Product Reviews

DV Kitchen, from DV Creators, costs little more than a budget video encoder, yet offers a host of professional features. These include FTP uploading, bitrate calculation, watermarking and still-image exporting. In addition, the program boasts use of the x264 H.264 codec, touted by DV Creators as the highest-quality H.264 encoder on the planet.

The main interface is straightforward, following a logical left-to-right workflow. First, choose source material, then pick an encode preset, and finally choose an FTP or local destination. Like most professional encoders, DV Kitchen offers a raft of different outputs and codecs, including the ability to export to Windows Media and Flash video. However, one omission worthy of note is the lack of any presets for DVD encoding. Consequently, if you are looking to encode material for DVDs you should look elsewhere.

Besides straightforward encoding, there are three other well-implemented tools in DV Kitchen. The Bitrate Calculator is a useful, foolproof way to calculate the applicable bitrate for encodes. By using sliders to answer questions, the calculator advises on the recommended bitrate.

This bitrate can then be used in the SampleLab - part of the application that allows presets to be compared. Small samples of each preset are encoded. The playhead can then be positioned at any point in the encoded preset sample and directly compared to another. For example, press 1 then 3 to compare the same frame of preset 1 with preset

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3. The SampleLab allows bitrate data size/quality trade-offs to be gauged quickly and accurately. It's simple to use but incredibly useful, and therein lies its genius.

Timefreezer is a feature for exporting stills from within video media. Source footage can be jogged with the familiar J, K, L shuttle keys and the chosen frame exported as a still (Jpeg, PNG, Pict) image. This is another simple, effective and welcome tool.

While other encoding tools have attempted FTP upload functionality, none has got it quite right until DV Kitchen. Using the upload section of the interface, you can specify as many different FTP locations as you wish. Furthermore, you can browse FTP locations and select a directory within them. The benefits of this are twofold. Not only can you drill down to sub-directories easily, but it also ensures that the FTP details are correct for that particular server, eliminating the endless, infuriating failed uploads of something like Compressor.

Our overall impression of DV Kitchen is very favourable. Encoding is quick, extra tools such as the SampleLab are excellent and the program facilitates virtually every encoding eventuality we can think of - and all at a bargain price.

DV Kitchen isn't perfect, although our grumbles are mostly interface and workflow orientated. For example, we struggled initially to get the big green Go button to illuminate. Trial and error revealed we had to select a different preset applicable to that file or click 'reset'. Not a show-stopper, but counter-intuitive all the same.

Like most encoders, DV Kitchen also lacks a dock-based progress bar, la Toast. Such a minor addition would save endlessly switching applications to check encode progress. Hopefully, such minor interface issues will be addressed as the product matures (our version was 1.2.5).

Anyone who has spent time using professional encoding products such as Cleaner, Squeeze or Compressor will have invariably wondered whether professional encoding could be both easier and cheaper. DV Kitchen is proof that it can be.