MS mp4v2 .avi's look horrible?

[c0r3file]

All my source video is shot on Sony Digital8 and captured via firewire to Premiere Pro or Premiere Elements. Once I have that .avi (I guess it's uncompressed raw) I try to export a Microsoft AVI with the mpeg4v2 codec and all the videos look horrible, with blockiness and smearing. I've tried adjusting bitrates to no effect. I don't like this codec but I'm in a corporate environment where I can't install DivX, etc. on a bunch of workstations. Should I just stick to mpeg1? My old Premiere6.5 used to make some at least average looking MSmpeg4v2's.

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

--c0r3file

[MOVIEGEEK]

Use DV-AVI to transfer and edit.

[spectroelectro]

If your video was shot on digital 8 it won't be uncompressed raw RBG, it'll be 5:1 compressed Type 2 DV avi (i.e., 80% of the video information has been thrown out ). Not to worry, Type 2 DV is still an excellent video format even though it does toss 80% of the video info. Ebert is probably right, you should keep the video in the native Type 2 DV avi in which Premiere captured it and try exporting directly to MS mpeg4.

That said, MS's mpeg4 ain't that great. Xvid gives a lot better results and it's free open source. Bear in mind you will get blocking and smearing with any mpeg-4 codec. MPEG-2 seems superior to all the mpeg-4 codecs I've seen insofar as mpeg-2 becomes transparent if you ramp up the bitrate high enough. That doesn't seem to be the case with MPEG-4 codecs, alas. Also, all the mpeg-4 codecs I've seen produce results that look significantly worse on a TV screen than on a computer screen for some oddball reason.