Best Compression Format

[Fallen_angel]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I did a search and didn't find a similar question. I'm trying to export a project from Adobe Premiere, the clips in the project are mpegs and it's 20 minutes long. What compressor should I choose if I intend to burn it on a VCD with Nero? I can choose between:

Cinepak codec by Radius
Divx 5.1.1
Indeo Video 5.0
Intel I.263 Video driver
Intel Indeo video r3.2
Intel Indeo 4.5
Intel IYUV codec
Microsoft RLE
Microsoft video 1
Xvid Mpeg-4 codec

I tried with Cinepak but the preview says it will take 7 hours and I don't even know how big will be the result file, so I interrupted it. I also tried with Xvid, the resulting file is 440 MB, it's good but I was wondering if I could get a better quality with another compressor and still be able to fit it into a VCD.

Also, my project has a pretty low resolution 352x240, the original quality was not great anyway, but if I turn it into a VCD, will it reduce even more the quality of the video? It's because in Nero, when I choose to burn in VCD format, the file is only 300 mb whereas my original file was around 400 mb... Will it be better if I burn it on as a DVD even if my file is only 400 mb? BTW, are all DVD players able to read VCDs too? Sorry if it seems stupid, but I'm a newbie.

Thanks!

[daamon]

Hi Fallen_angel,

VCDs are MPEG1. You can see the full specs for VCD under "What Is... VCD" - link, top left of the page. The resolution of VCD is much lower than 720 x 480 - that's NTSC DVD resolution.

What are the details (audio and video) of the original MPEGs? Use the beta v2.52 of GSpot to get the required info on the files. This will help to determins of you should be burning VCD, SVCD or DVD.

Most (maybe all) players play VCDs.

[Fallen_angel]

[edited]

[ZippyP.]

Most (maybe all) players play VCDs.

Perhaps in Oz but not in Canada. Some will and some won't, I don't know the % though.

All players will play a DVD made with VCD resolution however.

[reboot]

DivX 5.11, 6000kbps.
Better to download and install the huffyuv codec, and use it.

[adcvideo]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I did a search and didn't find a similar question. I'm trying to export a project from Adobe Premiere, the clips in the project are mpegs and it's 20 minutes long. What compressor should I choose if I intend to burn it on a VCD with Nero? I can choose between:
<...>
Thanks!

If you are using Adobe Premiere, then you should drag your clip to the timeline, then under File--->Export Timeline menu there should be the Adobe MPEG Encoder Option. This will give you the VCD option. Be aware that encoding to VCD will be a long process. VCD is MPEG-1 (actually a particular MPEG-1 standard) Other video codecs are irrelevant to VCD.

The megabyte per minute and display ratio for VCD is fixed, the final file will be the same size regardless of what the source is. It is best to have the source in the best quality, your *original format* before encoding to VCD.

When you say burn it with Nero, are you taking about the burning application, or Nero Express? If you have the full version of Nero, you can let Nero Express guide you through importing your video and turning it into VCD format.

[dcsos]

You need to be using Adobe Premiere 5.1 or higher to export MPG
if you dont have the ADOBE MEPEG ENCODER EXPORT option
the previous poster described accurately, you can still export MPEG 1
with advanced web encoding provided by CLEANER EZ export in PREMIERE
the key is to stick to the reqiured specs for NTSC countries
1150 kbit/sec MPEG-1
352 x 240 pixels
29,97 frames/second

[Fallen_angel]

I have Premiere 6.0, but the mpeg encoder option is not in the menu under file>export timeline.

I was talking about Nero the burning application.

I tried to use Gspot to detect my video settings but most of the fields indicate n.a, so I used Setting Viewer in Premiere to see the details.

[daamon]

Hi Fallen_angel,

As you're working with MPEGs, you might be better off with a tool that's specifically designed to edit MPEGs: VideoReDo, MPEG-VCR or MPEG Video Wizard.

Use GSpot (beta v2.52) on the source MPEGs and post screen prints here - the info on the audio and video may be of use in determining a different course of action / set of tools to use.

My thinking is that as the source is already MPEG, then you may be able to avoid numerous format changes (as you'll encounter at present) and so avoid loss of quality at each encoding. The MPEG editors I mentioned above all (I believe) only re-encode where required, and not by default.

[adcvideo]

I have Premiere 6.0, but the mpeg encoder option is not in the menu under file>export timeline.

I was talking about Nero the burning application.

What you may require is a seperate MPEG-1 encoder to turn your edited video into the VCD format. Exporting your AVI video from Premiere into a non-MPEG-1 codec (Xvid or whatever) will not improve/help you turn your video into a VCD, and will only downgrade the final result by adding an extra step of lossy encoding. And you cannot add information/resolution by processing your AVI in another better codec.

Export from Premiere in whatever format it was orginally, then process it for VCD with a seperate MPEG-1 encoder. I am not that familiar with Premiere, look for any function that will export your video without any extra re-encoding. Just be careful not to export it as a raw AVI, as this may use up all the available space on your hard drive. Your post looks like your original file may be a Cinepak Codec, or is this just what Premiere wants to save it as? Cinepak creates large, often unwieldy files (Se above warning!). How large is your original file? If you do not know, then Huffyuv may be a good choice for the least damage before encoding as MPEG-1.

For the MPEG-1 encoding, software such as TMPGEnc (there is a freeware version for MPEG-1) is a good example, as is AVI2VCD for the most basic tool.

I presume you are using Premiere for your editing tool? If you just want the most basic editing functions, as another poster mentioned, the other option is to run your file through an MPEG-1 encoder, and then edit in MPEG, although you will lose the more powerful editing functions of Premiere.

[daamon]

Exporting your AVI video from Premiere...

Export from Premiere in whatever format it was orginally...

The original poster's first post states that the source files are MPEGs (probably MPEG2 judging by the resolution).

[fzzy]

You may want to export as uncompressed as possible (DV AVI perhaps?); then I have much better options with what to encode it with and to format. The quality seems equal to the originals and it seems to be much faster this way with my setup.

[adcvideo]

Exporting your AVI video from Premiere...

Export from Premiere in whatever format it was orginally...

The original poster's first post states that the source files are MPEGs (probably MPEG2 judging by the resolution).

In that case Huffyuv would indeed be one good codec to use before importing into an MPEG-1 encoder. I wonder if there is a way to have Premiere utilize an external MPEG-1 encoder directly from the timeline? This would avoid the need to re-encode twice.

[daamon]

...and it seems to be much faster this way with my setup.

That's coz DV AVI is the default format for Premiere, and so no re-encoding is required.

I wonder if there is a way to have Premiere utilize an external MPEG-1 encoder directly from the timeline? This would avoid the need to re-encode twice.

I believe the DebugMode Frameserver facilitates this. And it certainly works with Premiere 6.0 coz I use both.

[Fallen_angel]

I think I should mention that my video (imported in Premiere as MPEG-1) is already edited with Premiere (I chose the "NTSC 640x480 video for Windows" profile for the project settings), finished and done, now I'm looking for the best way to export it with the minimum of quality loss (but uncompressed takes too much time and too much space). The original file is 270 MB for a 20 minutes video (GSpot indicates only 6 minutes and 66MB because I have in fact two files that I joined together in Premiere, the screen cap is only first the first file but the other one has the same settings).

Export from Premiere in whatever format it was orginally, then process it for VCD with a seperate MPEG-1 encoder.

Yes that is exactly what I'm trying to do, it's the export from Premiere part that I'm having problem with. Nero encodes the file in VCD format automatically when I choose to burn it as a VCD, so a mpeg-1 encoder isn't required.

In that case Huffyuv would indeed be one good codec to use before importing into an MPEG-1 encoder. I wonder if there is a way to have Premiere utilize an external MPEG-1 encoder directly from the timeline? This would avoid the need to re-encode twice.

I will try Huffyuv, does it output large files? Yeah it would be best if Premiere could do that.

You may want to export as uncompressed as possible (DV AVI perhaps?);

I'm not sure, but I don't think DV-AVI is necessary because my original files have a lower quality.

[canadateck]

Use GSpot (beta v2.52) Like daamon said.

[Fallen_angel]

Oops, I didn't realize that I had the wrong version of Gspot, I edited my post. BTW, my original file was 352x240, I said 640x480 because Premiere enlarged it (I chose the 640x480 profile), sorry for the confusion.

[Fallen_angel]

Exporting your AVI video from Premiere...

Export from Premiere in whatever format it was orginally...

The original poster's first post states that the source files are MPEGs (probably MPEG2 judging by the resolution).

Actually it's mpeg-1, I posted the wrong resolution...

[dcsos]

FALLEN ANGEL YOUR ADOBE PREMIERE certainly has MPEG
I just POSTED THIS..
DID YOU SEE MY POST?

ADOBE 6.0 CERTAINLY HAS BUILT IN MPEG ENCODING

FOLLOW ME HERE AGAIN
FILE...EXPORT TIMELINE...SAVE FOR WEB

A Window that says CLEANER EZ will open..
CHOOSE
MPEG, 2X CDROM NTSC and you're done

[Fallen_angel]

Yeah I did see your post and I replied saying I could not see the MPEG Encoder Option, because the poster you referred to told me to look for it under File>Export Timeline, now that you mentioned the Save for Web part, I've found it thanks!

[daamon]

I've never "Saved for Web" - but I'd recommend that you use GSpot on the resultant file to check the details and confirm compliance with the VCD standards.

As your source is VCD (from the updated GSpot screen cap), and you want to burn to VCD then I'd strongly recommend you look into the MPEG editors I mentioned earlier as they are possibly better suited to the job.

Only where re-encoding is required, will it occur (as long as this is the case with the tools, which I believe it is) - meaning that the other areas are left untouched and so no quality loss.

It sounds like you want to add audio to the clips - I'm not sure if the MPEG editors support that. Like I say, look into them...

Good luck.

[dcsos]

Daamon I believe its compliant look:

[daamon]

I agree, dcsos - That would suggest it's compliant. As long as its's MP2 audio at 44,100Hz then that'll be bang on.

As MPEG1 encoding is free (as far as I know) then I'd suspect that that's a valid export.