Most programs that play audio and video on a computer can play most file formats. In some situations however, the end user may have to convert files for compatibility reasons. Since most programs do not have this functionality built in, a piece of converting software will be needed to convert files from mkv to mp4, flv to mp4, and avi to mp4.

Luckily, the majority of conversion software is free to download from the internet. Doing a simple search for software to convert audio files will result in numerous programs that will suffice. Downloader be warned, not all free software is what it seems. Most of the freely available conversion programs are great but some will contain viruses and malware that will cause major problems. In addition, some of the converters tend to be complicated and are designed for professionals only.

Do not download anything unless you have reviewed the program specifications. Make sure that the program is designed to run on the OS that is installed and make sure the system has the proper amount of available resources to run the program. Attempting to run a program on a system short of resources will just cause the conversion process to bog down and take hours.

Below is a quick summary of some of the best converting software programs available. All of the software products listed here are capable of converting multiple formats and will do a great job for the average computer user.

Zamzar

Sometimes, downloading programs to convert audio and video files is not necessary. Zamzar is a conversion website where all conversions are done online instead of locally. Doing conversions online save the computer user from having to download software yet still provide the full functionality of being able to convert multiple formats such as avi, mkv and flv for your mp3 mp4 mp5 players.

The site is free to use up to file sizes of 100MB. Anything larger requires a paid membership. The conversion process is quite simple. The user simply uploads their file to the site. Then, it is as easy as selecting the type of file to be converted to. Then, the user enters their email address and Zamzar with notify them when the file has finished converting via email. The completed and converted file can then be downloaded via the link provided in the email.

Prices for Zamzar range between seven to forty-nine dollars a month depending on the level of membership selected. More information can be found on zanmar.com.

Any Video Converter

For those that want to convert their audio and video files locally there is Any Video Converter. This locally installed program is strongest in the video conversion realm but will also do a great job with audio files. The program can be downloaded for free from www.any-video-converter.com. The one limitation is that it can not convert mkv to mp4 but can handle anything else.

Like any free downloads, there are some limitations in the free versions but the conversions in the free version should suffice for most users. The paid versions offer mkv to mp4 and a whole host of additional video conversion formats.

Converting any type of audio or video file is not rocket science. The ease of conversion does however depend much on the quality of the conversion program that the user downloads. Sticking with the tried and true programs will help any novice converter.