There are file converters for all kinds of different files, whether you're converting between different video, audio, or image formats. This might be the first time, however, that we've encountered a program that does all of the above. FormatFactory is an ambitious program that's capable of converting images, videos, and audio files between a number of different formats. Unfortunately, it's not exactly capable of delivering everything it promises.

FormatFactory has a straightforward, intuitive interface; a menu on the left lets users select video, audio, picture, or ROM Device\DVD\CD\ISO. The Advanced menu option even lets users join files together. To use FormatFactory, simply select the kind of file you want to work with, browse to your source folder, confirm the files you want to convert, and click Start. FormatFactory made pretty quick work of most of our files, but its performance wasn't flawless. At one point it inexplicably crashed as we were selecting the files we wanted to convert. When we attempted to convert an MPG to a GIF, something that FormatFactory allegedly permits, it went through the motions of processing but then revealed no actual change in the file. The program comes with a built-in Help file that's not particularly detailed but does contain screenshots to help new users navigate FormatFactory's features. If you need to convert, split, and merge files in a variety of formats, we definitely think FormatFactory is worth checking out. Just be aware that it doesn't always perform as expected.