Encoder Setup For Movie Encoding Software?

I was wondering if anyone knew of a source where i could find a list of the settings that should be used in order to get the highest quality movies when encoding in to other formats using a variety of different software products?

For example, what are the optimum settings to use on Sorenson Squeeze for a 512k video, 216k video, etc?

With everyone working on movie content inside paysites lately im surprised there isnt a list of these default settings posted anywhere to help everyone get better quality encoding from their movie content.

Regards,

Lee

I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to in Sorenson.

I always choose two-pass encoding unless I'm encoding a scene that's all similar in backgrounds and so forth and is shot on, say, a backdrop. The two-pass encoding makes for a better encoded video when there's a lot of movement or complex backgrounds.

The On2 encoder is generally a little better than Sorenson Spark if you're doing Flash, but there are a few circumstances where Spark will look better.

Other than that, if you can be more specific about which settings you're speaking of, I might be able to help.

Chip,

Im not really talking about any specific settings, i just dont recall seeing anything like an online guide that says, check this box, set this to this number, check this other box, make it this size, etc, etc.

A simple step-by-step set of instructions on how webmasters can setup various encoding programs to get the best movies they can when encoding content.

Regards,

Lee

Let me fire up Squeeze and I'll see what I can find. I don't have it on this machine, when Pat comes back in, I'll poke around on his machine and see.

unless i'm misunderstanding, there is no such setting. a lot of other factors are included, including opinion. i've noticed that well-lit video can get away with a lower bitrate to look as high in quality as a not-as-well lit video that has a higher bitrate.

there are other things involved, too.

besides, i know a guy who encoded 100 scenes at 2 Mbps and they're blurry due to other issues.

i like to use my eyes to determine optimum quality - my eyes and a bright monitor with good setting. if i'm batching for someone who doesn't need optimum but simply good, i might make 5 20-second clips of the same piece of the scene at different settings to see which looks best.

if you're going for good but not amazing, 1.5 Mbps is pretty good for WMV, MP4, M4V and Quicktime (and probably Flash) but AVI requires a much lower bitrate to look good.

I looked for this magic bullet for months only to be told the same thing over and over: "It depends". Encoding is as much an art as it is a science. Scenes with lots of movement, lots of pattern or high contrast colors require totally different settings then a evenly lit shot indoors on a bed. Key frame rates, bit rates and the tweaking of contrast, saturation and white balance all effect the final product.

My earliest encoding efforts are files that are far larger and much less attractive than the ones we release now. We shoot, light and edit with an eye toward the encoding process. Even the transitions have to be taken into account.

The hardest encoding scene? Outdoor j/o shower with trees moving in the wind. Toughest thing ever.

Starting with the default settings and tweaking something and testing over and over again is a good start. Everything we found on the web was always different or pretty low quality settings.

Jimmy