Problems trying to encode .mov to .flv

[bneubert]

I'm needing to know 3 things:

1. Is there a best compression for exporting .mov files from Final Cut Pro? I'm needing to use FFmpegx to finally convert to .flv files.

2. When I try and do a conversion of a 360x240 .mov file into .flv, I get a message that the width needs to be dividable by 16?

3. Is the highest bitrate allowed, always the best?

[dr9553]

1. That is going to depend on the file size you are going for and the quality to go with the file size. I always use these settings:
Video Tab
size = 320x240
frame rate = 17
video bitrate = 370

Audio Tab
audio bitrate = 32
sampling = 22050
channels = mono

Options Tab
High Quality
Two-pass encoding

2. That is because 360 is not evenly divisible by 16 (you get 22.5). 320, 336, 352, 368, 384, 400, etc.... are all acceptable.

3. Not always, like i said for question 1 it depends on your requirements/limitations for the files you are creating. I always do a bunch of test encodes to find the settings i like. For me the settings i gave above give a good balance and fit the application we are using the videos for.

I hope this helps a bit.

[bneubert]

Thanks so much for your response.

For clarification. The video that I am kicking out from Final Cut is widescreen format. We are working with an entity, Media Forge, and they are asking for a screen size of 360 x 240 for their media rich environment, which they have told me represents widescreen reduced for their needs. In your opinion, does 368 x 240 fit that bill?

Also, the bitrate seems to change with these parameters. Do you suggest experimenting, or is there a standard?

Thanks,
Bryce