Convert vob to mp3 and split audio files

I seem to be on a roll this week of converting file formats. I received a vob file from a client, which I needed to convert to mp3 for transcription. It proved really easy using Audacity which you can download free here http://audacity.sourceforge.net/.

Like everything, unless I use a program regularly I do forget how it works and I usually need to do conversions quickly so haven't got time to learn how to use new programs etc. However I find Audacity really easy to use.

So here's how to do it:

Open Audacity

File > open your vob

File > 'export as mp3'

Then give Audacity a few minutes to do its thing.

Of course Audacity can be used for much more than just converting formats. I also used it to split the converted mp3 into separate files using the Trim facility. I just highlighted the part in the audio that I needed as a separate file and clicked Edit > Trim and saved the file under a new name.

What do you use to convert file formats? If you know of any programs that are really easy to use I would be very interested to hear about them.

m3u playlist - mp3 extraction fail

I was sent an m3u playlist. The client wanted an 11 minute transcription of an mp3 within the playlist, which was sourced from a website. I had to figure out how to extract the mp3 from the m3u and looked at various websites giving instructions on how to 'save as' or 'save target as'. Unfortunately I wasn't getting this option. Basically I couldn't find a quick and easy way of extracting the mp3 for transcription without downloading additional software.

So as the mp3 sound file was really clear and I only needed to transcribe 11 minutes I played it from the website and used my mobile phone Record Sound function to record the mp3. I then transferred the amr sound file from my mobile phone to my PC and used Switch to convert it from amr to mp3, which allowed me to load the mp3 into my transcription software... simple.

Put feeds on Your Web Page

Off the subject of transcription services, I thought this may be useful if you are looking to put feeds on your website. I certainly found it very useful.

I wanted to put a blog feed on my website. Searches on the internet were coming up with software one could purchase and complicated (to me anyway) javascript coding.

I knew there must be an easier way of incorporating a feed into an HTML website and hey presto I found it in the form of Google AJAX Feed API. (Link removed as broken).

This enables you to 'Embed a Dynamic Feed Control on your web page and let your users see customised views of the feeds. Customise how the dynamic feed control should be displayed, and this wizard will write the code for you.'

This was perfect for what I wanted and was easy to use.

Convert M4V Video File to MP3

Today I had to download an MPEG-4 video file from iTunes for transcription for a client. I was unable to load the video file into my transcription software so I had to find a conversion tool. My wonderful tech support, Jon (who is also my husband), searched and found a tool at http://www.cucusoft.com/.

I downloaded the Cucusoft iPod Movie & Video Converter. It was really easy to use and took approximately 30 minutes to convert a 60 minute MPEG-4 to MP3. Problem solved!