There is no shortage of transcoders out there, which is, of course, software that converts media files from one format to another by essentially playing each frame and resaving it in sequence. That said, there is a shortage of free transcoders that work well and do their job quickly. MediaCoder, however, is just such a program.

Most transcoders require a great deal of tweaking and codec installation, but MC reduces this nonsense to a minimum. The base installer includes almost all the codecs (such as DivX) and utilities (such as LAME) you will need to convert almost any audio or video file into a different format and copies the files into their correct locations automatically. There are auxiliary installers for ripping DVDs with DeCSS and an ancient codec pack for dealing with, well, ancient multimedia files. There are extra plug-ins for specific CPU optimizations, but that is basically it.

The interface is at once straightforward and confusing. Selecting files or folders of files to convert is easy, but selecting different transcoding options involves two tabbed subsections of the main dialog box that make it easy to miss a key setting. Options for transcoding to portable devices such as the iPod, the PSP, the Zune, and several mobile phones are within the dialog box that appears after clicking the Extensions button in the toolbar. The documentation is sparse, requiring regular visits to the MediaCoder user forums for tips.

Still, there is no arguing with results. Directories filled with dozens of MOVs and AVIs were relatively quickly converted to DivXes with outstanding video and audio quality and with minimal intervention once the process was started.

The beta is a bit rough around the edges, crashing once or twice during my evaluation, but there is potential for MediaCoder, especially at its price of “free”

URL: mediacoder.sourceforge.net

In what appears to be a move toward combating Google Docs, Microsoft is expected to deliver a free but ad-funded version of Works known as SE 9 in coming months. As part of a small pilot program, MS will make the suite available in small numbers as an OEM preinstall and not as a download. Ads will reportedly appear whether a user is offline or online. An upgrade option to an ad-free Works version will run $39.95. Melissa Stern, senior Microsoft product manager, was quoted, the evaluating this business model to determine if it is viable for our customers and partners. As for the ads, Stern said they will be geared toward what users are doing with a given Works app (think budgeting or vacation planning) and not at the content they are generating.

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If you are applying to the University of Chicago, you better bone up on your PowerPoint skills due to a new requirement that would-be students must present a four-page slide presentation. The good news is that school officials will apparently let you select any topic or approach you want to take. To me this is just four pieces of blank paper. You do what you want. It can be a presentation. It can be poetry. It can be anything, Rose Martinelli, associate dean for student recruitment and admissions was quoted. The bad news is that it is still PowerPoint.

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