There are lots of video formats out there, and lots of devices to play them on. At some point, you’ll be faced with a video file that won’t play on your device. Here are three options to look at:

Any Video Converter and Any Video Converter for Mac —   Any Video Converter is freeware  that converts videos from one format to another. There are also fancier paid versions for each operating system. I use the free Windows version to convert .mpg files, which don’t play on my laptop, to .wmv files, which do. Warning: some users have reported online that the free version plants unwanted programs on their computers. I have strong anti-virus and anti-malware on my machines, and haven’t had a problem. Your mileage may vary — as with all software you download, use caution.

Azul — As much as I love my iPhone and iPad, I am occasionally reminded that Apple and Microsoft don’t always play well together. For example, when I want to play a Windows Media file on my tablet. Azul is a media player for iOS devices. It has a lot of bells and whistles, but my primary use for it is to play videos when the iPad or iPhone’s regular player won’t.

Zamzar — a web-based alternative if you need to convert video files, can wait a little while for them, and don’t want to put a product like Any Video Converter or Azul on your device. Zamzar claims to support 1200 video and audio formats. You upload your file, specify the format you’d like to have the file in, plug in your email address, and wait. A short time later (usually within 10 minutes) you get an email with a download link. The basic version is free, but limits you to files of 100MB or less. If you have larger files, there are several paid plans.

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