What video format for PowerPoint?

[Matthew Brunn]

I have provide many different types of files to clients for PP insertion. Customer knowledge will instruct you on which format and codec to use. For my general customer I use Mpeg-1. Most all PCs can play it but it isn’t the best image quality. For a more advanced user I’ll give them a WMV file. You can get much better looking video but you’ll need to buy software to compress on your Mac. For my most advanced customers I give them what they ask for, because they already know. Test it with your customer before committing to a path.

Hope this helps-
Matthew
Quad 2.5 G5
OSX 10.4.X
Ram 4GB
FCP 5.1/AE 6.5/DVDSP4

[Debe]

It depends on which version of PPT they are using. If it’s the most current, WMV is best. I’m not sure of the version numbers, but if it’s more than a couple years old, you’re stuck with MPEG-1, really. You can try AVI, but they tend to be huge files, and most older Windows machines can’t handle the file and drive PPT efficiently, unless it’s a dedicated production machine.

MPEG-1 is a universal solution, but I agree, it looks like poo.

If they can take a WMV, & you don’t have a wm9 converter, google Popwire and/or Flip4Mac. That’s the option that gives you the best-looking file.

debe

[Ron Dylewski]

Hi –

Someone suggested to me awhile back here on the Cow that I export an AVI of my timeline to a FW drive, then move it to a PC and use the Windows WMV encoder to make my WMV from. Sounded like a reasonable solution, as the WMVs I get out of F4M are not great.

However, I could never get this to work. All the AVIs through errors of one sort or another, though it could easily been something specific to my setup. It may be worth a try for you.

Ron

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[Debe]

I had a client with a copy of Cleaner on a PC, and we had similar troubles, Ron.

I decided it was worth the $39 for Popwire’s Windows Media 9 Component to stop banging my head against the wall. (I think it was $39….anyway, still a bargain, considering the pain in the tuccus FCP–>AVI–>PC–>Cleaner had become)

debe

[Ben Oliver]

i usually (and i charge for it) give people a few different versions of files. i have flip4mac and squeeze, so i’ll do an mpeg-1, a quicktime sorenson, a wmv9, and a few different bitrates, etc.

I havent had many qualms with it, and people like it, becuase often the files do end up on a webpage.

-ben

[Ed Dooley]

If you’re not getting good WMVs out of F4M, you’re doing something wrong or something’s screwed up
with your system or software. WMVs from F4M are indistinguishable from any other WM9 files that I’ve encoded.
Ed

[overeasy] “…..Sounded like a reasonable solution, as the WMVs I get out of F4M are not great…….”

[Ron Dylewski]

Ed –

It’s very possible that I’m going something wrong 🙂

These are 640×480 files of programs that run 10-12 minutes.
I swear I’ve tried every variation on VBR, CBR, fps, etc…and
they still end up looking blocking and nasty. While final size
(in megs) is always an issue, I’d love to hear anyone’s advice
on what might be the “best” settings. I don’t care if it takes
all night to encode!
Thanks

Ron

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https://www.theamericanroadside.com

Are you a collector? Put your collection online for free at What A Collection.com!
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[Rich Rubasch]

They want a 10-12 minute video plunked down smack in the middle of a Powerpoint presentation? Whew!

Ok, this could be trouble. Here’s why. You would need to make an uncompressed AVI file out of Quicktime Pro. But you will certainly hit the 2 gig filesize limit. I am used to doing :30 to 3 minute videos top.

As far as Ed’s comments, for 320 x240 videos out of Flip4Mac they are fine. But once you go up to 640 x 480 they will not be as good as the Windows Media encoder on a PC. I’ve done a bunch…trust me.

I am still perplexed that the client wants a 10 minute video in the middle of a Powerpoint. I would almost make a DVD and run it off that instead…it would require a switch to play it, but…

If your video is 720 x 480 in a DVC Pro or DVC Pro50 codec in FCP, you can export to an AVI with DV compression and it will look ok….uncompressed AVI is better. But this way you might be under the 2 gig flesize. Then take that 720 x 480 DV compressed AVI to a PC and encode it to a 640 x 480 progressive with around a 3k bitrate and it should look spectacular, and much better than any 640 x 480 clip Filp4Mac could make.

I love Flip4Mac but only for client approval in sizes inder 320…

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

OK, with a 1 1/2 minute DV clip I encoded it to AVI with DVCPro settings at Best, 29.97 and i used the ALaw 2:1 audio compressor with 44.1k Mono setting. The original 1 1/2 minute clip was 34 megs. The AVI was 308 Megs. This might just squeak in under 2 gigs if the program length = <10 minutes. Then I encoded the same clip using 75% quality DVCPro compression...audio same as above. Guess what? Same 308 meg size. So finally I went down to 50% quality DVCPro setting and it was...you guessed it....308 megs. Slide has no effect.

So you probably will be ok if you have a clip under 10 minutes. how about breaking it up and showing it in parts throughout the presentation? I have done that before...

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Ed Dooley]

The biggest WMV files we’ve done with F4M are 480×360, and they look great (lots and lots of them). You may be on to something though, Rich. The F4M forum
has a thread about the quality of someone’s 640×480 WMV F4M files. They’re having an image degradation problem that “pops back” for
a brief time, then looks dgraded again. F4M is aware of it and are trying to figure it out. As a general WMV compressor, F4M is very good
(with the one mentioned problem):
Macworld’s review:
>>>In my tests, Flip4Mac Studio Pro