Best compression for Macs doing .wmv files at DVinfo.net

Kevin Carter · August 31st, 2007, 06:11 PM

My editor is using pro flip for mac. it's fine. But someone mentioned a software that really compresses amazing, (called Super), think only for windows. Is there a better compressor for .wmv files than flip for mac? thanks

Tim Dashwood · August 31st, 2007, 07:17 PM

I use Compressor 3 with Flip4Mac Studio Pro HD components. I suppose you could use any compressor software that can access the codec components, including Quicktime Pro, Sorenson Squeeze or Cleaner. You can download the WMV Compressor app for Windows from the Microsoft website. It is free, but doesn't seem to want to play with quicktime files, even if they are Cineform codec.

When it comes to compression, the term "good" can be very subjective. Do you want low bit rates/file size or high visual quality and frame rates, or maybe meet somewhere in the middle.

I think the key to "good" WMV compression is understanding what all the different options in the WMV codec actually do. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to understand a lot of Microsoft's terminology. For example, the complexity option can be set to "Live Fast, Live Normal, Offline Slow, Offline Normal, or Offline Fast." Does this mean the complexity of my source material, or is this some way of prioritizing bit allocation? I have no idea.

There's also the Smoother/Sharper slider. Does this mean my frame rate will drop if I increase it to the Sharper side? Or maybe this is edge enhancement/sharpness? These terms are very confusing.

I've experimented with both 2-pass VBR and 1-pass CBR and frankly there doesn't seem to be much of a savings in file size or an improvement in bandwidth allocation/image quality with 2-pass VBR (and the compression time doubles.)

Tim Dashwood · August 31st, 2007, 11:09 PM

I found a tiny bit of info on the Microsoft site and it explains Smoother/Sharper, but there is no mention of the 'complexity' option.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...anEncodingMode

Ken Stone's site has an article with a mention of 'complexity' determining how long the encoder spends encoding the frame. "Live" is low quality but quick, "Offline" is higher quality but slow.
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...4mac_gary.html

Kevin Carter · September 1st, 2007, 07:52 PM

thanks Tim:
this is bit over my head, that's why I hire a editor.
But , essentially if one is working on a Mac machine then flip for mac is best bet? no better?

My editor , from 10 min HD footage got 640 x 360 about 1100 kb/sec got file at about 80mb.

Now my webhoster says he has a client who claimes he was getting nice files at half the size. Said he used encoder called: Super:

http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

Looks complex and I think only for windows machines, and I want option to use Mac based editors, hece this post

August 31st, 2007, 06:11 PM	#1
Kevin Carter Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: los angeles, CA Posts: 235	Best compression for Macs doing .wmv files My editor is using pro flip for mac. it's fine. But someone mentioned a software that really compresses amazing, (called Super), think only for windows. Is there a better compressor for .wmv files than flip for mac? thanks

August 31st, 2007, 07:17 PM	#2
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	I use Compressor 3 with Flip4Mac Studio Pro HD components. I suppose you could use any compressor software that can access the codec components, including Quicktime Pro, Sorenson Squeeze or Cleaner. You can download the WMV Compressor app for Windows from the Microsoft website. It is free, but doesn't seem to want to play with quicktime files, even if they are Cineform codec. When it comes to compression, the term "good" can be very subjective. Do you want low bit rates/file size or high visual quality and frame rates, or maybe meet somewhere in the middle. I think the key to "good" WMV compression is understanding what all the different options in the WMV codec actually do. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to understand a lot of Microsoft's terminology. For example, the complexity option can be set to "Live Fast, Live Normal, Offline Slow, Offline Normal, or Offline Fast." Does this mean the complexity of my source material, or is this some way of prioritizing bit allocation? I have no idea. There's also the Smoother/Sharper slider. Does this mean my frame rate will drop if I increase it to the Sharper side? Or maybe this is edge enhancement/sharpness? These terms are very confusing. I've experimented with both 2-pass VBR and 1-pass CBR and frankly there doesn't seem to be much of a savings in file size or an improvement in bandwidth allocation/image quality with 2-pass VBR (and the compression time doubles.) Attached Thumbnails __________________ Tim Dashwood

August 31st, 2007, 11:09 PM	#3
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	I found a tiny bit of info on the Microsoft site and it explains Smoother/Sharper, but there is no mention of the 'complexity' option. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...anEncodingMode Ken Stone's site has an article with a mention of 'complexity' determining how long the encoder spends encoding the frame. "Live" is low quality but quick, "Offline" is higher quality but slow. http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...4mac_gary.html __________________ Tim Dashwood

September 1st, 2007, 07:52 PM	#4
Kevin Carter Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: los angeles, CA Posts: 235	thanks Tim: this is bit over my head, that's why I hire a editor. But , essentially if one is working on a Mac machine then flip for mac is best bet? no better? My editor , from 10 min HD footage got 640 x 360 about 1100 kb/sec got file at about 80mb. Now my webhoster says he has a client who claimes he was getting nice files at half the size. Said he used encoder called: Super: http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html Looks complex and I think only for windows machines, and I want option to use Mac based editors, hece this post