Truly Professional H264 .mov Encoder ?

[Alexander Mejia]

x264 encoder will get you very good quality in a small filesize today. Each encoder does different things to optimize where the bits are spent, so run tests on your material with different encoders.

You'll find the h264 encoder one bundled with Quicktime Pro to be least efficent, while you'll find x264 to be the most efficent, with most of the encoders falling somewhere inbetween.

If this is your final master deliverable that needs to stand the test of time spend the extra time, getting an uncompressed file out of your NLE, and run that through x264 into an .mp4 container.

If this is just a proxy for review, just export whatever is quick out of your NLE.

[Nathan Goods]

x264 encoder will get you very good quality in a small filesize today. Each encoder does different things to optimize where the bits are spent, so run tests on your material with different encoders.

You'll find the h264 encoder one bundled with Quicktime Pro to be least efficent, while you'll find x264 to be the most efficent, with most of the encoders falling somewhere inbetween.

If this is your final master deliverable that needs to stand the test of time spend the extra time, getting an uncompressed file out of your NLE, and run that through x264 into an .mp4 container.

If this is just a proxy for review, just export whatever is quick out of your NLE.

I usually use compressor from FCP 7, can you direct me to something better?

Thanks

[Hrvoje Simic]

I am wondering if they use something like : bLu code , or cinema craft or cinevision .. and that they re-wrap as mp4 ...

g

It seems reasonable to expect media providers like these using more advanced five-figure turnkey systems, enabling higher compression efficiency, while requiring in-depth clip analysis and compression optimisation through segment by segment approach. :)

[Alexander Mejia]

I usually use compressor from FCP 7, can you direct me to something better?

Thanks

An expensive solution would be to buy Sorenson Squeeze for $800+ http://www.sorensonmedia.com/video-encoding/compare/ It containes a licensed version of the main concept encoder, and it looks like you can do draft outputs via GPU encoding as well.

A cheaper solution would be to spend some time learning the free tools like handbrake which uses x264 to encode.

If you're only encoding a few files that need to stand the test of time over many years, try outsourcing your masters to a professional. You may find it cheaper than buying the latest software each year, and the pros keep their stuff up to date, and can even consult you on how to give the best delivery for the medium you're delivering to.