safe/sure video format

[elmuz]

Hi all,
I was looking for a safe video codec/container so that Adobe Premiere CS4 would accept without any audio/video problem.
What I usually do is receiveing video content from different music companies o videomakers (sometimes exported using private codec like Apple ProRes or Sony IMX, sometimes very compressed with x264 thus with high bitrates) and I need to send these videos to people using Adobe Premiere CS4. Most of cases they aren't able to import these contents and they want me to convert them into a Premiere-like source.
I would use somthing like WinFF/Avidemux/VDM/Mpeg Streamclip/MediaCoder etc...
Is there any good standard (without visibile quality loss whom Premiere would appreciate) for standard definition and high definition?
I think .AVI DV-PAL is good standard and lower definitions... right? Waht for 720p content?


Thank you in advance and sorry for my English.

elmuz

[Bonie81]

For safe and universal container I would prefer AVI (XViD/DiVX + Lame), NTSC or PAL does not matter.
Every player and all video software gonna accept this as a valid input.

[edDV]

For standard definition 720x576 DV format is universal. PC wants DV-AVI, Mac wants "*.dv". There are pro variations on DV format that can be native edited on CS4. For example IMX (I frame MPeg2), DVCPro and uncompressed. But these should be requested not sent unasked.

Other than uncompressed, HDV format is most supported for HD. On request,

AVCHD
XDCAM-EX (MXF container)
DVCPro-HD (MXF container)

As for quality reduction, that may happen. There is no easy all for one solution.

[edDV]

For safe and universal container I would prefer AVI (XViD/DiVX + Lame), NTSC or PAL does not matter.
Every player and all video software gonna accept this as a valid input.

These might play but are a poor choice for editing.

[elmuz]

Thank you for now.

Ok, for standard definition.
Let's say I grab a 1080p videoclip mp4 from Youtube... What's best to be mixed and edited in Premiere CS4 in a HDV timeline?
I put it in Avidemux or something like it... and what are good settings?

elmuz