by XStylus » Wed May 02, 2012 3:39 am
So, I've had a few people ask me about how strict I am regarding video codecs. Here's my response:
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The video requirements as written in the rules were a guideline designed to save trouble when it came time to process vids onto a presentation DVD. In practice, generally any codec was accepted, and a vid was only rejected for codec reasons if it refused to play or did something screwy. We weren't super strict about it. Submitting using any other codec will be allowed, but it's an at-your-own-risk thing. So, if you want to play it safe, submit within those parameters. Or if you don't, then don't.
As for what I personally prefer, my codec of preference is a high bitrate Xvid in an AVI container with either PCM/WAV audio or a constant-bitrate MP3 of 192kbps or better. Make sure the audio sample rate is identical to your audio source footage's sample rate (either 44.1khz or 48khz). AMVs with audio sample rates other than those will be rejected. MKVs or OGGs will also be rejected. Submissions being sent digitally that are larger than 250mb will be rejected (don't kill my bandwidth please).
I have had bad personal experiences with H.264 MP4s and AAC adio. Playback in that format is severely inconsistent between various video playback softwares and platforms. I won't reject it though, but if your video plays oddly because of some gremlin, that's not on us.
As for anamorphic NSP vs. letterboxed SP, I would prefer that letterboxing be avoided, so go anamorphic. If you're working from hi-def source, you're welcome to submit in 720p as well.
I will be using VLC v2 on a PC to play your videos to the judges, and then using Adobe Encore CS5 to create DVDs for the finals. Test your videos with those software programs to ensure that what you see is what I see.
Last edited by
XStylus on Fri May 04, 2012 11:01 am, edited 3 times in total.