VisualHub allows you to convert many different types of media from one format to another. While the first thing that comes up in many users minds is how can they leverage that to repurpose commercial content, for the Keynote user, this is an app you can use to convert most video files you find, be they .avi, .wmv, .mpg or others to QuickTime compatible files that can playback happily in Keynote. On the export side, you can create a non-interactive presentation, export to QuickTime, and then recompress it to .wmv or .mpg in order to be more compatible. It makes use of open source tools (and the developer gives the alterations made to the open source code back to the community!) and wraps them into what has to be one of the most intuitive interfaces for video compression that rivals tools that cost much more.

As with version 1.1, you can create iPod, PSP, DV, AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG-1, and Flash video with the click of a button from many common (and uncommon) formats. You can even burn hours and hours of video onto a DVD suitable for standalone DVD players. While 1.1.3 brought the first H.264/640×480 compressed video (outside of QuickTime/iTunes) at 640×480 to the iPod, it has been further refined since then (along with numerous bug and performance fixes). Now, your “backup” presentation on your iPod will look even better if you ever need to use it OR you can always be prepared for that impromptu meeting (be sure to ALWAYS carry your audio/video cable with you!)

Download and try out a demo of the software (limited to encoding approximately 2 minutes) from their “Try It” page to see if it will work with your content. Also review the detailed changelog to see all the most recent enhancements that have been added in the previous point releases. VisualHub is available for purchase for $23.32. Find out more at Techspansion.com.