Charles Simonson
Forum Replies Created
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The preprocessing and color adjusting done by apps like Compression Master and ProCoder is very good. So good, that for web video output, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
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Honestly, I would hold off on any H.264 encoding, if your source is only DV, for quite a while. You would need to make sure that the adoption rate of QT 7 is great enough that it would be a feasible option. And right now, and certainly for the near future, it isn’t. There isn’t even a Windows version of QT 7 yet. Also, H.464 encoding can take extremely long times to encode, and there isn’t much upside to using it for DV compression as compared to SV3 or MPEG-4 Part 2 (given the right encoders), or Real 10 and WMV9.
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For MPEG-1, you’d probably still be happiest with Cleaner 5.1.2 and OS 9. I’ve never been happy with Squeeze’s MPEG-1 or 2 output, and while almost everything has been greatly improved with Squeeze 4.1 (including MPEG-2 encoding), MPEG-1 is still lacking. With CM, the results have always been decent enough for me, but for the most part, it appears Cleaner 5.1.2 will always be the king.
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Yes and Yes. And because CM3.1’s preprocessing is so great, the output is wonderful using SV3.
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The registration serial number for QT is different than the one for FCP or your user account. The Serial for QT should have come in your FCP box on a single sheet of paper. The user name will be Quicktime Pro, and the number is whatever is included.
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Couldn’t go wrong with that setup, jaser. Having both suites, if you can afford it, is what I recommend. Especially if you are mac only, you will have all of your bases covered. Great QT, SV3, FLV, MPEG-4 Part 2 and 10, WMV-9, Real10, 3GPP, and MPEG-2 encoding will now be available on the mac with the combination of each app. Certainly, if you don’t like the output of one app, you could use the other, and the difference should well satisfy.
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Not yet, but that is a good idea. Another thing about Compression Master, if you ever have any questions or troubleshooting needs, just email the developers. They are located in Sweden, so expect a minimal delay in them answering you, but they generally do so within 12 hours, and will work diligently to help fix your issue. And they are very receptive to suggestions. Its really quite unheard of in the software compression world, but very refreshing.
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Squeeze is the best tool for doing this, but it will take a LONG time. Compressing HD to web FLV produces some excellent images, but its not something you start and finish within the same evening. Beyond the normal tips for FLV encoding such as framerate, size, and bitrate, there isn’t much to say.
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For the preprocessing and total filtering control, plus the speed of encooding, I would say, yes, Compression Master 3.1 would be the way to go. As I stated above though, it won’t be released for a few weeks yet. 3.1 is free upgrade to 3.0, so if you absolutely needed an app right now, you wouldn’t have to worry. 3.1 also changes the interface significantly (a great improvement IMHO), so if you download the 3.0 demo today, expect it to look a little different in the new version.
I must also say that if WMV encoding is your primary goal, definitely test out both apps before purchasing. Each produces a different looking WMV at the same settings. With Popwire, you get a very sharp and accurate color image. With F4M, the color isn’t as accurate, but the overall image quality and motion is preferred by quite a few. It really depends on the type of sources you will be using and which one you personally prefer. The other encoders in each app are all quite similar. For instance, you get better Real encoding with CM, but Squeeze offers better FLV encoding right now. With Squeeze, you get true two-pass SV3 encoding, but because the filtering and preproccessing is so superior with CM, the quality-based VBR options of the SV3 Pro encoder that CM has access to levels out the 2-pass benefit, and CM’s SV3 encoding can actually be better.
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Cleaner definitely is not the answer if you are looking for a product that is still supported and active. Squeeze is a good choice, as it has good SV3, FLV, AVC, Real, and now, WMV encoding. The preprocessing and filters leave a lot to be desired though. Compression Master 3 has excellent MPEG-4 and Real encoding, and its WMV encoding is quite good too. v3.1 of CM will be even more exciting however, as it will add SV3, FLV, AVC, much improved MPEG-2, and any other QT codec encoding that is available on your system. The preprocessing and filters in CM 3.1 are best of breed for any encoding suite on any platform at the moment. If I were you, I would download the Squeeze demo for now, test it out, and wait a few weeks until the CM 3.1 demo is released. The interface in CM 3.1 is much improved over previous versions, but you may still prefer Squeeze’s easy-to-grasp UI.
Both Squeeze and CM3 make worthy purchases. The advantage of Squeeze being it is easy to use and includes SV3 Pro, but you have to pay extra for WMV and its preprocessing isn’t the greatest. The advantage of CM3.1 is that it is very powerful and fast, has the best preprocessing routines on the market, and has some top-notch encoders, but for great SV3 output, you will need to buy the SV3 Pro encoder module.