Neurosurgery video

[Mike Velte]

Editing and recompressing already highly compressed video is waste of time. Windows Media Video and most other web formats are lossy compression codecs.
To get decent quality video at 1 mbps, one should start with at least 25 mbps digital video. DV is lossy, but ever so slightly and can be re-edited and recompressed several times without noticable loss of quality.
Now if you are just doing straight cuts only…no titles or effects, Windows Media Encoder 9 comes with a File Editor utility that can cut clips. Then there are a few “joiner” apps that will join the pieces WITHOUT recompression. I use Rejump Video Joiner on a rare occasion for this.

https://www.video2stream.com

[Charles Simonson]

If you are looking for an intermediary less-lossy codec to store source files and want to maintain QT compatibility with accurate editing capabilities, I would recommend either MJPEG for interlaced sources or Photo-JPEG for progressive sources. If you have iMovie HD installed on the system, I have also found the Apple Intermediate Codec (originally intended for HDV captures, but works well for other formats too) to be a good choice. If maintaining Alpha channels is important as well, then the PNG codec is an option, but it is slower than any of the above.

Overall, I would say that ANY of the above options is a much better way to go about this than your current solution.

[Ed Dooley]

Yeah, c’mon, it isn’t brain surgery! Sorry, I’ve never had a chance to say that
to someone around brain surgeons before. 🙂
How about the Sheer Video codec for archiving too? And doesn’t saving as
PhotoJPEG convert the YUV video into RGB? Not sure of that, but I think so.
Then there’s the dreaded random QT gamma change when playing PhotoJPEG.
Ed

[Charles Simonson]

Ed, Photo-JPEG can handle both RGB and YUV at various color sampling modes. At 76 – 100%, P-JPEG is 4:4:4, and below 75%, it is 4:2:2.

Here is a great resource for learning about editing codecs that I have referenced for a long time now:
https://www.onerivermedia.com/codecs/

Also, as mentioned above, Sheer is a good codec I have included a link that compares it with the codecs I noted earlier to it. The only issue I have with Sheer is that it is not free and you will have to install it on all systems you intend to play back your clips on:
https://www.bitjazz.com/en/products/sheervideo/speed/broadcast_codecs.php

[Ed Dooley]

What does it make it *at* 75% then? 🙂

Photo JPEG is RGB-only at 100%, and I don’t think you’re right about the 76-100%. There’s a lot of conflicting
information on the web about it. Do a test. Take a 10 second video clip and export it at best (100%), high (75%)
and then export one at just a touch below 100%, as little as you can move the slider. The 75% file will be significantly smaller
than the 100%, of course, but so will the “almost” 100% clip. My clips were 32MB, 48MB, and 117MB. The clip at (approximately)
97-99% is less than half the 100% size. 4:2:2 at 99% or less? I think so.
A lot of the “75% setting” opinions talk more about how you’re not gaining much quality by going higher, not whether it switches to 4:4:4
mode that low.
Ed

[Charles Simonson] “Ed, Photo-JPEG can handle both RGB and YUV at various color sampling modes. At 76 – 100%, P-JPEG is 4:4:4, and below 75%, it is 4:2:2.

Here is a great resource for learning about editing codecs that I have referenced for a long time now:
” target=”_blank”>https://www.onerivermedia.com/codecs/”

[Ed Dooley]

I forgot to include a link.
https://www.revostock.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=292&sid=7b906ffb095dde15a00b437412a74865
Marco from OneRiverMedia even tells a poster that it’s 4:2:2 until 100%.
Ed

[Kelly Johnson]

Well I appreciate all of the information I have received. It sounds like I will trans code them to Photo-jpeg at 75%, so as to reach the smallest size with quality. With my new setup I want to capture to DVCPRO HD tape or right to the hard drive DVCPRO HD. The I can do any thing with the video and keep my quality.

One question concerning YUV, does WMV change it to RGB? I looked and didn’t find any information.

[Mike Velte]

[nickeljohnson] “One question concerning YUV, does WMV change it to RGB? I looked and didn’t find any information.”

Good question! I found this;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VC-1

https://www.video2stream.com

[Charles Simonson]

Photo-JPEG definitely has compatibility with YUV at 4:4:4. Even the BitJazz link I provided contains comparisons of Sheer to PJPEG in both RGB and YUV environments at these sampling rates. As for where the 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 modes kick in/out and where RGB takes over from YUV, I don’t know. You’re right in that there is a lot of conflicting information on this out there. From the results you noted in your tests, I would say that the 100% file was likely RGB, the 99% clip was 4:4:4 and the 75% clip was 4:2:2. If I have some time this week, I can do a real in-depth analysis on this.

[Ed Dooley]

You’re right about the compatibility. I’m thinking more about what products support it.
The Blackmagic and Aja products only output 4:4:4 RGB (although they support YUV in 4:4:4).
The one exception I know from them is the Decklink Multibridge which *does* support 4:4:4 YUV.
Bluefish only does RGB too. Not sure about the others.
It’s weird that there isn’t a more definite source on-line for all of this. I expect that with marketing
hype, but even the geeky sites say different things. I’ll look into the 99% is 4:4:4 YUV and 100% is RGB thing.
I have my doubts, but I’m wrong often enough, to be ready for it again. 🙂
Ed