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Recommendations For using H.264 for Video Archive
Hi, I’m a video artist archiving a large catalogue. I’m using CATDV Pro to build the archive and I have compressor to encode (also handbrake).
The footage I have is mostly DV and I am archiving it as DV when I intend to edit it, but there is a lot of footage from old sources like VHS, I want to keep it simply as reference at comparable quality, but small file size. I’ve tried H.264 encoding for an MPEG4, but often the files seem larger than if I had created an MPEG2. Could someone make some recommendations?
Thanks
-J -
4 Replies
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H264 is a much more efficient codec than MPEG2, so if you compress at the same data rates between the two, the H264 file should look better and the file size should be similar.
Keep in mind there are a bunch of different ways to encode MPEG2 files as well, from 4:2:0 files compressed below about 9MB/sec for DVD to 4:2:2 MPEG2 compressed at any data rate you want, which is often used for archiving or broadcasting MPEG2 files.
Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com -
What H.264 export settings have you tried?
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Two years from now, spam will be solved. – Bill Gates, World Economic Forum 2004 -
I have been trying the standard template that comes with compressor.
I think what would be ideal is if I could set up a decent template in either compressor or handbrake. I’m not used to tweaking the settings within MPEG2 or MPEG4 so I don’t know quite how to wrap my head around it.Name: H.264 for iPod video and iPhone 640×480
Description: H.264 video @ 1500 kbps, progressive, multi-pass. Audio is 44.1 kHz, stereo
File Extension: m4v
Estimated file size: 644.17 MB/hour of source
Device: iPod/iPhone VGA
Frame sync rate: 5 seconds
Video Encoder
Format: QT
Width and Height: Automatic
Pixel aspect ratio: Square
Crop: None
Padding: None
Frame rate: (100% of source)
Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
Codec Type: H.264
Multi-pass: On, frame reorder: Off
Pixel depth: 24
Spatial quality: 50
Min. Spatial quality: 50
Key frame interval: 120
Temporal quality: 50
Min. temporal quality: 50
Average data rate: 1.5 (Mbps)
Maximum data rate: 4 (Mbps)
Audio Encoder
Format: MPEG4
Sample Rate: 44.100kHz
Channels: 2
Bits Per Sample: 16
AAC encoder quality: high
Data rate: 128 Kbps -
If they are just reference files then try dropping the datarate
Example – Average Datarate 750Kb/s, Max 1500Kb/s, and see how you go – it’s difficult to say without knowing what your footage is like how low you can go.
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Two years from now, spam will be solved. – Bill Gates, World Economic Forum 2004
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