Mobile Ministry Magazine: Watching Great Preaching!

Seeing mobile technology through the lens of Scripture

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Friday, October 13, 2006

Watching Great Preaching!

Of the things that I love most about my T3, the video capabilities are very close to the top of the list. With TCPMP to play nearly every known format, I have been quite content to use my Palm as a video iPod--with a million bonus features! However, there have been those occasions where either the file that I wanted to watch was enormous and unviewable with my little processor, or the format was some crazy mix of letters that I was not able to put straight into TCPMP.

Enter RAD Video Tools (Bink & Smacker--you have to love the name!). This fine utility is the FREE Video Tool that you have been wishing existed. Prior to finding this jewel, I spent hours pouring over Google Searches for free video conversion only to find about a million for-pay apps that only did half the job, or didn't really support my format after all.

I don't want to claim more for them than is reasonable. However, this is one program that I have kept the installer safely backed up "just in case".

Here are a couple of examples of tasks with which Bink & Smacker have won my heart:

I subscribe to The Resurgence, a great blog that happens to occasionally do video podcasts to put skin on the audio message that they put out on their podcast. One issue that TCPMP has had in the past is using Apple's mp4/m4v video stuff. I'm not even learned enough to give you the exact extension (hence my thankfulness for anyone who makes this easier). In Bink&Smacker, I just open the file, pick .avi as the format (tweak the screen resolution to fit, and lower the fps), press convert...and BINK-SMACK: I have an .avi of that great video podcast that will fit on my SD card and will be greatly appreciated as spiritual manna later in the day!

There have also been occasions that I've downloaded a great video sermon from Desiring God and as I try to watch it on my Palm, it freezes because it's just too big a file. Enter...you got it!...Bink & Smacker. I can reformat that size and get it down small enough to fit several on the 1 GB card.

I whole-heartedly encourage you to check out RAD Tools today. It's also fair to let you know that they definitely are grateful for those who can contribute to them for their excellent solutions.