Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

Aegis69 reviewed v0.8.53.5930 on May 3, 2018

Pros: nagware

Cons: nagware

Bottom Line: Its nagware now which is very sad. I recommend staxrip, which is not completely stable its is 100% free and does literally everything imaginable

Zoroaster reviewed v0.8.31.5642 on Jul 24, 2014

I don't know about this version but the one I installed perhaps a year ago would phone home on every start, no option to disable that, and when blocking that call with firewall the application wouldn't start.
I'm not willing to give this relatively big package another try. When I encounter such phone issues I just drop the software, be it freeware. Maybe I'm wrong to do so, but no time to spare for testing.
"3" score is plain neutral. I was bound for a "2". Yet I know this app has a good reputation from what I've read here & there...

BANDIT- reviewed v0.8.28.5585 on Jan 6, 2014

I had a play with this over the Weekend. Not to do any Encoding, but to see exactly what this App is offering... I can see the VISUAL pull to this App by the screener above. It looks Exciting & gives the Impression you will be a Pro in no time... Well to all the Guys who have "never" worked with Audio/Video before. This App is "over the Top" for you..!! .. Way too many configs for a learner.

You need to know about Aspect Ratios, Bitrates, kbsec, Framerates, A/v sync, & lots more factors... There are However, More (basic) Apps provided by this Crew. @http://www.mediacoderhq.com/editions.html
- Work with MP4 Exclusively..@http://www.mediacoderhq.com/device/mpx.htm

And.. For the guys who want to rip a DvD to a 700Mb CD in .avi ... XviDivX
Or just convert to .Avi & save to HDD.... AutoGK is superb ...
@http://www.free-codecs.com/download/autogk.htm
(Includes lots of Goodies).... (~_^).. Good Luck.............. Mcoder = 2*

[EDIT]- Came upon this yesterday. Made it portable. Tested it, & Does what it says. An Easy-Peasy "Click n Go" App...... @Noobs, a HTML "readme" file (Incl)...
Ok for Kids, "L" plates, Or just a Quick Re-Code.. Has No configs at UI stage....
HowTo config: - Drag/Drop a Vid onto UI>>Adjust>>OK>>Convert>>Customize
-http://gromada.com/video_converter/

DrTeeth reviewed v0.8.26.5565 on Oct 7, 2013

Sooo unnecessarily complicated. Has nag screens for paid product of one trys to convert oce a certain number of vids, which stops the process until user intervention. Many easier and just-as good freebies.

stephenstud reviewed v0.8.25.5555 on Aug 31, 2013

Its a very good start! Thank you for letting us test it:)

BANDIT- reviewed v0.8.25.5552 on Aug 20, 2013

Gotta agree with all the low* reviews on this one.

Purely "As a guide" for L plated Transcoders..
Today: 20/08/2013. XMedia Recode.
Remuxed 77x 28min episodes Losslessly (.flv - .mp4). 18mins

I can only give Mcoder 2*. Personal Prefs.

egg83 reviewed v0.8.12.5250 on Jun 11, 2012

Used it for a while, not bad at all, until I found Xmedia Recode.

Vivek Kowshik reviewed v2011 R8 5188 Final on Sep 13, 2011

Not suited for a layman like me. Tried many of the earlier betas. Just too buggy, and has too many options. For those who need a simple and fast transcoder, use Format Factory. Works great on Win7x64. Has none of these hassles. Just choose your output video format and it just does the job.

grannywell reviewed v2011 R7 5177 Final on Aug 2, 2011

i think this great!

DrTeeth reviewed v2011 R7 5170 Final on Jul 14, 2011

Once great, now a nagware vehicle. A real PITA to use.

testmenot reviewed v2011 R4 5142 Final on May 24, 2011

Does what it says but the interface and the intrusive pop-ups are just horrible.

gw2k reviewed v2011-RC2 Build 5018 on Feb 9, 2011

Totally crap. Not work for me. Crashing, full of errors messages. I'm prefer VirtualDub or MeGUI.

wj32 reviewed v0.7.5.4795 on Dec 30, 2010

The sole reason I use MediaCoder is because it's the only free CUDA-enabled encoder I could find. And it works very well. However, the user interface is a complete disaster. The most baffling thing is the inclusion of certain XUL-based user interface elements which are slow and painful to use, and worst of all, completely unnecessary. I also don't need a Firefox page to pop up every time you want to tell me something, thank you. There also doesn't seem to be any way to disable automatic updates permanently. All of this brings down the rating to 2 stars.

trents reviewed v0.7.5.4742 on Nov 25, 2010

Hi,
This is great and all things that been shared with us here is more helpful to everyone here..
Thanks for the post...\

rhylos reviewed v0.7.5.4742 on Oct 8, 2010

The worst software ever. This group seems to be more concerned with web based ad-ware than actual working software. Their CUDA imp is a joke and out of the box the SW would only transcode around 5 mins worth. Waist of time. They have many builds and on one of them installed in english but the gui defaulted to something asian!

Juhandra reviewed v0.7.5.4742 on Oct 8, 2010

The biggest crap of all crap.

Go to http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?f=78
for some good media enconders/recoders.

tranglos reviewed v0.7.5.4740 on Sep 17, 2010

I am a complete novice when it comes to home video processing, and MediaCoder was recommended to me by someone who knows the ins and outs but uses only free/OS software. So I suppose there is a capable engine inside the horror that's called MediaCoder - maybe there is, but I never got to experience it.

I don't care what it is supposedly capable of doing and how well it does that, because the application is unusable. Whoever came up with the idea of configuring each run via a browser must really despise users. I mean, this has been deliberately designed to annoy and frustrate.

And once you put yourself through the idiotic inconvenience, it crashes. What a waste of time.

jouune reviewed v0.7.5.4740 on Sep 16, 2010

just installed mediacoder
can't start it as redirected to:
http://www.mediacoderhq....?p=19820&build=4740
which isn't stable
waiting for google analytics ????
what has this to do with mediacoder!!

DudeBoyz reviewed v0.7.5.4710 on Aug 10, 2010

Certainly not efficient, and now that it is closed source, it's not even worth considering, especially since it really isn't all that good at what it professes to do. Better alternatives elsewhere.

nugro reviewed v0.7.3.4685 on Jun 29, 2010

Crash like there's no tomorrow, It's good when it work, otherwise use Megui or other simpler conversion tool if you don't feel like learning.

Mike89 reviewed v0.7.3.4682 on Jun 24, 2010

Not matter how good or bad this program is, it is still plagued by accusations of illegal licensing issues since it went closed source a few years ago. The author has made some attempts to correct these issues but some still remain and the author is steadfast in violating them. He used to talk about these issues in blogs and forums but has quit doing so after repeated attempt by the community to get him to correct the non-complaint licensing issues. This program is not well regarded in the open source community at all. Since this is a Chinese made program, it can remain non-compliant and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Probably why it's remained the way it is.

DrTeeth reviewed v0.7.3.4682 on Jun 22, 2010

Brilliant software. Most failures are down to the user...and I include myself in that remark.

DrT

boaz reviewed v0.7.3.4660 on May 25, 2010

Can convert many formats of audio & video. It works ok. Too bad it's been in beta version so long, v.07.x.x.x.

RMerlin reviewed v0.7.3.4620 on Apr 13, 2010

Has the potential of being a very good GUI for advanced media transcoding... if it was less unstable. Every time I try a new version, I seem to run into new ways to make it crash, generate error messages, and so on. Could use more testing by the developer.

DJHasis reviewed v0.7.3.4605 on Feb 23, 2010

Good videoconverter, can convert many types of videos or sounds, includes lots of codecs so the user doesn't need them seperatly.
Sadly the gui good be a bit more userfriendly for people who don't know much technical information.
The homesite-address needs to be corrected, it has been www.mediacoderhq.com from last december.

ron_marz reviewed v0.7.3.4605 on Feb 23, 2010

The hater squad is still monitoring this page and flooding it with low scores whenever a new version is posted, I see.

For advanced users who know what they're doing -- or others willing to take a few minutes to understand the interface -- this is a five-star collection of media encoding tools.

watkino reviewed v0.7.2.4580 on Feb 3, 2010

How could anyone in their right mind score this software higher than a "1 Star." I've attempted to use this title for years as a professional digital media technologist who writes reviews for video production tech sites. I just installed the most recent 64 bit version and, as predicted, the program can scarcely complete the most basic conversion tasks without generating numerous errors. Maybe users who perform only rudimentary file conversions don't encounter how truly buggy the program is. Attempting any out of the ordinary file conversion process with this program is not recommended. My suggestion: use Super Media Encoder or Any Video Converter. Both programs provide amazing quality encodes and handle any task you throw at them.

VideoTek reviewed v0.7.2.4580 on Jan 2, 2010

this tool is awesome. After using autogk, super,vidomi , I prefer mediaCoder, much simpler and powerful. Jcookes, you have to enhance your Video codec knowledge before jumping in to any video tool. My piece of advise is be precise when criticizing anything. All in all I love the MediaCoder. Please start with a small video file and play with the options and see how it works.

Virtual_ManPL reviewed v0.7.2.4550 on Dec 14, 2009

Do a good job for fast encoding many formats to mobile phone ;)
But still there are too many interfaces for encoding like masso4321 said...

but still 4,75/5 for me

masso4321 reviewed v0.7.2.4545 on Dec 10, 2009

I used this application many times at the beginning..when it wasn't a memory hog full of advertising.There are ads and banners everywhere..the original gui remained but there are tons of wizards that should simplify the choiches of the user and make things less simple.. I don't say this program don't do good conversions...but i just judge this program.It's a mencoder and ffmpeg gui.They are both marvellous free tools for conversion.Instead mencoder is awful (it's a real mess...the main interface, the xul interface, the psp interface...how many interfaces does the user have to interact?).I test every single mencoder and ffmpeg interface and there are many that are simple and fast. Meninx and Badak...are marvellous..for the standard user.

elitegangsta reviewed v0.7.2.4545 on Dec 10, 2009

Great bundle for great software. Works like a charm.

@JCookes... have you ever encoded a video before in your life? Your comments are neither relevant, appreciated, or bring anything to the table... you may need to "understand" what your talking about instead of criticizing someone who actually does.

ron_marz reviewed v0.7.2.4512 on Sep 18, 2009

ffmpeg, mencoder and LAME are a "crap bunch of tools?" A statement like that eradicates any credibility a person thinks he has.

This page is patrolled by haters who bombard the ratings with 1s whenever a new version appears. Despite a handful of very real flaws, Media Coder is a highly useful collection of video processing tools for more-advanced users. In other words, if you know what you're doing, MediaCoder will help you solve certain problems not currently handled by other GUIs.

JCookes reviewed v0.7.2.4512 on Sep 18, 2009

Crap bunch of tools bundled by an author that doesn't understand any of them.

dennisqwilson reviewed v0.7.2.4502 on Sep 10, 2009

Complicated, but comprehensive.

Marucins reviewed v0.7.2.4500 on Sep 9, 2009

On the official site 0.7.2.4502 :)

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.7.1.4495 on Aug 25, 2009

I agree, it's Malware and should no longer be posted on this site.

styxchan reviewed v0.7.1.4495 on Aug 25, 2009

They dont really care about free software. This piece of work may be good work, but it is not free software(and they ignored ffmpeg and other peoples work and they couldnt read the GPL so they just changed they license oh maybe i forgot to tell: they sell a HD version of this software(nearly nothing changed to the normal version) for 300 bugs) and therefore nothin will be on sourceforge anymore ! If there is a real free version(and free in means of code too) than i will give it a try.
Everything else(Open Candy, Transmissions to unknown hosts-->this is what makes me really MAD, i dont need software that works behind my back) has been said by Rikrdo.

nothappyy reviewed v0.7.1.4488 on Aug 7, 2009

Version 0.7.x is adware in part: it spawns a XUL window to fetch additional transcoding settings via it's "platform" while showing ads in a frame

Version 0.7.x also contains "open candy" a needless component from optional malware install that "collects anonymous usage" information. It can be deleted. Great. Why leave it behind at all?

MediaCoder can no longer be downloaded as an archive... what other nefarious actions are performed by the installation wrapper? none now.. but who is to say that will not change?

MediaCoder, according to its developer, is no longer open-source, but it continues to be hosted on sourceforge.

Rikrdo reviewed v0.7.1.4488 on Aug 6, 2009

Bundled with OpenCandy and doing a lot of hidden outbound connections.

Soon after installing, I noticed that when the main program (mediacoder.exe) is executed it makes some external connections...
After some investigations, I found it open connections to some strange hosts like 220-94.hostmonster.com, 185-131.amazon.com, some from Google and some numeric IPs.

Every time mediacoder.exe is launched, it opens Internet Explorer and a localhost page with links to different localhost ports. Looking at that, we can be sure it creates a local web server, used to connect to external hosts without the user's knowledge. That web server is possibly created using the MiniWeb thing the installer automatically installs.

Just after launching the installer, it opens connections to amazon.com hosts [You don't need to do anything for that to happen]. This is a courtesy of OpenCandy.

No, we don't need that stupidity for an open-source media coder program.

ron_marz reviewed v0.7.1.4486 on Aug 3, 2009

Haters be damned; this is a good program.

Ramp4me reviewed v0.7.1.4475 on Jul 17, 2009

If something needs be installed, or needs to have plugins on your system, it means it is all but safe, perhaps Candy was chosen to sound sweet, Open was chosen to sound as if anyone could look at the source and see what it is actually doing, which it doesn't.

MALWARE.

drapps reviewed v0.7.1.4450 on Jul 6, 2009

I'm OpenCandy's Community Guru. Thought I'd chime in and clarify a few things.

OpenCandy is NOT spyware (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware), adware (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adware) or malware (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware).

We enable software publishers (like MediaCoder) the ability to recommend a piece of software during installation of their software that they believe their users may find useful. Recommendations are OPT-IN (you won't end up with software you don't want simply by clicking 'Next' or 'Install').

Regarding privacy, we DO NOT collect ANY personally identifiable information (aka PII, see http://en.wikipedia.org/...dentifiable_information). We DO NOT store IP addresses either. We are updating our EULA and privacy policy to more accurately explain this.

OpenCandy does not get "installed" on your computer. Our plug-in ONLY runs during installation or (optionally) un-install of the publisher's installer that integrated it. In addition to enabling publishers to make recommendations, it also allows us to provide developers with ANONYMOUS AGGREGATE statistics like how many times their software is installed (along with ANONYMOUS stats like COUNTRY, Operating System, Service Pack level, and Language) and (optionally) un-installed. We believe this information can help developers notice, for instance, if an update to their program is resulting in a statistically higher rate of un-install. With that information they will be able to reach out to their community and say “Hey, the recent release of our software is resulting in 30% more un-installs. If anyone has any ideas why, please leave a comment and let us know what you think is causing this." If you want to delete the OpenCandy plug-in (which is located within the program directory of the software that included it), you may (obviously) delete it at any time OR it will be removed automatically if you un-install the publisher's software.

If you would like more information about what we do or how we do it, please feel free to contact us via http://www.opencandy.com/contact/

BTW, in order to be fair since I'm responding to a comment, I rated MediaCoder a three (3). I've actually been a MediaCoder user since v0.3.8 in May of 2006 and I love the program... and not just because I discovered OpenCandy while I was updating it. :)

Thanks. :)

Dr. Apps (@drapps)

Second Shadow reviewed v0.7.1.4450 on Jun 22, 2009

WARNING, WARNING!!! ADWARE ALERT!

This is taken directly from the Mediacoder EULA (End User License agreement):
"4. The software installer you are about to initiate utilizes the OpenCandy, Inc. recommendation network in order to provide you offers that may be of interest. By clicking on the "Next" or "Install" button below, you agree that OpenCandy may collect and use certain information obtained in connection with this software installation in accordance with the policies and practices set forth in OpenCandy's Privacy Policy"

Although they seem to have forgotten to include this little detail in the last changelogs, MediaCoder is now adware. Use at your own risk.

enzo reviewed v0.7.1.4433 on Jun 12, 2009

Contains OpenCandy adware/spyware!

It is mentioned only at the end of the EULA and there is no way to install without it.

Not recommended to install!

Computer_Guru reviewed v0.7.0.4398 on May 14, 2009

Three different antivirus/spyware scanners report there is adware/spyware in this release

sorlag reviewed v0.7.0.4390 on May 3, 2009

The gui of this app was always awfull as it depended on firefox and started browser installs.
This version not even runs, no matter if i click on xulrunner or not in the installer.
I have firefox installed for testing, but this programm silently closes.

Temove this XUL firefox depency and do your guis with something normal please.

Bad program that tries to force you to install a browser, not for displaying a page but for doing his gui.
Stopped working with this build.

Havokdan reviewed v0.7.0.4390 on May 1, 2009

MediaCoder 0.7.0.4390 version, many bugs in mkv conversioin

rstugal reviewed v0.7.0.4388 on Apr 28, 2009

I too noticed that Firefox isn't being installed upon MediaCoder setup anymore. There didn't seem to be any kind of announcement to that effect, though.

I share your dislike of the forum's search function being just a customized Google search, though I can't see down-rating the actual app because of it. I also understand people's frustration with the interface, even if it doesn't particularly bother me.

For me, the trump card is the fact that Media Coder is self-contained -- it doesn't go scattering codec installs all over my system, but keeps everything in the install folder -- and it retains my settings when I copy the app folder to a thumb drive and run it on other PCs. (But yes, first-time setup can be daunting.) Plus, it handles h264 very well, which Auto Giordian Knot doesn't do.

ilev reviewed v0.7.0.4388 on Apr 28, 2009

Where is the Portable 7zip file for version 7 ?

Second Shadow reviewed v0.7.0.4385 on Apr 22, 2009

vjfresco:
Where does it say that it doesn't require Firefox anymore? If that's true, then it's great news because it means that I'll finally be able to consider it as an alternative. However, I couldn't find any reference to that (dropping the ridiculous Firefox requirement) on their website, blog or forum. Would you be so kind to point us to the "official announcement"? By the way, the changelog that's published on MediaCoder's site/blog lists the latest version as MediaCoder 0.6.2.4260 ... I guess they are too busy to care to update it *rolls eyes* And don't get me started about their forum's awful search feature: it's just a customized Google search instead of the expected phpBB's integrated search feature ... oh well *rolls eyes again*

For the moment, 3 stars, pending confirmation of the Firefox thing

vjfresco reviewed v0.7.0.4380 on Apr 16, 2009

Nice to see they've gotten rid of the browser requirement. Still my favorite all-purpoose transcoder.

rstugal reviewed v0.7.0.4370 on Apr 10, 2009

While I'll I still use Auto Gordian Knot for xvids (mostly out of habit), MediaCoder is now my x264 transcoder of choice. I especially appreciate that, once you get the settings where you want them, you can simply copy the install folder onto any other PC and it will run exactly the same.

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.7 RC3 on Apr 1, 2009

You can have this for free if you download a browser you don't want. That's like someone saying they will be your friend if you join thier church.

No thanks, this is not freeware, it's cultware.

dennisqwilson reviewed v0.7 RC3 on Apr 1, 2009

Interface isn't everything.

sorlag reviewed v0.7 RC2 on Mar 23, 2009

MediaCoder is nice but i hate that it uses clunky mozilla gui things and often opens webbrowsers on start or button clicks.

UniversityofKentucky reviewed v0.6.2.4275 on Feb 19, 2009

I appreciate the utility, but why put out the update of the week?

ilev reviewed v0.6.2.4266 on Feb 10, 2009

There is a portable version on the site (Marked 7zip)

BiggusDickus reviewed v0.6.2.4260 on Feb 4, 2009

just tried out this program when the latest AUTO GORDIAN build kept crashing on me. solved the problem big time. good transcoder, recommended

nitzprime reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 26, 2009

Pretty useful transcoder, IMHO, and I've never encountered the Firefox problem (like an earlier poster said, I don't have Firefox and don't want it). So I checked out the FAQ to see why and this is what it says:

Can MediaCoder function without Firefox?

MediaCoder does not rely on Firefox to perform transcoding (that doesn't make any sense). However some extended user interfaces (developed with XUL) depend on Firefox (more accurate, its Gecko engine). If you don't need those UI, you don't have to install Firefox. Neither do you need to be online to use MediaCoder.

/FAQ

So I guess I don't use those features that rely on it. Anyway MediaCoder works well for me.

eaves reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 26, 2009

Does this still need Firefox? Yes? Then one star.

I don't have Firefox on my PC, nor do I want Firefox on my PC.

oompoop reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 26, 2009

... Maybe, maybe, but I hate programs going online without asking me.
A standalone version would have been tested, but so I chose the "uninstall"-option.
... and therefore ...

vjfresco reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 24, 2009

I HATE flashy GUIs that add nothing to an application's functionality. The proletarian interface of this program is refreshing these days. Above all, it's just plain useful, nothing more, nothing less -- and it hasn't crashed on me yet.

rstugal reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 24, 2009

Four stars. Five for its performance and customizability, minus one for the quirkiness involving Firefox.

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 24, 2009

Requiring Firefox is brilliant. That was sarcasm.

Forcing people to install more software they do not want makes this a 1 star app, without that requirement it MIGHT be a three star.

Keep trying!

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 23, 2009

I don't know why the haters want to negate my review, but this is the software I use all the time for transcoding DVDs into divX files. Maybe there are better ones out there, but this is the one I know, and it does the job for me (and it beats all hell out of running all these operations from the command line.)

The interface I guess could be considered daunting, but I'm used to it. My browser is already Firefox, so I never get whatever "Firefox not found"-type errors might come up. And with every upgrade, it has added a little more functionality.

In short, I really like this program and would recommend it to anyone, or at least anyone who already has Firefox on their system.

dennisqwilson reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 23, 2009

Sure, it has faults -- I don't understand why Firefox is required -- but they don't get in my way. Otherwise, Media Coder really isn't much more than a glorified GUI for a lot of freeware multimedia apps, which just so happens to be exactly what it says... and exactly what I was looking for.

I probably use Auto Gordian Knot more often, but MediaCoder gives me more choices. And it's free!

Nighted reviewed v0.6.2.4255 on Jan 23, 2009

What a bizarre concept.

Serophos reviewed v0.6.2.4242 on Jan 7, 2009

Why anyone sane to his mind would want to use a Webserver in his application to edit settings for locally installed codecs (mplayer) is just beyond me. It would make sense if it was a transcoding server in a network. But for a local-only-app. And then tying the badly designed interface to a specific browser. Geez what year is this? 1998? The developer(s?) really must have smoked some bad stuff... Yuck, this software sucks!

eaves reviewed v0.6.2.4242 on Jan 7, 2009

It won't be "another great update" until the browser requirement is removed.

(btw, for every 5 you give the software, I give it a 1 --- that results in a 3 between us. So for every hyped-up 5 you give it, you are actually pulling down the 3.9 rating it has. Think about that...)

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.2.4242 on Jan 6, 2009

Another great update.

minasinahanmetehe reviewed v0.6.2.4240 on Jan 1, 2009

The browser requirement is a pain, thus 4 points.
I used this quite a lot and it works well.
In cases where this did not worked well, handbrake made it.

Banguo, The coder is helping a lot of others by wrapping together huge amount of good tools and making them to work together.
If you know similar setups, please point those out. Media transcoding is a mess, so all transcoding apps are "messy". Do not blame these apps. of that.

Documentation is poor, but I am not blaming the coder for that. I wonder if Internet has any good up to date single site/document to guide transcoding.

Banquo reviewed v0.6.2.4240 on Jan 1, 2009

Is ron_marz one of the authors or just a rabid fanboy?

Have to agree with the others, relying on having a certain browser installed is stupid. As someone pointed out they didn't write the decoders, codecs, etc so all that leaves is the GUI which apparently relies on Firefox. Just what DID they write? On top of all that it's a cluttered mess. Get rid of the browser requirement, clean up the GUI and then it will be much better.

eaves reviewed v0.6.2.4240 on Jan 1, 2009

Browser still required to use it.

It won't be a "great update" until the browser requirement is elimiated.

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.2.4240 on Dec 31, 2008

Another great update.

eaves reviewed v0.6.2.4235 on Dec 30, 2008

The program lasted all of 5 minutes on my PC. Why is a browser needed in order to use it?

I don't care that the program is merely a front-end for a bunch of other programs. If it makes it easier to use those other programs, then that is good.

But why is a browser needed to use it?

Skyfrog reviewed v0.6.2.4226 on Dec 21, 2008

Giving a poor review does not equal trolling ron_marz, but ironically your idiotic post was nothing more than a troll. Back on topic, the GUI is still horrible and it still requires you to have Firefox installed. Some people might not want that browser you know.

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.2.4226 on Dec 18, 2008

counteracting trolls...

lorg reviewed v0.6.2.4226 on Dec 17, 2008

During installation 'dlmgr.exe' and 'ocsetuphlp.dll' are installed without any option for it from a company called OpenCandy. Surely no malware/dataminer rite.

It's a bad mixup of very good tools, wrapped with candy around it. And the program requiring a browser...
Probably the moment one start encoding something particular the program starts misbehaving?

really, where is that 0 in the rating?

candy: bad for teeth; spam: that we know too.

Banquo reviewed v0.6.2.4225 on Dec 15, 2008

Works ok, but then the authors haven't done much but leech off of the work of others. It's basically just a poorly designed frontend for a group of free encoders and other utilities, all of which work fine without it.

On top of all that even the frontend itself requires Firefox to function. It doesn't seem like much work went into this at all.

Second Shadow reviewed v0.6.2.4224 on Dec 13, 2008

NOTICE TO ALL: this software REQUIRES that you have Firefox installed to be able to use its user interface. How ridiculous is that?
Mind you, Firefox is my *default* browser and I love it, but that's_not_the_point!
Next thing you know, developers will start requiring that you have Opera installed to be able to run their programs ...
One star!

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.2.4224 on Dec 11, 2008

A great program, one of my favorites. I was going to knock it down a point for the user interface, but MediaCoder's great functionality trumped that.

Some of you other guys need to learn not to denigrate good software just because you personally can't figure it out.

Serophos reviewed v0.6.2.4220 on Dec 6, 2008

This program is a usability nightmare. The UI gets in your way in every possible way you can imagine. It's just horrible nothing else.

aruprc reviewed v0.6.2.4215 on Nov 25, 2008

I gave this another try, since I have IE7 and Opera installed and Opera is the default browser, upon opening it will open Opera by default and ask for settings to be stored, even if I select for it to not show on next start up, it will do so invariably till I install FF. Also on x64 Windows, it can't find FF even if its pointed to it. As I said, this program has lots of potential but let down by a very poor interface.

gsteele reviewed v0.6.2.4215 on Nov 24, 2008

I give it a 4 because we don't need an update every other day.

Accident reviewed v0.6.2.4210 on Nov 10, 2008

"@thehunger
I miss easy combo's of cropping & scaling so that it always fills the 320x240 screen of my Creative ZEN. "

If you read the doc or look around the program, you will see its easy to config to your player. Try looking under extensions. You can use the ipod, MP4 payer or customize it. Works great for my PSP and Ipaq! I've converted DVDs, youtubes, HD and AVI files with no probs. Try it again!

thehunger reviewed v0.6.2.4205 on Nov 3, 2008

This program badly needs a makeover! It's GUI is cluttered and untidy. Buttons look like software from the 90's when people just discovered they could contain bitmaps and went crazy.

The en/transcoding is pretty standard. I miss easy combo's of cropping & scaling so that it always fills the 320x240 screen of my Creative ZEN.

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.1.4196 on Oct 9, 2008

Banquo, I wasn't referencing the Firefox-based criticisms when I advised choosing a skin, but an earlier complaint to the effect that the default GUI is clunky. A sentiment with which I agree, by the way.

Banquo reviewed v0.6.1.4196 on Oct 9, 2008

Works great, just wish they would stop using the web based stuff.

ron_marz: "If you don't like the default GUI, choose a skin."

People are complaining about it requiring Firefox, changing the skin has nothing to do with it.

ron_marz reviewed v0.6.1.4193 on Sep 24, 2008

Functional, does what it promises and has lots of options. If you don't like the default GUI, choose a skin.

leclerk reviewed v0.6.1.4185 on Sep 14, 2008

This tool helped me to easily and quickly transcode videos from my wedding made in HD MP4/VC1 to XviD format playable on my DVD player and also to format supported by Meizu M6SL portable player of my darling.
It crashed a few times, thought. However I think it's on a good way to be very usable universal multimedia app for many non-experienced users, but it might need some step by step kind of "wizards" (from detecting source format to choosing target device). I do not have problems with the Expert settings but my wife (as many other users) might have.
Anyway, thanks for it and keep up the good work!

billy_mo reviewed v0.6.1.4180 on Aug 26, 2008

Why are there so much bad feeling about this app? It is free and it get the job done with a few mouse clicks if you leave everything as default. The logic behind the UI is beyond me but then again so it Office 2007!

aruprc reviewed v0.6.1.4180 on Aug 26, 2008

Nothing wrong with the program itself, uses standard codecs which yield according to their capabilities, only the sucky FF interface lets it down.

Banquo reviewed v0.6.1.4166 on Aug 7, 2008

The interface is bad, and being tied to Firefox is worse, but what Ramir Gonzales said is BS. I've encoded many videos with this and they all come out perfect. Maybe you should learn to use it.

Ramir Gonzales reviewed v0.6.1.4166 on Aug 7, 2008

If you're happy with horribly ugly movies full of inconsistencies, then this is the program for YOU !

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.6.1.4150 on Jul 28, 2008

This USED TO BE a good program, then it was still OK if you could stand to gum up your system with FireFox, now it's just a buggy load of crap.

I would rather pay for something that works than have FF shoved down my throat, even if this did work...

aruprc reviewed v0.6.1.4130 on Jul 8, 2008

Great full fledged program let down by the sucky idea of settings via FF, that means one is not only forced to install FF but in case there is another browser set in the system as default like Opera, Media Coder is unable to find FF and one can't change any settings. Not good at all.

cricri_pingouin reviewed v0.6.1.4116 on Jun 26, 2008

What solarg and others said.
It might do a good job, but whoever thought "Oh wait, I'll bundle a web server to run as localhost and require people to have Firefox to connect to it to load and display the GUI" was a neat idea needs to do some serious research about user interfaces and usability.
As a matter of fact, I DO have Firefox, but the portable one, so Mediacoder couldn't find it automatically. Besides, it does kind of call home because they take the opportunity of having forced you to pop up Firefox to open their homepage on the "give us some money" page.
How am I supposed to use that and recommend this to people that can barely click the button I tell them over the phone? That's right, I'll just tell them to get something else, easy to install and use.
Click folder, press delete, good bye. I always thought that GTK+ apps in Windows was the apogee of how an interface can let down a good application, but this just took the cherry, and easily at that.
Sure, some people are going to bash me for not sharing their euphoria, but tough luck, I don't care: that's my opinion, I live in a democracy, and thus I'll share this opinion. If you love it, good for you, rate it a 5, I won't blame you for it.

photonboy reviewed v0.6.1.4116 on Jun 17, 2008

Hard to review.

If it works for you, great. I mainly wish to use it to create Divx DVD Player compatible videos from a variety of sources, primarily MKV (Matroska) using different audio and video codecs.

Unfortunately, the program rarely tells you it will fail and you waste a lot of time to end up with bad transcodes.

It has potential, and with a few changes it could jump from pretty annoying to really great.

Banquo reviewed v0.6.1.4111 Beta on May 27, 2008

Works great, but they definately need to redesign the interface. Right now it is WAY to cluttered and over complicated, and the use of a web browser for certain functions is really annoying.

Stingray57 reviewed v0.6.1.4106 on Apr 28, 2008

This thing converts just about anything, but the GUI sucks.

What they've got now is pretty much 'Advanced' level, but what they need is a 'basic' GUI.

Do that and you have a very nice package.

c4p0ne reviewed v0.6.1.4077 on Mar 21, 2008

I still can't believe that FREE software like this puts it's EXPENSIVE commercial counterparts to mother f*cking SHAME!! That's why I never EVER pay for commercial software, I mean whats the point if you have 100% superior offerings that are FREE?

As another user said though, I would remove all that XUL bullsh*t and clean up the interface itself by making it more intuitive. Theres no reason to see all the audio-option tabs on the right side once you've selected from the LEFT side what audio format you'll be using. The UI should reflect that.

For instance once you select "h.264" as your encoder of choice, ONLY options for h.264 should be available on the right side. Just like when you select "Vorbis" for audio, only the Vorbis options should be available for manipulating, keeps it cleaner and less confusing!

sorlag reviewed v0.6.1.4077 on Mar 20, 2008

Really nice app, but they should recode the gui without xul and webbrowser requirements.

Fallenhorsemen reviewed v0.6.1.4063 on Mar 4, 2008

This review is for the PSP version only. I DL'd the application and tried several times to transcode some .vob files and then transfer them to the psp.

The sofware said the files were transfered but when I tried to play them on the PSP I would get an error message that the files were either corrupt and a couple of times it said there were no video files present.

The interesting thing is that I also had the software save the files on my computer HD and they played fine on the computer just not on the PSP.

I know my PSP is working fine because I have tried several other shareware programs and they work fine I just didn't want to spend the money so when I saw this program I gave it a whirl but no luck.

anarkhy reviewed v0.6.1.4060 on Feb 24, 2008

they should fix the looks of the ugly buttons

4tehlulz reviewed v0.6.1.4060 on Feb 22, 2008

Oh noes! It calls on a browser during autoupdate!

Please. The will transcode practically anything.

Point Zero reviewed v0.6.1.4050 on Feb 13, 2008

You need a web-browser to convert a media file. I bet even microsoft wouldn't think in these terms.

What's next ? Do we need a plotter to be able to implement subs ?

shtraue reviewed v0.6.1.4038 on Jan 25, 2008

Check also these editions:

Audio Edition
http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/audio/

iPhone / iPod Touch Edition
http://mediacoder.source.../device/ipod_touch.html

white lightning reviewed v0.6.1.4031 on Jan 18, 2008

I hope that there won't be more nonsensical comments (Malware ?!?...where is it ?!?) .

This is a good transcoder with a lot of options & able to optimize resources usage (which is important for a transcoder ), though there are some important bugs to fix .

Vote 4 for the software itself + 1 for incredible effort of developers (Thanks a lot for this) .

pihug12 reviewed v0.6.1.4030 on Jan 17, 2008

Simply the best !

Takes time to learn to use it.

veeoh reviewed v0.6.1.4030 on Jan 17, 2008

6.1 downloader is corrupt? think it may have also been pulled from other mirrors...

pedigree reviewed v0.6.1.4030 on Jan 17, 2008

Still good and easy to use but having it require browser access to stop it openning its website EVERY time you start it, drives me mad

photonboy reviewed v0.6.0.3999 on Dec 31, 2007

I managed to encode some of my files with excellent quality, however I have a VAST number of files (mostly MKV) which it can not do.

My primary beef is that the program often encodes with errors but I have to do the entire video to find this out.

I had high hopes for this program at first, but now I'm giving up as it's wasting too much of my time. If you have specific tasks and it works fine for you then there's no reason not to use it..

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.6.0.3999 on Dec 31, 2007

You have to download and install a web browser - ireFox - in order to use a file format converter?

No thank you.

matt2971 reviewed v0.6.0.3996 on Dec 11, 2007

Best one-stop converter I've found so far...

Zarggg reviewed v0.6.0.3990 Beta on Dec 5, 2007

This program has nothing to do with "injecting" anything. This is a XUL program, which means it runs on the same GRE platform that Firefox and Seamonkey are based on.

Also, I have had little to no problems transcoding with this program.

blackcoatman reviewed v0.6.0.3982 on Nov 23, 2007

This program has so many options to choose for your conversions, so with proper tuning you can get it do what you want. I don't think it's the program's fault that some files won't come out as they "should", we simply need to look more into the settings for each job we want to be done. Its skinned mode is too stripped down and doesn't let me even choose something different (bug?) than the dedault codec. Not recommended if you want to do some transcoding in just a couple of clicks.

anomoly reviewed v0.6.0.3980 on Nov 16, 2007

Absolute JUNK.
Add one vob or a few and all I get are errors.
Gui is busy and complicated and provides no other feedback than "no file outputted... blah blah blah"
As well. this POS needs or WANTS constant internet connection for the error codes or WHATEVER and the code definitions solve absolutely nothing.
GARBAGE
what a waste of time.

UniversityofKentucky reviewed v0.6.0.3905 on Oct 23, 2007

This program has provided utility, but some conversions fail, and the program blows up sporadically. Perhaps this is due to it being in beta phase.

Prospero424 reviewed v0.6.0.3900 on Oct 5, 2007

Well, the word isn't really in major dictionaries, so it's a silly argument to begin with. But I'd say that "transcode", in this context, means to convert any given piece of media from one binary format to another. Some say you should simply use "convert", but that's an even more general term than "transcode".

"Re-coding" could cause some to infer that an identical process is being repeated, which might cause confusion.

Wikipedia defines "transcoding" as: "...the direct digital-to-digital conversion from one (usually lossy) codec to another."

Sometimes the goal is to convert in order to achieve platform compatibility. Sometimes the goal is to compress the same media to a smaller format. The term "transcode" accurately encompasses both of these. I think it's perfectly valid, and so do the guys who make GX Transcoder, obviously. Ahead, the makers of Nero, also use the term to describe the function performed by their "Nero Vision" component. I'm sure there are plenty of other mainstream examples.

Anyway, it's good to see the developers keeping the various packages and components up to date. That's actually one of the biggest problems with many programs like this.

The interface is slick, the options are plentiful, and it has the option to pause during the transcoding process, which many alternatives lack. My only complaint is the relative lack of feedback during processing; I'll occasionally have a process fail and not know why.

Otherwise, it's good stuff, but I've simply found myself using AutoMKV for video most of the time instead.

HelgeFossmo reviewed v0.6.0.3875 on Sep 20, 2007

I think the word "transcoding" is used with little tought here.

When you "transcode" something, that usually means you are converting from one input format to one output format on the fly. This may be the task of a streaming video server (ffserver, darwin, helix etc).

I would rather use the word "re-encoding" or "recoding" to describe what this software does.

drumcat reviewed v0.6.0.3858 on Aug 27, 2007

If you're going to be converting audio, Foobar2000 is the way to go. Much easier, and uses multi-core efficiently.

aszure reviewed v0.6.0.3798 on Jul 16, 2007

Its not horrible...but I have quite a few apps that I would prefer to use above this. (autogk, handbrake, nero vision)

Prospero424 reviewed v0.6.0.3794 on Jul 10, 2007

Great program. It's extremely slick and customizable to a fault, which is great for those who know what they're doing.

Nothing else supports such a seemingly endless variety of input formats. I've used WMV, MKV, AVI, .TS, MPEG, etc. and it hasn't balked at anything I've thrown at it.

If you're looking for something a bit simpler for video transcoding/compression, try out AutoGK or, even better, AutoMKV.

h2so4 reviewed v0.6.0.3792 on Jul 4, 2007

This is a fantastic application; superior in usability than GXTranscoder (e.g. it actually does the job).

In my situation I wanted to transcode MP3s to AAC files for my mobile phone. The memory card on my phone nearly had its small 2GB capacity taken up by MP3s, and I wanted more space but not to lose the files. I also didn't want the hassle of having to remove the files from the m2 memory stick first. Choosing the files was simplicity itself, just choosing the drive and directory where the MP3s are stored and choosing folder recursion finds all the files. Picking the format to transcode to also was simple. In the configurations is an option to delete the original file after its transcoded, so this I enabled and then I started the operation. I was prompted for confirmation that I was aware the original would be deleted, which of course was perfect. I now have 1.5GB of space free for more music.

yokozuna reviewed v0.6.0.3780 on Jun 26, 2007

@shicaca

Maybe you should try something simpler in use. MediaCoder is a powerful tool, but a bit overwhelming. I think that MpegALot should suit your needs: http://www.merage.uci.edu/~dvdotnet/mpegalot.html

devreser reviewed v0.6.0.3780 on Jun 23, 2007

First off, it's free. He is always working on updates. I use it to convert dvr-ms files for upload to my ZUNE. Just click the PSP conversion and the Zune software converts it from there. Great for Windows Media Center recorded TV like Turner Classic Movies etc.. I tried Super. Stick with it if you like it.

photonboy reviewed v0.6.0.3780 on Jun 23, 2007

Ignore my previous review.

I was mainly using this to transcode MKV and OGM to AVI (for Divx DVD player). It was working fairly well.

Now:
1) I can't get the same files to work.
2) When it seems to work it'll create a file with a few glitches that quits about 1/3rd the way through.

After trying many different files, I gave up. I tried many different videos encoded by many different people and even used many combos of audio (I'm just copying the divx or xvid video). I used MP3 as VBR and audio, and other audio. I even tried recoding the MKV with another program. The video played great still before encoding, but encoding was a mess.

*I just want to encode MKV and OGM as BATCH like I've done in the past with this program but it needs a lot of work.

**Is it using codecs from my computer? Could that be the problem? Is it using my new ffdshow when it previously used Divx? (I wish the Divx Community would provide MKV and OGM support for transcoding.)

Another point:
This program gives a "summary" which is incorrect often. For example, if I choose "copy" for Video and the original video is Xvid it shows whatever video is currently selected (even though it should not be encoding any video). So to get it to show Xvid (what I'm just copying, not encoding) I need to uncheck "copy", select "Xvid" then check "copy" again. Now my choices are greyed-out but the Summary is correct.

Also, this program lets you choose any audio/video combination even though it's not really possible to get certain combos to work.

I'm going back to Riverpast Video Cleaner Pro and see if it'll work better.

alphatrigon reviewed v0.6.0.3690 on May 14, 2007

figure I'd leave a review since I use this fairly regularly. I am not a genius with the AV stuff but am getting into it because of my new HD camcorder and making home videos, etc.
This program does work and I am not actually into this type of tech for now. But it does work.
Documentation may be lacking (I'm not sure) but if you know a little bit about these things you can get it to work. (had it at 3 but rating it a 4)

shicaca reviewed v0.6.0.3678 on May 10, 2007

I eventually found that using the preset options was the only way to get it to work unless you're an absolute genius w/ audio/video formats with a previous version, but this version actually breaks that functionality.

Any file I start to transcode stops transcoding at 3.7% (approx) and then fails to go forward any longer. Really wish I had something to transcode files from my digicam to divx/xvid, but obviously too much to ask from this program.

Anybody know of a program that actually works?

tickleonthetum reviewed v0.6.0.3670 on Apr 24, 2007

This gave me nothing but errors and crashes. I'll stick with SUPER 2007!

cip2kro reviewed v0.6.0.3670 on Apr 24, 2007

Shows promise but not in this stage. Crashed 5 times trying to encode 3gp with mpeg4. Couldn't get a single output file..

photonboy reviewed v0.6.0-pre11 on Apr 21, 2007

Excellent program.
Sure, there are some changes that could improve it but I've noticed constant updating which is good. (I'd like to see an automatic PREVIEW of the video without having to start. Say 2 minutes.)

I can't find anything (free or purchased) that compares. Riverpast Video Cleaner Pro can't do what this can and had constant problems.

I use this primarily to convert MKV (usually divx/xvid + vorbis + subtitles) to AVI format for my standalone player.

What's with the low marks?
There's a small learning curve, but I figured it out and converted my first file in under ten minutes and now I think the Interface is very good. Dumbing down the Interface would actually make it LESS useful for people that take the time to learn how to use it.

AWESOME PROGRAM.
*Note:
1) when convertint containers like MKV to AVI if the video is compatible (Xvid or Divx) with your standalone Divx DVD player then use "copy" so you don't convert the video
2) when converting audio, not all outputs work. For example, CBR worked for me when VBR caused audio problems.
3) If you have problems with audio conversion sometimes converting to PCM (copy video only) then convert from PCM to your new audio format (copy video only). Though once I started using "Lame MP3, CBR" I had no problems for my purposes.
4) BATCH MODE works awesome. Simply highlight and open all the media you want converted.
5) If you have MKV files, you may find MKVtoolnix very useful especially if the audio track is not the first track.

SIMPLY THE BEST.

fatray reviewed v0.6.0-pre5a on Mar 11, 2007

Tried to convert a WMV for my cell phone's 3GPP, also tried an MP4 to 3GPP. "Multiplexer failed to work" error message ever time I tried.

berserkchaos reviewed v0.6.0-pre4 on Mar 4, 2007

exellent piece of software.

zapatero reviewed v0.6.0-pre4 on Feb 28, 2007

I tried it - couldn't find out how to set the output format. It is not intuitive - and why does Firefox appear in the settings?

brusco reviewed v0.6 pre1 on Feb 12, 2007

excellent software.

cubanresourceful reviewed v0.6 pre1 on Feb 11, 2007

Best converter there is, end of story.

matt2971 reviewed v0.6 pre1 on Feb 11, 2007

The beauty of this software is that it will open virtually ANY format ready for converting into any other; even - for example - WMV2 ASF files that won't open in VirtualDub or VirtualDub Mod. In this sense it's the most versatile free software available of it's class.

That said, I agree with capone that the GUI is cluttered and unintuitive for anyone who doesn't have a good understanding of the subject - digital media formats - which happens to be one of the most ridiculously complicated in the PC world (due to the equally ridiculous situation in the real world with patents).

So yeah, different versions of the GUI for different types of users would be a good idea; both for mediacoder and a hell of a lot of other software.

akumulator reviewed v0.6 Snapshot on Jan 26, 2007

I've used it for transcoding in the past but then I found out that Foobar does this much better. This software needs some work and setting up preferences through firefox is a terrible idea.

cubanresourceful reviewed v0.5.1-r9 Build 2845 on Jan 21, 2007

Love it. Dont mind its not idiot-proof, i use it mainly for transcoding .MP3 into .OGG. Transfers tags worth a charm, cannot get any better than this.

zridling reviewed v0.5.1-r9 Build 2845 on Jan 2, 2007

I have to second shicaca's emotion: MediaCoder has a long learning curve, and while I've used it with some success, I've had more frustration with it than any intermediate user should.

Nikkie reviewed v0.5.1-pre12 Build 2722 on Oct 27, 2006

Geez don't freak out!! hahaha

Not all programs will be ''idiot proof'' and sometimes you may have to know what you are doing to use the program.Crazy eh!!

This is pretty new,Give it some time.Report bugs and requests but dont FREAK OUT !!! hahahaha

shicaca reviewed v0.5.1-pre12 Build 2722 on Oct 27, 2006

While I'm sure this program makes a whole bunch of sense to other people, I'm looking for something this program describes that actually works.

I'm sorry, but if an DivX file can't have FLACC audio, then DON'T LET ME PICK IT. I'm sorry for demanding idiot-proof software, but I've YET to successfully transcode ONE file with this program because its settings are so freaking advanced. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to tinker with every option available, but I'd *also* like a program to tell me, at time of selection, that the option I picked is incompatible.

What would be even *more* awesome is if it would tell you WHY it's incompatible. As of right now the error message I get, no matter how many different settings I manage to push or as many options I eliminate, I still can't get it to say anything but:

"You have a setting wrong."

Well well well ... thanks oh helpful one! I'm sure it has log files somewhere, but really finding an option that's useful or even half English-sounding is few and far between.

I'd give it a 0 for usability.

yohimbe9 reviewed v0.5.1-pre8 Build 2596 on Sep 26, 2006

I hate responding in a review but I can't help it. No, I'm not the author. Do a google search on betanews for my name and you'll find over 800 results - I've been here for a while.

Yes, the program does have a built-in web server, that's how most of the option screens are delivered. Its actually documented in the official FAQ:
http://mediacoder.source...lt-in_HTTP_daemon_do.3F

As for the Google AdSense, the only place that's used is on the actual MediaCoder webpage on SourceForge. There is nothing in the actual program.

I definately agree that the program has a lot of room to grow but its definately helped me out many times. Sure, you have to play and tweak the dials a lot, but its still the most comprehensive one out there, at least that I've seen.

tbresson reviewed v0.5.1-pre8 Build 2582 on Sep 20, 2006

I was optimistic about this program because it was freeware, regularly updated and has a lot of features.

I must say it may be unfair to judge the program on simply the few tasks I set for it instead of the whole package, but that's what I'll do.

I wanted to use the program to convert a DV (avi) file into mpeg2 ready for DVD authoring and also I wanted to try out converting the audio part mp2 since avoid any out-of-sync issues when creating my DVD.

I must say it failed and I got no result I could use for anything, but perhaps I did something wrong.

The help interface is something I've never seen before and in my oppinion not helpful at all - the context might be but you simply get scared of the way it's presented to you. Not user-friendly in my book.

Another thing is the menus containing the different format the user can choose from. I would certainly filter the options based on the choice the user make, instead of making everything available and simply make a popup error saying: something doesn't fit right, and it's probably your fault, which it basicly states.

You also have to choose the source format, like PCM for the audio in my case - I would think that a program that can transcode or convert would know what the source is to be able to do it's job, please pre-select the autodected format so the user doesn't have to. And when choosing to encode into e.g. mpeg2, give the user a choice between mpeg encoders, not ac3, flac, divx, xvid and what not.

I still keep an eye out for the program because it does have potential, I bet making mp3's from your wave files can be done safely enough, though I haven't tried.

brusco reviewed v0.5.1-pre7 on Sep 14, 2006

@y0himba

I checked his forum and saw nothing about google adsense or adware or anything like that. Are you the author of a porprietry competing product trying to publically trash this free software?

If you are so sure then download the source code and search through it for "adsense" or whatever, or better yet take the source code and make your own project.

y0himba reviewed v0.5.1-pre6 Build 2508 on Sep 7, 2006

"yohimbe9" Nice try. We know you are the software author shamelessly trying to bolster your application's rating by imitating someone who rated it low.

Remove the adware from it, the hidden Google Adsense, and it will get a higher rating. Right now you are a lowlife trying to make money off a Sourceforge project, and are being investigated by the staff there.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS. He uses his own proprietary web server in the program and hidden iframes in the settings to gain revenue from Google Adsense. Check his forums, block it in your firewall, and use a packet sniffer to watch it's traffic.

mahlerscom reviewed v0.5.1-pre6 on Sep 7, 2006

...Does it say MAC somewhere on the info page for this? I don't believe so, I'm running WinXP Home SP2, that I do believe. Why do I write that? This "all in one" (great idea, considering what the maker claims it does) only crashes bad each time I tried to start it, plain and simple.
I know, "Open Source" and it's got a nasty bug (at least with my machine) BTW, plenty of disc space and ram and CPU too.

Until then, it gets a 2

yohimbe9 reviewed v0.5.1-pre6 on Sep 6, 2006

Very good encoder. More on the advanced side but still awesome.

jogygeorge reviewed v0.5.1-pre5 on Sep 5, 2006

Anybody knows if this can convert a video file to gif? Tried it but found no option! SUPER found at http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html seems to do this although many a time I keep getting errors when I select the video file I want to convert.

Eelfinn reviewed v0.5.1-pre5 on Sep 4, 2006

Clean and uncluttered interface, not as resource-hungry as GX::Transcoder, does its job and does it well.

darthbeads reviewed v0.5.1-pre4 on Aug 28, 2006

Rumor has it that there also *aren't* any *ads*.

Great app for working with media formats, glad to see it's returned to a freeware/open souce model.

Tx3 reviewed v0.5.1-pre1 on Aug 16, 2006

It seems that there isn't any ad's anymore.
http://mediacoder.source...03&highlight=adware

ModderXManiac reviewed v0.5.1-pre1 on Aug 15, 2006

This has more codecs for encoding and decoding than virtualdub, however, if it really does have adware, that's a load of horse excrement, it's supposed to be open-source, I think this is an error on Betanews' part because of the adsense they put on the website, in which case it's nothing to worry about.

Until the adware is confirmed, only 4 from me.

acey99 reviewed v0.5.0-r2 (Updated) on Aug 3, 2006

0.5.x is adaware now ?
Bummer !

Great Prog if not adaware, think I'll keep 0.3.x it's not adaware.

I didn't think sourceforge allowed Adaware..

I know they allow Shareware & freeware.

yokozuna reviewed v0.5.0-r1 on Jul 23, 2006

Great program. I compared it with MediaCoder 0.39 and I see a lot of improvements, e.g. when you try to make a video with x.264 + Ogg Vorbis in AVI or MKV containers (I prefer MKV or OGM rather than obsolete AVI) The old version accepted it but the result movie was without sound, what was frustrating if you had to wait 3 hours for the encoded movie. The newer version simply does not allow for the combination.

However, this combination is possible: I use freeware FairUse 2.5 Light Edition http://www.fairusewizard.com (H.264, Ogg Vorbis, both OGM and MKV are supported) to make such movies. I know that mp3 is a widely used standard, nonetheless, the quality of mp3 is at best so-so (@ reasonable bitrate, I mean below 192 kbps). Ogg Vorbis (especially Ogg Vorbis!) or AAC codecs are much better.

Anyway, the program is stable and does what it says. I also see that the author works a lot to make it better. 4.5/5

PS The program could run a bit faster. It is around 20% slower than Xmpeg with apropriate codecs. I do not know much about video codec optimisations, but in case of Ogg Vorbis Lancer http://homepage3.nifty.com/blacksword optimised codecs are worth consideration (in fact they are AoTuV codecs with SSE/SSE2/SSE3 support). They are 2-3 times faster than ordinary versions. I know that I can drop the encoder to the folder (they run flawlessly), but I want them out of the box.
PPS I know about the Media Coder SSE service pack, but it is a half way only.

HuwSy reviewed v0.5.0-r1 on Jul 18, 2006

Encodes/Decodes a fair few formats, hust a little slowly. Think I'll be sticking with VLC as its always managed to be realtime or faster encoding even doing dvds to avi.

robertguda reviewed v0.5.0-r1 on Jul 17, 2006

the last version i downloaded was from july 3. it wasnt adware then. tried it and performed well. i am sorry it turned to adware. but i wont let that count in my rating it.

wuahn reviewed v0.5.0-pre11 on Jul 15, 2006

The interface is nice but the performance is dismal. Consider this program only as a last resort when there is some audio/video format that you can't read or write with anything else.

Cionno reviewed v0.5.0-pre11 on Jul 15, 2006

u give a 1 without even trying to install the prog?

i should have rated this 3 cause some bugs and slownaess but... you know the rest

here we rate a program... not the possible issues on authors or betanews website nor the issues u have with your pc

boaz reviewed v0.5.0-pre10 on Jul 10, 2006

The program seems nice. Although, I wish that they would post the changelog here on Betanews.

y0himba reviewed v0.5.0 pre8 on Jul 6, 2006

Stanley (the author) has taken my suggestions. There is now an option to not display the Google Adsense ads that were displayed in the setup. If you choose this option, it instead loads a Paypal donate button. I still think if the option to diaply ads is there, that this should not be on Sourceforge, and should be listed as Adware, but this is certainly a step in the right way. Chekc this forum thread:
http://mediacoder.source...viewtopic.php?p=988#988

pyridox reviewed v0.5.0 pre8 on Jul 6, 2006

Too bad it's adware now. They should be removed from the "Sourceforge" site, which is primarily for open source programs. You know I wouldn't have minded an option for Yahoo Tool Bar or similar, like Crap Cleaner is doing, I could have dealt with that.

JEdwardP reviewed v0.5.0 pre8 on Jul 6, 2006

It's not the adware principle I object to, it's the sneaky, license-violating implementation that is now manifested here.

UPDATE: Due to the author's responsiveness to the adware issue, and his willingness to accept suggestions, I'm raising my rating from 1 to 3.

This project does have impressive potential, which can be reached if the author continues on the straight and narrow path.

Velocition reviewed v0.5.0 pre7 on Jul 5, 2006

License: Adware

This is not acceptable.

y0himba reviewed v0.5.0 pre7 on Jul 4, 2006

Mediacoder now displays advertisments in it's config interface, meaning it is no longer free. It also loads data from off site, connecting in direct contrary to the pop up notice that appears when first running Mediacoder, and the GPL, and public domain licenses. It uses a hidden IFRAME to load it's adverts in the bottom right of the config interface. It loads:

http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/ads/pref.htm

and the code for this is in installdirectory/htdocs/prefs/index.htm and also value.htm

some guy reviewed v0.5.0 pre6 on Jul 1, 2006

nice more towards the advanced user. If you need somthing more simple try Winavi nice program and it's simple but is not free.

Lisa Hayes reviewed v0.5.0 pre4 on Jun 28, 2006

decent.

though SUPER is better compared to this

Kramy reviewed v0.5.0 pre4 on Jun 27, 2006

This makes media encoding easy...and though less featured than VirtualDub, at least it doesn't complain about missing VFW codecs.

matt2971 reviewed v0.5.0 pre4 on Jun 27, 2006

Works great for me... joins and converts files I've been trying to ort out with other applications for ages. Good work!

ajua reviewed v0.3.9 (06/07/06) on Jun 17, 2006

It has lots and lots of bug on every release. apart from that it is nice software. but for serious video encoding i recommend StaxRip wich is also free and offers much better control over encoding. its easy to use and so far i havent experienced any bugs.

lama_songchen reviewed v0.3.9 (06/07/06) on Jun 10, 2006

This must be the buggiest piece of software I have ever seen. What a nightmare!

digitalking reviewed v0.3.9 (06/07/06) on Jun 8, 2006

This rocks!!!!!!!!!

Kramy reviewed v0.3.9 (06/07/06) on Jun 7, 2006

I like how this works even on severely gutted systems. It doesn't seem to depend on much(anything?). Heck, it'd probably even work with MicroWinX(windows with most system files removed).

Why was OS Support changed to XP? It works fine on Windows 2000 as well.

mjm01010101 reviewed v0.3.9 (06/07/06) on Jun 7, 2006

Crashed when I navigated the menu system.

Interface doesn't work on WIndows systems with large system fonts (120 dpi)

Looks promising so I'll stick with this one, but it's not ready.

matt2971 reviewed v0.3.9 (05/29/06) on May 31, 2006

Wow, I can't believe I've not run into this gem before!

I'm a VirtualDub and VirtualDubMod user, and will continue to use them to edit video, but this thing is fantastic for converting and also joining video files.

Playing with video files from many sources is probably one of the most complicated and frustrating things your average savvy PC user will ever do - the amount of formats and settings and restrictions out there is beyond ridiculous - but this makes it as easy as possible - at least compared to all the other software I've tried.

I'm not sure where this "only converts to three different codecs" comes from - I see a choice of XVID, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4 (DIVX4/5), DIVX3, WMV7, WMV8, and a whole load of others. Plust the ability to convert and join Quicktime and Realplayer files is... well unique unless I'm missing something?

Great work!

pyridox reviewed v0.3.9 (05/29/06) on May 30, 2006

Nice audio/video transcoder. I have been using it for a while now, for both audio & video files.

"ModderXManiac" we know you like VirtualDub, and it is a nice program as well. However, virtual dub's main forte' is capturing & editing. MediaCoder is simply a transcoder (convertor) for Audio & Video files.

Kramy reviewed v0.3.8 (05/01/06) on May 1, 2006

ModderXManiac: I gutted too much out of my system for VirtualDub to work. (Oops!)

I love programs that always function properly without depending on windows components. I haven't gotten a chance to test this latest version yet, but the chances of it being any worse than older versions quality-wise is very slim.

ModderXManiac reviewed v0.3.8 (05/01/06) on May 1, 2006

I like how it has more codec support than VirtualDub on the reading side, but on the conversion side it only converts to 3 different codecs, whereas V-Dub has almost 20.

Also, the conversion is slower, more cudos to V-Dub. Last, I like how V-Dub previews each frame, give more details, and all out more functions.

The only thing slightly better in MediaCoder is the interface, which I could give a hoot less about.

Crypton reviewed v0.3.7 (04/16/06) on Apr 23, 2006

Great program, link seems to not be working for me, if anyone else has the same issue.

http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/dlfull.htm

the artist reviewed v0.3.7 (04/16/06) on Apr 19, 2006

can it convert from MOV to any other?

jacjan reviewed v0.3.7 (04/16/06) on Apr 17, 2006

Works for the most part, but it doesn`t support the only format I actually want, dvr-ms.
Add support for this, and I`m a happy camper :)

DeKoquonut reviewed v0.3.7 (04/16/06) on Apr 16, 2006

Love this program so much I made a donation - and I don't usualy pay for the stuff you are supposed to pay for! Seriously, it works great! I have a NetGear media server that hates some of my files, MediaCoder makes them playable again! I LOVE IT!

Kramy reviewed v0.3.7 on Apr 1, 2006

This version fixed some audio glitches I experienced. Maybe it has better conflicting-options prevention?

Works great!

_jaz_ reviewed v0.3.7 on Apr 1, 2006

Source here (In SVN): http://sourceforge.net/projects/mediacoder

It's a useful program, either when you need to encode audio, video, transcode... Some of the options are not at fingertips to say so, but overall does the job.

jasonyang9 reviewed v0.3.7 on Mar 31, 2006

since it is open source, where is the source code then?

mhguy15 reviewed v0.3.7 on Mar 31, 2006

This program is sweet! I can't wait to see what comes out of further development!

dejavu reviewed v0.3.7 on Mar 31, 2006

Fantastic! One more great talent appear! How WEB show excellent programers! Congratulations to author and Thank You!

Das mod reviewed v0.3.7 on Mar 31, 2006

whoa snap !!!

Howell reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 27, 2006

Great All-in-One Software !

A must-have :D

Simple and efficient.

kamirao reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 26, 2006

Absolutely awesome!
works perfectly on all codecs i need to encode (xVid + Lame).

minklein reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 25, 2006

This puppy is awsome!! I was looking for something like this to convert mp4 to avi. Worked flawlesly, once I got the settings right, which was not hard.

pyridox reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 25, 2006

I've used this program, and it's very nice. Thank you Stanley!

horsecharles reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 25, 2006

Nihau:
Initially very, very impressed by the small details-- such as: auto-installs a win9x version, offers to create quicklaunch bar shortcut........
Out-mofriggin'-standing!
More details coming as they duly transpire, but just had to mention how quickly it's created such a great impression.........

Kramy reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 24, 2006

Awesome program! Unlike every other encoder I've tried, this one just came natural! It's very intuitive to anyone that can usually open up a program and figure out how to run it.

I'm amazed at its speed! It encoded a 560x320 mp2 1.5h video in just under 70 minutes(3 passes), and my computer isn't even that new! There are not many blocks either, so the quality is *ok* - suprising with 800kbit video.

(Works on Win2k)

ckjnigel reviewed v0.3.6 on Feb 24, 2006

I've been using this for two months and what I like best is how very intuitive it is. It is VERY fast. Author Stanley Huang hangs out in forums at hydrogenaudio.org as "optimus" and he responds to questions, suggestions and bug reports.