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Flip4Mac
Wanted to check in for feedback from anyone who’s used the Studio Pro version of Flip4Mac ($199) and if it’s worth the money. I need to do some VBR hi-res Windows Media on OS X, but not sure whether there are cheaper tools out there that are just as good….
John Farrell
“Digital Movies With QuickTime Pro”
https://www.charlesriver.com/titles/digitalmoviesQT.html -
14 Replies
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I think you mean Studio Pro HD at $179.
https://www.flip4mac.com/wmv.htm
I think it’s the best Mac WMV encoder for the price. The HD version can do WMV HD at very high data rates using 2 Pass VBR. The Pro (non HD) version can do 1 Pass VBR “Quality” passed encoding (just as WME does as on Windows). That can hit very hi data rates too but you can’t target a specific date rate (that’s how 1 Pass VBR works on Windows too) and it doesn’t do HD frame sizes. Studio Pro (non HD) is $99.
You can use Flip4Mac in Compressor and Squeeze too if you want the processing filter controls. Episode does great WMV too but that’s in a much higher price bracket.
Some people use VisualHub but it uses the old Windows Media 8 codec so it really can’t touch Flip4Mac for quality vs efficiency but it’s very cheap at $23. I wouldn’t consider it a “Pro” tool by any stretch. It’s a good low budget convenience tool though.
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Thanks, Craig. Yes–I meant the $179 Pro HD. Good to know. I just wanted to get some testimony from an expert before shelling out the $$.
I appreciate it!
John Farrell
“Digital Movies With QuickTime Pro”
https://www.charlesriver.com/titles/digitalmoviesQT.html -
Hi John.
I used the pro version for HDV and DV edited by Final Cut Express then to compressor transcoded to windows media for 90-minute classroom videos (11 so far) that had to be good enough quality to see the speaker, a large marker board and a projected screen at the same time. I finally ended up moving to Episode, and now can nail the quality I want in a reasonable timeframe (~3 hours on a new 2.6 macbookpro w/high-speed external firewire 800 drives)
A lot of my early problem was that compressor made the process slow, and two pass was very slow. I never hit the quality I was looking for. As the estimated compression times by compressor approached 35 hours, I felt it was time to try something else. My only regret, other than the cost of Episode :-), is that I didn’t start with Episode from the beginning. BTW, their training DVD was worth the price for me.
Good luck.
-Ed
Ed Ramsey
Coalesce Productions Inc.
Technology and Audio Professionals -
I appreciate the feedback, Ed. My videos are considerably shorter, ranging 3 to 5 mins at the most–and I’m planning to use it with Squeeze 4.5, so I’m hoping that does the job.
John Farrell
http://www.farrellmedia.com -
With Squeeze, your mileage may vary….
Search this forum for all the problems associated with Squeeze.
I’d recommend Episode.
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Please post back saying what solved your problem. It could help others, and saying ‘thanks’ is free! -
I will take a look at Episode. On Windows, I’ve been seriously underwhelmed by Squeeze….
John Farrell
http://www.farrellmedia.com -
On Mac I use both Squeeze and Episode. Episode is “heavy iron” but some find Squeeze learning curve is easier. I’m a “heavy iron” kind of person though.
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I barely know what I’m doing but Flip4Mac is awesome.
I do a lot of videos ranging from 5min to 1hr that need to stream from a Windows server. I just use whatever preset looks about right at the time and it usually does the trick lickety split. I have to export a QT from AE or PPro, then use QT Pro (Flip4Mac and QT Pro makes it an even $200, like you said) to export a WMV. It works fast and looks good in my opinion. -
I have a client asking for some high res WMVs. What settings would you suggest? I can’t get anything that looks close to what a QT codec can achieve. I’ve also noticed that there seems to be a peak bitrate, because after increasing it to a certain point I don’t get any change in file size or quality. Anyone know what the peak bitrate is for a WMV? And does anyone have any workflow tips for creating high quality WMVs for clients who ask for them?
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I have a client asking for some high res WMVs. What settings would you suggest?
In other words, “how long should my piece of string be?”
What do you consider high res? What is your source? Who is the clients audience? How high or low are the clients expectations?
There is no ‘peak’ bitrate as such. you could go to 15Mb/s or higher if you wanted to.
Your peak bitrate is determined by the available bandwidth or a mental calculation that involves a combination of your frame size, how complex your footage is and what you consider to be ‘good enough’ quality. There is no magic figure only very rough guides.
WMV is capable of just as good quality as the equivalent Quicktime CODEC using similar settings.
Tell us how you are doing it now and well tell you if there’s anyway of improving your workflow. Be as detailed and specific as you can
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Please post back saying what solved your problem. It could help others, and saying ‘thanks’ is free!
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