Compressing Files

[Ilysa]

Hi,
We are trying to get our files ready for our videocast and are having a hard time figuring it out. We compressed it several ways, WMV.mpeg4 and for Real Media and are getting a blurred image and the mpeg4 is 50 MB and looks really bad. Can anyone help me with this. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I would really appreciate the help. Thanks!
Ilysa
http://www.polymerclaypodcast.com

[WyethDigital]

Hi Ilysa,

First, I just wanted to point out your website doesn't seem to be working today. If you have sample files there for us to look at, we can't get to them.*

Secondly, on the issue of file size: When I started out I had the same concerns. I'd always been told to keep files on the web under 10 MB. But another experienced podcaster told me that if I didn't want to put a file that was over 30 MB in my feed then I shouldn't be podcasting. That was good advice. Some things are just built for highspeed internet, and video podcasting is one of them!

Now, about your image problems: We need more specifics on what you're actually doing when you encode the files. The formats you're encoding to don't really tell us much about the problem. We need to know what your video was edited on, what your source file is, what you're using to encode them, and maybe even see an example of the problem. We also need to know the bitrate, the image dimensions, and whether it's interlaced video or progressive, etc.

Eric

* edit -- It's working now.

[Rasheed]

I'm not a video podcaster, nor a podcaster, but I have read and listened to a lot of experts in the field.

Some video podcaster have found out, that a dark, even black, background and not too light colored clothing of the hosts helps the compression a lot. The more detail and changes the background has, the harder it is to compress the video with a certain image quality in mind.

Try taping the host in front of some bushes that are moving by heavy winds, or lots of moving people, and you'll see how hard it is to compress that segment, while keeping the image quality high. Of course, you can blur the background by using a telephoto shot and large lens aperture (low f/ value), but still this will improve your compression factor only by a modest percentage, compared to a stable background.

The less screen surface is changing between frames, the better compression results you will have.

My 2 cents.

And oh, I should add: always use a tripod to stabilize your video camera, if that is possible from both an organizational and a stylistic standpoint.

[WyethDigital]

With all due respect, Rasheed, video on the 'net is changing. You have a lot more latitude than you did before, provided you and your audience is willing to deal with the extra bandwidth required to make the files look good. That said, you can get a near DVD quality 5-7 minute video onto the net that is under 80 MB, which is a smaller file size than some of the audio podcasts that I listen to.

In any case, the problem she's having isn't about how to tape, but how to compress now that they have taped. They should consider your advice for their next show, but it's not going to do them much good for their current problem.

Eric

I'm not a video podcaster, nor a podcaster, but I have read and listened to a lot of experts in the field.

Some video podcaster have found out, that a dark, even black, background and not too light colored clothing of the hosts helps the compression a lot. The more detail and changes the background has, the harder it is to compress the video with a certain image quality in mind.

Try taping the host in front of some bushes that are moving by heavy winds, or lots of moving people, and you'll see how hard it is to compress that segment, while keeping the image quality high. Of course, you can blur the background by using a telephoto shot and large lens aperture (low f/ value), but still this will improve your compression factor only by a modest percentage, compared to a stable background.

The less screen surface is changing between frames, the better compression results you will have.

My 2 cents.

And oh, I should add: always use a tripod to stabilize your video camera, if that is possible from both an organizational and a stylistic standpoint.