Video compression

I've got a 3GB 15 minute movie that I'd like to share with the "world" anyone know much about video compression? I can't do better than 300mb at half resolution.

I used VirtualDub to compress a few HL2 videos I had recorded with
fraps. This program can be found here: http://www.virtualdub.org/

I just followed instructions from a friend on how to use the program,
but the result was pretty good, and the size a lot smaller.

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What the Snarkpitters listen to!

Half resolution? Please tell me you're not encoding the video as a standard AVI.

You need to choose a codec! Xvid is pretty damn good. Open Source too.
There's also some alternatives that use some nice algorithms too (I can't remember the names right now).

If you want to make it Xvid, here are some resources:

http://www.xvid.org/
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/xvid.htm

The second link is a tutorial on ripping a movie and encoding, but it doesn't go too deep into the ripping movie part. So, just pay attention to the encoding.

They use virtual dub to work around in. It isn't a bad program and it's free. (and linked above. But it is only an EDITOR, nothing more!)

Your file size should be very small once this is done. If you did everything right it should "look" exactly the same. I would also suggest doing this from source and not a previous encoding that failed! (that's very important)

Don't encode it as a WMV, MPG, standard AVI, RM, MOV, or any of those disgusting formats. You want it to look good: use a good codec which is made for quality and size rather than streaming (Excluding AVI, of course. They're just huge.)

Any questions?

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

http://www.snarkpit.net/editing.php?page=tutorials&game=HL&id=94

Last section may be helpful: load it up in Virtualdub, select codec, and export it again.

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

Thanks Crono, I'll give this a try a little bit later only question; will people need a special codec to play the movie? I would like to be able to stream this from my website, but thats only if I can get it at-least under 100mb.

I agree with Crono. Xvid is quite good, but you can also get a free Divx codec that might be a bit more ubiquitous.

For the encoding front-end I like flaskMPEG

Well. Doc, they'll need whatever codec you're using. Xvid, Divx, whatever. Just say what you used to encode it and people should understand how to play it.
But that should be a downloadable version.

If you want a streaming version then make it quicktime (mov). Destroy the quality and get it down to 20-40 MB at most. It's a little larger than wmv, for instance, but it's the best when it comes to streaming because you can pause and let it finish downloading.

You'll need two different videos, I suppose is the short answer if you want good quality, it has to be larger, if you want speed it has to have low quality, them's the trade offs.

The final movie, even in Xvid, divx, whatever, shouldn't be more than 75MB or so (that's winging it based on a 2 hour movie being 600MB)

I wish I could remember that alternative. In any case, just have a link to the codecs needed. Also, feel free to do more research on codecs in general so all this will make more sense!

http://free-codecs.com/
http://www.doom9.org/

have lots of good information.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Streaming it from your website could work if you stream it using the Flash Video format.

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

If you get complaints of codecs not working direct people towards this
media player that has it all built-in(well the most used ones):
VLC media player.

And I also recommend using XviD, I've always gotten nice results with it. :smile:

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

is VLC media player better than media player classic?

Listen to everyone but, keep Tracers advice in your mind too. Xvid is a bit more... taboo than DIVX is.

To my knowledge, both will give you superb results but, if you are going represent your web site with this video, you might want to chose the lesser evil..

I know that you are prolly only scanning these posts but Tracer has a valid point and you need to listen.

My point is, using DIVX will cause you a tiny bit less grief since its more... legal?

(I dunno how legal, legal is when making vids.)

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I'm running FlashKMPEG and it wont open .mov which is how my source is saved. Am I going about this wrong? [edit] oh noes, after looking into this all I'm a bit overwhelmed... I'll pick this up when I get my new computer.

What exactly is illegal about the Xvid codec?

It's a codec. I could have said use the x264 codec, since it gives nice performance and size with MPG4, but it's obscure and rare. Xvid is commonly used and commonly found by it self. Divx is difficult for most people (not myself included) to find a stand alone codec. (They're everywhere, but you need to know where to look)

Quicktime is something of a protected format. Like I said, you want to get the video from source! Raw, so to speak. Encoding from one format to another is not what you want to do. Ever. Anyway, you'd probably need an editor that supports it (that wont be free).

As far as players go. There is plenty. WMPC is alright. It can't use some codecs with it, I've noticed. The best all round, I've found, is MPlayer. It recently was brought to a Windows environment and given a GUI (can all be found at free-codecs.com). Everything is still controlled with keys though. Not to worry, it's simple, fast, and uses little resources.

To get classic to run properly now, I have to give it a higher priority and that's uncalled for.

Where's this video coming from anyway? Did someone else already edit it and encode it as quicktime or what?

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

The codec you use to compress your video file doesn't have any effect on its legality - you could have perfectly legal xvid files, or completely illegal mpegs. It's all down the what the video is of. If you own the copyright or have rights to the video, then you can put it in whatever format you want. The only reason xvid might be considered less legal is because it is so often used for pirated media, but thats just because it is a good, free, open source codec.

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

Crono said:
What exactly is illegal about the Xvid codec?

I have absolutely no clue but I still felt the need to say something since... We have so many opinions of the legality of video's.

None of us (I assume) are lawyer's that specialize in topics of this nature.

I'd rather be totally wrong, than be one of those people who says nothing at all.

I had heard once that Xvid was a hacked version of Divx... Hence the transposed lettering..

shrugs

hacked=illegal.. even if what I heard is inaccurate, I still heard it.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

hacked != illegal, actually. You can legally reverse engineer things as long as you use the white room method.

But. in any case, that isn't what it is. Also ... they're just algorithms. I have yet to run across one that is absolutely unusable due to legalities. Code is another matter, of course.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Calvin already beat me to divX, but I will at least recommend it! I currently have a 1024x768, 3:30 or so long video at about 200 kbs, and the file size is roughly 8 megs. It's gotta be the best codec on the planet.

I will warn, though, that divX has a slight... color loss problem. I find that videos that I make that I encode with divX, seem to lose a lot of their color. They don't become black and white, but they do appear a bit bland.

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Breaking the laws of mapping since 2003 and doing a damn fine job at it

The better version of Divx codec costs money and as far as I know there
are some limitations to its use(nowadays it's also used commercially, like WH40K:DOW intro). Xvid is completely free and as far
as I know it doesn't have any hidden quirks or limitations.

As for VLC, I wouldn't go saying that it's better than Media Player
Classic as they are a bit different programs. VLC has codecs
build-in(it also uses external ones) while MPC uses completely external
codecs. The only bad thing I've noticed in VLC is that the sound
quality isn't always the best, but since I don't want to install
Quicktime(last time I installed it I got a s**tload of ads and other
s**t that slowed my computer to crawl, I don't know what the current
situation is but I'll still steer away) it's a good program for
watching the occasional .mp4 or .mov.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

Pvt.Scythe said:
but since I don't want to install
Quicktime(last time I installed it I got a s**tload of ads and other
s**t that slowed my computer to crawl, I don't know what the current
situation is but I'll still steer away) it's a good program for
watching the occasional .mp4 or .mov.

I use VLC for just about all vid files now, and quite like it, but there is a program called Quicktime Alternative which works quite well without all the bloat. (there is also Real Alternative)

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SourDough2.0 - With Strawberry Jam

Well the video is all mine, I shot it, edited it, and exported it as quicktime. Sadly I didn't have time/harddrive space to keep the source! :sad:

So the only thing I've got to work from is the 3gig .mov I just got a new mac book, so if anyone knows editing software for a mac (omfgroflosry!) thats what I'm working with now.

As far as Divx... I've had alot of trouble with it in the past but I fall into the not-crono category of not knowing much about anything. I'm going to give iMovie a try, if that doesn't work I'll just wait till I buy the final-cut suite and work on it again.

I just got a new mac book, so if anyone knows editing software for a mac (omfgroflosry!) thats what I'm working with now.

Now look at that, another gamer who has an Apple laptop. I'm afraid I can't help you, though :sad:

All I can say is that DivX is an excellent format that never failed me. It's near DVD quality at a 5th of the filesize. I wish I had one of the DivX/Xvid compatible DVD players. Also I only use it for legal purposes. OF COURSE.

Google for DivX converters. Mov files are difficult because Apple is pretty harsh with the format (there are hardly any non Quicktime viewers for the files, too so no fullscreen without paying.) But try it. I'd actually download a DivX movie but a fully compressed *.mov file (still of GB size) is a bit off-turning.

3gigs for a 15 minute vid? That must be very high quality, since I have a 17 minute video which is 5 megs big, and is perfectly watchable, and quite a large size.

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'The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.' - Somerset Maugham

3gigs for a 15 minute vid? That must be very high quality, since I have a 17 minute video which is 5 megs big, and is perfectly watchable, and quite a large size.

what?! Do you have any information on that? I've tried a lot of things and nothing goes under 100 mb, and its only 720x480.

720 x 480 is DVD quality video. That stuff is very large. Don't be surprised that it doesn't go below 100MB.

It isn't that difficult to understand how file size gets effected based on video attributes. Perhaps you're over complicating it when you think about it?

If you understand how size relates to an image or an audio file ... just put them together. (Of course there are varying differences when dealing with actual video, but it still fits)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

man. DIVX.

And I just tried to copy a DVD and it effed up AGAIN!

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I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com

Nickelplate said:
And I just tried to copy a DVD and it effed up AGAIN!

I'm ready, you?

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Hey thanks for asking this question Dr Glass...I'm making a video myself and I was wondering how to make it smaller near release date. Cheerio!

Well I had a full on 160gb harddrive crash (this was my backup mind you so there is no back up of the back up :sad: ) and I think I lost the .mov, so I'll have to wait untill I get back to school and see if the source is still on the computers up there, which I doubt. All I'm left with is the DVD I made, any one know how to rip a DVD burnt on iDVD?

First, what is iDVD?

and, there are a s**tload of ripping software out there.

Try googling these.

DVD Decrypter
DVD Shrink
DVD Fab
ImTOO DVD Ripper
Magic DVD Ripper
Super DVD Ripper

and, if its not copy protected you can just copy it straight across with:

DVD Santa
Nero
DVD Pizza
DVD Clone

I have all these and have used them at one time or another.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

thanks