[Craig Seeman]

Hi Ben, any way I can contact you off forum to give you FTP info. I’ll just do a couple of short 1 minute WMVHD encodes. Is about 6mbps ok for the ioData and WMVHD decode?

[Craig Seeman]

Hi Ben,

I’d be willing to compress a short sample file for you to test on the ioData. Get back to me with details ASAP.

[Craig Seeman]

Julie,

I just opened a NTSC WMV in Quicktime Pro 7.0.4. I used Export Movie to QuickTime Movie. Compression DV-PAL. Frame Rate 25 fps. Size Custom Width 720, Height 576 and it worked. It wasn’t pretty though. Shouldn’t really be any different in FCP though. Make sure you’ve changed frame rate to 25fps and not Current.

[Craig Seeman]

Karl, not sure what you mean by “range” and “bracket.” You import a clip. Assign a preset or design your own and export. Are you trying to add several different presets to a single clip? Or you trying to use several different clips, each using the same preset?

[Craig Seeman]

Flip4Mac sent sample files to ioData and are waiting to hear back. Basically it’s the Sigma chip that does the decoding. I hear the XBOX360 can also play WMVHD. Might be fun to check that compatibility too.

[Craig Seeman]

Squeeze 4.3 (Spark codec) and Cleaner 6.5 (Wildform codec) output swf files. Flip4Mac 1.0.6 Studio Pro works with Squeeze and Flip4Mac 2.0.1 works with Cleaner. Flip4Mac is specific to WMV but Squeeze and Cleaner output SWF.

[Craig Seeman]

There’s a preset only version for $49. $99 allows you to make your own settings. $179 include WMVHD & surround sound and 2 Pass Encoding. Free version is player only.

[marshall] “He did include .wmv as an option,my bad. To make .wmv with Flip4mac, can i just download the Free version or would it be wise to get the $99 dollar version.
Thanks again.”

[Craig Seeman]

[marshall] “I’m trying to export a small sequence from FCE HD for a friends website and he can only handle .avi or .mpeg files.” This doesn’t sound right. Why wouldn’t he be able to handle WMV or MOV like the rest of the world?

[marshall] “1. is .mpeg the same as .mpeg1 or .mpeg2 ?”
Not really for your purposes. MPEG4 is a good choice but if you’re asking this question, I have a hunch you’re not even thinking about bit rate and you should. What does your friend need? You’ll have to talk to your friend about that.

[marshall] “2. What is the best format and codec to use to make a video file for a pc from my system?”
“Best” really depends on your friend’s needs. Each has advantages and disadvantageous. It’s kind of like asking what’s the best food. I’d suggest WMV with Flip4Mac but for some odd reason your friend has eliminated this choice. For some “targets” H.264 (MPEG4Part10) is a “best” choice. For others it might be MPEG4(MPEG4Part2) or MOV created with SorensonPro.

[Craig Seeman]

Two answers in one place for those trying to follow this.

Yes do try setting Quality to Zero.

I can understand the need for a large frame size for what the coaches need to see. See if you can drop it to 800kbps.

I am thinking that if you’re doing progressive download you might try Quicktime H.264. The coaches may like the frame by frame jog in the Quicktime player. As Charles points out H.264 will give you great quality at lower bit rates (and therefore smaller file sizes). This does mean being able to “push” QT7 and they’ll have to have fairly “fast” computers for the decode demands H.264 puts on the system.

If the coaches want this kind of size, detail, control they you should stress the importance of “pushing” H.264. They can’t be hung by IT departments who refuse to allow QT7 or and update to QT7 though. You would provide a big fat obvious link to QT7 download and make it clear they need it. It they may not be happy with the results using a 6 year old cheap Windows box either.

I’m wondering how you’re finding HDV and handling fast motion too. Frame by frame jog may not be worth it. I have this vision of a coach wanting to jog through frame by frame to see how the receive pulls in a bullet pass into the flats. If HDV makes the motion of the ball and the receiver’s hands blurry . . . The Quicktime controllor can make it easy for them to go back and review a play over again though on a progressive download.

Flip4Mac 2.0.x has added a “complexity” controll which can speed encode (at quality price though) although there’s an “issue” with 2 pass VBR. I believe they’re going to work on speeding the encode on the next release of export. Another “hook” I’d like to see is being able to use “distributive rendering” in Compressor.

[Craig Seeman]

[Charles Simonson] “”Intelligent Encoder” capable of variable frame rate. Haven’t seen that in software on the Mac side?
Compression Master can do half frame rate variable conversions depending on the frame rate for a particular time. I think Cleaner used to be able to do this as well, although I am not certain. Squeeze possibly can too.”

Please do explain. I’ve used all three and don’t see it or maybe I’m not looking at it the way you are. I’d want to set a “motion” or “delta” threshold so that when the amount of change from frame to frame drops below a point, the frame rate would drop.

I’d want to talk more about WMV9 AP and WVC1 but that might be a topic for another thread.

I see your point about being able to lower the data rate (and thus the file size still further) also in regards to cutting the frame rate. I’m stuck in my aesthetic bias against dropping the frame rate in all but “talking head” type content with little motion and it even bothers me there although that’s “a corner I’m willing to cut.”