Creating minimal size file playable on any PC?

[whr76]

First post: Have a 3 min (100MB) VOB clip that I want to convert it to a format/size compatible as much as possible with email and playing on most any PC without special codecs...

So thus what format should I be looking to create? I will not be burning it, just having on HD. And how small can I get output file? Can you give some estimates? Audio quality is more important than video, as it's just someone making a quick speech.

As I understand it, both DivX and Xvid can't play with std Microsoft WMP? Or not true?

I have D/L and tested DVDZip as the trial allows 3 min clips...however, the output file is way too large so looked for alternative pgms...from various forums and tutorials, I have found and D/L (but not installed) AutoGK, VirtualDubMod and DVDx. Which of these would y'all suggest as prefered pgm to install, learn and use for this task? I am not using XP so any product just for that can't be answer.

Thanks for any assistance!

[Mug Funky]

either mpeg-1, mpeg-4 (both playable in quicktime), or WMV could help you.

i'd go with mpeg-4 AVC. it can be a little tricky making stuff that plays in quicktime, but it's well worth it to avoid crappy WMV.

mpeg-1 should only be used if you're targeting very old machines (like pentium 1).

[CWR03]

I use AimONE Video Converter (not free, but there's a demo) which can convert virtually any video format to RealMedia, Windows Media, MPEG-1 or -2, among others.

[whr76]

Thanks for the quick replies! But any clues on what file size I could expect? Given that it's 3 min of plain, almost no action video that takes 100MB in a VOB fmt?

I'm planning on the minimal width/height...I presume around 352x240 or so?

[Dmitry Vergheles]

First post: Have a 3 min (100MB) VOB clip that I want to convert it to a format/size compatible as much as possible with email and playing on most any PC without special codecs...

So thus what format should I be looking to create? I will not be burning it, just having on HD. And how small can I get output file? Can you give some estimates? Audio quality is more important than video, as it's just someone making a quick speech.

As I understand it, both DivX and Xvid can't play with std Microsoft WMP? Or not true?

I have D/L and tested DVDZip as the trial allows 3 min clips...however, the output file is way too large so looked for alternative pgms...from various forums and tutorials, I have found and D/L (but not installed) AutoGK, VirtualDubMod and DVDx. Which of these would y'all suggest as prefered pgm to install, learn and use for this task? I am not using XP so any product just for that can't be answer.

Thanks for any assistance!

If you need a format that can be decoded on most PCs it means that appropreate decoders have to be shipped with Windows OS (DirectX Runtime).

Firts of all it is MPEG1, since microsoft has own MPEG1 splitter and video/audio decoders. But an idea to transcode MPEG2 with D1 resolution and a bitrate about 5-6 MBit/sec to MPEG1 with SIF res/ and 1.5 Mbit/sec bitrate seems not to be very attractive.

Well, a second kind of video Microsoft supports is their own Windows Media.
You can make use of Windows Media Encoder app to perform your task.
I'd suggest you to choose old kind of codecs (e.g WMV1 or WMV2) to ensure that they are shipped with runtime. If you don't want of an audio quality degradation you can transcode it with WMAudio_Lossless.

[ammck55]

As I understand it, both DivX and Xvid can't play with std Microsoft WMP? Or not true? MS's Media Player will recognize and render Divx and XviD files as long as the pc they're played on has the respective codecs installed. If you're setting up for progressive or streaming downloads from the Web, you'll run into problems with people not having these codecs installed, and while you can always include a link on your page to these codecs, most people are not going to take the time to dl and install them, unless you've got something that's so attractive that they can't refuse the opportunity to view your files. That's a shame, I've found personally that the smallest filesizes with the cleanest resolution come from XviD tests I've done, but the others aren't far enough behind, especially when encoding to smaller resolutions, to hamstring you fatally. I seriously doubt that MS has plans to embed these codecs in their OS's anytime soon.

You stated that you're not using XP-which OS are you running just, out of curiosity?

I've never used the AimONE Video Converter, but CWR03's help is always rock solid, so I'd take a look at this one and run some tests; considering that the full app is only priced at $29.95, if you like the results you get, it's cheap. The only drawback I could see from scanning their Website is lack of support for .MOV (Quicktime) files. CWR03-chime in here if I'm missing something.

Mug Funky doesn't visit us much down here in noobs, but when he does, pay attention-- he knows his stuff. QuickTime Pro (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/win.html) will allow you to play with an H.264 codec. Crisp, clean and small. QT Pro is listed for around $30, too.

Dmitry's advice is solid, too. The Windows Media Encoder is free, and while the final product might not be as crisp as one of the other codecs, if you're on a budget, it's a place to start.

That's the most important thing to do, just get started. Whatever app you start out with, remember to identify your tests as to what settings you've used. I've set in on some all-night testing sessions and ended up with almost useless results because I didn't identify them properly. avi1, avi2, avi3, etc., just won't get it because you'll forget your settings, I promise you.

ammck55

[ammck55]

As I understand it, both DivX and Xvid can't play with std Microsoft WMP? Or not true? MS's Media Player will recognize and render Divx and XviD files as long as the pc they're played on has the respective codecs installed. If you're setting up for progressive or streaming downloads from the Web, you'll run into problems with people not having these codecs installed, and while you can always include a link on your page to these codecs, most people are not going to take the time to dl and install them, unless you've got something that's so attractive that they can't refuse the opportunity to view your files. That's a shame, I've found personally that the smallest filesizes with the cleanest resolution come from XviD tests I've done, but the others aren't far enough behind, especially when encoding to smaller resolutions, to hamstring you fatally. I seriously doubt that MS has plans to embed these codecs in their OS's anytime soon.

You stated that you're not using XP-which OS are you running just, out of curiosity?

I've never used the AimONE Video Converter, but CWR03's help is always rock solid, so I'd take a look at this one and run some tests; considering that the full app is only priced at $29.95, if you like the results you get, it's cheap. The only drawback I could see from scanning their Website is lack of support for .MOV (Quicktime) files. CWR03-chime in here if I'm missing something.

Mug Funky doesn't visit us much down here in noobs, but when he does, pay attention-- he knows his stuff. QuickTime Pro (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/win.html) will allow you to play with an H.264 codec. Crisp, clean and small. QT Pro is listed for around $30, too.

Dmitry's advice is solid, too. The Windows Media Encoder is free, and while the final product might not be as crisp as one of the other codecs, if you're on a budget, it's a place to start.

That's the most important thing to do, just get started. Whatever app you start out with, remember to identify your tests as to what settings you've used. I've set in on some all-night testing sessions and ended up with almost useless results because I didn't identify them properly. avi1, avi2, avi3, etc., just won't get it because you'll forget your settings, I promise you.

ammck55

[manono]

But none of you guys gave him a size estimate. I can only make an educated guess, but at the resolution you mentioned, and not knowing which audio you're going to use (or even which video codec you're going to settle on), I'd say maybe 15 MB or so for the 3 minute video.

Everyone with a Windows OS can play MPEG-1 and WMV without installing anything. And as much as I hate to recommend either, one or the other is probably the way to go.

[whr76]

Ammck55: I'm using W2K...The reason I said no-XP is because I understand there is some sort of a M$ freebie for that OS but only that...

Ok...so should I go with a Xvid codec (and give up on easy compatibility), what size might that make? Also, a somewhat grainy video with decent sound is also ok for my purpose...you know, the typical email pass-a-round style :) So would reducing the bit rate help reduce file size?

And THANKS much for the time to type such long replies to my query!

[CWR03]

I often e-mail short video clips to a group of friends, which I try to keep to a minimal size. Since they're all AOL users, and it has its own Real video player, I always convert them to RealMedia files. At 256k setting they are exactly 2MB per minute, and at 320x240 are pretty good quality, even at full screen. WMP comes out equally well and is ready to play on practically any PC with Windows. You will find that Xvid at that low of a bitrate won't look nearly as good, and as you mentioned requires the installation of a codec.

ammck, thanks for the compliment. :) I was a bit surprised at the lack of Quicktime support with AimONE, not to mention disappointed after seeing how well it did with supported formats. I didn't worry about it when mentioning the program since one would have to have Quicktime installed to play them, when whr76 was looking for the most universal formats.