Video format for watching on a PC

[andyfranks]

Hi,

I've been creating video files in Pro X5 to upload to Vimeo. They are fine but I wondered if I could create a better quality format to watch on my laptop eg in terms of Kbps etc. The files are:
MPEG-4 Files
24 bits, 1280 x 720, 25 fps
Frame-based
H.264 Main Profile Video: 5000 Kbps
44100 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo
MPEG AAC Audio: 128 Kbps

They are created from source files which are:
PAL (25 fps)
Microsoft AVI files
24 bits, 720 x 576, 16:9, 25 fps
Lower Field First
Matrox DV/DVCAM -- type 2
PCM, 48.000 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo

What would be the best format quality for a laptop? I tried 20,000 Kbps and 256 Kbps sound for the heck of it but the laptop struggles to play them.

Any thoughts welcome.

Thanks, Andy F

[Ken Berry]

Andy -- as I am sure you are aware, your original video is standard definition, and in terms of quality, your DV/AVI is just about the best quality there is for standard def video. The only problem with DV format, though, is its size -- running at about 13 GB an hour. But if you have the space, including on external hard disks which are very cheap these days, keep it as DV.

You have converted it to, in effect, a low scale high def format (1280 x 720) for Vimeo. But of course simply using a hig def format will not make your original video any better quality. As the old saying goes "you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear"... And essentially any conversion to a more compressed format will involve some loss of quality. Going from DV, conversion to mpeg-2 would give good quality, if you used a high bitrate. But mpeg-2 files are also large, if size and storage space are of concern.

Other mpeg-4 formats you might consider would be .mov (Quicktime) or DivX/XVid. They also come in high def versions, but you can also configure them -- especially DivX/XVid -- for good quality standard def 'home theatre' use.

[pvreditor]

If you will be viewing your files on Windows-based PCs, I suggest that you render a version of your video as a WMV file. This uses encoding similar to MPEG4 video, and WMV (Windows Media Video) files are very compatible with Windows-based PCs. WMV files can also be uploaded to sites like YouTube and Vimeo without problems. WMV files are less compatible with Apple Mac computers, but I've been told that there is a way to play them on Macs. Once the video is uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, etc., it will play on Macs without problems. WMV files will take up MUCH less space than the DV (AVI) files you have now.

As Ken said, your source files are standard definition, and there is only so much quality you can squeeze from them. You can upconvert to an HD format (as you have done) but that generally doesn't make things look better.

Bob Kovacs
http://www.bobkovacs.com

[andyfranks]

Thanks both of you. I'm filming in HD from now on!