I have downloaded and tried many different programs which have pretty much all sucked, but I found WinAvi 6.3 and after working out a few bugs, its GREAT.. It's very easy to use. It can convert and burn all in one program, and its SO FAST. HOWEVER... most of the videos I download are soo dark, they need to be brightened and WinAvi can't do it. I have used CucuSoft to convert the files so I can brighten them.. but it takes like 5 hours! It's ridiculous. Anyone know of another program thats as FAST and SIMPLE as WinAvi that allows you to brighten the movies???
You can adjust brightness and contrast in VirtualDub using filters. It's freeware with links here on AfterDawn.