Adapter 1.4 converts video for new iPad's retina display
If you’re a PC user looking for a free tool to both download and convert video between a large number of different formats, you’re well covered, with the likes of Freemake Video Converter offering all the tools you need. But what if you’re a Mac user?
Free video downloading and converting tools, such as MacTubes and Handbrake exist, but you end up mixing and matching to get the functionality you want. Not any more: now Mac users can get all these features in a single free tool, called Adapter 1.4.
Adapter, which is also available for Windows, allows you to convert to and from a wide variety of formats -- while Handbrake supports a large number of input formats, you can only output to MP4 or MKV. Adapter, by contrast, also supports AVI, MPG and even Flash video as output formats too.
As you’d expect with a tool like this, you can either manually tweak your output settings to perfection, or choose from a variety of presets covering a wide number of consoles and mobile devices -- version 1.4 added support for the new iPad’s retina display and Apple TV 2.
Adapter also features a video trimming tool, which allows you to shave the beginning and end of your video to remove unwanted extras. You can even extract the audio from a video track for listening to independently.
The program also comes with its own built-in web browser, which allows you to go hunting for Flash-based video such as that hosted on YouTube. It’ll automatically add video to a downloads panel, and from here you can download and convert for viewing on your computer or portable device when offline.
As we stated earlier, Adapter is also available for Windows users, although its development seems to have stalled (the current version is 1.0.30). Since that release, the Mac version has evolved a brand new interface, plus improved conversion filters and added support for a wider range of devices. One reason to download it sooner rather than later, however, is this line from the program’s FAQ: “How much does Adapter cost? Adapter is free for a limited time.”
With that in mind, you might want to hurry over to our download site now: Adapter is available as a freeware download for both Mac (version 1.4) and Windows (version 1.0.30).