Table of Contents


This guide is to be used with WM Converter 5.5 and higher.

Note: Some of the converted files may not play when using Windows Media Player unless the proper codecs are installed in your computer. Consider using a media player that does not need to install multiple codecs but has all necessary codecs embedded (for example the VLC media player).


Overview

WM Converter Pro makes the conversion software more powerful by giving you an easy-to-use way to convert, split, merge and clean up your recorded files. The unregistered version puts a watermark on all conversions and advanced features.

WM Converter Lite is free and is included in WM Recorder and WM Capture programs.

Here's how WM Converter appears:

WM Converter Pro goes beyond the regular conversion aspects and provides easy to use, hassle free video editing features.

  • Converts all popular video and audio formats
  • Split/trim video or audio in seconds
  • Join files of any video or audio formats
  • Mix video and audio tracks
  • Slow/fast motion effects
  • Rescale video to mobile screen sizes
  • Maintains aspect ratio
  • Can fix broken FLV downloads
  • Converts DVD/VOB files to mobile formats
  • Creates DVD ISO files
  • and more…


Adding Files

Before converting, splitting or merging files, you need to create a list of files to process. You can do this in two ways:

  • Click the Input button to open the File Dialog, navigate to the desired folder, and select one or more files.
    • OR

  • Open the desired folder using Windows Explorer, select the files to convert and drag them onto the WM Converter window.


Converting files

Once you've added a list of files, you can convert them as follows:

  1. Pick a format from the Conversions list.
  2. Pick the Quality. When Default is selected, WM Converter automatically selects the optimum video/audio parameters in order to produce the best possible quality converted file. The default settings can be changed using the Custom option.
  3. Click Convert. The conversion process starts.

Hint: The files to convert are listed in the “Files to convert” list. If you want to convert specific files, just select them from the list of files. If no files are selected, all files are converted.

Note: The default values are optimized to produce high quality video/audio conversion. This usually results in larger file sizes. Use the Custom settings and select smaller bitrates or smaller video sizes in order to reduce the converted file size.


Custom Conversion Options

You can get more control over how files are converted by clicking the Custom button. Here's how the custom conversion options appear:

You can choose your own bit rates, frame rate and video size. In most cases, we recommend you leave them set to original.

Other custom conversion options are:

Maintain Aspect Ratio: This options guaranties that the shapes are not distorted when converting different video sizes. It is primarily used when converting videos for mobile devices or DVD. This option is automatically selected when a custom video size is used.

Use H264/MPEG-4: The H264 is a video format considered to provide the highest video quality for the smallest file size. When using this format you can select smaller video bitrates. When MPEG-4 is used the conversion is generally faster.

No Audio in Video Files: Check this option to remove audio from your converted file.

Sound Volume: This option can be used to increase or decrease the sound volume of the converted file in relation to the original. 0 or 100% settings do not change volume. Other values multiply the original volume by the logarithm of the new volume setting divided by 10. For example, a setting of 1000 makes the sound level 2 x original, a setting of 50 - 0.7 x original.


Merging (Joining) Files

WM Converter can merge (join) multiple files regardless their format, bit rate, video size, etc. The name of the first file in the list is used to name the merged file. The video size of the first file is also used for all merged files.

To merge files:

  1. Add files to merge into your list of files.
  2. Right click on any file in the list. The Options menu appears:
  3. Select Join video and audio files.

Select any file format to merge video files of any formats to any selected format. If the option Aspect is selected all files are rescaled to the selected custom size.

Select VOB to merge video files of VOB format. This feature can be used to join all VOB files from an unprotected DVD in one single VOB file for future edit or process. In this way you can transfer your camera movies from a DVD’s to a mobile device.

Select MP3 to make a one file audio playlist.

Please note:

  • All files listed in the conversion list are merged. Before merging remove the files that are not to be merged.
  • Files that are not the same size, format or bit rate are first re-encoded - this may take a while for large files.
  • Video files cannot be merged with audio only files. The merging operation stops if this situation occurs.


Splitting Files

WM Converter can split (trim) any audio or video file.

Here's how to split a file:

  1. Right click the file name in the conversion list. The Options menu appears:

    2. Choose Set Split Times from the pop-up menu. The Split dialog appears:

  2. Set the start and end time, and click OK.
  3. Right click the list again, and select Fast Split or Re-encode.

The Fast Split option can be used to rapidly split or trim a file without changing its video format or video size.

The Re-encode option is slower however it will rescale and reformat the video as specified.


Mix Video and Audio Tracks

This option can be used to mix a video with an audio. If the video already has an audio track this track will be replaced with the new audio. When doing this the audio file needs to be placed before the video in the conversion list.


Slow / Fast Motion

This option can be used to produce slow motion or fast motion video/audio effects.


Using Converted Files as Input Files

This feature can be used to re-convert, split or reprocess the output file of a previous operation. For example, if you just merged a few VOB files into another VOB file, you could now convert this file to a different format. Right click the File Name, select Use converted file as input from the pop-up menu, and choose the new conversion format.


Selecting the Output Folder

Your converted, split, merged or reprocessed files are placed in an Output Folder you specify.

Here's how to set the output folder:

  1. Click the Output button. The Browse Folder dialog appears:
    2. output folder

  2. Pick a folder, and click OK.

Note: Removable drives may not be used as Output Folders.


Playing Converted Files

When the conversion is finished you can playback converted files in two ways.

  • Right click the file name and select Play Converted File from the pop-up menu.
  • Click Output Folder, then OK, and double-click the file(s) from the Windows Explorer.


How to Burn DVD's

WM Converter creates authored DVD files that can easily be burned to a DVD disk. When converting to DVD format (NTSC or PAL) all files in the converter list are included in one DVD play list. You must first convert all videos to a DVD-compatible MPEG format, and then reconvert them to a DVD format.

WM Converter does not include a DVD burner. You can use the DVD burner that comes with your computer (Vista) or a DVD burning programs like Nero, Sonic, Roxio. The burning mode must be Data or Data Disk.

Here is how to burn a DVD:

  1. Make a list of files in WM Converter to place on your DVD.
  2. From the list of conversion options, choose MPEG, then either DVD-NTSC (USA) or DVD-PAL.
  3. Click Convert.
  4. Right click the WM Converter window then click DVD, Open DVD folder. Double click the desired folder. Here you should have two sub-folders, VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS.

You have created the data folders used by VD burning programs to actually burn the DVD.

On Windows XP: Open your DVD burner program and set the recording mode to Data (or Data Disk). Drag (or add) the folders VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS to your DVD burner. Insert a blank DVD disk, start burning.

On Windows 7: Insert a blank DVD. If the AutoPlay window pops-up click “Burn files to disk” and follow the instructions. (Do not select “Burn a DVD video disk”.) Drag the folders VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS in the window that opens then click Burn to Disk. Alternately, you can select the folders VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS, right click the selection and click Send To - DVD R/W.

Playing the DVD:

The DVD can be played on DVD players or computers. There are no menus or titles and so, the playback begins when the DVD is inserted in the DVD player. When playing the list you can use the “Next” button on your DVD player to jump to the next file.

Playing VOB files in your computer:

VOB file (VTS_01_1.VOB) is the file that contains the video and audio data. It can be found in the VIDEO_TS folder. Windows Media Player can play this type of files if MPEG-2 and AC3 decoders (codecs) are installed in your PC.