ShanaEncoder is an audio and video encoding program based on FFmpeg and designed for both beginners and professionals.

You can open most file formats by going to File, Open or you can drag and drop it right into the programs main window. You can then choose from numerous options and preferences. On the right, you will find converting settings you can access quickly. There are a lot of choices here broken down into categories including Convert, Copy, Apple, Cowon, HTC, Invio, Iriver, LG, Mando, MobilePhone, Samsung, Sony, and YujinPNP. We didn't count but there must be 50 possible formats to convert to.

Once you've made your choice, simply select start. We were able to convert a 18MB MP4 video to a 13MB AVI in under a minute.

Free encoders or converters do exist out there but can be hit or miss. ShanaEncoder can convert to just about any format for free. While it does give you the generic format to which your converting (Apple, HTC) it should also let you know exactly what you're converting to (AVI, MPEG, MP4, etc.).