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mpeg4 vs mpeg2
I rendered a 1080i file into mpeg4 and mpeg2 to upload to Youtube, and the mpeg2 was fine, but the mpeg4 was awful. I selected both options in Vegas 7, so why was the mpeg4 so bad? Am I missing some kind of optimizing setting? I was hoping mpeg 4 would work, since is is a smaller and more download-friendly file. Incidentally, what file type and workflow do you recommend? I use VBR and single-pass rendering (I keep hearing dual-pass is takes more time than is justified for the quality difference).
Also, what viewer do you recommend for a website? I need a decent quality, robust viewer so I can get away from embedded YouTube viewers.Thank you,
Don
Hutch
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4 Replies
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I don’t know why the MPEG-4 would be worse than MPEG-2 after being re-converted by YouTube… at least without knowing the relative bit rate between the two. At similar bit rates, the MPEG-4 should be a lot better, meaning that 10 Mbps in MPEG-4 should always be superior to MPEG-2 at the same bit rate. Where’s the crossover? Is 3 Mbps MPEG-4 = 10 Mbps MPEG-2? I have no idea.
As someone who always discovers mistakes after rendering, I sympathize with your desire for faster renders, but, honestly, I always go for the best quality I can get. If that means 2-pass VBR and takes twice as long, even if I can’t tell the difference, then so be it: 2-pass it is.
Now, as to your Website, you’ll definitely want to go MPEG-4 (MP4, H.264). There are other options (FLV is a good one), but the easiest, cheapest option is going to be the H.264. Shoot for ~2 Mbps for HD and you should get a nice balance between quality and data rate (~1 Mbps for SD). If you haven’t already gotten this far, you might look at the JW Player for playback: https://www.longtailvideo.com/
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I will re-render the mpeg4 and see if it looks better (it was shimmery and the audio sounded heavily compressed–like early internet radio). By the way, I have Vegas 7 and 8. Is Vegas 8 compatible with Windows 7?
Thank you,
Don
Hutch
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[Don Hutcheson] “Is Vegas 8 compatible with Windows 7?”
A lot of folks are successfully doing it but, as Sony doesn’t officially support it (only Pro 9), they won’t help you if you run into problems.
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I just downloaded a trial version of Vegas Pro 9 (before upgrading from the Vegas 7 and 8 I have) and Vegas 9 won’t open (new HP Pavillion laptop/4G memory/VISTA/Quad-Core).
Vegas starts to open, then closes and “has encountered a problem” (according to the lovely VISTA prompt). Was Vegas 9 only compatible with Windows 7? I’ve run into this problem with other products and I’ve already turned off user profiles, and I’m confident this is a VISTA issue. Where do I go from here? Stick with Vegas 8 for VISTA? I’ve installed Windows 7 on my desktop. Will Vegas 9 run on Windows 7 without protracted negotiations 🙂 ?Thanks,
Don
Hutch
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