Format Factory

About this release

Format Factory does one job and has done it for a very long time. You drop files in, choose what you want out, and it converts them. The format coverage is the whole point, with every mainstream video container and codec, the full set of audio formats including the lossless ones, the common image formats, and disc image handling all sitting behind the same interface. If a file will not open in the thing you need it to open in, this is usually the shortest route to fixing that.

The interface is organised by output rather than by input, which turns out to be the sensible way round. You pick the target, then feed it whatever you have, and the tool works out what it is dealing with. Alongside the raw format targets there is a long list of device presets that handle resolution, bitrate and container in one selection, which saves guessing at settings for a phone, a tablet, a television or an older media player that is fussy about what it will accept.

Batch handling is where it earns its place on a machine. The queue takes hundreds of files, converts them one after another without supervision, and can shut the machine down when it finishes. Each item can be trimmed to a start and end point before conversion, cropped, rotated, watermarked, and have subtitles burned in or an audio track swapped. There is also an audio joiner, a video joiner, a disc ripper, and a repair pass for damaged files that will not play.

What it does

• Conversion between all the mainstream video containers and codecs
• Full audio format coverage including the common lossless formats
• Image format conversion with resizing, rotation and quality control
• Disc image handling and ripping to standard file formats
• Device presets that set resolution, bitrate and container in one selection
• Batch queue that runs through hundreds of files unattended
• Trim, crop, rotate and watermark applied per item before conversion
• Subtitle burn in and audio track selection during conversion
• Audio and video joining for stitching several files into one
• Repair pass for damaged files that refuse to play

Changes in this version

• Updated encoder set with better quality at the same bitrate
• Hardware accelerated encoding on current graphics hardware
• Improved handling of very long files past four hours
• Reworked device preset list with the obsolete entries removed
• Fixed a queue stall when a single item failed partway through

What the package contains

• Format Factory full installer
• Complete encoder and decoder set
• Device preset library
• All interface languages
• Readme with the install order written out step by step

Installation notes

Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.

1. Disconnect from the network before you start.
2. Extract the archive to any folder, the package is small.
3. Run the installer as administrator and decline any optional extras offered.
4. Do not launch it yet, apply the included activation step first.
5. Open it once, set your default output folder, then close it.
6. Reconnect to the network.

System requirements

Things worth knowing

• Set the output folder to a drive with room before starting a large batch, converted video grows quickly.
• Hardware encoding is much faster but slightly lower quality at the same bitrate, use software encoding for anything being kept.
• Decline the optional extras during install, they are unrelated to the converter and add nothing.

Questions about this title

What people are saying

Listing information

This entry is catalogued under Utilities & Tools and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, 62 interface languages, and the supported platform list is Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11. Version 5.22.0 is the current catalogued build, last checked 1 week ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 4 years ago.