Resolution for wed and DVD? at DVinfo.net

Darryn Carroll · February 26th, 2013, 08:58 PM

Yup, I am back again. If rendering for the web (Youtube and/or Vimeo) can the average viewer see the difference between 720 and larger rez, such as 1220, etc?

I am shooting 1080/30.

I have learned I can drastically reduce render time by rendering to 720. Which would be super convenient since i make changes/edits and re-upload for client approval.Perhaps I render as 720 during editing phase then a larger rez for final?

Without getting into Bluray, would this be the same for DVD or must I always use a higher rez?

Still boggled with all the HD resolutions...

Peter Manojlovic · February 26th, 2013, 09:44 PM

Resolution doesn't produce better quality...
Better glass, and more bitrate will do more for quality than any frame size..

Can you clarify, what you're looking for?
You want to upload 720P images for preview, since it's faster for encoding?

What is the source size of the image/video?
Edit:
Okay, i see you're doing 1080@30P

If speed is important, why not drop it to 480P if it's just for preview? Let the customer know it's strictly for preview, and doesn't represent the final output?

Seth Bloombaum · February 27th, 2013, 03:00 PM

In my experience, 1280x720 is a real sweet spot for HD online distribution. It looks very good on typical displays / viewing distances. I (almost) never upload 1920x1080, though that's usually what I'm shooting.

Distribution for mobile is different, but if I'm prepping for youtube or vimeo I will upload 720p and the host takes care of transcoding for mobile.

Taky Cheung · March 5th, 2013, 02:08 AM

If you are talking about standard DVD video that is for set top DVD playback, for NTSC it has to be 720x480 with 1:1.2 pixel aspect ratio.

Jeff Pulera · March 5th, 2013, 11:18 AM

Hi Darryn,

I have a 50" Plasma set in my living room that is 720p and it looks absolutely stunning and I can't imagine how 1080p would look "better" - what is better than perfect? I've read many studies that say the average person can watch 720p and 1080p side by side and can't tell the difference. Also consider that although the 23"-24" computer monitors with 1920x1080 resolution are becoming much more common and cheaper these days, the majority of folks that I know (friends, family) that are NOT video editors do NOT have full HD displays for their computer, therefore a 1920x1080 video would be larger than their computer screen!

So to answer your question, definitely encode web content at 720p and it will look great.

Thanks

Taky Cheung · March 5th, 2013, 12:40 PM

I encode and upload 1080 to vimeo and youtube. In vimeo, I leave playback at default 720p. For YouTube, viewer can pick whatever the resolution they want, or switched automatically by the YouTube player.

Kevin Duffey · May 5th, 2013, 10:25 PM

Jeff, you need to check out the 4K OLED displays before you say that.. I think a top notch bluray on a solid 1080p screen is insanely beautiful, but not even close to what it looks like on a 4K OLED screen. 8K is already on the drawing board too.. although that will be 5+ years out. 4K sets are hitting the market this year, way too high in price for most of us, although there are some rather impressive China sets for about $1500 or so that do 4K on a 50" screen that look very good. Cameras are just starting to hit 4K for cheap (comparatively speaking) and with 6K and 8K sensors starting to show up, it won't be long before we're pushing towards 8K TVs. Sounds crazy, but it's only a matter of time.

February 26th, 2013, 08:58 PM	#1
Darryn Carroll Major Player Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 255	Resolution for wed and DVD? Yup, I am back again. If rendering for the web (Youtube and/or Vimeo) can the average viewer see the difference between 720 and larger rez, such as 1220, etc? I am shooting 1080/30. I have learned I can drastically reduce render time by rendering to 720. Which would be super convenient since i make changes/edits and re-upload for client approval.Perhaps I render as 720 during editing phase then a larger rez for final? Without getting into Bluray, would this be the same for DVD or must I always use a higher rez? Still boggled with all the HD resolutions...

February 26th, 2013, 09:44 PM	#2
Peter Manojlovic Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hamilton Ontario Posts: 769	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? Resolution doesn't produce better quality... Better glass, and more bitrate will do more for quality than any frame size.. Can you clarify, what you're looking for? You want to upload 720P images for preview, since it's faster for encoding? What is the source size of the image/video? Edit: Okay, i see you're doing 1080@30P If speed is important, why not drop it to 480P if it's just for preview? Let the customer know it's strictly for preview, and doesn't represent the final output?

February 27th, 2013, 03:00 PM	#3
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? In my experience, 1280x720 is a real sweet spot for HD online distribution. It looks very good on typical displays / viewing distances. I (almost) never upload 1920x1080, though that's usually what I'm shooting. Distribution for mobile is different, but if I'm prepping for youtube or vimeo I will upload 720p and the host takes care of transcoding for mobile. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

March 5th, 2013, 02:08 AM	#4
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? If you are talking about standard DVD video that is for set top DVD playback, for NTSC it has to be 720x480 with 1:1.2 pixel aspect ratio. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

March 5th, 2013, 11:18 AM	#5
Jeff Pulera Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Milwaukee WI Posts: 691	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? Hi Darryn, I have a 50" Plasma set in my living room that is 720p and it looks absolutely stunning and I can't imagine how 1080p would look "better" - what is better than perfect? I've read many studies that say the average person can watch 720p and 1080p side by side and can't tell the difference. Also consider that although the 23"-24" computer monitors with 1920x1080 resolution are becoming much more common and cheaper these days, the majority of folks that I know (friends, family) that are NOT video editors do NOT have full HD displays for their computer, therefore a 1920x1080 video would be larger than their computer screen! So to answer your question, definitely encode web content at 720p and it will look great. Thanks __________________ Jeff Pulera Safe Harbor Computers

March 5th, 2013, 12:40 PM	#6
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? I encode and upload 1080 to vimeo and youtube. In vimeo, I leave playback at default 720p. For YouTube, viewer can pick whatever the resolution they want, or switched automatically by the YouTube player. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

May 5th, 2013, 10:25 PM	#7
Kevin Duffey Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: California Posts: 206	Re: Resolution for wed and DVD? Jeff, you need to check out the 4K OLED displays before you say that.. I think a top notch bluray on a solid 1080p screen is insanely beautiful, but not even close to what it looks like on a 4K OLED screen. 8K is already on the drawing board too.. although that will be 5+ years out. 4K sets are hitting the market this year, way too high in price for most of us, although there are some rather impressive China sets for about $1500 or so that do 4K on a 50" screen that look very good. Cameras are just starting to hit 4K for cheap (comparatively speaking) and with 6K and 8K sensors starting to show up, it won't be long before we're pushing towards 8K TVs. Sounds crazy, but it's only a matter of time.