diff --git a/Program.cs b/Program.cs
index 71172e7..f8d93da 100644
--- a/Program.cs
+++ b/Program.cs
@@ -113,22 +113,23 @@ namespace ttrss_co_client
             }
             Console.WriteLine($"{remainingWork.Count} phase 2 workorders, between pulled from ttrss and read from files");
 
+            Phase2Task.TtrssClient = ttrssClient;
+            Phase2Task.Conf = conf;
+            var phase2TaskTypes = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies()
+                .SelectMany(domainAssembly => domainAssembly.GetTypes())
+                .Where(type => type.IsSubclassOf(typeof(Phase2Task)) && !type.IsAbstract)
+                .ToList();
+            var phase2TaskConcretions = new List<Phase2Task>();
+            foreach (var phase2TaskType in phase2TaskTypes)
+            {
+                var concretion = (Phase2Task) Activator.CreateInstance(phase2TaskType);
+                phase2TaskConcretions.Add(concretion);
+            }
+
             while(remainingWork.Count > 0) 
             {
                 //todo: solve the halting problem
-                //ok but seriously, 
-                Phase2Task.TtrssClient = ttrssClient;
-                Phase2Task.Conf = conf;
-                var phase2TaskTypes = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies()
-                    .SelectMany(domainAssembly => domainAssembly.GetTypes())
-                    .Where(type => type.IsSubclassOf(typeof(Phase2Task)) && !type.IsAbstract)
-                    .ToList();
-                var phase2TaskConcretions = new List<Phase2Task>();
-                foreach (var phase2TaskType in phase2TaskTypes)
-                {
-                    var concretion = (Phase2Task) Activator.CreateInstance(phase2TaskType);
-                    phase2TaskConcretions.Add(concretion);
-                }
+                //ok but seriously, maybe I could time out work orders after a while? but converting a 3-hour 4k video could easily take an hour!
                 Console.WriteLine($"{phase2TaskConcretions.Count()} phase 2 task types understood");
 
                 var Phase2Tasks = new List<Task<Tuple<Phase2Task.TaskStatus, WorkOrder>>>();
@@ -157,10 +158,12 @@ namespace ttrss_co_client
                 foreach(var lingeringTask in Phase2Tasks)
                 {
                     var wo = await lingeringTask;
+                     //if you tell me it's done, or you need to continue now.... I believe you.
+                     //TODO: be smart enough to override?
                     switch (wo.Item1)
                     {
                         case Phase2Task.TaskStatus.Done:
-                        // :)
+                            // :)
                         break;
                         case Phase2Task.TaskStatus.ContinueNow:
                             remainingWork.Add(wo.Item2);
@@ -170,7 +173,7 @@ namespace ttrss_co_client
                         break;
                     }
                 }
-    Console.WriteLine($"{remainingWork.Count} phase 2 tasks not complete - should be picked up next run..");
+                Console.WriteLine($"{remainingWork.Count} phase 2 tasks to be re-looped.");
             }
 #endregion
     await ttrssClient.Logout();
diff --git a/tasks/Convert.cs b/tasks/Convert.cs
index b4adec3..e5a659c 100644
--- a/tasks/Convert.cs
+++ b/tasks/Convert.cs
@@ -1,15 +1,45 @@
-// using System.Diagnostics;
-// using ttrss_co_client.ttrss;
-// using ttrss_co_client.ttrss.datastructures;
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using ttrss_co_client.ttrss;
+using ttrss_co_client.ttrss.datastructures;
 
-// namespace ttrss_co_client.tasks
-// {
-//     ///<summary>ffmpegify</summary>
-//     public class Convert : Phase2Task
-//     {
-//         public override async Task<WorkOrder> ActOn(WorkOrder wo)
-//         {
+namespace ttrss_co_client.tasks
+{
+    ///<summary>ffmpegify</summary>
+    public class Convert : Phase2Task
+    {
+        public override string TaskName => "convert";
+        public override async Task<Tuple<TaskStatus, WorkOrder>> ActOn(WorkOrder wo)
+        {
+            var article = (await TtrssClient.GetArticles(wo.articleId))?.FirstOrDefault();
+            if(article == null){
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"article {wo.articleId} couldn't be retrieved!");
+                return null;
+            }
+            var sw = new Stopwatch();
+            sw.Start();
+            var conversionProc = Process.Start("ffmpeg", $"-y -i \"{wo.data["path"]}\" \"{wo.data["conversion-target"]}\"");
+            conversionProc.WaitForExit();
+            sw.Stop();
+            if(File.Exists(wo.data["conversion-target"]))
+            {
+                Console.WriteLine($"    converted {wo.data["path"]} -> {wo.data["conversion-target"]}");
+                File.Delete(wo.data["path"]);
+                wo.data["path"] = wo.data["conversion-target"];
+            }
+            
 
-//         }
-//     }
-// }
\ No newline at end of file
+            var outputStr = $"converted in {sw.Elapsed}";
+            Console.WriteLine(outputStr);
+            //re-get, in case conversion took a long time
+            article = (await TtrssClient.GetArticles(wo.articleId))?.FirstOrDefault();
+            await TtrssClient.UpdateArticleNote($"{article.note}\n{outputStr}", article.id);
+            var toReturn = new Tuple<TaskStatus, WorkOrder>(TaskStatus.ContinueNow, wo);
+            if(!wo.Phase2TaskList.Any())
+            {
+                Console.Error.WriteLine($"work order {wo.guid} came to conversion, but thinks its done?");
+                return new Tuple<TaskStatus, WorkOrder>(TaskStatus.Done, null);
+            }
+            return toReturn;
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tasks/Phase2Task.cs b/tasks/Phase2Task.cs
index f1e8943..94b6b61 100644
--- a/tasks/Phase2Task.cs
+++ b/tasks/Phase2Task.cs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ namespace ttrss_co_client.tasks
     ///<summary>convert, rip ads, etc</summary>
     public abstract class Phase2Task
     {
-        public string TaskName { get { return this.GetType().ToString(); } }
+        public virtual string TaskName { get { return this.GetType().ToString(); } }
         public static ApiClient TtrssClient { get; set; }
         public static Configuration Conf { get; set; }
         
diff --git a/tasks/StandardDL.cs b/tasks/StandardDL.cs
index 0a4ccc3..c41bd86 100644
--- a/tasks/StandardDL.cs
+++ b/tasks/StandardDL.cs
@@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ namespace ttrss_co_client.tasks
                 Console.WriteLine($"    {headline.link} -> {res.Data}\n{outputStr}");
                 await TtrssClient.SetArticleLabel(labelsWRTArticle.First(l => l.caption?.ToLower() == this.TriggerLabel.ToLower()).id, false, headline.id);
                 Console.WriteLine($"    {headline.title}: label removed");
+                await TtrssClient.UpdateArticleNote($"{headline.note}\n[{DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()}] - standard dl {(res.Success ? "success" : "failure")}; {string.Join('\n', res.ErrorOutput)}", headline.id);
                 if (!res.Success)
                 {
-                    await TtrssClient.UpdateArticleNote($"{headline.note}\n[{DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()}] - standard dl failed; {string.Join('\n', res.ErrorOutput)}", headline.id);
                     return null;
                 }
                 else