[Jeff Pulera]

I’m primarily a PC user, but my guess would be that using the QuickTime H.264 codec would allow files to be edited easier in Final Cut or iMovie for instance, while using the H.264 codec would be more for internet media delivery.

There are no “best settings” for H.264, it depends on many factors such as how much bandwidth do you want to use, who is the target audience, etc.

It would be good for you to simply try some different settings of size and data rate, say 1-minute samples, then view them as your clients might. Pay attention to the file size and quality, and find a compromise where the file size is reasonable, but quality is also good.

I shoot and edit commercials for the internet, and the company I work for requires the finished commercial to be uploaded to them as 864×486 at 3000 data rate, using the H.264 codec with 48k audio. This maintains a “DV” quality on their end in case they need to make editing changes – the final product will be re-encoded by them to a smaller file before posting on the web. So the above specs are not for web streaming, but rather a “master quality” output that looks great with multi-pass encoding.

Make sure to always check the “deinterlace” button in the encoder when creating output (from an interlaced video source) that will be viewed on computers.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi,

Since DV is a “standard”, you can’t adjust the size – DV is DV and you can’t change the size or data rate. You should find a deinterlace button at the upper right of encode window, above preview screen.

You’ll get a much better quality/size ratio using the H.264 codec, though yes it does take a while to render. You’d really never want to use a DV codec for the internet either, much too big and too high of a data rate for streaming.

If you have the need to create a LOT of content for the web using H.264, you might look at a hardware encoder like the Matrox CompressHD which works at realtime or faster.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Mute all audio channels except the one you want to export. Export audio, then repeat process for other tracks one at a time

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Suzin,

Was this a new SDHC card? Even though a brand-new card may appear ready to go when put in the camera, it’s important to format the card IN the camera for the best operation.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor

[Jeff Pulera]

Make sure that “Indexing” is turned OFF for the video drives. That’s a right-click on the drive > Properties

Jeff

[Jeff Pulera]

My understanding is that once you create an Encore project in HD, the same project can simply be used to export to DVD as well, so use the 1920×1080 graphics to create the Encore Blu-ray project menus, and just create a DVD from that same project.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Bill,

I will start by sharing my definition of what “anamorphic” means, as I understand it. For example, DV video is 720×480 pixels for 4:3, but the SAME dimensions are also used for 16:9 recording. The 16:9 recording uses rectangular pixels with a Pixel Aspect Ratio of 1.2 (standard for DV is 0.9).

You CAN view the 16:9 video on a 4:3 display, and it will fill the screen and people will look “stretched” vertically, while it will look correct on a 16:9 display. Square pixels are really the “standard”, so getting the 16:9 look with the stretched pixels makes this kind of 16:9 “anamorphic”, or stretched.

Moving to HD, standard 1080i video is 1920×1080 pixels (1.0 PAR), but 1080i HDV uses 1440×1080 with a 1.333 PAR, so this type of 1080 is “anamorphic”. A little math shows that 1440×1.33=1920, and that is how the display comes out correct on the monitor, but the key is that the monitor needs to know the PAR to display the video correctly.

Video monitors handle this just fine automatically, but for computer and internet playback, the players assume a PAR of 1.0, so if you export a 16:9 720×480 DV clip to a web format, it will come out looking like 4:3 video!

So to make along story longer…if you don’t want any black bars on the video, Import the 4:3 DV clip into a 16:9 DV project, the use Scale to enlarge the video until it fills the screen and “looks like 16:9”. You can also use the X-Y Position controls to then move the video up or down, for instance to not cut off tops of heads.

The next step is that when you export for the web, you must change the image size to account for square pixels, so a 720×480 image needs to be exported at 864×480, then it will have the proper 16:9 aspect when viewed. If you want a smaller image, reduce size accordingly, like 432×240 for instance.

Hope this makes sense, long answer to a short question

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Matt,

Sorry but have to ask…drives defragmented? This is the most common cause of the issue you describe.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi,

You should be able to choose an existing preset and modify the settings. Look for a little chain link icon next to frame size numbers, you have to deselect that to be able to modify the numbers individually.

I don’t use VLC, nor do I use QuickTime much since I edit on the PC. I actually use H.264 usually instead of QT, and these files play in iTunes and such just fine, and I believe the file extension is .mp4 on those clips.

Personally, I have never used “uncompressed” for a video export. If the source video was already compressed (and all cameras compress the video), I don’t see an advantage to going uncompressed. Most output formats, with a high enough data rate, will look excellent. So, I’m not sure on what the settings should be, I’m not at my edit station right now to look at the options available.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Shelley,

Markers are not necessary – simply scrub to the position on the timeline where you want the title to come on, and drag the title from the bin to that spot on the timeline. All I can figure is that maybe you are talking about a scrolling title (like movie credits) and you have chosen the “Start off screen” option. In that case, it is trial and error – the time it takes for the text to roll up and be visible will differ depending on the length of the clip, as you can drag the title clip longer or shorter on the timeline to change duration, but anyway, drag the IN point of the title to an earlier time and just visually get it to come on when you want it to.

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers