VideoWrap
Here at SFL we aren't averse to a bit of computer use – after all we have to get the website online and updated on a regular basis. We are also self-confessed geeks, with our different platform allegiances, whether it is to Mac, Windows or Linux, and we use all manner of software from spreadsheets to video editing. We could easily set aside a whole section of this site to really cool bits of software but that would start to distract from the fact that what we are really about is sci-fi - and movies in particular. But every now and again a programme comes along that makes our lives so much easier.
You have probably noticed that we are also running our online TV station, www.sci-fi-london.tv, which brings you some of the great shorts and features that showed at the Festival, and some that didn't quite make the mix. To make the content available to the largest audience we opted to show the films as FLVs, Flash's movie file format. Converting the films to this format can be a long, drawn out process and finding a programme that does it efficiently is filled with trial and error. Adobe's own free conversion software is only available for Windows, which meant that converting the exclusive videos of our recent co-sponsored author talks from Final Cut on Mac was a nightmare. Using the built-in QuickTime converter took an unbelievable 22 hours for a one-hour sequence!! Our friends at FXHome told us about a new programme they had just developed, called VideoWrap, and it sounded like just what we needed.
Video content is finding its way all over the 'net, on YouTube and GoogleVideo, and onto handheld devices such as iPods, phones and PSPs, as well as the latest generation game consoles, all with their particular format requirements. FXHome have created a very user-friendly bit of software that does the job of creating optimum files for these platforms with just a few clicks of the mouse. I was originally going to say a simple piece of software, but I am sure that underneath its uncomplicated interface it is anything but simple.
Once the programme is purchased (at an introductory price of just £29) and downloaded, it is a quick and easy install (at least on a Mac – I can't speak for Windows). It is then just a simple matter of selecting your source video file, selecting the destination format and clicking convert. Converting an hour-long, full-frame DV QuickTime file to an FLV, which previously took 22 hours, was completed in just under 90 minutes, and it de-interlaced it at the same time, something QuickTime couldn't do. In fact the converted FLVs almost look better than the original and at a fraction of the file size. There are plenty of options to choose from and it will even build a complete webpage for your movie that you just upload to your web server. One of the problems with FLV files is previewing them to make sure they have converted properly - unless you have a dedicated programme like the excellent Eltima SWF & FLV Player for Mac or the cross-platform Wimpy Player, but VideoWrap lets you preview at the click of a button as soon as the conversion is complete. However, VideoWrap does not only create FLVs but also QuickTime and MPEG formats to fit any of the specified devices.
For digital filmmakers wanting to get their movies onto any of the current crop of digital players this really is an indispensable tool. It may lack some of the fine-tuning or customisation tools that far more expensive professional packages offer but the FXHome developers have built in enough pre-set options to cover most situations, so it seems a bit redundant to spend all that extra money. And who knows they may even be developing a 'pro' version to address such issues. As with their equally superb effects packages, that were demonstrated at SFL6, this is another affordable programme that makes what would otherwise be a laborious task a doddle.
Download a demo version and see what I mean.
Review: Chris Patmore
You have probably noticed that we are also running our online TV station, www.sci-fi-london.tv, which brings you some of the great shorts and features that showed at the Festival, and some that didn't quite make the mix. To make the content available to the largest audience we opted to show the films as FLVs, Flash's movie file format. Converting the films to this format can be a long, drawn out process and finding a programme that does it efficiently is filled with trial and error. Adobe's own free conversion software is only available for Windows, which meant that converting the exclusive videos of our recent co-sponsored author talks from Final Cut on Mac was a nightmare. Using the built-in QuickTime converter took an unbelievable 22 hours for a one-hour sequence!! Our friends at FXHome told us about a new programme they had just developed, called VideoWrap, and it sounded like just what we needed.
Video content is finding its way all over the 'net, on YouTube and GoogleVideo, and onto handheld devices such as iPods, phones and PSPs, as well as the latest generation game consoles, all with their particular format requirements. FXHome have created a very user-friendly bit of software that does the job of creating optimum files for these platforms with just a few clicks of the mouse. I was originally going to say a simple piece of software, but I am sure that underneath its uncomplicated interface it is anything but simple.
Once the programme is purchased (at an introductory price of just £29) and downloaded, it is a quick and easy install (at least on a Mac – I can't speak for Windows). It is then just a simple matter of selecting your source video file, selecting the destination format and clicking convert. Converting an hour-long, full-frame DV QuickTime file to an FLV, which previously took 22 hours, was completed in just under 90 minutes, and it de-interlaced it at the same time, something QuickTime couldn't do. In fact the converted FLVs almost look better than the original and at a fraction of the file size. There are plenty of options to choose from and it will even build a complete webpage for your movie that you just upload to your web server. One of the problems with FLV files is previewing them to make sure they have converted properly - unless you have a dedicated programme like the excellent Eltima SWF & FLV Player for Mac or the cross-platform Wimpy Player, but VideoWrap lets you preview at the click of a button as soon as the conversion is complete. However, VideoWrap does not only create FLVs but also QuickTime and MPEG formats to fit any of the specified devices.For digital filmmakers wanting to get their movies onto any of the current crop of digital players this really is an indispensable tool. It may lack some of the fine-tuning or customisation tools that far more expensive professional packages offer but the FXHome developers have built in enough pre-set options to cover most situations, so it seems a bit redundant to spend all that extra money. And who knows they may even be developing a 'pro' version to address such issues. As with their equally superb effects packages, that were demonstrated at SFL6, this is another affordable programme that makes what would otherwise be a laborious task a doddle.Download a demo version and see what I mean.
Review: Chris Patmore
Posted 23 Oct 2007 by chrisp
