Video encoding formats

[Theiananator]

I am just getting into video editing and I've started putting video onto my computer. I am using Adobe Premiere Pro and when I import video, it stores is as .avi files. The only problem I have with this is that that files are HUGE (1 hour of video+audio=15GB). I want to keep the high quality but just make them smaller. When I am done, I will be exporting the video to a DVD and so it has to be able to be played in standalone DVD players. I was wondering which format I should convert the video to.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Well, since it has to be playable in standalone DVD players, then MPEG/MPEG2 is really your only choice. Some DVD players can also playback VCD and SVCD, but I'd say that's the minority and not the majority.

 

[Theiananator]

Is there anything of comperable quality to MPEG2 that is smaller, so that while editing I can use the smaller format, and then convert to MPEG2 right before I export?

 

[Kilrsat]

Originally posted by: Theiananator
Is there anything of comperable quality to MPEG2 that is smaller, so that while editing I can use the smaller format, and then convert to MPEG2 right before I export?

MPEG2 is a lossy format, so you really want to only make this conversion for the final product. Most anything that generates a file of similar quality but smaller than mpeg2 will also be lossy compression. Converting lossy to lossy just results in lossier. That's why it defaults to uncompressed .avi. It starts with a clean source, and then you only have the single lossy conversion. Thus preserving as much quality as possible.

 

[Koing]

You will lose quality if you do it the way you mentioned in your 2nd post.

Editing with anything other then the original DV avi will make dodgy the edits 'bad'. Then you later convert to MPEG2 it will be bad as it will be compressed again.

Keep everything in the captured DV avi and edit with that. For DVD you have to use MPEG2.

If did not have to use DVD you could encode as a good divx or xvid file. Good compression and good quality.

Koing

 

[Theiananator]

Should I get a huge hard drive and edit the original .avi's and then export the final product as MPEG2? Or right when I put video on my computer should I convert it to MPEG2 then edit that and then put it on dvd?
-Ian

 

[Crusty]

Keep it as the original .avi files. Once your final cut is done, then export to a dvd using Premier.

 

[Theiananator]

Ok, so it is looking like I am going to need a big hard drive. This movie is a documentary about me and my friends and our life in high school. So it will be going until mid 2007. Needless to say, that is a lot of video. Any suggestions for a machine that I could make to store and edit all of that?

 

[Nothinman]

Some DVD players can also playback VCD and SVCD, but I'd say that's the minority and not the majority.

Unless your DVD player is like over 5 years old it probably does VCDs and I would say there's a good chance SVCDs too. It's a pretty standard feature these days.

Any suggestions for a machine that I could make to store and edit all of that?

If this is a one time thing you probably don't want to dump tons of cash on a whole machine. But you also have to think about data loss, if you spend a bunch of money on a 500G LaCie drive and it dies on you, that's a lot of data to try to replace. Ideally, whatever you decide to get get should be doubled so that you can either setup RAID 1 to have a mirror incase one drive or RAID 0 set dies or set it up to backup the data every few days so you have somewhere to fall back to incase of problems.

 

[beatle]

MPEG2 was not designed to be edited. SVCD is variable bitrate MPEG2 video @ 480x480 resolution. VCD is constant bitrate mpeg1 video and also not the best for editing. It's also not near the quality of DVD. There really aren't any formats you can convert your DV into that are smaller and still suitable for editing. Don't feel so bad about the size though, I capture at a lower resolution (640x480) and use a lossless compression format called HuffyUV. My avis are approx 40 gigs per hour! :shocked:

I'll also recommend backing this data up, as losing it is one of the worst feelings.

 

[naruto1988]

haha, why am i not in the video ian? u gotta introduce me as the friend that taught u about computers, hahaha.

 

[Theiananator]

I love you Matt. You can be in it, you can give me an interview, and if you are interesting enough, you can be in it for something else. Yell at McCourt one day. Just go ape $hit and throw stuff around, that would be grade A material.