Codecs

Written by apozeus. Posted on January 25, 2009. Filed under Workflow. Bookmark the Permalink. Post a Comment. Leave a Trackback URL. Print.
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A brief description of various Compressor-Decompressor (Codecs) / formats and what they are good for.

Media Containers

Container Pros Cons
AVI (.avi) All windows computer can play Too many conflicting codecs, unstable
Quicktime (.mov) Professional codecs within. Stable. User must install Quicktime player manually.
MPEG (.mpg) Compressed. Both windows and mac can play. Large file sizes for compressed files using MPEG1 / MPEG2.
Flash Video (.flv) Highly compressed. Best for web streaming. Large installed user base. Playable only though web streaming, manually installed FLV Player.

Codecs within MPEG Container

Codec Pros Cons
MPEG 1 Almost all computers can play. For VCD. Large filesize, poor quality, obsolete technology.
MPEG 2 Most computers can play. For DVD. Many various MPEG2 subformats. Some windows player can’t play. Most compatible subformat is Constant Bit Rate (CBR), MP2 / MP3 Audio.
MPEG 4 Good quality compression, small filesize Many MPEG 4 derivative formats. AVC, H.264, MXF, DivX, Xvid. Super confusing. Usually may need to install manually.

Codecs within Quicktime Container

Codec Pros Cons
Animation Lossless. No quality loss. Best for flat color animations. Default format used for proxy, working renders, transfers. Super large filesize. Only 8bpc.
PNG Lossless. No quality loss. Smaller filesize then Animation codec. Slower rendering time. Occasional white flickers on larger HD sizes is observed. Only 8pc.
Microcosm Lossless. No quality loss. Smaller filesize then Animation codec. 16bpc. Must purchase, install and activate manually.
MPEG 4 Compressed. Best for preview Bad quality. Whitewashed.
Sorenson Compressed. Best for preview Bad quality. Keyframe issue, cannot be re-imported to edit.

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