h.264 (or x264) - Should I start encoding in this format?

[Hauntedcow]

The H.264 codec was mainly made to deliver higher quality streaming videos and maintain the low filesize. Unless you just want to make it easier on the download time it shouldn't matter. I video blog, and the H.264 is amazing for the streaming video.

Empirical evidence suggests that H.264 compresses better than XviD non-streaming as well.

I know, I was just saying that since this video is going to be download in its entirety, that there is no real issue besides maybe a few more minutes of download time. I'm not bothered by it either way I'm all for H.264 myself, because people who are new to downloading video and codecs can just install Quicktime 7 and have the codec and be ready to go.

[trythil]

The H.264 codec was mainly made to deliver higher quality streaming videos and maintain the low filesize. Unless you just want to make it easier on the download time it shouldn't matter. I video blog, and the H.264 is amazing for the streaming video.

Empirical evidence suggests that H.264 compresses better than XviD non-streaming as well.

I know, I was just saying that since this video is going to be download in its entirety, that there is no real issue besides maybe a few more minutes of download time.

Being able to slash file size by >= 50% in most cases and maintain equivalent or better quality is a pretty good reason to care. Not everyone likes waiting to download.

Additionally, better compression means that people can be more flexible in terms of encoding, frame rate, etc., especially given the 100MB limit for local uploads. Today, the standard for e.g. NTSC 4:3 material is 640x480 at either 23.976 or 29.97fps, but I would like to try composition at 1280x720. (Yeah, I know that most DVDs have a 720x480 frame size. Doesn't matter. Who said I was going to fill the frame with one clip?) Better compression puts those sorts of ideas closer to reality.

Finally, on a slightly related note, MP4 allows for some pretty neat possibilities for anyone who cares to get creative with video containers. Sure, you can shove ASP video in those things, but if you're going to switch containers you might as well go all the way.

I'm not bothered by it either way I'm all for H.264 myself, because people who are new to downloading video and codecs can just install Quicktime 7 and have the codec and be ready to go.

QT7's implementation of H.264 is severely brain-damaged. It cannot handle reference frames or weighted prediction, for example, and that's a huge gain for a lot of animated material.

[Willen]

The H.264 codec was mainly made to deliver higher quality streaming videos and maintain the low filesize. Unless you just want to make it easier on the download time it shouldn't matter. I video blog, and the H.264 is amazing for the streaming video.

Empirical evidence suggests that H.264 compresses better than XviD non-streaming as well.

I know, I was just saying that since this video is going to be download in its entirety, that there is no real issue besides maybe a few more minutes of download time. I'm not bothered by it either way I'm all for H.264 myself, because people who are new to downloading video and codecs can just install Quicktime 7 and have the codec and be ready to go.

Don't forget that smaller filesize at same quality also equals less bandwidth used.

It may be the introduction of HD-DVD and Blu-ray before some major commercial software offers full support of all H.264 features. Until then, VLC Media Player...

[Shazzy]

If you rip a DVD into NTSC DV and export it to H.264 , you may encounter the YUV color space error (a known bug that Apple hasn't fixed yet). This creates an almost gamma-like shift in your colors (making your video look gray or washed out). There are also are some issues with certain darker color shades which results in macroblocking.

I'm not sure if importing to a format besides DV has problems as well, I'll have to test some more.

[Qyot27]

If you rip a DVD into NTSC DV and export it to H.264 , you may encounter the YUV color space error (a known bug that Apple hasn't fixed yet). This creates an almost gamma-like shift in your colors (making your video look gray or washed out). There are also are some issues with certain darker color shades which results in macroblocking.

I'm not sure if importing to a format besides DV has problems as well, I'll have to test some more.

Yeah, well, considering this thread isn't talking about using Quicktime to do the compression, bugs that Apple haven't worked out don't matter.