Online file format converter reviewed

It happens to all of us.  We get a file from someone and it isn’t in a format you can use.  Or the reverse where you want to send a file to someone and they don’t have x application.  Maddening as it is, there are ways to deal with this.  For simple stuff sometimes you can just use Save As… or Export functions in the app you created the file in.  Sometime it isn’t that simple and you need some help.  Back in the day there was a must-have add on for Macs called MacLink Plus (I think).  It offered hundreds of converters.  You could pretty much open and save to any format known to computerdom.  Those days are gone, thankfully, because MacLink Plus gave support folks like me headaches at times.  Any way frantic industries has done a review of five online file converters.  The results are quite mixed so the article is a good read if you are in this game:

Online file format conversion is a tiny niche within the huge Web 2.0 space, where startups base their hopes of success on the fact that most users don’t know how to convert a file from one format to another. This is not a bad idea. How to convert an MP3 to a ringtone, or how to convert a DVD to DivX are questions asked by millions every day, and with a reason: converting video files from one format to another, and doing it well, can be a complicated task.
Source: 5 online file format converters reviewed – franticindustries.

Me I really try to stick to simple file formats.  Boring, maybe, but easier.  For complex things, I like to have software local. In a pinch it might be good if you’re at a client site or something.