Now that the Internet has provided everyday people with many of the same video editing tools and capabilities that the professionals use, many of us have decided to take the plunge, and spruce up our video files with quality editing effects. One company that does an admirable job of providing the software support for such functions is VSO Software.

The firm is located in Toulouse, in the southwest of France, a country of course known for its dedication to the arts. The company opened in 2002, and grew from its origins as a simple burning (copying) application company, to a multimedia editing software provider that has been recognized worldwide. The firm’s website announces its dedication to producing “high quality software with easy to use programs for users of all levels.” The firm’s products are directed primarily to end users, ranging from beginners with no PC experience to professionals, and they also support commercial solutions.

All of the firm’s software is developed in-house. The company is essentially composed of a team of developers, rather than a team of marketers who license software from others, and then package and resell. As a result of this, the firm knows their own products inside and out, and take pride in developing applications that are the best in their fields, and that combine speed and quality. And toward that end, the firm produces beta versions for skilled contributors to work on, and welcomes feature requests. The result is award-winning software that has earned the respect of leading reviewing agencies.

Europe is of course a highly literate part of the world, a region where many, if not most, people are multilingual, and the company brings that attitude to its products, producing software that is available in over twenty languages.

Featured Products

The firm offers a ConvertXtoDVD product, which will convert internet movie files to DVD and then allow them to be played anywhere. This software does fast conversions, creates DVD menus, and provides excellent quality. Their ConvertXtoVideo software converts videos into any format, and serves as an all-in-one tool allowing the converted video to be played on any device. This universal converted also contains editing options, and is designed both for beginners and pros.

Now, if you are a Blu-ray kind of person, VSO Software offers you their ConvertXtoHD product, which converts to Blu-ray or AVCHD. This software includes image and video editing as well as a Blue-ray menu function. And if you are starting out with DVD’s their DVD Converter will take those discs and turn them into any format at all – including AVI, MKV, DVD, Ipad, Xbox, PS3, and others.

The firm also produced a Blu-ray Converter, which shifts Blue ray files to other formats. They produce tqo free products as well – a VSO Downloader, which downloads video streaming content as you surf the Web, and a VSO Media Player.

Prices

VSO Software states that its pricing is “fixed and fair,” with different pricing models offered that can accommodate different users’ needs and finances. The software you buy, moreover, presents clear licensing schemes involving no hidden charges. We approve of this approach.

The ConverXtoDVD and ConverXtoVideo products are $39.95, and all their other products we have mentioned are $29.95. And of course, the VSO Downloader and VSO Media Player, remarkably, are free.

You can select a one-year upgrade, or go with a lifetime upgrade, and once you purchase a license, you can use the version you purchased for life. In order to qualify for the use of future tech advances, you can renew the license yearly at a discounted price or consider the Lifetime option. The firm reaches out to customers who are on a budget with a Trial Pay option, and a program that allows you to receive the firm’s software free if you buy any of certain listed goods from certain listed partners.

The firm also offers a Goldmembership, though you will need to inquire as to the price. This membership provides you with a lifetime license to every product the company has, so it is literally the key to the kingdom.

Criticism

The majority of comments that we have found at various forums relating to the company were more in the area of appreciation than critique. Most of the commenters described with approval the ease of use of the firm’s software, and its remarkable client-oriented customer service, which we examine separately. Many people were particularly pleased with the free offerings, the VSO Downloader and the VSO Media Player. The firm scored a real home run with those products, which many people seemed to have started with. Once they became familiar with the user interfaces for those products, many went forward and purchased more of what the company offers.

Customer Service

The firm guarantees that any customer inquiry will be answered within 24 hours (except for weekends – the French do love their leisure), and in any of five languages. They also produce a monthly newsletter and encourage you to subscribe in order to keep up on their latest technological innovations. They also maintain and support dedicated user forums where customers can troubleshoot each other’s problems and issues with a moderating joining in as needed.

But the outreach to customers in this technical area doesn’t stop there. The firm also has produced an impressive array of guides and manuals, and they even have their own YouTube channel containing a remarkable number of video guides. Add in their Facebook and Twitter accounts, and their own blog, and you have one of the best customer support operations that we have ever surveyed.

The firm offers a free trial version of every product it makes, and they advise you to test the software before buying. They only offer refunds if a technical issue cannot be resolved. The support they offer for such technical issues however is intensive, and it is unlikely that they won’t be able to figure out what the problem is. Also, the trial versions are not in any way limited in their functions, but only in the period of time during which they can be used. We find this policy quite reasonable, and ultimately quite client-oriented.

If you order with Avangate or Regnow, you can add the option of receiving a backup CD, which will be sent to you by mail. If you select the ShareIt or PayPal options, however, you will not have the CD option, so consider whether you want that extra assurance before you select a purchase method.

Final Thoughts

There are a number of firms that provide video formatting and conversion services, but we have not come across any with the dedication to their own original software production, and to customer services, as we have seen with VSO Software. This may have to do with the fact that the company truly started as a garage operation by two friends who simply enjoyed producing software. We have left for the end the story of how they grew from a first breakthrough product into a well-recognized video-oriented software company serving the consumer and business markets. But it does seem as though much of that early spirit of pioneering work, done out of a pure joy of creation and service, has remained a part of the company’s mission. And so it is that we can heartily recommend VSO Software to those of you who need video or audio conversion functionality, extending to mobile and other devices, or any of the firm’s other solidly produced software products.