View Full Version : I need suggestions on the video codec to use...

Nazgulled
26th June 2007, 01:28
Hi,
I have this new digital camera (photography) that can do videos also at 640x480 and it uses Motion JPEG to create the videos using the AVI container.

Using this codec, the videos become rather large... I mean, a 43sec clip was like over 70Mb and I would like that to be lower and keep the good quality. However, for some of the videos I would like to share them with my family and some of them use OS X others Windows and I would like to convert the videos to a format that both can read it.

First I was thinking of WMV but then I realized that, that could be hard for the Mac (I dunno if that's true), than I though of QuickTime (perhaps H.264, dunno if that's a good choice...).

However, I tried these 3 (WMV, QuickTime and H.264) all in TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress and I'm probably doing something wrong. I mean, I already encoded lots of videos using XviD from my DVDs and if I can get a 1h40m movie into a 700mb file in XviD, XviD can probably do 43s in 5mb (if my calculations are correct) and keep the good quality. Isn't WMV/MOV/H.264 supposed to the same thing? But I couldn't do it like that in TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress... I don't exactly need them to be as good as 5mb, it could have been a few more, but something like that...

So, what format/codec do you recommend for me to share with my family and and how? Am I not using TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress correctly? What's up with that?

Help needed...
Guest
26th June 2007, 02:11
Why not use XviD if you like it and find that it makes the small files you seek?
Nazgulled
26th June 2007, 02:57
Various reasons... I just want something different from XviD.
Ryokurin
26th June 2007, 03:09
I'm guessing you want something that they don't have to download anything for. what OS are they using? if its windows then standard wmv9 will probably be fine. for a mac standard mpeg-4
Guest
26th June 2007, 07:17
Various reasons... I just want something different from XviD. I see.

OK, how about DivX, then?
Nazgulled
26th June 2007, 16:59
Same reasons as XviD lol...

Well, like I said, some of them use Windows, others use mac... I guess there isn't any for both.

But my real problem is that, either with wmv/mov I can't seem to create a small file like in xvid/divx with TMPGEnc 4.0 XPres and I believe it's possible isn't it?
FishTank
26th June 2007, 17:44
how about flash? (FLV like youtube)

though i myself would go xvid aswell..


lol @neuron2.. good one :D
benwaggoner
1st July 2007, 03:45
how about flash? (FLV like youtube)
.flv players are even rarer to have installed.

The only format out there that's a no-brainer given to have a player preinstalled for installed is .mpg. After that, .wmv is the most common option (the ~95% of Windows machines, plus Macs running Flip4Mac and other OSs running the current verison of VLC).
benwaggoner
1st July 2007, 03:57
But my real problem is that, either with wmv/mov I can't seem to create a small file like in xvid/divx with TMPGEnc 4.0 XPres and I believe it's possible isn't it?
You definitely should be able to - VC-1 and H.264 are both much richer codecs than MPEG-2 Part 2. Apple's H.264 is pretty weak in my experience, but you can use tools like Episode to make H.264 in .mov nicely.

For .wmv, there are registry keys that are useful to further improve quality. Check my blog (linked in the .sig below) for some examples. If you could post an example of your source or output I can give some specific instructions for how to get optimal quality.

And definitley make sure you have WMP 11 installed, which updates the codec .dll files with some dramatic improvements. I accidentially had the old .dll registred for some head to head testing I was doing, and couldn't figure out why my video kept looking so lousy all day!
FishTank
1st July 2007, 05:20
@youtube.. i already suggested that a few posts earlier.

he could even make menus for a cd with shockwave/flash/director, but if he doesnt want to use it then thats his choice.
Nazgulled
1st July 2007, 13:06
Yep, I don't want flv either.

I wouldn't mind going in the H.264 in a mov container way, but with TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress I can't create small files with this codec, I don't know why...

Can anyone help me on that or suggest another program to encode the files like that?
MetalheadGautham
18th July 2007, 17:08
I would say go for x264 if you want that dramatic quality at a low size. There are ways I have heard, to mux them together in a mov container.

................................................


I remember now! VLC!:D
smok3
18th July 2007, 17:28
you dont need a mov container, mp4 should work (almost) perfectly with quicktime (and inside mp4 can be xvid (with some limitations) or x.264 (with some limitations) used as video codec...), anyway this subject was beaten to death, so use search.

example, progresive download, super low bitrate (x.264), no audio:
http://tmp.somestuff.org/random.mp4

The program you can use for encoding is called megui.

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youtube007, uff...,
1st FLV is not a codec
2nd stop spamming
3rd get lost (please?)!