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Best App for Creating Streaming Files?
I’m working on a project that needs to be encoded to the following specs as supplied by the client:
The three streaming media encoding format are as follows:
~ Stream 56K 56Kbps/15 fps
Size 160 x 120
Audio Codec ACELP.net (8.5Kbits/s, 8000Hz, Mono)
Video Codec Windows Media Video 7()~ Stream 100K 100Kbps/15 fps
Size 240 x 180
Audio Codec ACELP.net (16Kbits/s, 16000Hz, Mono)
Video Codec Windows Media Video 7()~ Stream 300K 300Kbps/15 fps
Size 320 x 240
Audio Codec ACELP.net (16Kbits/s, 16000Hz, Mono)
Video Codec Windows Media Video 7()~ Format: Windows Media Video “wmv”
I currently use Compression Master for all encoding, OS X based system. Program is edited in Final Cut.
Compression Master templates can be modified to fit the specs in terms of size and bitrates, but I noticed that there is no option to use Windows Media 7 codecs… only Windows Media 9. Is this a problem? Also, the client has requested ACELP.net audio codec. My reading indicates that this is a standard Windows Media encoding format. Do I need a different application than Compression Master to make these files? If so, what would be recommended?
Appreciate the help and any advice that could be provided.
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2 Replies
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If you have an old version of cleaner 6.0 or so, it uses the Windows Media 7 engine. Can’t believe they are requesting that because it makes awful encodes.
Don’t think you’ll have any proble m with the audio.
You could also bring AVI’s over to A PC and use the Windows encoder.
Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media -
I can’t see a good business reason in 2006 to encode to WMV7 and ACELP audio.
Windows Media Player 7.1 on the PC can play WMV9 files. There’s a free component update that doesn’t require an update to the player version itself. I have an old Windows Media 98 box (PRE 98SE) that I’ve used for backwards compatibility testing. Mind you, we’re talking about an EIGHT YEAR OLD OS! That said, Cleaner 6 (and earlier) and 6.5 can create WMV7.
IMHO using WMV7 instead of WMV9 at the lower data rates requested by your client compounds the problem. It will look much worse as WMV7 then WMV9.
ACELP has been replaced by Windows Media Voice. I don’t know of a way to create WMA Voice on the Mac but certainly you can do a low data rate audio encode using Windows Media Audio Standard but, yes, it’s not quite as efficient as WMA Voice.
Although I do most of my compression on the Mac, I just took a look at my Windows XP box with Microsoft Windows Media Encoder. While it can do WMV7, even it does not have ACELP. It does have WMA Voice though.
As a professional compressionist I’d consider having a meeting with your client to discuss their target viewer and how best to hit that target. Do they have to target people with Windows 95 and WMP 6.4? I’d suspect that market can’t be much more that 1% at this point. I supect targeting a market that hasn’t updated their computers in 8-11 years and is still using dial-up, isn’t signs of a good business plan. Even older computers internal to a business should have moved beyond that. Worse still is they’re basing all three of their data rates on WMV7. Even if your client is serving and economically restricted community, those people will likely find better internet service at a public library.
Your client may have no idea what current compression standards are so I’d suggest a meeting is in order.
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