Which video formats to offer?

[Pseudonymous]

Hey there, I am just getting my video ready for the paysite and I am trying to figure out which formats to offer. The vid cam I used is one of the top consumer ones, the original format is that AVCHD format (.mts) - Apparently it's 1080i and not p.

Im wondering what the best format I can offer with this camera is? I will most likely want to offer one under a few hundred mb and another above. Which would be the best two for that. The videos are only 5-6min. The original files are very large for 5-6min.

I have already exported some in flash format as I know I will most likely use them.

I also expect to offer it in mp4 format and maybe another. I am looking under the h.264 menu and it has a huge list of different types but I am not sure which one is best suited for my camera. A bunch of them end in 1080p, with my camera being 1080i, would it be incorrect to use those ones?

Sorry for my ignorance on the subject of video editing, this usually isn't my side of the business. I am trying to figure this stuff out myself so I can handle this stuff myself sometimes.

I exported one into the h.264 - HDTV1080p 29.97 High quality format and the 5-6 min video was 1.27gb. I do want to offer the best. Should I lower the resolution or bitrate or what to achieve the best video for the consumer while keeping the size reasonable?

[VGeorgie]

Don't select a format based on the source. Select it based on the end user. Very few people will either want or have the connection speed for a 1+ gig file for something that's just five minutes long.

All computer displays are progressive, so when you select a format choose a "p" (progressive) output. Be sure to also apply any deinterlacing controls to improve the look. If you get lots of jagged lines during movement you know you've got the wrong deinterlacing options selected.

If you select an HD format H.264 be sure to 1) choose the High Profile and 2) also offer a standard def version at 720 or even a little lower.

[jigg]

.mp4, flv, wmv

[Pseudonymous]

Thanks guys.

[loreen]

I prefer the videos in mpg, wmv and mp4 format.

[Arnox]

WMV and MP4 are the most popular formats - people are comfortable with these.

You might like to encode with DivX as an AVI, although that usually requires the end user to download a codec pack (although it does offer great quality vs size ratio).

[digitaldivas]

knock down your bi rate, keyframe and fps. I shoot in HDV 720p and can do 10 minutes at 400-500 mb. depending on... and it still looks amazing.

[Si]

I know the feeling, going through this myself at the moment.

check out ojo soft total video converter and play around with it.

I've been creating a load of sample vids lately to see what works best. So far h.264 is the best for quality to memory usage.

[Slutboat]

Check out the Borked anti-piracy video compression thread - must read

[dgraves]

mp4, flv, wmv (SD & HD)

[Pseudonymous]

Im assuming when you guys say flv, im assuming you mean embedded.

how big should i make a video im offering through embedded flv... does it have to be really small since it downloads while they watch?

like no bigger than 50mb ? or less? what do you guys keep it under?

[Pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by digitaldivas

knock down your bi rate, keyframe and fps. I shoot in HDV 720p and can do 10 minutes at 400-500 mb. depending on... and it still looks amazing.

how come you drop fps if it doesn't minimize the size of the video?