Rendering: File Type Comparison?

astrovideo · Post by **astrovideo** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:59 pm

Hi,
Is there a chart somewhere that compares the different codecs? I'd like to see a copmparison of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DivX, WMV, etc. in terms of file size, quality, portability, etc. so that I can decide which one to use for rendering based on my objectives for a given project.

Thank you.

Clevo · Post by **Clevo** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:16 am

Yeah there is...in google search for Video File formats. I do remember seeing one in table form but there are so many formats and compressions it was a pretty long table

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 2:36 pm

A great resource is videohelp.com.

astrovideo · Post by **astrovideo** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:08 pm

Is this the basic idea, though?:

Given the same resolution, MPEG-2 will give a better quality (and smaller file size?) than MPEG-1.

Given the same resolution, MPEG-4 (DivX, XviD, etc.) will give a smaller file size (and better quality?) than MPEG-2.

Is any part of the abover correct? Thank you.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:28 pm

Not sure what you mean by "resolution" -- it's not really a term used in video editing. Do you mean the same frame size? If so, then roughly speaking, the first statement is correct -- mpeg-2 will nearly always be better than mpeg-1.

And mpeg-4 will just about always give a much smaller file size than mpeg-2. The question of quality, though, is relative. High quality mpeg-2 is certainly comparable to, if not better than, the higher quality mpeg-4 results.

But it is all a bit senseless talking about resolution in this context since each uses quite different 'technology' to produce the final product. Above all, each uses totally different compression rates and the algorithms used to produce this compression.

You can produce an mpeg-1 which looks pretty good -- as good as a good VHS video tape -- and which will probably look better (sometimes a lot better) than an mpeg-2 produced with a very low bitrate (indeed a bitrate getting down towards the type of bitrate used to produce an mpeg-1). But some people prefer quantity to quality in some circumstances, and by using a low bitrate, you will fit a lot more mpeg-2 onto a DVD, with an albeit (much) lower quality.

Equally, depending on exactly which compression rates used on an XVid or DivX, and the corresponding bitrates, the size and quality of the end product will also vary -- though generally the quality will still be good to very good. But I have also seen some fairly awful quality ones too -- such as the input to websites like YouTube etc...