp rendered by QuickTime pro worked seamlessly across both apple and android devices, you can checkout Oakridge Bellows - Metal Expansion Joints obviously on a mobile device as an example - the requirements where to specifically target apple and android devices, so am unsure how it works on a blackberry or non smartphones. I just double checked on iPhone, touch, and android and the video works fine.

          I will be doing a new update shortly with a more efficient design approach that I am developing. Am also in the process of getting both blackberry and windows phones for more thorough testing.

          Biggest downside to it is grainy output - hence why it's an absolute must that you can tweak the 3gp settings, using default settings leaves much lower quality output, obviously viewing it on a larger screen like the iPad or regular desktop would be a horrible experience. This is one reason am leading to using more interactive output dependent on user agent ie show different video formats and quality of video for different devices.

          Literally spent hours researching and testing this! Lol

          I agree too - normally I wouldnt put video on a mobile site but this was a requirement for this particular project.

          Hope that helps

          Jay
          Jay,

          Thanks for that. No I totally understand... you do run into the odd client who won't take no for an answer so it's always good to have an option you can offer them if need be.

          I just gave up after all my testing of the different video formats and different devices because I could not find one that worked seamlessly across all of the devices... and it was doing my head in! I'm sure it won't take long for technology to catch up.

          In the meantime I'll just cough and comment on the weather whenever a customer asks about adding a video to their mobile site
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    yeah i think i spent more time researching the video formatting than i did developing the site, trust me when i say it did my head in too!!!! lol was just very relieved when i stumbled on this solution - at least you know this definitely works, if you ever need help in this area you know where i am!
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    Just wanting to quantify what I've read here.

    3gp format works best for Apple and Android phones.
    mp4 or which other format works best for Blackberry?

    I think I know what I'm going to do on my site to make certain that all mobile viewers are covered, but I want to be sure.

    Thank you everyone!
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelcorvin
    There is a free software download you can get at HandBrake - It will convert your files over to a "web optimized" version. I have found that even using Camtasia that many of my videos say they are not web optimized on my Droid X. So I convert them into HandBrake and they work fine.

    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    Hi Idealfool - you can use 3GP on blackberry but you cant embed it the same way as you do for the iphone/android, am also unsure if it will progressively download and play at the same time.

    Am actually right in the middle of researching the best solution right now and will post back when i get to the bottom of it.

    I would have been none the wiser about the blackberry if it wasnt for actually testing this stuff out on real handsets - if your getting more involved with mobile web development i strongly recommend getting an android/iphone or itouch/blackberry - you dont need a contract for them if you are just using the wifi connection.

    Cheers

    Jay
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    • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
      Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

      Hi Idealfool - you can use 3GP on blackberry but you cant embed it the same way as you do for the iphone/android, am also unsure if it will progressively download and play at the same time.

      Am actually right in the middle of researching the best solution right now and will post back when i get to the bottom of it.

      I would have been none the wiser if it wasnt for actually testing this stuff out on real handsets - if your getting more involved with mobile development i strongly recommend getting an android/iphone or itouch/blackberry - you dont need a contract for them if you are just using the wifi connection.

      Cheers

      Jay
      Thank you, Jay! I'm in the pre-launch phase of a new business, and this information will be extremely helpful. I'm not much of a tech person; marketing is more my specialty. I appreciate all the help you can offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    quick question how big are your videos? ie size not time length
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    • Profile picture of the author Guy Horton
      Hi Seth,

      Try total video converter, there are many different converters on the market which are good but, this one is excellent. This one is simple to use, just a few clicks and you are in business.

      Cost is 45 bucks, well worth the investment, if you value your time. I might add there is not a learning curve to use this software. If you can point, click a mouse button and make a decision regarding the format you wish to convert your video or audio to you can do it quickly.


      Total Video Converter -- AVI to MPEG Converter, Convert Video Youtube FLV to MPEG Converter,AVI to DVD Converter,AVI to DivX Converter

      All the best,
      Guy
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    • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
      Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

      quick question how big are your videos? ie size not time length
      Not sure yet. The vids will be approximately one minute long with a voice-over. They will be in a slideshow format. I'll have to make a mock-up of one tonight to get a better idea.
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      • Profile picture of the author Brandon Bell
        You should try Miro Video Converter. It's completely FREE software that'll convert almost any video format to MP4, WebM (vp8), Ogg Theora, or for Android, iPhone, and more.
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    Just use Youtube as they work over the greatest number of mobiles. For membership just use the private and adjust your setting for no embedding etc

    Yes there will be a few phones that cant watch them but probably less than 5% so go with the numbers.

    Its like saying don't use youtube for your videos because there are still some computers that use monochroe screens.

    Remember over 200 million people watch youtube videos every day on mobiles.
     so obviously there are some people out there using their mobiles to watch video.

    Quentin
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    • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
      Originally Posted by Quentin View Post

      Remember over 200 million people watch youtube videos every day on mobiles.
      just to clarify its not 200 million people but the number of videos streamed through the mobile Youtube platform thats consistently hitting 200 million views every day - either way thats probably a lot of people. Am unsure how reliable the source is though ...ie Google

      Neilson suggests around 10% in the US certainly watch video on their mobile devices - which would relate to around 23 million people in the US alone...
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  • Profile picture of the author amirkhan
    Seth,

    I know you've placed this message a while back, but here is information for fellow warriors. If you have more and more clients asking for mobile version of your site, best thing is develop a mobile app or mobile website that is specially formatted for smart phones.

    You can then easily embed videos into your mobile apps that stream perfectly on major smart phones (iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc). Videos can be actually stored on YouTube private account but will work flawlessly on mobile devices. You can even create QR codes to distribute your "promotional" marketing app. Users can later be enticed into purchasing your paid subscription on your main website.

    Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mary Wilhite
    You can just use Camtasia,that should do good.thank you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    all these people recommending video convertors - have you actually embedded your videos in to a mobile web site and tested that these video conversions actually work on the top 3 smartphone mobile device OS's Android, IOS, RIM?

    i literally spent hours and hours and a ton of money researching and testing both free and commercial convertors on both pc and mac and in general i was very surprised that the majority of what they rendered DID NOT DIRECTLY WORK on the majority of mobile devices... despite their claims - i often found i got audio only or video only...

    Apple Quicktime Pro - was the ONLY reliable piece of software that i was able to find that renders video that i could embed into a mobile website and reliably get both video and audio and even have mobile devices play it properly ie progressively. With the exception of blackberry which i am now finding out you have to embed it using a very unique embed code.

    If your using Youtube to embed videos thats fine - until you get a client that doesnt want to use youtube of course! lol Saying that though you cant be using the object method to embed your video as it wont work on the iphone - you HAVE to use the iframe embed code to add video to your mobile site... and even using that i am still having certain issues with the blackberry...

    its easy to say dont worry about the blackberry - however it still ranks up there with iOS devices, it is declining but it is still considered one of the most popular devices. its barely trailing IOS devices by a few percent... i believe there are three new Blackberry phones about to come out and this may change the mobile landscape yet again... personally i dont think it will though! lol
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    So, Jay, what kind of code is necessary to embed vids compatible with Blackberry? I'm anxious to find this info.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
      Originally Posted by IdeaFool View Post

      So, Jay, what kind of code is necessary to embed vids compatible with Blackberry? I'm anxious to find this info.
      i thought i had a solution but it appears to be hit and miss... instead of linking to a video on the blackberry you have to link to a page with the video embedded... however it appears the actual video size maybe causing problems

      ill be doing more work on it tomorrow and let you know...
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      • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
        Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

        i thought i had a solution but it appears to be hit and miss... instead of linking to a video on the blackberry you have to link to a page with the video embedded... however it appears the actual video size maybe causing problems

        ill be doing more work on it tomorrow and let you know...
        I need some help embedding vids on my WP powered site. When I try to put the vid in the post, WP won't allow the 3gp vid for "security reasons." What's the best way to embed for most phones? (Just trying a trial run of my product idea, and will need to be able to embed vids on my mobile-optimized pages.) Should I use YouTube or will Vimeo work? Any ideas?

        Like I said, I'm not a tech guy, I'm a marketing weenie.
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  • Profile picture of the author Pankaj11
    Use a free software...to convert your all type of file into Andriod phone....The Software is...Freemake Video Converter.....It is free of cost...
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    The question really is... do you use the 4/3 or 9/16 ratio? 4/3 works best in phones, but 9/16 is all the rage in desktop/tablet land! Oh, the inhumanity of it all!
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    Wow! Just went over to the Blackberry developers forum to look for clues to a solution, and apparently one must wait until a full-moon, fool around with a virgin, sacrifice a shih-tzu puppy, and jump up and down on one foot while singing La Marseillaise in Swahili.

    It's insane that the powers that be at Blackberry haven't realized that their hesitance to make it easier for BB to play embedded video files is costing them business. This goes back to what I have written in other posts about being customer-oriented.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    hi ideafool

    it looks like you will need a plugin to embed 3gp on to your wordpress site however - you will also need a mobile friendly theme/plugin too

    still not got a a "best method" for embedding video for blackberry - with the other devices linking to the video with a <a href> tag is not a problem...
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    • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
      Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

      hi ideafool

      it looks like you will need a plugin to embed 3gp on to your wordpress site however - you will also need a mobile friendly theme/plugin too

      still not got a a "best method" for embedding video for blackberry - with the other devices linking to the video with a <a href> tag is not a problem...
      I have a mobile friendly theme already in place. Have not found a 3gp embedding plugin yet. Will keep looking.

      Thanks for all your help and input.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    You should just be able to link to the movie for playback in the iPhone and android like you already found out bb is problematic!

    You may just need to upload the file via FTP...
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    OK, using a MIME configuration plugin for wordpress, I was able to upload a 3gp video to a post on WP. It played fine (if a little grainy) on my Blackberry Curve. On my daughter's LG Rumor Touch, the vid was very small and could not be expanded. Will try an MP4 vid today and let you know.

    @Jay: May I have permission to PM you regarding some of these developments?

    Thank you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
      Sure if you are using quick time pro - I will try and pull up the configuration settings to improve your video

      Where you linking to the video or embedding it?
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    I'm using QT Pro. I used WP's embedding tool that is native to the application. Basically, it put's up an internal link. I would rather have a player that works, but I haven't had time to experiment, and most of the plugin players have bad reps or are not truly applicable to what I'm trying to do.

    My process thus far has been:

    1. Create the slideshow vid with audio and voiceover in Windows Movie Maker.
    2. Convert the wmv file to mov file using Convert Files - free online file converter and YouTube video downloader.Convert videos, audio files, documents and ebooks..
    3. Use QT Pro to export for web making the mp4 and 3gp files.
    4. Configure the MIME on WP to allow for uploading 3gp files.
    5. Upload the file.
    6. Test. (Would like to test on iphone and android, but have not had access to those platforms yet.)

    Will send you a link to the test page via PM to get your opinion, Jay.

    And thank you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
    ill test on iphone and android for you!
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    • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
      Originally Posted by Jay Moreno View Post

      ill test on iphone and android for you!
      Thank you! I'm going to be out of pocket for about 6 hours due to meetings today, but I look forward to your input.

      Shawn
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
        hi shawn

        worked fine on all devices - only main comment was that the actual website didnt fit the screen had to scroll left and right...

        was grainy but viewable - perhaps give the transitions a miss? ill see if i can get my settings together for qt pro...

        i still think there is an issue on the blackberry though regarding video file size ie +2.5mb

        cheers

        jay
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  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    @Jay: Thanks for the heads up. I didn't have to scroll on my blackberry, but I must need to constrain the measurements of the mobile site further to make it compliant with all instruments. Thank you again.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jay Moreno
      Originally Posted by IdeaFool View Post

      @Jay: Thanks for the heads up. I didn't have to scroll on my blackberry, but I must need to constrain the measurements of the mobile site further to make it compliant with all instruments. Thank you again.
      i shawn yeah i didnt have to scroll on the video just on the main site - i had to do that on all devices i tested it on including a blackberry 8550...

      hope that helps let me know if you want me to test again.

      cheers

      jay
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      • Profile picture of the author Mbullard
        Somebody already mentioned it but just use YouTube. Camtasia will provide you with a perfectly fine .mp4 so you don't need to mess around with any converters. If you need step by step instruction, let me know. I'll help you out.
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        • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
          Originally Posted by Mbullard View Post

          Somebody already mentioned it but just use YouTube. Camtasia will provide you with a perfectly fine .mp4 so you don't need to mess around with any converters. If you need step by step instruction, let me know. I'll help you out.
          Been having a LOT of trouble getting embedded YouTube vids to work on my WP site. They just don't want to play on my Blackberry.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mary Wilhite
    Perhaps you could also try out the " Any Video Converter" which is a free software.

    Check it out! Free Video Converter - Any Video Converter Freeware - convert video free to AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MPEG, FLV, SWF, 3GP, DVD, MP3, WebM, iPad, Android, PSP, Tablet PC
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  • Profile picture of the author WillMaxx
    Just convert the swf or wmv files to H.264 mp4 format.
    For tools you can use Handbrake, Format Factory(freeware) or Leawo video converter(shareware).:p
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  • Profile picture of the author evernn
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author chieh0215
      What if i want to convert dvd movies to mp4 files on mac?
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  • Profile picture of the author dengkane
    I recommend "Any Video Converter", it is powerful and the best is that it is free.

    I have used it to convert many formats of videos to other formats.

    You can google it.
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