DamnVid Video Converter

Not a recommendation (because I haven't played with it much) but rather just a mention:

DamnVid is a cross-platform FREE video converter.

What is DamnVid?

A video converter, first and foremost. It makes use of the wonderful FFmpeg library, used in other software like VLC Media Player or Google Chrome.
A video downloader. While DamnVid can convert local video files just fine, it can also download video streams from most video sharing websites. But what gives it the edge over other video downloaders and converters is that not only it does both the downloading and the converting, but it does them at the same time: it converts as it downloads, making the whole process much faster.
A cross-platform software that sucks less.

What isn't DamnVid?

A video editor. While it can do basic things like change the resolution, aspect ratio, or volume of the video, DamnVid is by no means a video editor.
A video player. DamnVid never plays anything.
A media library. DamnVid organizes its videos into customizable folders, but it stops there.
A DVD ripper.
A stable program. Seriously. It just sucks less. Everything is relative.