TiVo Desktop Plus adds Pre to TV exporting; other options available for everybody else

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Derek Kessler | Mon, 14 Jun 2010 8:33 am EDT |

Attention TiVo and Palm Pre owners (a minority of minorities, it would seem): TiVo Desktop Plus has received an update that bakes in exporting support for a number of new devices, the Palm Pre included. Version 2.8.1 exports in the most standard of standard video formats - mp4 - and shrinks the video down to the 320x480 resolution of the Palm Pre. Of course, usage of TiVo Desktop Plus is contingent upon your owning a TiVo box, and we know that most of you don’t have such things tucked away in your A/V cabinets. So you might be asking, what about me? After the break we break down a few of the options for the rest of us.

Handbrake, Free. [Mac] If you’re into a zillion options, open source software, and functional but not all that pretty interfaces, Handbrake is the option for you. Not only can Handbrake transcode videos that are already on your computer to webOS-friendly formats, you can also easily use it to rip your DVDs to your Mac for viewing and sharing in whatever way you see fit.

Any Video Converter, Free. [PC] As the name would seem to imply, Any Video Converter will transcode video for you from just about any format into just about any format, including the almighty mp4. While Any Video Converter does not have support for DVD ripping, if you’re willing to fork over the $29.95 for the Professional version, you do get the option to download videos from YouTube and Google Video.

Media Converter, Free. [browser-based] Lastly, if you’re not all too keen on installing somebody else’s software on your box (or you simply can’t), there’s an online solution: mediaconverter.org. The free-to-use service supports more than a dozen formats and can pull videos off of popular sites like YouTube, Facebook, MetaCafe, and more. Either way, you upload (or transload) your video file and the conversion takes place up in the cloud. The free-to-use side of the site offers up to 100 MB file size conversions and up to five per day, whereas the subscription side (prices range from $4 for a week to $150 for a year) offers higher quality and faster transcodings with more options for online video sites.

Of course, those are just a few of the options out there. Video converters in the comments, what’s your favorite tool?

Via: Engadget HD
Source: TiVo

Thanks to everybody that sent this in!