Help me with converting videos?

[WhyBotherToTry]

I'm trying to convert videos from .mov to .avi so that I can edit them using Windows Movie Maker for a project I'm currently doing. I've managed to convert a few of the smaller ones using a website, but the rest are too big and the site won't let me convert them without paying for it. I downloaded a converter but for some reason anything I convert to an .avi using that won't play on movie maker. In addition, the ones I did manage to convert using the website have an extremely noticeable dip in framerate and the sound is not in synch with the video.

What I'm asking is, are there any good converters out there that I can download, or sites that I can use to convert files bigger than 100Mb? Is there any specific reason why the quality of the videos should drop so much after conversion? I've been stuck on this all week and I could do with a few pointers.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Whelp the converted .avis that Windows Movie Maker won't read are probably using a codec that it doesn't recognise, while the ones converted online probably lose a lot of quality because the online service is stingy on bandwidth and doesn't want to give you a high quality conversion. As for the solution, I suggest Total Video Converter. It's not free but I believe it has an trial without function restrictions which should get you through what you have. It basically converts anything to anything so you shouldn't have any problem finding something that works (I suggest wmv because it plays nice with Movie Maker).

 

[lechat]

it's not free but xilisoft video convertor http://www.xilisoft.com/video-converter.html can convert basically anything to anything. your other option is to get a better video editor than WMM. can't really suggest any since i usually use high end programs like 3dsmax and combustion when i do video editing

 

[Pacmanpth]

AppGeeker may be right up your alley as its is such an easy entry level encoder with good support for converting videos.
It's a nice little program that can convert back and forth from most formats. i have used it quite a bit to render from MOV to AVI format.
Check this source: convert mov to avi [http://www.ilikemall.com/how-to/convert-avi-to-mov-mac.html]
Not sure if it is much faster or easier than tools mentioned above, but it works very well on my computer.

 

[Frezzato]

VLC can also convert .MOV to .AVI, plus it's free.