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Edit Review: InterVideo iVideoToGo Platinum 5.0

Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Tom Patrick McAuliffe

Software converts video for mobile digital media players.

Who knew that despite 16:9 digital TV, HD, and relatively affordable large flatpanel displays that truly tiny displays would become a hugely important vehicle for digital video distribution? Who knew that portable media players (PMP) such as the Apple video iPod — 70 million sold worldwide and counting — and Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) — 200 million sold worldwide — would play such a transformative role in an industry that has always been obsessed with resolution and image quality?

On the content side, the Apple iTunes store features more than 250 major motion pictures that are available for download to the small screen, and to date, iTunes has sold more than 50 million episodes from dozens of TV shows. When you also consider the video content available from AOL, Google, MSN, Yahoo, YouTube, and a growing number of IPTV outlets and conventional network websites, you see a media culture based on grabbing video on the go.

Without even mentioning the swelling ranks of video-enabled cell phones, it's easy to see that the digital video distribution has gone mobile. Until now, getting video from DVDs, the Web, or your computer onto these portable devices has been a chore, but for PC users, InterVideo's new iVideoToGo Platinum version 5.0 software makes it easy. Within minutes, your demo reel, video project, or short film is in the palm of your hand.

Furthermore, if you're looking for a simple way to make your video available for download to viewers with iPods or PSPs, this is a plug-and-play process that covers most popular formats. It won't give you the quality of a fully-featured encoder, but it will give you convenience and get you up and running in the new distribution paradigm.

Late last year, InterVideo began to ship iVideoToGo Platinum. The Windows software package can handle DVD-Video, AVI, QuickTime, MPEG-4, DivX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, M2X, MOV, MP4, and DVR-MS formats for input, covering the bases well. Outputting to MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) or AVC (H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10), you can convert a 5GB file into a 100MB file and retain acceptable playback quality. The included H.264 cross-platform, high-compressionformat allows you to pack up to 140-percent more video on your iPod.

Through InterVideo's website, you can purchase and download iVideoToGo Platinum and documentation via your broadband Internet connection. The Platinum version that I reviewed is available on its own or with DVD Copy 5 Platinum (a good PC-burning program that retails for $49.95). I used a 2.8GHz Intel Pentium 4 system running Windows XP SP4. iVideoToGo can also be used with Windows 2000 and on systems with CPUs as slow as 600Mhz.

iVideoToGo's single-frame interface allows users to convert and copy videos in a few simple steps. Upon launching the application, a window allows you to select the file, the output format, and the destination. The interface tells you how much disk space the conversion requires. I was able to convert an AVI file of my band demo from almost 4GB at 720×480 down to 487MB as an MP4 file at 320×240 (the video iPod's screen size). This took less than 45 minutes. Were my iPod connected, the software could have automatically transferred the file to it.

While the video quality is not as good-looking as a DVD or the original HDV footage, it looked pretty good — definitely better than I thought it would, with no playback hiccups. So far so good. Then I used iVideoToGo to convert the entire band demo DVD of more than 3.5GB to my iPod at 1.2GB (320×240). Now when a prospective client wants to see a demo, I simply and confidently hand them the small player and watch their eyes light up.

This software does automation well. The new CopyLater Intelligent Monitoring feature periodically and automatically checks your system for new downloads and recorded videos, and then it batch-converts them whether you're present or not. You can also set a schedule. Copy to Go is also new to the Platinum version; it allows direct syncing with iPods or PSPs without going through other software such as iTunes.

I found iVideoToGo simple to use, with outstanding results and performance. I would like to see the software directly support Microsoft's new Zune PMP, which enjoyed a fairly successful rollout late last year. It has a larger screen than the iPod — and at the same price point ($249 for 30GB). I'd also like to see support for 16:9 screens — the PSP has it, but this software forces a 4:3 squeeze. Not good. I'd also like to see a Mac version of this product so that the movies play on my new 80GB iPod, which holds up to 100 hours of video content and has one of the brightest and sharpest LCD screens I've ever seen.

The other hassle is one that InterVideo has no control over — the inability to copy commercial DVDs without resorting to illegal ripping programs. While we must insure that content creators and owners are fairly compensated for their work, if I pay $29.95 for a commercial movie on DVD, I should be able to convert it and watch it on my PMP without breaking the law or user agreement and feeling like a criminal. (The same needlessly restrictive DRM issues plague other forms of digital media, such as songs purchased from iTunes.)

But if you are a Windows user and a PSP or iPod owner — or a video creator who wants to enjoy this mass avenue of distribution — this is must-have software, especially at this price point. There is no doubt that portable media players are here to stay — tiny screens and all. Be they video-enabled cell phones, iPods, or whatever else, PMPs represent a vital avenue of distribution for your video content. And that's no small thing.

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bottomline

Company: InterVideo
www.intervideo.com

Product: iVideoToGo Platinum 5.0

Assets: Easy operation, compatibility with many digital video formats, batch conversions, auto conversions, and auto sync.

Caveats: A little slower than similar apps I've used, with a few hesitations during operation.

Demographic: Videomakers looking to distribute their projects to mobile media devices such as the Sony PlayStation Portable and Apple iPod.

PRICE: $29.95

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© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.