Format Factory
A batch converter that takes almost any audio, video, image or disc source and writes it back out in whichever format the target device actually accepts.
About Format Factory
Format Factory exists for the moment a file will not play on the thing it needs to play on. It converts between the video, audio and image formats in common use, reads from optical discs and disc images, and pulls audio out of a video track, all from one window with a queue that runs unattended once it is filled.
The conversion presets are organised by destination rather than by codec, which is the right way round for most people. Choosing a target device or a target quality level sets the container, codec, bitrate and resolution together, while the advanced panel underneath exposes every one of those settings individually for anyone who wants to drive it directly.
Batch work is where it saves real time. A folder of a few hundred files converts in one pass with the same settings applied, output naming follows a pattern rather than being typed per file, and the queue can be told to shut the machine down when the last job finishes. Jobs that fail are reported at the end instead of stopping the run.
The utility side is larger than the name suggests. There is a media joiner and splitter, a trimming and cropping stage before conversion, a subtitle and watermark overlay, an image resizer with rotation and format conversion, a disc ripper, and a repair pass for video files with damaged indexes that will not seek properly.
What is included in this build
- Conversion across the common video, audio and image formats
- Presets organised by destination device with full manual settings underneath
- Batch queue processing entire folders unattended
- Audio extraction from video sources in one step
- Trim, crop, join and split stages applied before conversion
- Subtitle and watermark overlay burned in during conversion
- Disc and disc image ripping to file based formats
- Repair pass for video files with damaged seek indexes
Changed in version 5.22.0
- Additional target device presets added
- Faster hardware accelerated encoding where a supported GPU is present
- Improved handling of very long files during the joining stage
- Corrected subtitle timing when burning in on trimmed output
- Reduced memory use on queues with several hundred jobs
Installation walkthrough
These steps assume a clean machine. If a previous release of the same application is present, deal with that first, since an overlapping install is the most common cause of a setup that stops halfway.
- Extract the archive to any folder with a short path.
- Run the installer as administrator and read the optional component screen carefully.
- Decline any bundled extras offered during setup if they are not wanted.
- Choose the interface language on first launch.
- Set the output folder before queueing the first batch.
System requirements and file details
| Developer | Free Time |
|---|---|
| Release type | Full build |
| Licence | Full version |
| Languages | Multilingual (30 interface languages) |
| Platforms | Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and 11, 32-bit and 64-bit |
| Processor | Dual core or better, quad core for high resolution work |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum, 8 GB for large batches |
| Graphics | Optional GPU hardware encoding support |
| Disk space | 300 MB free plus space for output |
| Installer type | Offline installer |
| Architecture | 32-bit and 64-bit |
| Sources | Files, folders, optical discs and disc images |
| Queue | Unattended batch with shutdown on completion |
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