WMV VC-1 = WMV10?

[Ben Waggoner]

I sure HOPE I didn’t mention a WMV10.

So, VC-1 is the SMPTE designation for our new codec, which is a slightly modified version of WMV9-Advanced Profile. In fact, when you get the Studio Edition encoder, it’ll call its VC-1 implementation “Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile).

That said, it has a different 4CC (WVC1, instead of the old WMV9-AP’s WMVA), which means players will need to be updated to support it.

More confusingly, but more good news for users, is that VC-1 Main Profile is the same as WMV9. So the implementation enhancements we’ve been doing for HD DVD will also lead to a big improvement in traditional WMV9 encoding (Main Profile isn’t in the beta, but will be in Studio Edition later this year).

[Ben Waggoner]

The codec update for VC-1 for WMP10 has been available for quite a few months already, in fact.

[Ben Waggoner]

Yes, the download is coming soon, but not quite here. I’ll post here when it’s up.

[Ben Waggoner]

Well, segment-based reencode is an optional, manual 3rd pass. So, after your do your normal 2-pass VBR encode, if there are a few scenes or shots that don’t look quite good enough, or look too good and could sacrifice some bits, you can change encoding settings for just those sections, reencode them, and they’ll get muxed back into the original encode.

It’s great to have when you need it, and can be ignored when you don’t.

[Ben Waggoner]

There isn’t any WMV10 – VC-1 is alternatively called WMV9-Advanced Profile

As for audio, WMA Professional has had 5.1 and 7.1 support since WMP9 was released quite a few years ago. All those WMV-HD DVD-ROM titles use it, for example.

WMA Pro also does 24-bit and up to 96 KHz. It’s a great codec if you’ve got great source.

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

[Ben Waggoner] “I sure HOPE I didn’t mention a WMV10.”

My bad. After reading WMP10, I realise that I missread the P for a V. I promise to get those right the next time. 🙂

It’s getting clearer now, but I wished there was one table/matrix that spelled things out with more clarity. As it is now, I understand that VC-1 is WMV9 Advanced Profile. And VC-1 Main Profile is the same as WMV Main Profile.

There are three things that I still need clarity on –
1) Where does one, now, find an encoder that does WMV Advanced Profile?
2) Since VC-1 (WMV Advanced Profile) works with a newer 4CC and requires players to be updated (to which version again?), woulnd’t it be best, for compatibility sake, for the next few months, at least, to simply encode with VC-1 Main Profile (WMV9 Main Profile)?
3) For straight on encoding of SD video for Web, are there any major compression benefits to VC-1. Right now, the new features seem more placed to tackle HD material for the Web.

Thanks in advance.
RoRK