Codecs

If anyone here is having trouble deciding what codec to use, or doesn't understand much about codecs, this is a list of some of the more popular and well known codecs sized up against each other, hope this helps with your codec needs:

Before you go read this, first download Nimo's Codec Pack, which contains all the codecs you need for playing the discussed filetypes in this thread.


DIV-X

This is a populair one. It's a cracked version of MPEG 4 acually. It gives a nice picture compared to filesize. The audio is in the populair MP3 format, which we all know.

Pros

Nice quality compared to filesize


Cons

Not compatible with most (like all) DVD players
Compression movement in still images


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

450 bps or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 800 bps
Audio: 128 bps


Use it for:

On-line publishing
Archieving at high bitrates (like 3000+ bps


compare it to
Looking at something while you have tears in your eyes



WMV A.K.A. Windows Media Video

The codec by Microsoft. Uses it's own WMA audio format for sound. A nice attempt to overrule DivX.

Pros

Small files
Nice audio
Can be "streamed" on websites


Cons

Loads and loads of color loss
compression looks ugly even at high bitrates
Horrible compression noise in fast movement


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

200 bps VBR or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 1500 bps
Audio: 96 bps


Use it for:

Your website


compare it to
Looking at something with tears in your eyes



Xvid

A modified version of DivX, and a very good one too. It drops the stupid keyframe idea of DivX, which gives a calmer picture. This is one of the smartest codecs around.

Pros

Very nice quality compared to filesize
little compression noise as long at an average bitrate


Cons

Loads of compatibility problems
No DVD player is invented yet to play this
Not a very populair one, so codecs are hard to find
Colors mess up due to compression


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

1400 bps or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 1600 bps
Audio: 128 bps


Use it for:

Backing up your DVD's to watch them on your PC


compare it to
Reguar TV



REALone video

Like the Windows Media codec, only from Apple. Smart one this. If you don't want others to copy or edit your video, use this one. It's way better than the Windows Video codec.


Pros

Great quality and small files
very calm picture
Almost no visible quality loss
Unduplicatable
Can be "streamed" on websites


Cons

Only plays in Apple's Realplayer
Not compatible with any DVD player
Audio codec isn't very good
Each secound in this format, takes 20 minutes to encode


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

400 bps or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 800 bps
Audio: 192 bps


Use it for:

Your website
Uninportant video's that have to look nice and be small like previews


compare it to
Watching a DVD on a shitty TV



Quicktime video

An outdated codec, but still used because it's inpossible to copy and edit these. For the rest, it's shit.


Pros


Can be "streamed" on websites
Unduplicatable


Cons

Looks like shit
Sounds like shit
You need a special shit player to play this shit
Is big shit even at insane bitrates
Takes ages to encode



Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

doesn't matter; it looks like shit at any bitrate


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 600 bps
Audio: 128 bps


Use it for:

Stuff you don't want anybody to copy or edit


compare it to
Looking at a grey wall



MPEG 1 A.K.A. VCD

The standard created by the Motion Picture Expert Group. This one has a fixed encoding bitrate for both video and audio.


Pros

Compatible with most DVD players
Quality is ok
no movement in still images if coded correctly


Cons

bad compression noise with fast movement
lots of color loss
can't tweak encode speeds much


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

1440 bps or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 1440 bps
Audio: 160 bps


Use it for:

Video CD
Back up your DVD's


compare it to
A rented videotape



MPEG 2 A.K.A. SVCD

Another standard created by the Motion Picture Expert Group. This one has a fixed encoding bitrate for both video and audio, same as the VCD. Better quality with almost no color loss. Uses the same audio codec as MPEG 1.


Pros

Compatible with most DVD players
Quality is great
no movement in still images if coded correctly
very calm, sharp picture
you can barely seen any compression noise


Cons

Big files. Only 35 minutes on one CD
can't tweak encode speeds much


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

2200 bps or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 2300 bps
Audio: 160 bps


Use it for:

Video CD
Back up your DVD's
Archiving


compare it to
Looking a DVD on a small TV



MPEG 2 HD A.K.A. DVD

Same as the SVCD, only with very low compression in a very high resolution and Dolby Digital or DTS multichannel sound. It uses varial bitrate technology. Which means that with lots of movement more bits are given than parts with no movement.


Pros

Compatible with all DVD players
Quality is awesome
no movement in images if coded correctly
extreme calm, and very sharp picture
you cant see any compression noise at all
sound is very sharp
no color loss


Cons

Encoding takes very long
You need a DVD burner
DVD+R's are expensive
A full length DVD movie takes about 4 days to encode


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

5000 bps VBR or above


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 10.000 bps VBR
Audio: 2000 bps VBR 24-bit 96.000 sps


Use it for:

Video-cd
Archiving
Backing up your DVD's


compare it to
A moving photoraph



Uncompressed AVI

This is the pure file that comes out of your digital camera. No compression is used, so no quality loss. However, a DVD compressed in the right way looks almost the same.
note: Most camera's use (camera-specific) compression automaticly, unless you have a really expensive one.

Pros

No compression, no loss at all


Cons

Insane filesizes


Minimum bitrate to look acceptable:

Standard is 20 megabytes per second


Best size/quality factor:

Video: 20 Mbps
Audio: 1440 bps


Use it for:

Archiving


compare it to
A moving photograph



Extensions:
DivX= *.avi
Windows media Video= *.wmv
Xvid= *.avi
RealOne video= *.rm
Quicktime video= *.mov
Mpeg1= *.Mpg
Mpeg2= *.Mpg
Dvd= *.Mpg or *.Vob
Uncompessed video= *.avi


Alright, that's all I got for now, I know there are many more, feel free to list them if you know any that I left out.

I feel stupid asking, but what are codecs?

EDIT: I keep thinking, you're away from the computer, but then I see you post these huge long posts. It's funny... in a not funny kind of way.

QUOTE (socalpranks @ Aug 9 2004, 05:47 AM) I feel stupid asking, but what are codecs?

i only kno how to compress down to WMV.. and i keep the res. of the video small so it will still have pretty good quality. but i dont have to anymore. because i see now that i was always streaming it at a low size/quality factor.

QUOTE EDIT: I keep thinking, you're away from the computer, but then I see you post these huge long posts. It's funny... in a not funny kind of way.

Fuck DivXZ i'll use wmv or mpg for my hg over those.

Yeah, it does have larger file sizes, but better quality.....

Yeah, if you do it right and consider your audience and stuff, you can get some nice WMVs. I only use MPG when the wmv is just too shitty.

Yeah, if you saw those shitty mpeg codecs I posted over at the cky forums, you know why we only use .wmv now

Divx are good for long movies and dvd rips but not hg videos.

wmv is the only codec you neeeeeeeed really... well for hg.

Not if you intend on making a dvd, wmvs would look like shit on a tv....if it were even compatible.....which I'm not sure if it is or not

well you kno what i meant.. for site streaming. DVD wasn't even in my mind at the time.

I'm pretty sure you would encode to DVD or NTSC PAL for Dvd's. I'm not really sure what i'm talking about but im pretty sure i'm right. Also, you shouldn't turn your wmvs into DVD. You would have to totally recapture.

I think you have to use mpeg2 to encode dvds? maybe not