Latest posts for the topic "Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?"

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Eddz — GMT

We're doing some investigation into the codec we should use to output movies into, and we've filtered it down to three main choices. But we need your input - which would you prefer to have your movies outputted into and why? Your choice may just influence the final product! Thanks in advance :)

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

holdmykidney — GMT

Tricky. I confess to hating quicktime with a passion, because I don't like the quicktime suite of tools and plugin on PC. I've had lots of problems with WMV as a codec over the years as well. The Movies' highest quality WMV seems to contain audio timing which Adobe Premiere really doesn't like. I'd have to go for AVI of some form or another. DivX is a great format.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

steelblade — GMT

holdmykidney wrote:

Tricky. I confess to hating quicktime with a passion, because I don't like the quicktime suite of tools and plugin on PC. I've had lots of problems with WMV as a codec over the years as well. The Movies' highest quality WMV seems to contain audio timing which Adobe Premiere really doesn't like. I'd have to go for AVI of some form or another. DivX is a great format.

I have to vote AVI as well. It's a format the most all 3rd party editors (That I am aware of) will accept and edit. Also, I think (not sure, but I will look into it if someone doesn't already know) it is the one that can be clear enough to show on the big screen.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

DavidB — GMT

thank goodness no one has yet suggested Flash ....

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Ben_S — GMT

Am I being awkward if I say that having something at as high a quality as possible is a good idea (preferably lossless?), so that one can do conversions to whatever one actually needs?

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Noelle — GMT

Flash! (Just kidding) :mrgreen: My vote is DivX.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

DavidB — GMT

Ben_S wrote:

Am I being awkward if I say that having something at as high a quality as possible is a good idea (preferably lossless?), so that one can do conversions to whatever one actually needs?

Not awkward at all. The issue is that if we ask users to rely on something external and technical like Tsunami or other conversion tools we severely limit possible take up (not just difficulty but also cost) - basically we want to offer a simple push-and-make solution within Moviestorm that suits the largest number of people. Of course one of the buttons could be labelled "man, I have 2Tb of free space, so just render my 3hr movie at 32bit 1920*1080p and let me deal with the heat those disks give off" :-) However, one has to suspect that most users are going to be looking for something easier to share ;-)

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

FLeeF — GMT

DavidB wrote:

...Of course one of the buttons could be labelled "man, I have 2Tb of free space, so just render my 3hr movie at 32bit 1920*1080p and let me deal with the heat those disks give off" :-)

I vote AVI, and I can see the need for outputting compressed files, but please allow an uncompressed AVI selection for those of us who want to compile our clips in other post production and effects software (ie, Sony Vegas, After Effects, Adobe Premiere, etc.).

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

neopresul — GMT

I'd also suggest support for uncompressed 32 bit with alpha channel. This gives you a great deal of compositing capabilities, completely eliminating chroma-key issues if using output as an overlay or intermediate layer. Several versions of 32bit codecs are bundled with windows. About Flash: FLV is a great way to quickly get video online with the broadest cross-platform compatibility. There are free FLV/Flash format converters that do a great job converting video. While you may not be including one, links to their resources would be something I think users who are targeting the web/online video would appreciate or include a section of unsupported freeware utilities.

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

richke — GMT

As long as i can edit it in Vegas i'm happy. Plus high quality and smaller sizes :) - thats possible :)

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

mikej — GMT

The only truly functional answer is 'all of the above'. If you want to avoid the situation of Moviestorm being completely reliant on other software such as an NLE or compositing app, rather than being self-sufficient then Moviestorm should move quickly towards being able to work with all major file formats and codecs. High-level users will of course want and insist on moving projects from Moviestorm to other applications for further post-production but i think it very valuable to not be exclusive or off-putting to newer and less expeienced filmmakers. Making Moviestorm self sufficient from staging, to shooting to output make sit accessible without limiting power users. The Quicktime suite has some advantages with a huge range of codecs from production formats - uncompressed 4:4:4, lossless 4:2:2, DV and 32bit files with Alpha right down through delivery formats Mpeg4, Sorenson and H264/AVC. Its a very wide suite. However the Quicktime engine generally requires a call-up system when being accessed from an app that doesn't actually use QT natively. This can be very inefficient and result in slow renders. Also whilst all NLE systems on the market can use QT only Apple's Final Cut Pro uses the QT engine natively - all others (Avid, Vegas and Premiere, Canopus, liquid) use QT as an external call-up. What this means is that performance of Qt files is generally not as efficient as AVI wrapper files. This is not a big deal but something to suggest that the ability to make QT files might be secondary to AVI alternatives for 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 32bit with alpha video. WMV should not be overlooked. Its universal to all computers - Even macs with Flip-for-Mac - and is still one of the best quality for fie size codec out there when its handled correctly. Well made WMV's in HD can be put side by side with H264/AVC HD files and be 1/2 to 2/3 of the size of the AVC and look better on motion. The codecs used in Blu-Ray and HDDVD are based on VC1 which is made from WMV. So theres really is no knocking WMV quality when its made right. BUT it is not a production format and far too many people, with little knowledge of codecs, attempt to use WMV's to edit with which is a major no no. The gaming community is very fond of DivX (and its side kick Xvid) using the AVI wrapper and rightly so, being an Mpeg4 based codec it delivers outstanding quality for very reasonable file size especially on long projects. But, like WMV, far too many people try and treat DivX as a production format (perhaps mislead by the use of the AVI wrapper which is more often used for DV files) and is most certainly not suited to this and indeed many NLE's will not read DivX. DivX also has a strong advantage for mobile devices as - outside of the great public hoax of the I-pod - many portable media devices use DivX as standard. Flash FLV files have a bad rep but this is because they are most readily seen on YouTube where they have been uploaded as a low quality, heavily compressed file and then had the Youtube servers crunch them again automatically to FLV. This double compression destroys the file and makes YouTube a very bad example of FLV. FLV uses the On2 codec and is absolutely without question one of the best, if not the best, quality-size ratio codecs available when its handled correctly with an unparalleled ability to embed into websites. Arguably the prime delivery platforms for movies made in moviestorm - in line with current Machinima channels - is going to be on-line and mobile devices so it would be a grave mistake I would argue to not explore how to implement FLV in Moviestorm. The difficulty here is that i understand, now that Adobe own Macromedia and their technologies, the liscening for FLV is both tightly controlled and expensive. There are however open-source alternatives that should be explored.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

poss — GMT

Whatever format is eventually decided, don't let it be one that's proprietary -- that way leads to the Dark Side! But my vote would be for AVI/DivX.... :)

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

jleao — GMT

I believe AVI is a clear choice, but i think quicktime shoud be available to. Both formats are high quality and can then be converted to FLV or WMV with other tools if needed.

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Anonymous — GMT

Theres a few quotes here that state such as "AVI is high quality". This is really incorrect. AVI or Qciktime MOV are just file format wrappers and neither has any influence over quality what so ever. Quality is dictated by the codec which is housed by the file format. A Quciktime MOV file for example could be 4:4:4 uncompressed HD or it could be 320x240 Sorenson at 10 frames per second and look bloody awful. Likewise an AVI could be YUV 4:2:2 HD or it could be heavily compressed Mpeg4 codec. AVI and MOV are just wrappers - whats important for Moviestorm is what codecs it can access not the file format wrappers...

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Nugget — GMT

Hmm. I'd say .avi primarily, but maybe with support for both the others as well?

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

ZygoteD — GMT

I vote for uncompressed AVI. It's easy and portable to many other applications like Adobe After Effects, Combustion, Adobe Premiere, etc.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

MadMac — GMT

For me an AVI/DivX as I've found this is the best quality for my meagre attempts.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Carl — GMT

I agree with the above, but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest xvid? Perhaps a little behind, but also cheap... Others may be able to have a more informed opinion about that than me, though. Also, what about frame dumps? Where the user can send the movie as sequentially numbered files to a directory? Either in PNG or JPG formats, based on user selection. This can help with compatibility with other programs or rotoscoping in photoshop or a few other things, I can't think of at the moment.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Jandir — GMT

I voted avi as well, but most non-computer-techie-people that I know may lean towards the windows media player format... Personally, I cannot stand quicktime, that would be one of the few file formats I would choose to avoid...

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Neuray — GMT

.AVI - no doubt. :)

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

lucindamc123 — GMT

I also like AVI and the only reason I chose WMV is because I just compiled a movie with AVI and found the file to be very large at the same quality than the WMV file. The same file in WMV was only 1/2 gig and in AVI it was 11 gigs. Just too large a file to upload to the internet. I might try again as when I compiled it, I didn't notice any ability to compress it. I use Pinnacle Stuidio 10 for my post production editing and with that program you can save to all the different file formats. So anything is good for me as long as the end result is not too large a file or a file that is not recognized by sites like VEOH or Ifilm.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

ceedj — GMT

Any file format is fine, as long as uncompressed AVI is included. I prefer to control my own compression after editing in an NLE.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

aramikvideo — GMT

For the Mac version, i would prefer Quicktime. Many related Apple applications are quicktime based, such as iMovie and Final Cut Pro, which i use. I would like to utilize those apps with your exciting product if possible.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Tardcore — GMT

I'm going with DivX, although I believe there should be at least two formats.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

davidwww — GMT

I think it would be great if you had a menu choice such as export AS and then you can select the format you want from a drop down menu, but if the movies we make are only allowed to be uploaded to the Moviestorm website then you should select the format that best suits your requirements. Regards Davidwww

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Tardcore — GMT

I think I read we were allowed to keep the rights to our movies, we just had to put in something about Moviestorm

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

reptor7 — GMT

If only one is available, I'd say AVI. But hope there are alternative choices.

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

cinemadoc — GMT

I voted for the .avi format. It is a good format, and easily allows those that likes to convert their works to DVDs. Any format can be converted back and forth though, the major problem I would foresee is when it comes down to website hosting. Then, the format with the maximal compression for space is probably an option to also consider.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

DW — GMT

If I had to choose between the three I'd go with Divx. Although I'd rather have as many options as possible. I believe an earlier poster replied that the option to export uncompressed is always there. So even if only one format is chosen you can always bring your uncompressed render into another program and compress it however you like.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

reptor7 — GMT

Carl wrote:

Also, what about frame dumps? Where the user can send the movie as sequentially numbered files to a directory? Either in PNG or JPG formats, based on user selection. This can help with compatibility with other programs or rotoscoping in photoshop or a few other things, I can't think of at the moment.

What he said! :mrgreen:

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Daninsky — GMT

AVI would be best, small file sizes and way easier to manipulate than .wmv On AVI files you can use a lot of free programs, neither .mov nor .wmv offer that opportunity to my knowledge.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Neuray — GMT

Altough WMA would be much easier for an upcoming fansite with charts etc, so users could submit their Moviestorm vids as well on the site to get up in the charts along with The Movies movies! How about two choices: WMA and AVI?

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Cruleworld — GMT

wma? you mean wmv right? well anyway most fan sites will support avi as well cause divx web player is very nice. actually any thin i made i prefer flv or swf cause flash is easy to stream and not much lag.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Clint — GMT

I'll be running all the shots out to an external suite of programs (paid good money for Adobe Production Premium so I'm gonna use it) and doing zero finishing in Moviestorm - so I'm one of those who will be looking for an uncompressed AVI with alpha channel capabilities... although I will work with uncompressed Quicktime if that is what you choose to go with. My Red camera will be using Redcode which is a Quicktime based format natively so I'll be using that anyway.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

tripmills — GMT

i voted avi. i think wmv support might be a good thing since more then a handful of people might only have windows movie maker and i'm not sure if that supports rendering to avi i hate to say this but...using premiere pro 2.0 i have actually had good results rendering to wmv over avi when it comes down to the final size of the file and quality of image.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Clint — GMT

When we're talking the rendering out for the end viewer I've found WMV to consistently create one of the best quality to size videos. It is actually a rather good compressed format. While usable on a Mac and Linux, it does take extra steps and some users won't go through the effort simply because of an anit-Microsoft bias. On the edit line and especially when compositing, the 4:4:4 AVI is a really good choice.

Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

twak — GMT

We should really be able to export to whatever codecs are installed on the system. Huffman RGB lossless-ish was always the way I used to do video. But I guess we'll always need a Moviestorm defined fallback.

Re:Your movies: Which file format would you prefer them to be in?

Filmeadair — GMT

It's all a bit apples and oranges though, isn't it? WMV and QT are video formats, whereas AVI is a container format, and could have any old video format behind it. I don't trust AVI because i've no way of knowing what the video format is and without that, I can't tell whether program X will support it. Personally I'd like MPEG 2, for ease of subtitling DVD style, but I suppose the license costs are unworkable. So I'd be happy with anything lossless that I can throw into a DVD maker package.