Convert PC videos to watch on your tablet
What you need: Free HD Video Converter Factory; Any version of Windows (XP to 10) Time required: 30 minutes
Many of the free PC programs that let you convert video files to watch on your phone or tablet install PUPS, restrict the length of files you can convert (often less than a few minutes), or add watermarks to your video. Free HD Video Converter Factory has none of these frustrating drawbacks and is one of the easiest conversion programs we’ve used. We’ll show you how to trim your videos, convert them for use on your phone or tablet, then transfer them to your device.
STEP1
First, save all the videos you want to convert to a dedicated folder on your PC. To install the program, go to www.snipca.com/22213 and click the Download Local button on the left. Run the downloaded setup file, click Yes, Next, I Agree, Install, then Finish to launch the program. The free version of the program only lets you convert one video at a time. To add your video, click Add Files 1 , navigate to your video folder, select the first video you want to convert 2 then click Open 3 .
STEP2
The program lets you trim video clips before converting them (useful if you want to remove long opening title or credit sequences). To do that, click the scissors icon 1 below your video file. In the Clip window below, you’ll see your video with playback controls at the bottom 2 . Move the two sliders 3 to set your video’s new start and end points. Alternatively, type the start and end times (using the hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds format) in the respective fields 4 . Click OK 5 when you’ve finished.
STEP3
If you have a subtitle file (in the form of an .SRT file) for your video, click the Text dropdown menu 1 , select ‘Add subtitle’, navigate to the subtitle file, then click Open. By default, your converted video file will have the same name as the original. To distinguish them, click Rename 2 , type a new name 3 , then click OK. The program saves the converted files to the Videos folder on your PC. To change this, click the folder icon at the bottom 4 , navigate to another PC location and click OK.
STEP 4
The program lets you convert your video for a variety of device formats. Click the Output Format dropdown menu at the top right to see a range of categories at the top. To convert videos for your phone or tablet, select your device’s brand (Apple, Samsung, Google, Amazon, and so on 1 ). You’ll now see a range of devices made by that manufacturer. Click to select your device 2 .
STEP 5
The conversion process can take a while - depending on the length of your video and the format you’ve chosen. Click the Run button (bottom right) to start converting your video. The bar at the top shows your progress 1 . This is also displayed as a percentage 2 and there’s an estimate of time remaining 3 . When that finishes, a pop-up message will tell you ‘1 task has been finished’. Click the green Open button at the bottom to see your converted video file in the destination folder you chose. Repeat this process to convert other videos.
STEP 6
The quickest way to transfer your converted videos to your phone or tablet is by using the free service Send Anywhere – see ‘Send videos instantly from your PC to tablet’ Workshop (Issue 484, page 38). Install the Send Anywhere program on your PC and app on your device from www.snipca.com/22209. To transfer your videos, first open the PC program, click Send 1 , drag and drop your videos into the window that appears 2 , then click Send 3 . You’ll see a six-digit code on your PC, with a 10-minute countdown timer.
STEP 7
Open the Send Anywhere app on your device and tap the Receive button 1 . Next, type the six-digit code (from your PC) into the Input Key field 2 , then tap the blue Receive icon 3 . The converted videos will start downloading to your device. You’ll see a progress bar and a Done message (with a tick) upon completion. Tap View to see all your videos in a list, then tap a video file to play it on your device. ●