How do I get my size 17 body into a size 4 dress?
December 12th, 2008 by Shannon Newton
A common question for producers and clients alike is about compressing video (aka ‘encoding’). You don’t want your final video to be too big because no one is going to wait for 30 mins for your product video. Too small and you sacrifice quality. The good news is that you can decide how best to encode at the last minute IF you do one, very important thing: Record the highest quality source material.
Although the Market7 software encodes into flash for viewing and feedback, we are optimized for viewing and feedback which is probably not the same considerations you want for your video.
Four things to consider
1. Type of file Compression/Decompression (aka ‘Codec)
2. Dimensions of video
3. Quality (aka ‘Bitrate’)
4. Container (Quicktime, Windows Media, Flash, etc.)
1. Codec – The codec is just the way the video is compressed. It is a bunch of math rules used to reduce the video’s size. On the receiving end, the reverse calculation is done to restore the video as close as possible to the original. Different codecs = different math (and a different result) I prefer the H264 encoding as the best all-around codec but it is relatively newer than, for example, MPEG codec so some computers may not be able to play videos with the H264 codec.
2. Dimensions – This is really a matter of preference. Smaller dimensions = smaller file size (faster loading) but it also means pixelation if you try to display it at a larger dimension than which it was saved at.
3. Quality – This is a tricky one especially since you can have variable bit rate and frame rates. This is where you can make small adjustments to get your video looking just right at an acceptable size. Lowering the frame rate will make the video appear choppy but for some videos this is fine. Lowering the bit rate will reduce the quality of each frame.
4. Container – Your consideration about container should be what the audience is willing/able to view. You should only be using containers you are sure won’t be a problem. Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media, and AVI are the most ubiquitous. For purposes of comparison and utility, all of the above videos were in the Flash Video (.flv) container. This is the same container we use in the Market7 service for the same reason: To ensure everyone can watch the uploaded content.
