Roxio Announces Crunch Video Converter

by Michael Perlman

Published on May 9, 2007 1:30 PM
Add to My Yahoo!




May 9, 2007—After four months of development, Roxio announced yesterday the release of Crunch, a program that provides full video conversion support for the new Apple TV and iPhone. With Crunch, users will now be able to convert and export various forms of video files to the two new devices, in addition to iPods.
 
"The general rule is if it plays on QuickTime or any other player, it will work with Crunch," says Chris Taylor, Director of Marketing and Communications, Sonic Solutions/Roxio. “Crunch is a really nice application for Apple users, but we don’t want Windows users to feel left out in the cold. The dual-platform version is coming.”  
 
Roxio Crunch enables users to convert DV, AVI, MOV, and MPEG-4 files for output to the new Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod. Files unsupported by QuickTime, such as MPEG-2 and DivX can also be converted and exported, along with DVD movies and discs created in Toast, iDVD, DVD Studio Pro, and other DVD authoring applications. Crunch also enables users to batch capture video files for faster output, and provides multiple MPEG-4 and H.264 quality settings.
 
Owners of AVCHD camcorders are posed with an additional hurdle, as Crunch does not offer AVCHD file support. These files are not widely compatible with many programs, and must be converted before being imported into Crunch. Mac users catch the brunt of the AVCHD quandary, as the new format is not compatible with Apple computers. Despite this incompatibility issue, Taylor explains that “this [AVCHD support] is something we may look to add in the future.”
 


Batch capture with Crunch

For those aiming to export content to alternative devices such as a Blackberry or PSP, Roxio’s Easy Media Creator offers compatibility. The program features a split screen drag-and-drop profile that is optimized according to the output device. While consumers may find Easy Media Creator handy for outputting their content on a cell phone or other form of handheld media, businesses are also drawn to the program for its compatibility with high-end mobile devices, according to Roxio.     
 
Roxio Crunch is currently available for Mac OS X at www.roxio.com for $39.99. The dual-platform Mac/Windows application will hit the shelves later this summer at a retail price of $49.99.
 

Custom DVD Options