Best Indoor HDTV Antennas of 2019

If you're planning to ditch cable and embrace cord-cutting, or just want to pull in local channels on your smart TV when the internet's out, you need a good TV antenna. After testing and reviewing dozens of models, the best HDTV antenna is the Mohu ReLeaf HDTV Antenna, which offers superb reception, a simple non-amplified design, and is made from recycled materials.

For a more budget-friendly option, the smaller Mohu Leaf Metro is our favorite inexpensive antenna, delivering plenty of clear channels for less than $20. For another affordable option, we also love the popular 1byone Amplified HDTV Antenna, which is an Amazon best seller. And don't forget to check out the rest of the top cheap TV antennas for our other ultra-affordable favorites.

Whether you need a discreet amplified antenna to set on the shelf, something that goes indoors or outside, or a heavy duty outdoor model to mount on the roof, we've hunted for signals and surfed the channels with to find the best TV antenna for you. And check out our latest reviews, which include the indoor/outdoor Antop AT-402B Flat-Panel SmartPass amplified antenna, and the compact Chaowei DVB66 for use on vehicles and RVs.

(Image credit: Mohu)
1. Mohu ReLeaf HDTV Antenna

Best HDTV antenna overall

Range: 30 Miles | Channels Received: 62 | Amplified: No | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: 10 Feet | Size: 11.5 x 9 inches

Excellent reception

Simple design

Competitively priced

Eco-friendly construction

Bland-looking

No amplified version

For TV viewer's ready to ditch their cable or satellite bill without giving up local channels, the Mohu Releaf is a top-notch indoor HDTV antenna for under $40. The simple design makes for easy installation, and the 30-mile antenna pulled in an impressive 62 channels in our testing, offering better reception than even some amplified antennas on this list.

Made of recycled packaging and crushed cable boxes, it's also the most eco-friendly antenna we've seen, but the real reason to buy is the combination of a no-fuss design and top-notch performance. It's the best HDTV antenna we've reviewed.

Read our full Mohu ReLeaf review.


(Image credit: Mohu)
2. Mohu Leaf Metro

Best value antenna

Range: 25 Miles | Channels Received: 31 | Amplified: No | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: 10 Feet | Size: 11.5 x 3.5 inches

Inexpensive

Very small

Solid, dependable reception

Not amplified

Limited range and channel selection

You can get free TV forever with any antenna we review, but the Mohu Leaf Metro manages to offer solid reception and easy installation for less than $20. This inexpensive indoor antenna comes with a 10-foot cable and mounting hardware, and has a reversible design that helps it stand out a bit less while it's tacked or velcroed to your wall.

In our testing, the budget-friendly Leaf Metro offered some of the best reception we've seen in a cheap TV antenna, pulling in 31 stations with watchable clarity. The nonamplified design is easy to set up and small enough to not be an eyesore, making it a great choice for dorm rooms and smaller living spaces. If you want the best-performing, most-affordable option for over the air channels, this is it.

See our full Mohu Leaf Metro review, along with the other top cheap TV antennas under $20.


(Image credit: Mohu)
3. Mohu Curve 50 Amplified Designer Edition

Top amplified antenna

Range: 50 Miles | Channels Received: 58 | Amplified: Yes | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: 16 Feet | Size: 11.75 x 7.75 inches

Excellent aesthetics

Excellent reception

Good instructions

Expensive compared to the competition

The Mohu Curve 50 has everything we look for in an HDTV antenna, with an amplified design that pulls in channels for 50 miles and boosts signal strength for improved signal strength and viewing clarity. It also has one of the most stylish designs we've seen on any TV antenna. Instead of looking like a mudflap stuck to the wall, this stylish antenna has an arced design and built-in stand that should blend in on the shelf instead of being awkwardly hidden in a corner. An included 16-foot cable ensures flexibility in set up, and the included amplifier has a similarly generous USB power cable.

Of the 65 channels the Curve pulled in, our tester was able to watch 58 clearly, making the sleek antenna one of the best performers we've seen. It's a little pricier than a flat, unamplified antenna, but between the great performance and excellent design, we think it's worth the splurge.

Read our full Mohu Curve 50 Antenna review.

(Image credit: ClearStream)
4. ClearStream 2MAX HDTV Antenna

Best indoor/outdoor antenna

Range: 60 Miles | Channels Received: 44 | Amplified: No | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: N/A | Size: 17.25 x 31.5 inches

Steady signal reception

Solid supplied stand

Indoor or outdoor placement

Relatively expensive

No coaxial cable included

When you need something with really long range, the ClearStream 2Max is a strong and flexible indoor/outdoor HDTV antenna that reliably pulls in a variety of stations. This figure-eight-shaped offers a 60-mile range and solid performance. But, unlike the competition, this antenna is tough enough to use out in the elements.

While this non-amplified antenna offers decent performance compared to other indoor antennas, the outdoor capability lets you mount the antenna where the signal is strongest, beyond the obstacles posed by walls and furniture. The antenna comes with both a tabletop stand for indoor use and an outdoor mast and bracket for mounting on a roof or exterior wall.

Read our full ClearStream 2Max HDTV Antenna review.


(Image credit: Winegard)
5. Winegard Elite 7550 Outdoor HDTV Antenna

Best outdoor antenna

Range: 70 Miles | Channels Received: 73 | Amplified: No | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: N/A | Size: 30 x 17.5 x 5 inches

Excellent reception

Excellent interference suppression

Somewhat loose construction

Plastic roof mount

Sometimes an indoor antenna just won't cut it. When you need an outdoor antenna with excellent reception, the Winegard Elite 7550 is the smart option, and our favorite outdoor antenna. It may cost a little more, but the Winegard Elite 7550 pays dividends, delivering a whopping 73 channels in our tests. Whether you're in a crowded city or a rural community, this outdoor HDTV should get the job done, pulling in more channels with better signal than any indoor model can offer.

If you're having difficulty getting local stations you want — or you just want better, more consistent reception — the Winegard Elite 7550's $120 price tag is worth every penny, pulling in dozens of free channels for less than a month's cable subscription.

Read our full Winegard Elite 7550 Outdoor HDTV Antenna review.


(Image credit: 1byone)
6. 1byone Amplified HDTV Antenna

Popular Amazon pick

Range: 50 Miles | Channels Received: 46 | Amplified: Yes | 1080p Reception: Yes | Cable Length: 10 Feet | Size: 13.25 x 9.25 inches

All necessary components included

Moderately priced

Easy setup

Inconsistent performer

For a simple, indoor antenna that offers everything you need to cut the cord, the 1byone Amplified Indoor HDTV Antenna offers a 50-mile range and included amplifier, all for a fairly reasonable price. It's not only an Amazon best-seller, it's also one of the best antennas we've reviewed.

Measuring just 13.3 x 9.3 inches, the antenna includes everything you need to connect to the TV, with a 10-foot coaxial cable and included adhesive patches for mounting. The simple design and included amplifier delivered dozens of watchable channels, and can plug into any wall outlet. There's a good reason the 1byone is a top Amazon seller: It performs well and doesn't cost a lot.

Read our full 1byone Amplified Indoor HDTV Antenna review.

How we test HDTV antennas

All of the antennas we review are tested in the same location in New York City, an apartment that receives dozens of channels from a variety of broadcasters. Each antenna is connected to a Samsung KS9000 4K TV, so the TV tuner remains consistent, and each one is placed in the same position to generate comparable results.

With more than 100 over-the-air channels available in Manhattan, it provides an excellent testing location for antenna reception of any range, with more sensitive, long-range antennas pulling in a higher number of channels. It also gives us a chance to determine the quality of that reception, by seeing whether or not those channels are clear and watchable. The best antennas will pull in more channels, with a higher number of watchable results.


CLOSE




Best Pick: Mohu ReLeaf HDTV Antenna

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Your experience may differ from our test results. Depending upon how many stations broadcast in you area, and unique geographical impediments to over the air signal – such as mountains – your own channel selection will vary considerably. We encourage antenna shoppers to be aware of what channels are available to them by using an online look-up tool like AntennaWeb.org. We also offer a handy guide to better antenna reception to help you cut the cord more easily.
What do HDTV antennas cost?

Non-amplified indoor antennas generally sell for between $20 to $40, but there are plenty of cheap HDTV antennas that sell for less than $20 that offer acceptable performance. An amplified antenna offers better performance, and will cost between $30 and $100. For the best performance, consider an outdoor antenna, which costs $100 or more.





Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-tv-antennas,review-2354.html

What is Locast? Everything you need to know about the free TV service

If you’ve ditched your cable company and you live in a city where Locast is available, the free streaming app is a must-get. The reason: Locast lets you stream all the channels that you can pick up with a TV antenna. This is convenient because many streaming services that offer live TV don’t carry all four of the major broadcast networks. With Locast, can you not only fill that gap but also stream all kinds of other over-the-air TV channels.

Even though Locast is not even a year old, it is already changing the way cord-cutters watch TV. It’s reshaping how TV industry deals are made behind the scenes, as well. Read on to find out everything you need to know about Locast, including why the broadcast networks are trying to shut it down, where it’s available, what kind of channels you can stream through it and more.
How Locast is shaking up the TV industry

Locast founder David Goodfriend told The New York Times that he got the idea to start his company while lecturing at Georgetown University. One of the topics that he covered in class was the rise and fall of Aereo– a streaming service that rebroadcast local television stations via the internet.

Aereo served the same primary function as Locast does today: it allowed people to watch their local over-the-air channels through the internet instead of via television antennas.




Goodfriend explained to his students how a piece of legislation passed years ago sewed the seeds of Aereo’s demise. In 1976, Congress passed an Act that gave broadcast networks the right to charge cable companies retransmission fees. As a result, if a cable company were to rebroadcast a channel without having obtained the permission to do so, they’d be in violation of copyright law.

The networks’ lawyers argued that Aereo should be held to the same standard as the cable companies. According to their way of thinking, Aereo was illegal because the company had not purchased the right to rebroadcast the networks’ content. Aereo’s argument was that it merely emulated the operation of a home antenna and DVR.

The Supreme Court sided with the networks. Aereo couldn’t afford to pay the penalties that the Supreme Court handed down and it went bankrupt. By 2014, after only two years of existence, Aereo went dark.

All this seemed unfair to Goodfriend, who reasoned that TV signals that anyone could access for free with a TV antenna should also be accessible online. After examining the laws around the original decision that gave the broadcast networks the right to charge retransmission fees, he found a workaround: the copyright code contains an exemption for non-profits.

Since Locast is set up as a non-profit, it’s not subject to the same rules and regulations as Aereo and other for-profit companies.
The networks strike back

Retransmission fees now make up a significant part of each broadcast network’s revenues. According to a projection from research firm Kagan S&P Global Market Intelligence, the networks will collect over $10 billion in retransmission fees this year.

With that kind of money at stake, it’s not hard to understand why the broadcast networks feel threatened by companies like Aereo and Locast.

Even though Locast isn’t even a year old yet, cable companies are probably already using its existence to haggle for better deals. When CBS and AT&T couldn’t agree on a new licensing contract, CBS decided to remove itself from DirecTV’s channel menu. AT&T retaliated by advising its customers to use Locast as a workaround.

This incident may have been one of the main reasons why ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS recently teamed up to file a lawsuit against Locast. Another factor that may have caused the networks to react is the fact that AT&T gave Locast a $500,000 donation in June.

The strongly-worded lawsuit calls Locast “Aereo 2.0, a business built on illegally using broadcaster content.” It goes on to say that Locast shouldn’t be treated like a non-profit because it’s actively working with AT&T and Dish to “devalue” the networks and “serve its pay-TV patrons.”
Will Locast reverse a landmark legal reversal?

If Congress hadn’t intervened to reverse a Supreme Court decision in 1974, Aereo would probably have never been shut down in 2014.

In the 1968 case Fortnightly Corp. v. United Artists Television, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled that cable TV companies could freely rebroadcast any publicly available broadcast TV channels. In the decision, the court pointed out that the cable companies actually benefit the broadcast networks because they help get them additional viewers. In the court’s view, cable companies were comparable to “amplifying equipment” since they don’t edit or alter the over-the-air broadcasts at all.

The precedent set by Fortnightly Corp. v. United Artists Television, Inc. paved the way for the outcome of another Supreme Court case in 1974: Teleprompter Corp. v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. CBS argued that the cable company Teleprompter had violated copyright law when it allowed its subscribers to access its station from hundreds of miles away. The network’s lawyers argued that since amplifying equipment couldn’t carry a TV signal that far, Teleprompter should be required to pay rebroadcasting fees. The court rejected that line of thinking and once again sided with the cable TV companies.

These decisions were reversed when Congress passed the Copyright Act of 1976. It covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from fair use to exclusive rights to copyright transfer agreements and more. The Act also introduced the Transmit Clause, which made it a breach of copyright “to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance or display of the work…to the public, by means of any device or process, whether the members of the public capable of receiving the performance or display receive it in the same place or in separate places and at the same time or at different times.”

An exception within the Transmit Clause might provide a way for services like Locast to operate freely. According to 17 U.S. Code § 111, if “the secondary transmission is not made by a cable system but is made by a governmental body, or other nonprofit organization, without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage,” the Transmit Clause does not apply.

If Locast’s lawyers can prove that the company is aligned with the abovementioned exception, it may be able to win over the courts. Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel at Consumer Reports, called Locast’s strategy a “novel– and untested– approach,” but added that whether or not it will win “remains to be seen.”
Locast solves a key problem for cord-cutters

Back in the 70s, the established broadcast networks felt threatened by the sudden appearance of cable TV technologies. Despite the fact that the Federal Communications Commission had actively tried to stifle cable’s growth and prevent cable companies from competing with the broadcast networks in the 70s, cable thrived. Today, the picture is entirely different.

According to data analytics company Neilsen, nearly 13 million households cut the cord over the past 5 years. It’s not hard to understand why so many former cable subscribers have made the switch. Live TV streaming apps like Philo, fuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue are superior to traditional cable TV providers in nearly every way. In addition to lower prices and better features, they often offer channels that most local cable companies don’t carry.

One of the only advantages that traditional cable TV companies still have over the streaming services is the fact that only a handful of the streaming services carry all four of the American broadcast networks.

Budget-friendly streaming service Philo, for example, doesn’t carry any broadcast networks at all. Sports-centric fubo TV has CBS, NBC and Fox but lacks ABC. Streaming pioneer Sling TV only carries Fox and NBC, but it still hasn’t signed deals to broadcast those channels in many rural parts of the country. Hulu with Live TV and PlayStation Vue both have pretty good broadcast network support overall, but even they still have some coverage gaps.

Locast is a game changer because it gives cord-cutters an easy way to tune into local stations without a TV antenna.
What’s so bad about TV antennas?

TV antennas are cheap and easy to use, but they can be a hassle in some ways as well. Poor reception can be an issue, particularly for people that live in rural areas. In addition, many cord-cutters use their computers and mobile devices to watch TV. To pipe over-the-air TV signals into a digital device, you have to buy a Tablo, HDHomeRun or some other type of digital television tuner box.

These devices are great, but they’re not free– and not everyone likes the idea of buying and setting up a new gadget just to watch over-the-air TV channels. Even if you mostly use your TV set to watch TV, having to press the “change input” button on your remote each time you want to watch a broadcast network gets annoying after a while.
Locast: all the basic facts you need to know before you sign up
Availability

Locast is available in the following cities: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Sioux Falls, Denver, Rapid City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

You can influence the streaming service’s expansion plans via the “Vote for the next Locast market” page of the Locast website. In order to vote, you have to donate money. Available payment options include PayPal and cryptocurrency. The cities with the most votes right now are Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, Alexandria and Albany.
Cost

Locast is entirely free– but there is a small catch to consider. You’ll periodically see donation requests pop up when you watch TV through Locast. To make those friendly reminders go away, you have to pay. The minimum amount of money you can donate is $5/month. Locast adds a fifty-cent processing fee on top of whatever recurring donation you choose.
Channels

The channels you can get vary depending on where you’re located. The way that Locast determines where you are is through a geo-location service. If you disable that, you can’t view the streams.

Generally speaking, the bigger city you’re in, the more channels you get. The exception is New York, which only has 19 local channels. Los Angeles and San Francisco residents have the most local channels. Both cities have 46. Smaller cities only have the four major broadcast networks, plus a few extras.

Here’s the complete list of all the channels you can get in all the Locast markets.
New York
WCBS
WNBC
WNYW (Fox)
WABC
WWOR
WPIX
WNET
WNET-2
WLIW
WPXN (Ion Television)
MeTV
LAFF
Grit
Escape
Court
WNJU
WFUT (Univision)
NYLIFE
WXTV
Philadelphia
WDPN (The Washington/Philadelphia affiliate of MeTV)
KYW (CBS)
WPVI (ABC)
WCAU (NBC)
WHYY
WTXF (Fox)
WPSG (CW)
WWSI (Telemundo)
WUPV (Univision)
WPHL
WDPN4 (Heroes and Icons)
WFMZ
WFMZ2 (AccuWeather)
WBPH
Boston
WGBH
WBZ (CBS)
WCBV (ABC)
WHDH (News Boston)
WBTS (NBC)
WFXT
WSBK (My 38)
WLVI (The CW)
WNEU (Telemundo)
Washington DC
WRC (NBC)
WTTG (Fox)
WJLA (ABC)
WUSA (CBS)
WFDC (Univision)
WDCA (Fox)
WETA
WZDC (Telemundo)
WDCW
Baltimore
WMAR (ABC)
WBAL (NBC)
WJZ (CBS)
TBD
WBFF (Fox)
WNUV (The CW)
WMPB (PBS)
MyTV
Chicago
WBBM (CBS)
WMAQ (NBC)
WLS (ABC)
WGN
WTTW
WWME (MeTV)
WCIU (The U)
WFLD (Fox)
WCPX (Ion Television)
WSNS (Telemundo)
WMEU (The U Too)
WPWR (The CW)
Houston
KPRC (NBC)
KUHT (Houston Public Media)
KHOU
KTRK (ABC)
KRIV (Fox)
KIAH (The CW)
KLTJ (Day Star)
KPXB (Ion Television)
KTMD (Telemundo)
KTXH (My 20)
KXLN (Univision)
KYAZ (Azteca Houston)
KUBE
KETH (TBN)
KFTH (UniMas)
Dallas
KDFW (Fox)
KXAS (NBC)
WFAA (ABC)
KTVT (CBS)
KERA
KUVN (Univision)
KDFI (Fox)
KMPX (EstrellaTV)
KPXD (Ion Television)
KDAF (The CW)
KXTX
KSTR (UniMas)
KDTN (DayStar)
Sioux Falls
KTTW (Fox)
This
Cozi
UTV (MyTV)
ION (Ion Television)
Escape
KSFY
CW (The CW)
MeTV
KDLT
Antenna
PBS
World
Create
Kids
Denver
KWGN (The CW)
KCNC (CBS)
KRMA (PBS)
KMGH
KDVR (Fox)
KUSA (NBC)
KBDI (Colorado Public Television)
KTFD (UniMas)
KPXC (Ion Television)
KTVD
KCEC (Univision)
KDEN (Telemundo)
Rapid City
KOTA
KEVN
KCLO (Kelo)
KCLO2 (The CW)
KCLO3 (Ion Television)
KCLO4 (Escape)
KHME (MeTV)
KHME2 (Heroes and Icons)
KNBN (NBC)
KNBN2 (MyTV)
PBS
World
Create
Kids
Los Angeles
CBS
ABC
NBC
FOX
PBS
COZI
CW (The CW)
Antenna
ThisTV
TBD
LivWell (Live Well)
LAFF
NewsNet
TCN (The Country Network)
AMG (Access Media Group)
KCAL
Stadium
MyNetwork (MyTV)
BUZZR
Movies
Heroes (Heroes and Icons)
KCET
KCETLink
NHK World
ION (Ion Television)
Qubo
Univision
UniMas
Bounce
Justice
Almavision
GetTV
Escape
Grit
Quest
Telemundo
TelXtos
MeTV
Decades
KDOC
ESNE
Comet
Charge!
Kids
Create
Estrella (EstrellaTV)
San Francisco
CBS (KPIX)
ABC
NBC
Fox
PBS
Movies
BUZZR
Kron
Sky Link
GetTV
Court
Start
Live Well
Laff
PLUS (PBS)
World
Kids
COZI
Univision
Escape
KOFY
ThisTV
KTSF
KICU
KEMS (KBS World)
CCTV
LIGHT (LightTV)
CW (The CW)
Comet
TDB
Telemundo
TeleXitos
KPJKDT (KPJK South Bay)
France 24
MHZ
NHK World
ION (Ion Television)
Qubo
ION Life
UniMas
Bounce
Grit
Justice
KTLN (H&I Bay Area)
MeTV
KAXT






Alex Munkachy is a freelance writer, game developer and hobby robotics enthusiast. You can find his blog about robotics news and reviews at robotfanatics.com.

Source: https://flixed.io/what-is-locast/

New Roku Channel "Locast" offers local TV stations

Here is an excellent tip for Roku users. Why pay for Sling, DirectNow, Hulu, or YouTubeTV, when you can get free local TV channels in a few major markets in the U.S. from the "Locast" Roku channel. Locast is a non-profit organization.





Description:
Watch local broadcast TV online for free. Locast is the first-ever nonprofit, local broadcast digital translator service. Now, if you're a cord-cutter, you never have to miss your local broadcast news, weather, or sports due to a lousy over-the-air signal. And if you still have cable or satellite, you no longer have to worry about dropped signals. Locast.org. TV as it was meant to be!
You need to create an account at Locast.org with your email and create a password. Above is a screen shot of the channels in New York.

You can add the Locast channel in the Roku Store here:
https://channelstore.roku.com/details/235809/locast.org

--



Have an awesome 2019 ! Happy watching !

Roku Hacks and Other Neat Roku Tricks

Use Your Roku In Ways You Didn't Know Was Possible





Here are some popular Roku hacks, tricks and tips


If you have already cut the cord, chances are may own a Roku and may have tried a few of these Roku hacks yourself.


Here's a list of 20 cool things you can do with this inexpensive media player.



1. Watch Popular Android TV Apps on Roku from Your Android Phone



Android has many TV apps that offer unlimited and sometimes gray area movies and TV show content. But you won't find these type of apps on Roku.


With your Android Phone, you can watch and cast and watch the same movies and shows on your big screen TV using your Roku.


Download the R-Cast app on your Android device and use it to cast and play video content right onto your TV. Instructions are here.



2. Use your Phone as a Remote Control








If you are are constantly replacing batteries, or losing your Roku remote then use your phone as a remote control. The Roku mobile app can directly control your Roku player.


Add the App for Android or iOS Phones. And use it to scroll through channels or even add New and Notable channels from the Roku Channel Website using a web browser.


Don't lose or get rid of your original Roku remote though because you will still need it to initially set up your Roku should you ever need to do a hard reset.

3. Use Hidden Roku Codes for Finding Unique and Adult Content




There is an entire list of hidden Roku codes for additional channels. Many of these channels are "works in progress" from Roku developers who have yet to make them public.


Many of these channel do contain a lot of additional content and some Adult channels are full of xXx movies and scenes.


And they look every bit as professional as Netflix or Hulu. But since they contain content which is prohibited to be published in the Roku Public store, they remain hidden away as Uncertified Roku Channels.




Check out this page for instruction on how to install these channels and others from a long list of Hidden Roku codes.

4. Play Your Own Media Files from a PC or NAS




Want to play your downloaded movies, music or home videos on Roku? The Plex Channel is made for this. Set it up to to share your PC or NAS as network share and it will find all compatible media and play it on Roku.

Just make sure files are encoded in a format that your Roku can play such as these file types:

Video file types: MP4 , MOV , M4V , MKV , WebM
Video codecs: H.264/AVC , HEVC/H.265 , VP9
Audio file types: AAC , MP3 , WMA , WAV (PCM) , AIFF , FLAC , ALAC , AC3 , E-AC3
Streaming protocols: HLS/CMAF , Smooth , DASH

Another option to play your video or audio files is to add the Roku Media Player Channel.

This is a simple app from Roku which takes less resources than Plex and can find and play your files from a Network shared drive or PC.

5. Control How Much Data Your Roku Uses to Stream




Bandwidth Data Caps from a Broadband provider have you down? Use this hidden menu trick to control how much data your Roku uses.

From the Roku remote enter these key presses in the following order.

Press the Home button five times
Press The Rewind button three times
Then press the Fast Forward button two times This brings up a secret Bit Override Screen that will let you limit your data when streaming on your Roku. Just know that the lower the bandwidth used, the poorer your picture quality will be.


That's because different resolution uses more or a lot less data:
4K Video - This uses the most data @ 233MB/Minute or 14GB/Hour
1080P Video - A lot less data is used @ 1.3GB/Hour
720P Video - Sips Data compared to 4K and uses half as much as 1080P @ 680MB/Hour is is the best option for those on Cellular Networks or Broadband Providers with Bandwidth Caps

6. Access Secret Hidden Menus From Your Roku Remote Control

We showed you how to control your data usage with a hidden menu trick. And there are a lot more hidden menus you can access on your Roku from your remote control as well.

Here is a cool chart on Lifehacker that shows all the secret Roku menus available. Click on the photo to view it in full size.






7. Create a Photo Slideshow from Pictures on your Phone


Watch all the photos and videos on your phone right on your TV. Just download the Roku mobile app for Android or iOS which we talked about in Roku Hack 2. Then choose “Photos+” from the main menu and select photos or videos.

This app will even let you use your pictures on your phone to make a screensaver.

8. Go Back with Instant Replay to Catch Something You Missed

Having trouble hearing what was said? You're not alone and this Roku feature will help. Many people suffer from some sort of hearing loss. And some movies and TV shows don't help this by providing poor sound quality or with actors that mumble through their scripts.




Using the Roku Instant Replay feature it will only show captions when the replay button on the remote is pressed. Press the button with the button with the round circular arrow.

On different channels this works a little differently. Some channels rewind the video for 30 seconds. However on others, it may only rewind 8, 15 or 25 seconds. Once Captions have been turned on in Settings, closed captions will be shown only during this time.


9. Speed Test Your Roku Internet and Wi-Fi Connection With the VUDU Channel




VUDU by itself is a popular channel because of their category of free movies and TV shows that it offers.

But if you go into the channel settings (Gear Icon) from within the channel, choose the Playback Quality menu. And this will show you which video quality your Roku can handle on your home network. Depending on your provider speed it will play from SD to 4K provided your Roku model is capable of 4K playback.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you can run a Speed Test right from your Roku.

10. Stop Roku From Buffering

Use the Wi-Fi menu on your Roku by going to "Settings > Network" it will show the signal strength as Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.

If it's not Excellent, try moving your Roku or Router closer or higher for optimum signal strength. This can really help improve your streaming speed, reduce video buffering and let you watch in higher quality.


11. Build Your Own Private Roku Channel

There may come a time that building a Roku channel may make sense. Building a channel on Roku is pretty easy using their software or channel building sites available on the Internet.

Here is a guide which outlines the steps to help build your own Roku Private Channel.


12. Keep Commercials From Blaring With Auto Volume Leveling

Sound Leveling will keep those loud commercials from making your jump from your chair or scrambling for the remote. To stop this from happening, press the * button during video playback.


Then choose the Advanced Sound Settings menu option. There you will be given the choice of three additional options: "Off", "Leveling", and "Night" mode. Leveling will keep the sound steady. And Night mode enhances dialog for late night listening while taming down those big booms and loud action scenes.


13. Watch OTA TV Channels From An Antenna On Your Roku







Watching over the air channels is a great way to view additional free content. But to view it on standalone Roku Media Players or Streaming Sticks, you need an external network tuner like a Tablo or HDHomeRun. And also with their corresponding Roku Channels.


14. VPN Roku Hack

If you live in a country where you don't have the same selection of Roku Channels as your U.S.A Cousins, this Roku Hack may be of interest.

Many times content is GeoBlocked or Sports are blacked out for local games. A VPN can let you access content in other countries but requires another Roku account and a VPN. More instructions can be found here.


15. Easy Way To Find 4K Movies and TV Shows

Either from your Roku or on their Website, they have channels categorized for 4K content.

To easily find these channels on your Roku go to HOME/STREAMING CHANNELS then select 4K UHD Content Available. This pulls up a list of all the 4K channels available on Roku.

16. Use the Roku Channel for Ton's Of Free Content





If you have not yet added the Roku channel, click here to add it now. This channel features a ton of free content, live news shows helpful tips and more.

You can also subscribe to access and watch other paid channels right from within this channels so it makes it simple to watch and manage your favorite premium Roku channels.

You can even watch The Roku Channel from the web or other devices without even owning a Roku.


17. Use Your Phone as a Keyboard

Here's one more fun tip if you installed the Roku iOS or Android App in Roku Hack number 2. The Roku remote is nice but if you hate typing with it on the screen check this out.

Fire up the Roku app on your phone and choose "Remote" look for the little keyboard icon anytime you need to type a long password or user ID on your TV. It will popup a keyboard on your phone that makes typing much faster and easier.


18. Move Your Frequently Used Roku Channels For Faster Access

We love this because finding our most used channels is much faster. To move a channel and bring it to the front of the list press the star * button on your Roku remote after the channel is elected, but not entered. Then from the context menu that pops up, select move channel. You can then move the channel using the directional buttons on the remote then click the select button to drop it in a new location.

Another way to quickly access the channels at the end of a long list of Roku Channels is to simply scroll up from the beginning of the channels instead of scrolling all the way through to the end.

And if adding them as private channels or from Roku's channel store on the Internet, you first need to go into Settings/System/ then check for update.

After the Roku has finished updating, new channels can be found at the bottom of the list and you can then use this tip to move them where you want them.


19. Adjust Netflix Playback and Other Settings

For saving bandwidth using Netflix visit your account setting from a Web browser. Choose account owner profile if you have multiple profiles enabled. Click on your user logo in the upper right-hand side of the screen. In the menu that pops up choose "Account."

From this menu choose "Settings" and you have several more options on how to view and manage your Netflix Account.

Recent device streaming activity- Lets you check which devices and IP addresses recently accessed and used your Netflix account. If you don't recognize devices being used your account may have been compromised. So then change your account password and use the "Sign out of all devices" link to kick everyone off of your Netflix account.

Activate a device - Authorize new devices to use your Netflix account. Click the link and enter the code in the box shown on the device screen authorize that device.

Parental controls - Setup a parental control to lock out children from certain programs on Netflix.

Manage download devices - This allows you to remove devices that you downloaded content to. Only 4 devices are allowed to have downloads. When a device is removed, all downloaded content is also removed.

Sign out of all devices - Click this link and it will force all devices to have to log back in to use Netflix. Handy if you sold or gave away a Roku and forgot to do a hard reset on it.

Test participation - Enable the button from this link to be included in Netflix Surveys and new software tests.

My Profile

Under this menu choose the Playback Settings Menu to control the Auto Playback feature and Quality Settings.

Unchecking the Auto Playback box will keep the next video in a TV series from automatically playing. It's handy to use if binge watching many episodes at once. But most will find this annoying if turned on so uncheck the box to turn it off.

Playback settings default is Auto but if you experience buffering you may try checking the low or medium box to see if it helps. Your videos won't look as good but at least you won't need to wait 30 seconds every few minutes while you wait for your movie or show to resume.

From this menu you can also tweak the way sub-titles look on your screen. And you can also snoop on your kids or significant other to see what they have been watching on Netflix by clicking on "Viewing activity."

20. Watch Free Content From Roku Cable Channels

One final Roku hack is useful to watch a lot of free content from cable TV channels that you normally need a cable TV subscription to watch.

First of all, if you ever subscribed to cable TV and Internet and then dumped cable, your account login may still work on Roku to let you watch cable TV channels.

Try adding some from this list to see if you can access live content. Otherwise, some cable only channels also offer a lot of free content which you can watch without a cable provider. So be sure to try this with any channels you would like to watch.

Another option is if you subscribe to a live cable streaming service like Sling TV, Philo or PS Vue or others is to try using any of these login credentials to see if they let you access the cable anywhere TV channels on your Roku.

---

DON"T MISS:

• 80 Popular Channels on Roku
• Best Free Roku Channels
• Top Rated Adult Channels on Roku
• 1700+ Roku Private Channel Codes

Source: https://mkvxstream.blogspot.com/2019/10/roku-hacks-and-other-neat-roku-tricks.html?zx=4ba15cf145490e88

29 Free Video Converter Programs and Online Services

by Tim Fisher, Updated September 05, 2019,

A video converter is a specialized file converter that allows you to convert one kind of video format (like an AVI, MPG, MOV, etc.) into another, often times saving space in the process. If you've found yourself unable to use a certain video in the way you wanted because the format wasn't supported, a free video converter can help.

Every video converter program listed below is freeware — no shareware or trialware here. We also haven't listed any video converters that trim or watermark videos.

Looking to convert YouTube video to MP3 audio? Check out our How to Convert YouTube to MP3 guide for detailed help doing this.


Here's a list of the best free video converter software and free online video converters available today:

01 of 29


Any Video Converter












What We Like
Supports a wide range of media formats.
Add effects to videos before you convert them.

What We Don't Like
Begs you to upgrade when you convert files.
Attempts to install other programs during setup.


Our Review of Any Video Converter


Any Video Converter is a really easy to use free video converter - just choose your source file and output format and go. If you need them, there are lots of advanced options too like batch conversion, file merging, and frame cropping.


Input Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, DIVX, DVR-MS, F4V, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPV, QT, RM, WMV (and 25+ more)


Output Formats: AVI, FLV, GIF, MKV, MP4, SWF, WMV (+7 more)


Check out the entire list of input and output formats in our review.


The only thing I didn't like about Any Video Converter was the window that appeared after each video conversion suggesting that you upgrade to AVC Pro to enable more output formats.


Any Video Converter can be installed on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and 2000.


Download Any Video Converter



02 of 29


Avidemux








What We Like
Well designed interface.
Delete sections of video before conversion.

What We Don't Like
Comes with a learning curve.
Doesn't support MOV or WMV formats.


Our Review of Avidemux


Avidemux is a free video editor with many advanced and thorough features, one of which is video converting.


Load a video from the File menu to import it into the program. All the advanced features like buffer size, interlacing, and threading can be found in the menu items.


Input Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, MKV, MP4, MPEG4, QT


Export Formats: AVI, FLV, M1V, M2V, MP4, MPG, MPEG, OGM, and TS


The only thing I don't like about Avidemux is that it can be a bit confusing to convert videos.


The following operating systems can run Avidemux: Windows (10, 8, 7, Vista, XP), Linux, and macOS.


Download Avidemux


03 of 29


EncodeHD




EncodeHD.



What We Like
Automatically splits long videos into chunks.
Runs from portable locations, such as flash drives.

What We Don't Like
Cannot edit or splice videos.
File conversion cannot be paused, only canceled.

Our Review of EncodeHD


EncodeHD is a portable video converter program that makes it easy to convert your files to formats readable by various mobile devices and gaming systems.


Open video files into the program and select a device you want the converted file to be playable on. There aren't many additional options, but you can split the converted files into 4GB slices to fit them on DVDs.


Input Formats: ASF, AVI, DIVX, DVR-MS, FLV, M2V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MPEG, MTS, M2T, M2TS, OGM, OGG, RM, RMVB, TS, VOB, WMV, WTV, and XVID


Output Devices: Apple TV/iPhone/iPod, BlackBerry 8/9 Series, Google Nexus 4/7, Microsoft Xbox 360/Zune, Nokia E71/Lumia 920, Samsung Galaxy S2/S3, Sony PlayStation 3/PSP, T-Mobile G1, Western Digital TV, and YouTube HD


While EncodeHD can convert videos to a format supported by many popular devices, there aren't any editing features you can use beforehand.


I tested EncodeHD in Windows 10, so it should work in other versions of Windows too, like Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP.


Download EncodeHD


04 of 29


Totally Free Converter




© SAFSOFT



What We Like
Super fast media file conversion.
Drag-and-drop support; no clicking required.

What We Don't Like
No quality configuration options.
Bloated installation.


Totally Free Converter is a free video converter that has by far the simplest design we've ever seen.


To use this program, click Video from the main menu, select a source file, and then immediately save the file as any of the supported formats. There aren’t many additional options, but it works great as is.


Input Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MP4, MPG, MPEG, MOV, RM, VOB, WMV, and YUV


Output  ormats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MP4, MPG, MPEG, MOV, RM, VOB, WMV, and YUV


Be careful on TFC's website. There are often a number of advertisements that appear to be the download link for their free video converter software, but of course they are not. The real download button is orange and is next to the license, version, and compatibility information.


During setup, Totally Free Converter tries to install a few additional programs. If you don’t want to install them, simply click Decline for each offer.


Totally Free Converter runs in all versions of Windows.


Download Totally Free Converter for Free


05 of 29


Clone2Go Free Video Converter




Clone2Go Corporation



What We Like
Produces small media files.
Maintains video quality.

What We Don't Like
Unreliable technical support.
Slower than similar programs.


Clone2Go Free Video Converter has a really nice interface and is rather quick at converting video files.


Input Formats: 3GP, AMV, ASF, AVI, AVS, DAT, DV, DVR-MS, FLV, M1V, M2V, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MS-DVR, QT, RM, RMVB, VOB, and WMV


Output Formats: AVI, FLV, MPG, MPEG1, and MPEG2


While the program looks good and operates well, a popup is displayed after every conversion asking you if you want to install the Professional version. You must exit this screen every time to continue using the free version.


Whether you're running Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP, you can install and use Clone2Go Free Video Converter.


Download Clone2Go Free Video Converter for Free


06 of 29


iWisoft Free Video Converter




iWisoft Corporation


What We Like
Create user profiles to define custom presets.
Reliable progress bar.

What We Don't Like
May crash during video editing.
Documentation and help files are lacking.


iWisoft Free Video Converter supports many popular file formats.


Add multiple video files and then convert them to any popular format. You can combine video files, edit them while watching the video, and then convert the files to any of the many supported formats.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DIF, DIVX, FLV, M2TS, M4V, MJPEG, MJPG, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MTS, RM, RMVB, VOB, WMV, and XVID


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DIVX, DPG, DV, FLV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPEG4, RMVB, SWF, TS, VOB, WMV, and XVID


One thing I dislike about iWisoft Free Video Converter is that it opens their website every time the program opens so it can check for an update, and there doesn’t seem to be an option to disable it.


iWisoft Free Video Converter is said to work with Windows 7 through Windows 2000 only.


Download iWisoft Free Video Converter for Free


07 of 29


DivX Converter












What We Like
Add files from local drives or Blu-ray discs.
Integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox.

What We Don't Like
Difficult to uninstall.
Persistent requests to upgrade.


DivX Converter is a free video converter program that can convert videos to 4K resolution, which is a very high video resolution suitable for ultra high definitions screens.


Input Formats: 264, 265, 3G2, 2GP, ASF, AVC, AVI, AVS, DIVX, F4V, H264, H265, HEVC, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, RM, RMVB, and WMV


Output Formats: AVI, DIVX, H264, HEVC, MKV, and MP4


MPEG2 formats such as MPG, SVCD, TS, and VOB will also work with DivX Converter, but only for the first 15 days of the install.


To use DivX Converter to create videos up to 4K, you must select the option called Enable DivX HEVC Plug-in during setup, which isn't chosen by default.


Before the installer is finished, DivX Converter tries to install a couple other programs. If you wish to avoid this, you must deselect the options before continuing.


macOS and Windows are supported.

Download DivX Converter for Free


08 of 29
FFCoder











What We Like
Nice selection of presets.
Advanced editing and configuration.

What We Don't Like
Lots of dependencies.
Less stable on 64-bit Windows systems.


FFCoder is a free video converter with a simple design that makes it easy for anyone to use.


Open a video file, DVD, or whole folder to convert. Then just choose an output file and click Start. There are some advanced settings like modifying frames and quality/size of the video.


Input Formats: 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DV, DRC, FLV, GXF, MKV, MP4, MOV, MPG, TS, RM, SWF, WMV, and WEBM.


Output Formats: 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DV, DRC, FLV, GXF, MKV, MP4, MOV, MPG, TS, RM, SWF, WMV, and WEBM.


You may need to use the free 7-Zip program to open the download if it's contained in a 7Z file.


FFCoder is a portable program that works with Windows versions XP and newer, which includes Windows 10 and Windows 8.


Download FFCoder for Free


09


of 29
Online Converter











What We Like
No sign up or installation required.
Don't need a locally stored copy of the file.

What We Don't Like
No way to save custom presets.
Limited functionality beyond basic file conversion.


Online Converter is an easy-to-use online video converter that even lets you convert videos from a URL.


Just select the format of the file you want to convert so the service can open the proper video converter page. From there, just load your file and tweak any of the optional editing settings before downloading the converted file.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, OGG, WEBM, and WMV among others. (Check if a file type is supported by using the calculator on the Online Converter homepage.)


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, OGG, WEBM, and WMV among others.


One thing I like about Online Converter is that it has the capability to convert some files, like layered PSDs, to multiple image files that you can download as a ZIP archive.


It doesn't matter what operating system you use with Online Converter (Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.) because it just requires a functional browser.


Visit Online Converter for Free




10 of 29
Windows Live Movie Maker




Microsoft Corporation








What We Like
Add voice-overs and other audio.
Wide variety of transition effects.

What We Don't Like
Can't adjust contrast, saturation, and other effects.
Cumbersome to edit and splice videos.


Movie Maker is part of the Windows Live software suite and can convert videos to different formats that can then be played on various phones and devices.


Load video files into Movie Maker, add animations or visual effects, and then save the video as a different file type from the File menu.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DVR-MS, K3G, M1V, M2T, M2TS, M4V, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MPV2, MTS, QT, VOB, VM, WMV, and WTV


Output Devices/Formats: Android, Apple iPad/iPhone, Facebook, Flickr, MP4, SkyDrive, Vimeo, YouTube, Windows Phone, WMV, and Zune HD


During setup, you must select Choose the programs you want to install and then Photo Gallery and Movie Maker to avoid getting the other programs that are part of the suite.


Windows Live Movie Maker can be installed on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008. It's included by default in Windows Vista and Windows XP (SP2 and SP3).

Download Windows Live Movie Maker for Free



11 of 29
MediaCoder












What We Like
Flawless audio conversion and subtitle syncing.
Perfect for media file conversion novices.

What We Don't Like
Free version is very ad-heavy.
Occasional errors during conversion.


MediaCoder makes converting video files really easy through its step-by-step Config Wizard.


The wizard helps you choose a decoding method, output resolution, and output format even if you don’t know what these terms mean - there’s an easy to understand description next to some of these settings that really helps.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, F4V, FLV, M2TS, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG-TS, OGG, and WMV


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, F4V, FLV, M2TS, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG-TS, OGG, and WMV


See Am I Running a 32-bit or 64-bit Version of Windows? to know which link you need to choose on the download page. There's also a portable version available.


MediaCoder should work will all versions of Windows up to and including Windows 10.


Download MediaCoder for Free


12 of 29
Free Audio Video Pack











What We Like
No annoying ads.
Lightweight and easy to uninstall.

What We Don't Like
Won't convert files that your device cannot play.
Output quality isn't perfect.


Free Audio Video Pack (previously Pazera Video Converters Suite) consists of many different portable video converters combined into one master suite.


The main program window asks which file format you’d like to convert to and from. The suite will then launch the appropriate program to convert the file you specified, which makes converting rather easy.


Input Formats: 3GP, AVI, FLV, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGV, WEBM, and WMV


Output Formats: 3GP, AVI, FLV, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGV, WEBM, and WMV


The download is in the form of a 7Z file, which means you'll need a free program like 7-Zip to open it.


Something I don't like about Free Audio Video Pack is that you must know the format of the source video file before converting it, which is an extra step than most other video converter programs.


Free Audio Video Pack can be installed to Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Windows Server 2008 and 2003.


Download Free Audio Video Pack for Free


13 of 29
Format Factory












What We Like
Fast batch conversions.
Convenient file mixing and joining tools.

What We Don't Like
Tedious installation process.
Awkward interface and workflow.


Format Factory is a multifunctional media converter.


First select the file type your video should be converted to, then load the file. Advanced options are available like editing the audio channel, aspect ratio, and bitrate.


Input Formats: 3GP, AVI, FLV, MP4, MPG, SWF, and WMV


Output Formats: 3GP, AVI, FLV, MP4, MPG, SWF, and WMV


During setup, Format Factory tries to install a program you may or may not want. Easily stop this by simply exiting the installer, after which you can still open and use Format Factory just fine.


Format Factory works with Windows 10 to Windows XP.


Download Format Factory for Free


14 of 29
Freemake Video Converter











What We Like
Works well on mobile devices.
Burn files directly to a disc.

What We Don't Like
Painfully slow conversions.
Some features require an extra web pack.

Our Review of Freemake Video Converter


Freemake Video Converter is a really easy program to use. Just load up one or more video files to convert to any of the output formats.


Advanced options are available that let you combine files into one and even burn videos directly to a DVD. You can also add subtitles and edit the video length from within the program.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVCHD, AVI, DV, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTS, QT, RM, SWF, TOD, TS, WMV (+97 more)


Output Formats: 3GP, AVI, FLV, HTML5, ISO, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, SWF, and WMV


See our review for a list of all of the input formats Freemake Video Converter supports.


All modern Windows versions should be able to run Freemake Video Converter, including Windows 10, 8, and 7, as well as older ones.


Download Freemake Video Converter for Free


A few antivirus engines identify this program as unsafe or suspicious. We haven't had any issues with it, but be aware that you should have antivirus software actively running while using this program in the event that it really does contain something malicious.


Another reason this video converter is ranked so low in this list is because some users have reported that the program will display a watermark on their converted videos. This is also something I have not experienced, but it might happen to you, too.








15 of 29
Free Video Converter (Extensoft)











What We Like
100 percent free with no ads.
Comes with its own video codec in case you don't have one.

What We Don't Like
Minimal documentation.
Batch conversions are needlessly complicated.


Free Video Converter by Extensoft is really easy to use. The navigation buttons are clearly visible and simple to understand.


Input Formats: AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MTS, QT, RM, RMVB, and WMV (Extensoft’s website says "and others recognized by your computer (Direct Show)" - let me know if you can confirm any more)


Output Formats: AVI, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, QuickTime, and WMV


One thing I didn’t like about this program is that it was a little strenuous to scroll through the different conversion formats to find the one I wanted.


Extensoft Free Video Converter should work with all versions of Windows.

Download Free Video Converter (Extensoft) for Free



16 of 29
Oxelon Media Converter








What We Like
Encode audio and video separately.
Customizable interface.

What We Don't Like
No documentation.
Can't multitask while files are being converted.


Oxelon Media Converter is really easy to use. Either load up a file from the program window or right-click any video file on your computer and choose to convert it from the right-click context menu.


There are some basic settings in this program, like changing the width and height or frame rate of the video.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DV, DVD, FFM, FLV, GIF, M1V, M2V, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, PSP, RM, SVCD, VCD, and VOB


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DV, DVD, FFM, FLV, GIF, M1V, M2V, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, PSP, RM, SVCD, VCD, and VOB


One thing I didn’t like about this program is that the developer’s website opens every time you exit Oxelon Media Converter. However, you can easily disable this from the settings.


Oxelon Media Converter is said to work with Windows 98 up to Windows Vista only, but I was able to use it in Windows 10 without running in to any issues.


Download Oxelon Media Converter for Free


17 of 29
Internet Video Converter











What We Like
Multilingual support.
Easy to convert videos from YouTube.

What We Don't Like
No batch conversions.
Can't adjust aspect ratio.


Internet Video Converter is a free video converter that supports most major formats.


The program looks confusing at first, but it’s rather easy to use if you follow the steps. First select a video, choose the format to save it as, and then click Apply Format before converting the file.


Input Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, DAT, DIVX, DPG, FLV, MKV, MOD, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MTS, OGG, OGM, QT, RAM, RM, RMVB, VOB and WMV


Output Formats: 3GP, AVI, MOV, MP4, MPG, and WMV


To download Internet Video Converter, open the download page and then scroll down to IVC STANDARD Version. Both a portable and a regular installable version is available.


The official list of compatible operating systems include Windows 7 down through Windows 2000, but I also tried Internet Video Converter with Windows 10 to find that it worked just as advertised.


Download Internet Video Converter for Free


18 of 29
Miro Video Converter












What We Like
Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
Dozens of presets to choose from.

What We Don't Like
Can't adjust video configuration manually.
Can't convert multiple files at once.


Miro is known for their open-source media player, but they also make a free video converter.


Miro Video Converter has a simplified interface. Just drag and drop videos into the program and choose what device or format you want to export the video as.


Input Formats: AVI, FLV, H264, MKV, MOV, Theora, WMV, and XVID


Output Formats: Ogg, MP3, MP4, Theora, and Webm


During setup, Miro Video Converter tries to install additional programs you may or may not want. Avoid this by choosing the Decline button during install.


Miro Video Converter works on macOS, Linux, and all versions of Windows.


Download Miro Video Converter for Free


19 of 29
Kiss DejaVu Enc












What We Like
Upload converted videos to YouTube.
Donation driven, no ads.

What We Don't Like
Sparse instructions and documentation.
Not updated in a while.


Kiss DejaVu Enc is a video converter that’s one of the easier ones to operate. Although the first screen may seem confusing, all the necessary settings are out front and not hard to find.


Input Formats: AVI, AVS, CDA, FLV, MP4, MPG, TS, and VOB


Output Formats: FLV, MP4, MPG, and SVI


One thing I didn’t like about this program is you must open the folder where the video file is at instead of open the actual file. This can be a little confusing, but easily acceptable when you start using it more.


Kiss DejaVu Enc is said to work with Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000. We tested it in Windows 10 without any issues.


Download Kiss DejaVu Enc for Free




20 of 29
MPEG Streamclip











What We Like
Fixes bad timecodes and similar file errors.
Add your own watermarks.

What We Don't Like
Can't easily edit audio and video separately.
Requires QuickTime.


MPEG Streamclip looks to be a simple program until you see all the complex options hidden away in the file menu.


Just load a video into the program from the File menu and then save it as a common format or export it to another supported format also from the File menu. You can rotate or crop a video before saving.


Input Formats: AC3, AIFF, AUD, AVI, AVR, DAT, DV, M1A, M1V, M2P, M2T, M2V, MMV, MOD, MP2, MP4, MPA, MPEG, MPV, PS, PVR, REC, TP0, TS, VDR, VID, VOB, and VRO


Output Formats: AVI, DV, MPEG4, and QT


Instead of converting a video file found on your computer, you can also load one from a URL or DVD.


MPEG Streamclip is completely portable (no need to install it), but does require that QuickTime be installed. MPEG Streamclip officially works with Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000.


I tested the most recent version in Windows 10 and it worked fine, just as I'd expect it to.

Download MPEG Streamclip for Free



21 of 29
HandBrake











What We Like
Minimal quality loss when converting to a lower bitrate.
Impressive closed caption support.

What We Don't Like
Not ideal for beginners.
Requires extra software to rip DVDs.


HandBrake is an incredibly easy to use free video converter that's most useful for converting pretty much any video file you might have into one that'll work with your mobile device.


Input Formats: AVI, FLV, H264, OGM, M4V, MP4, MOV, MPG, WMV, VOB (DVD), WMV, and XVID (HandBrake's website says "Most any multimedia file" - let me know if you can confirm any more)


Output Formats: MP4 and MKV


I love that HandBrake can input so many different file types, but it's unfortunate it supports only two output formats. However, the two it does support are popular ones.


HandBrake can be installed on Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista, as well as macOS and Ubuntu.


Download HandBrake for Free


22 of 29
Prism Video Converter




NCH Software







What We Like
Converts up to five files simultaneously.
Faster than average conversion times.

What We Don't Like
Tool bar is covered in ads.
Only free for a short period of time.


Prism Video Converter lets you easily capture a video from a DVD and convert it to any of the supported output formats.


Alternatively, you can convert video files to a format readable by a disc by choosing the Burn menu button. Also resize a video or add effects before converting it.


Input Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, DIVX, DV, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, OGM, VOB, and WMV


Output Formats: 3GP, ASF, AVI, DV, FLV, GIF, MOV, MP4, MPG, RM, SWF, and WMV


Prism Video Converter is available for Pro or Free. Get the free version from the download page on the right side under the section called Get it Free.


During setup, Prism Video Converter asks to install additional video and image editing software. If you don’t want to install these programs, easily skip them by simply not selecting them.


macOS and Windows (10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP) are supported.


Download Prism Video Converter for Free




23 of 29
Quick AVI Creator








What We Like
Relatively light on system resources.
Completely free with no ads.

What We Don't Like
No drag-and-drop or batch conversion support.
No help file included.


Quick AVI Creator is a video converter that supports a few major conversion formats.


Load a file, select where to save it, and then choose an output format. There aren’t many options, but you can select particular subtitle or audio tracks to use when converting.


Input Formats: ASF, AVI, DIVX, DVD, FLV, F4V, MKV, MP4, MPEG, and WMV


Outpu  Formats: AVI, MKV, and MP4


While Quick AVI Creator doesn’t export videos to a massive list of file types, it fortunately does support the three major ones.


All Windows versions above Windows 2000 are said to be supported, but it's recommended to use Windows 7. We tried Quick AVI Creator in Windows 10 and was unable to get it to work correctly.


Download Quick AVI Creator for Free


24 of 29
STOIK Video Converter











What We Like
Automatic noise reduction, deblurring, and color adjustments.
Supports a ton of mobile video codecs.

What We Don't Like
Requires Windows Media Player and DirectX to work.
File sizes are sometimes monstrous.


STOIK Video Converter is really easy to use and supports the popular AVI format for converting files.


Just load one or more video files, select an output format, and then choose where to save the file. Press Record to begin converting.


Input Formats: 3GPP, 3GPP2, AVI, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG2, MPEG4, MPEG-TS, MPG4, QT, and WMV


Output Formats: AVI and WMV


A major downside to using STOIK Video Converter is that most of the editing capabilities and file formats you can save to are only usable if you have the Pro version.


STOIK Video Converter is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Though I couldn't get it to work right in Windows 10, you may have better luck.


Download STOIK Video Converter for Free




25 of 29
SUPER











What We Like
Drag-and-drop multiple files for batch conversions.
Converts 2D and 3D videos.

What We Don't Like
Secretly installs adware.
Very bare bones interface.


SUPER is a video converter that supports many popular output formats.


The interface and design of SUPER isn’t the most user-friendly or fashionable program, but it does support many input formats and can make high quality conversions without a watermark.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AMV, ASF, AVI, DAT, DVR-MS, F4V, FLC, FLI, FLV, GXF, IFO, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTV, MXF, MXG, NSV, OGG, OGM, QT, RAM, RM, STR, SWF, TMF, TS, TY, VIV, VOB, WEBM, WMV, and WTV.


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DV, FLV, M2TS, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, OGG, SWF, TS, and WMV.


The worst thing about SUPER is that during the install it may appear as though you have to install a few additional programs. Exit that window to reveal the actual SUPER setup wizard and avoid installing the other software.


SUPER is said to work with most versions of Windows. We tested it in Windows 10 without running in to any problems.

Download SUPER for Free



26 of 29
WinFF




Matthew Weatherford







What We Like
Set advanced command-line parameters for video editing.
Import and edit presets from elsewhere.

What We Don't Like
No built-in presets for video and audio configuration.
Batch conversions not possible.


WinFF is a video converter program that supports popular formats and features like editing and cropping.


First select an output device or file format and then click Add to import a video file. Crop or rotate the video, among other options, and then click Convert to finish.


Input Format: AVI, MKV, MOV, MPEG, OGG, VOB, and WEBM


Output Format/Devices: AVI, BlackBerry, Creative Zen, DV, DVD, Google/Android, Apple iPod, LG, MPEG4, Nokia, Palm, PlayStation 3/PSP, QT, VCD, Walkman, and WMV


I tested WinFF in Windows 10 and Windows 8 and it worked as advertised. It should work with older versions of Windows as well.


Download WinFF for Free




27 of 29
Quick Media Converter












What We Like
Helpful online forum with video tutorials.
Easy to capture still images from videos.

What We Don't Like
Limited configuration settings.
Requires FFmpeg to work properly.


Quick Media Converter supports many file formats and the program makes it simple to know which format works on different devices.


The program is a bit difficult to navigate because you must hover your mouse over the different menu buttons to know what they are for. However, the vast file types that are allowed make up for this faulty design.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVI, DTS, DV, DLV, GXF, M4A, MJ2, MJPEG, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MVE, OGG, QT, RM and others.


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVI, DV, FLV, GXF, MJPEG, MOV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, RM, VOB and others you can find at Cacoon Software’s Supported Formats page.


During setup, Quick Media Converter tries to install a toolbar and change your default Internet home page. If you don’t want these extra changes, click Skip All to bypass all of them.


Quick Media Converter works on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems up to and including Windows 10.

Download Quick Media Converter for Free



28 of 29
FileZigZag











What We Like
No installation required.
Download links remain active for three days.

What We Don't Like
Only supports files up to 180 MB.
No configuration options.
Our Review of FileZigZag


FileZigZag is an online video converter service that will convert many popular video formats. You just upload the video file and wait for an email link to the converted file.


Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, 3GPP, ASF, AVI, DIVX, F4V, FLV, GVI, M2TS, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MKV, MTS, MOD, MXF, OGV, RM, RMVB, SWF, TS, TOD, WEBM, WMV, and VOB


Output Formats: GIF, 3GP, ASF, AVI, FLV, MOV, MP3, MPEG, MPG, OGG, OGV, RA, RM, SWF, WAV, WMA, and WMV





Considering the fact that many video files are pretty large, the biggest disadvantage with FileZigZag is the wait time to upload the video and receive your email.


FileZigZag works with all operating systems that support a web browser, like Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Visit FileZigZag





29 of 29
Zamzar




Zamzar







What We Like
Converts media files, documents, and images.
50 free conversions in a 24 hour period.

What We Don't Like
Conversion speed depends on site traffic.
Download links remain valid for 24 hours.





Zamzar is another online video converter service that supports most common video formats.

Input Formats: 3G2, 3GP, 3GPP, ASF, AVI, F4V, FLV, GVI, M4V, MKV, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTS, RM, RMVB, TS, VOB, and WMV


Output Formats: 3G2, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MP4, MOV, MP4, MPG, and WMV


The worst thing about Zamzar is their 100 MB limit for source files which is a significant drawback considering the large size of most video files. We also found Zamzar's conversion time a bit slow, even for an online video converter service.


Because it works online, Zamzar can be used with any OS that runs a web browser.

Visit Zamzar


Source: https://www.lifewire.com/free-video-converter-programs-and-online-services-2622867