Why would you want to do convert AVI to MPEG? Well, there are many popular multimedia devices available today, including iPods and iPhones, MP3 and MP4 players, cell phones, Blackberries and so forth. If you want to share your videos, watch them on other media, or even edit them, you need conversion software to help you do that. Otherwise your video files will only run on those devices that use that particular multimedia file type.

Converting AVI to MPEG requires the use of a video conversion utility, which is often referred to as a “converter”. Some converters are so simple that all you have to do is open the program, click on an AVI file, then click Convert…and the software takes over. Others, with more features and conversion file types, are more complicated to use, but allow you to do so much more with your videos. If ease of use is important to you, you actually might consider having more than one specialized utility.

One of the things to look for in a video conversion utility, assuming you have media devices using different file types, is its ability to convert a wide variety of media file formats to a great number of other media file formats. You might also be interested in converting simply to audio files, at which point make sure the converter you get can do that as well.

For many people, another feature to look for will be the ability to split videos into smaller pieces as well as edit things such as bit rate, video size, etc. The speed of conversion is also very important, particularly if you have large files. Also, make the appropriate encoders/decoders are built in. You do not have to want to waste time trying to install additional software or read often-incomprehensible instructions.

Another thing to be aware of is to be extremely careful of free programs. Sadly, many free video conversion utilities are written specifically to install trojans, spyware and other malicious software programs. If you find a free utility offered, make sure you search for the software name plus “reviews”. Unhappy former users are more than happy to warn the rest of the world about these products. Indeed, checking the reviews before buying any conversion utility is probably a good idea.