Compression: Which is best?

[erwin1978]

jpeg is always the best. bmp produce the same visual quality but with ridiculous file size.

[eX-one]

DivX

if you want better cross platform compatibility, Quicktime

[kandyman]

zip. if you want illegal software, use rar.

[kandyman]

oh crap, he edited his post so now it makes sense :(

ok, use divx.

[erwin1978]

now I don't make sense

[dave_baer]

*** tee hee *** :D

Yeah, I saw the need to edit that and put in what I meant to say in the first place. heh...

[ZrO-1]

I thought I would say a few things about compression and a few of the posts made.

JPEG and BMP files are for still images not video. Actually bitmaps don't use any compression. They are just a raw binary description of the pixels on screen(hence the size). JPEG can use a few types of compression at several levels of visual quality and can be quite efficient if you are willing to sacrifice visual quality. Or they can have almost no compression and use almost as much space as a BMP.

DivX is a fantastic format for compressing AVI video. AVI file format is a Windows propriatary format. It uses very low levels of compression to maintain visual quality. DivX can compress the AVI or raw video with much less noticeable visual loss.
Quicktime lets you use rather high levels of compression with less visual quality loss than AVI, but it is still not the best. Quicktime is also propriatary to Apple. The only difference is that Apple released a cross-platform player for their propriatary format.

The absolute best video compression technology that is truly cross platform is MPEG2 (not MPEG). MPEG2 is the technology they use in DVD disks. It uses intellegent compression which lets the video be highly compressed, with a minimum of visual quality loss. DivX is at this level as far as compression, but since it's only for AVI files I'll have to stick with MPEG2 for the best.

ZIP and RAR compression formats are for general file compression. You can compress anything into a ZIP or RAR format. Just as a side note: RAR handles media (pictures, audio, video) better than zip.

I'm not trying to be a jerk or piss anyone off. I'm not attacking what people have said in this thread. I just thought I'd clarify some of what was said here and add in my own 2 cents.
Sorry if anyone felt that I was being a jerk to them.

[dave_baer]

ZrO-1: I don't feel you were being a jerk and I hope people don't take it the wrong way. But to clarify something before it gets out of hand....

My original post left out a key element of what I was looking for. I wanted to know what the best compression for video on the net was, but I negelected to put 'VIDEO' in the content. Thus, the posts for ZIP and RAR, JPG and BMP. They weren't wrong, they just answered what they read. I saw my mistake and went in and edited my original post to include VIDEO, which is why kandyman wrote "oh crap, he edited his post so now it makes sense ".

It's an honest mistake and I hope this clarifys anything that may be misinterpreted. Your post has been the most informative yet.

Thanks! :beer:

I guess my next question would be, what programs compress to MPEG2 or DIVX?

[Sibben]

Nope, ZrO-1, you did not piss me off either. Maybe 'cause I am such a wise ass myself. ;)

But hey, DivX compresses alot harder than MPEG2, does it not. Sometimes DivX-films look like a salad with diced cheese...

[DocBledsoe]

And to continue busting Zr0-1.....:cool:

Windows Media Player has an Apple version that plays AVI files on Macincrotches. And of course DivX recently released a Macincrotch version of their player and codec.



:thumbsup:

[leigh]

Originally posted by DocBledsoe
Macincrotch

ROFLMAO :scream: :scream:

[dave_baer]

Hey! What'd you say about my crotch sack? :D

[moovieboy]

Hey folks!

Just to toss my 2 cents in...

If I could reshape this crazy world, DIVX would be permanently banned until they get their act together.

DIVX is still a monumental failure on the mac platform. For well over a year, I've used patience, reason and the occasional top-o-my-lungs-scream at the people at DIVX and Project Mayo. From the moment they tried to go "legit," the mac codecs have been staggeringly bad (and do they EVER get past "alphas?")

It still boggles my mind. A codec or player should be 2 steps: Download, reboot and you're set, right? But DIVX wants us Mac folks to adjust parameters, run "validators" and look for programs that STILL may not get you a watchable movie (or a playable soundtrack). Does ANYTHING else in recent FX/WEB history treat people who want to see your work or mine this bad?

It makes professionals like me wonder why these jerks haven't been dragged into the streets and... well, at least forced to see how bad their glorious codec looks on machines that can play every other format in the book...

Not that I'm bitter about this at all, yes? ;)

So, long rant short. Go with MPEG or quicktime. As for how to do it, well that depends on platform and what you want to do.

-Tom

[animalunae]

divx is definately the most powerfull compression, but you may consider using the Sorenson III compression from Apple it delivers great quality but larger files, another problem is that not may have this compression installed and it makes it harder to bring it to the "crowd"

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.