Curlew and Selene – Two great alternatives to Format Factory for Linux

Diolinux

Looking for a program to convert multimedia files on Linux? So I have two great program suggestions for you, Curlew and Selene Media Encoder.

I was chatting with one of the blog readers this week and he asked me for some suggestions for programs to convert media that had functionality similar to Format Factory for Windows (Format Factory works for Wine if you want), I commented on some and said that would do this post to show the two that I consider best.

Curlew

Curlew Ubuntu Media Converter

Curlew is a simple conversion application, it allows you to convert audio and video in several different formats, more than 80 formats supported.

Installation on Ubuntu or Linux Mint is done via a PPA, or you can download the program files directly from Source Forge.

PPA: ppa: noobslab / apps

Tip: See how to install a PPA without using the terminal.

If you prefer to do it through the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/apps 
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install curlew

Once installed, regardless of the method you have chosen, you will find the program icon in the system menu.

Selene Media Encoder

Another good option is the Selene Media Encoder, it is as simple to use as Curlew, however, it supports less formats than Curlew.

Selene Media Encoder

Altogether there are 11 supported formats, the number may not be as big but you can find Selene in the main formats, so it should suit most people.

The installation process is the same as for Curlew, in fact, they are in the same PPA. So if you haven’t installed it before, add it now: ppa: noobslab / apps

Tip: See how to install a PPA without using the terminal.

If you prefer to do it through the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/apps 
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install selene

And again, regardless of the method you choose, just search for “Selene” in your system’s menu to find the program.

Another converter suggestions that you can use are:

– Handbrake

– Format Junkie

And of course, the truth is that whoever can do it even without an interface, just using the terminal, but this is for another chapter of our blog.

To the next!