Convert your videos for the iPhone or iPod for free

[MUSIC] ^M00:00:07 >> [Brian Tong:] You probably have a lot of videos on your computer that you'd like to put directly onto your iPhone or iPod. I'm Brian Tong with CNET.com, and I'll show you a few free video converter applications that will make it easy for you. Now HandBrake is definitely one of those apps -- I've talked about it before -- and it's available for both the Mac and PC, and best of all, it's free. Now, Mac users will use OS 10.5 to use it, but it supports converting file formats like MPEG 4, AVI, VOB files, and you can also convert your non-copyright-protected DVDs. So first up let's go to handbrake.fr to download the app. Once it's installed, I'll choose a video file that I want to convert, then on the right hand column, I'll choose what type of file I want to output it as, and you guys can choose between different iPod or iPhone formats and also formats for the game console of your choice. Now choose your destination, hit start, let the program do its work, and you'll have your file converted. Now HandBrake doesn't natively support Windows media files, so PC users should check out MediaCoder. So you'll want to go to mediacoder.sourceforge.net, click on the device link, and then you'll have the choice to download the version that you want. Once it's installed, just really similar to HandBrake: you'll choose your video file, the format you want it to be converted to, the destination, and press start to convert it. Now you might even like it as your primary converter, because it handles pretty much every type file you can think of. On the Mac side, download the free Flip4Mac plug-in that allows you to play Windows media files in the QuickTime application. Now I was able to successfully convert my WMV files using HandBrake with the Flip4Mac plug-in installed. But if that doesn't work for you, there's an app called WMV to iPhone Converter that does the job, but it's 19.95. There are plenty of other programs that you can pay 30 to 50 dollars for, but we wanted to show you the ones that are free or close to it. Once your video is converted, drop it into iTunes, sync up your iPhone or iPod, and your new video clips will be with you wherever you go. I'm Brian Tong for CNET.com; and those are some free apps that help convert your videos for your iPhone or iPod -- use 'em wisely. ^M00:02:09 [ MUSIC ]