Media Cleaner Pro 4.0 Review

Media Cleaner Pro 4.0 from Terran Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media 100, Inc. is a highest quality software tool for converting and optimizing video and audio files. Its primary focus is for online delivery as well as for DVD, CD-ROM, PowerPoint presentations, and other digital imagery. Media Cleaner Pro 4.0 is a cross-platform media compression tool supporting QuickTime 4 (including streaming), RealSystem G2 (RealVideo), Windows Media Technologies (NetShow), AVI, MPEG, DV, still images, various audio formats including MP3 and others.

The supported audio formats, include AIFF/AICF, AU, DV, QuickTime, Sound Designer II, System 7 Sound, and WAV. Media Cleaner outputs QuickTime Movies (including QDesign Music Codec), AIFF, DV, MP3 (MPEG-2, Layer III audio), RealAudio/RealSystem G2, System 7 Sound, and WAV. Its minimum requirements for the Mac are Macintosh PowerPC™ processor or equivalent, MacOS™ 8.0 or later, QuickTime™ 3.0 or later, 16 MB of application RAM, 16-bit monitor (24-bit recommended).

On the Windows 95/98/NT4 Pentium™ or equivalent processor, QuickTime 3.0 or later, 32 MB RAM for Windows 95/98, 64 MB RAM for Windows NT, 16-bit monitor (24-bit recommended). The Mac and Windows versions are sold separately. Media Cleaner Pro works with all major video capture cards, including Pinnacle System’s Targa 2000 and Bravado, VideoVision Studio and Telecast, Avid Media Composer, Media 100, Miro capture cards, and all AV Macintoshes.

On the Windows 95/98/NT4 Pentium™ or equivalent processor, QuickTime 3.0 or later, 32 MB RAM for Windows 95/98, 64 MB RAM for Windows NT, 16-bit monitor (24-bit recommended). The Mac and Windows versions are sold separately. Media Cleaner Pro works with all major video capture cards, including Pinnacle System’s Targa 2000 and Bravado, VideoVision Studio and Telecast, Avid Media Composer, Media 100, Miro capture cards, and all AV Macintoshes.

New Formats and Input/Output Options 
Media Cleaner 4 enables you to losslessly convert between certain formats. For example, you can now easily convert QuickTime movies to AVI files without recompression. In the past, developers have used tools such as “TRMOOV” and “SmartVid” for format conversion – Cleaner is now the only tool you’ll need for this task. Plus, Cleaner enables you to losslessly convert just the video or audio track, and recompress the other track as needed. This allows you to easily handle movies that use codecs unavailable in the new format. It supports QuickTime Streaming alternate movies, including mixing streaming and progressive download versions. Media Cleaner now produces a text file to help you keep track of the display criteria and final destinations of all your alternate versions.

Audio Processing 
The new audio processing of Media Cleaner Pro 4 produces substantially higher-quality results than past versions. Cleaner now offers professional-quality resampling, as well as a wide range of “clean-up” filters, such as Noise Removal, Noise Gate, High/Low Pass, and more. Cleaner also offers filters such as Dynamic Range Compression and Reverb, which allow you to optimize your material for delivery and improve subjective quality. Media Cleaner includes a smoothing filter for audio, which is useful for removing high-pitched hiss and noise. This smoothing filter often improves the final results of low data rate Web audio. Media Cleaner converts between 8 and 16 bit audio in one easy step.

Media Cleaner Compression Suite 
The Media Cleaner Compression Suite enables you to quickly and easily prepare the highest quality video and audio for the Web, broadband network, and more. Available for both Mac OS and Windows 95/98/NT, the Compression Suite is used by top professionals such as Mike Church at Universal Studios to deliver excellent online results. This powerful suite includes the award-winning Media Cleaner Pro, the Developer Edition of the Sorenson Video, and the Professional Edition of the QDesign Music Codec. It also includes Terran’s step-by-step instructional guide on how to produce high-quality QuickTime. Bought separately, these products cost over $100 more than the Compression Suite.

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