MPEG-4 Plug-in - Featurelist

sveinan · Post by **sveinan** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 12:06 am

I promised in another post to post a feature list for the MPEG-4 plug-in. Here it is. It is not a review, just a short overview of the options available in the plug-in. Hope this can make it easier for people to check if the plug-in has the features needed for them. Because Ulead thinks this is all info you need about their plug-in on their web:

MPEG-4 is the hottest new video format, offering remarkably small file sizes while maintaining eye-popping quality. It is gaining use in the popular DVD market, as well as in digital cameras and camcorders. As a pioneer in creating software solutions for MPEG-4, Ulead is at the forefront of this technology. With the MPEG-4 Plug-in for MediaStudio 8, you can easily encode your video movies to near-DVD-quality for sharing them with family and friends.

Not much to go by. Also please read the post referenced above. There have been problems with the activation code for this plug-in, so check if it has been solved before buying.

Here is a short recap of features (as far as I have found out):

> Supports MPEG-4 (Basic), MPEG-4 (Improved) & H.263
> No support for MPEG-4 Type 10 / AVC / H.264
> BitRate limited to 200-2000 kbps for Export
> Import seems to support >2000 kbps (strange)

So in short. I have paid $30 for something that is given for free to VideoStudio 9 users. And going by the text describing the plug-in, I get something that is at the 'forefront of technology'. That is marketing at its best. But if you ignore the obvious marketing ploy. And look at what it really gives you. It does that ok. So if your needs are filled by what it really does (which was impossible for me to find out before buying it, no trial available). It is an ok plug-in. For me I get one thing solved, I can import some MPEG-4 material directly into MSP8. But that is it. I cannot create MPEG-4 Type 10. And stuff I have archived as MPEG-4 Type 10, I cannot import directly. So I am still waiting for the real MPEG-4 plug-in. Because this stuff is definitely not at the 'forefront of technology'.

Here is an overview of options available when creating a MPEG-4 export:

Code: Select all

File / Create / Video File...

MPEG-4 Files (*.mp4) / Options...

[Video Save Options]

- Video Editor
  - Perform non-square pixel rendering
  - Perform SmartRender
  - Perform auto-deinterlace
  - Add key frame at cue position
  - Add key frame at clip edge
  - Use key frame file
  - Cropping

- General
  - Encoder driver: Ulead MPEG-4 vio Driver
  - Data track: Audio and Video / Video Only
  - Frame rate: 10/11/12/13/14/15/23.976/24/25/29.970/30
  - Frame type: Frame-based
  - Frame size: 128x096/176x144/192x144/320x240/352x240
                352x288/352x480/352x576/480x480/480x576
                640x480/704x480/704x576/720x480/720x576
                note: H.263 is limited to:
                128x096/176x144/352x288/704x576

- Compression:
  - Video type: M4V-SP / M4V-ASP / H.263
  - Video data rate: 200-2000 kbps
  - Audio type: AAC
  - Audio frequency: 16000/22050/24000/32000/44100/48000
  - Audio bit rate: 64/96/112/128/160/192/224/256 kbps
  - Audio mode: Stereo

post keywords: mp4 mpg mpeg mpg4 mpeg4 mpeg-4 type10 10 avc h.264 h264 plug-in plugin msp8