compressing HD for the web

[Focused]

I have a lot of experience getting 4 x 3 video squished down to just about anything for the web. Streaming, e-mail, you name it I can do it in my sleep.

16 x 9 is a whole other deal. Add in 720 vs 1080 and I need the help of a mathematician.

Does anyone have some tips for getting short clips (like 30 second spots) encoded down for proofing over e-mail--less than 10 MB? Using Quicktime pro I can use a lower bit rate to save file size but end up with a squished image (16x9 in a 4x3 hole). Once I was able to get it back to 16x9 but I can't find the process again.

I am just using the wrong program? Some have recommended Adobe Media Encoder but I can not find it as a stand alone. I run FCP hence the Quick time experience. I have dabbled around with Apple's Compressor but there are not many options for encoding to a web friendly file. It lacks control over a lot of variables.

 

[Dan R.]

For HD clips, I've been encoding FLVs and embedding those in a flash-based player. The quality is nice and file sizes are not too bad, and they will work in most platforms. I set the bitrate at around 4Mbps and size the video at around 950 pixels wide (which fits in most browser windows). You can even make the flash player full-screen without losing too much quality.

 

[Chugach3DGuy]

Is it required that you deliver these clips at the full 720p/1080p rez? Whenever I send out proofs of TV spots or any kind of clip over email, I'll down-rez to 640X480 or 320X240 if it's something longer than 60 seconds. If you do need to deal with files at High Definition resolutions, it might be better to use a service like RapidShare or YouSendIt. They're free services that allow you to upload a file up to 100 or 200 MB in size and then send download links to whoever needs the file. It's an easy way to bypass the whole email attachment limitations. Another option is to use an FTP server and a client program such as Filezilla.

When dealing with larger files that go along with HD, encoding to Flash video (FLV) will give you the best looking image for the least amount of space, just like Dan said. Adobe's Media Encoder does the best work in my opinion, but since you're running FCP, you might have to find a 3rd party Flash encoder. The next format I'd suggest is encoding to H.264. The file size is relatively compact, and the image and sound quality is very good. You should be able to encode to H.264 in Apple's Compressor. Compressor is a good program and can output some great looking video, so you don't really have to spend money if you don't want to. Take some time and encode some 30-second clips at different bitrates to see what works best. Lower bitrates will cut down on file size, but it comes at the cost of increased image degradation, motion artifacts, banding, and all that compression nastiness. Also, when I was learning Compressor, the manual was the most helpful thing at my disposal.

 

[Focused]

THanks for the help.

I will look into all of those things. However, my confusion grows.

Using quicktime yesterday I had an HD file (720) one mintue in length. The QT movie encoded in H.264 was 148 MB. I tried to turn it into an FLV and it came out 478 MBs. That is not the right direction at all. I eventually got it down to 33 MB as a WMV and did the FTP thing. It got the job done but there was a lot of wasted time (experimentation) involved.

Let me rephrase the question. Can anyone recommend a 3rd party software where I can control the settings easier?

If I could select a specific bit rate I would--however, I am stuck with just a few basic factory settings even though I have QT Pro. I can work them with good results when using SD video but the HD thing is just kicking my butt.

 

[SimonW]

The next format I'd suggest is encoding to H.264.

Flash is H264 as well. This is the basis of a really cool trick. Render out as a H264 .mov file from Compressor, then when it has finished just change the file extension from .mov to .flv

All Flash players from version 9 onwards will play the file as if it was standard Flash video. I use this method all the time as I can get better compression using Compressor than I can making an FLV file with the On2 encoder.

A few tips for settings. Leave the datarate as unrestricted, but set the quality to just a bit higher than Medium quality. Set the keyframes to 50 for high motion things and 150 for low motion (such as interviews). This should often cut your resultant file sizes in half.

Compressor has all the settings you will ever need to control the quality. The only thing it is missing is a triple pass option. So I don't know why you can't find all the options. You can even place markers in the FCP timeline that will be read by Compressor to indicate places of high motion that need more attention.

 

[Chugach3DGuy]

Flash is H264 as well. This is the basis of a really cool trick. Render out as a H264 .mov file from Compressor, then when it has finished just change the file extension from .mov to .flv

Really? This is awesome! I'll have to try this when I get a chance, because I had no idea this was possible. That's nice to know, since there's no dedicated Flash Encoder built in to Compressor like there is with Adobe Media Encoder.

 

[Alaska cameradude]

Really? This is awesome! I'll have to try this when I get a chance, because I had no idea this was possible. That's nice to know, since there's no dedicated Flash Encoder built in to Compressor like there is with Adobe Media Encoder.

Yup, no need to use Squeeze or any third party option. The newest version of Flash
can play H.264 as if it was flash. I've used that little trick quite a few times now....

 

[Canonman]

As Simon pointed out, Compressor has all the settings you'll ever need. And once you find out what works, save it as a preset that you can come right back to. You may need to set up a couple different ones for fewer keyframes/more keyframes as well. And yes, use those compression markers in FCP's timeline around transitions and high motion. This forces the encoder to insert more I frames in that area resulting in less compression.

cm

 

[Focused]

revisiting

Ok,

I have Compressor 3 (FC Studio 2) and the issue with not finding the settings I want is still getting in my way. Could it be the screen set up? Some other editors have looked at my machine and they don't know where to start as the layout is complete foreign to them.

I do have a settings folder with options of Apple Devices, DVD, Formats & Workflows.
Start with Workflows:
-- Select WEB
-- Select QT 7 compatible
-- Select H.264 800 kbps (out of 5 options)

Thats it. Nothing to adjust keyframe rate or aspect ration. I do have an Inspector window but can not activate anything in there as nothing will highlight.

My source is a 1280 x 720 HD Quicktime file with TRT at 5:30. Full rez is 856 MB. (used HDV on export as ProRes was HUGE, over 2.3 GB) Anyway, Quicktime conversion will get it down to a 31 MB .mov or a 28 MB .WMV, but it is very sloppy. And, stuck in a letterbox window. What do I need to do to maintain the 16x9 ratio, yet keep it clean for FTP download ?

Better yet, how to I get the Inspector to allow me to make changes? I'm to the point to hire out the encoding already.

 

[Chugach3DGuy]

Toward the top of the inspector window, there are 4 or 5 small icons. One of them is for quality settings. Click on that icon, and you'll see the options for bitrates, I-frames, and all that goodness. By the way , all of this stuff is in the manual, because that's how I learned to use Compressor...

 

[Focused]

Think I got it

After a lot of button pushing and a restart I was able to gain control over the Inspector window. For whatever reason they we not responding before.

The good thing is I was able to get into the setting options and now have control over bit rate and everything else. Thank you all for the help. Now to find the setting I like best. Time to experiment!