OT: Getting decent video in FLV

Former user wrote on 10/16/2006, 2:22 PM
I have the Flash 8 video encoder and have been attempting to encode a video (2 minute A/V stream) most of the day and limited results. Using the highest settings and encoding to Flash8, I still get quite a few artifacts in fast moving areas of the source video (NTSC DV AVI). I am scaling the video to 400x300 within the encoder for most attempts, but I have tried other sizes and none seem to work well.

I've tried both the On2 VP6 codec and the Sorenson Spark codec and they both are problematic.

Any suggestions on getting a decent video stream using FLV?

Thanks.

Comments

[r]Evolution wrote on 10/16/2006, 5:20 PM
Flash 8 Video Encoder does NOT have the 2pass encoder. They did away with it for some reason in v8. Flash MX 2004 has an encoder that does 2pass. If Flash Video Encoder is your choice... I would suggest downloading the Flash Video Encoder that does 2pass. (if you search for info on this topic... I'm sure you'll find some) You'll see a world of difference in the quality of your FLVs whether you're using the Sorenson or VP6 codec.

If you already have Squeeze (or another Transcoder/Encoder) I would suggest you Render from VEGAS in your preferred format... then make your FLVs with your Transcode/Encode Software.

--I use Squeeze and always choose 2Pass. I don't use VP6 because their are still End Users that can't see Flash v8 content. You're best bet at this time would be to use the Sorenson Spark Pro Codec as this targets Flash Player v7.

Here's a few examples of how I use 2pass VBR FLVs:
vision2media
WebDeveloperVideo
DrMoy -- All Videos in the Media Center are also done w/ 2pass w/Sorenson Spark Codec.

If you can't get the End Result you're looking for... give us a call.
WebDeveloperVideo --This is your one stop solution for all your INTERNET VIDEO PRODUCTION needs including:

riredale wrote on 10/16/2006, 5:38 PM
I don't understand. I've been told that the On2 codec (Flash8 and above) is much better than the codecs that came before.

Also, while Flash8 may require the downloading of a new player, that process is very simple and fast, right?
VOGuy wrote on 10/16/2006, 5:46 PM
It all depends on just what you mean by "some" artifacts. The Flash 8 encoder can produce quality in a par with Windows Media and MPEG-4, even with 1-pass encoding.

( Examples: www.hd-vo.com/stream - these samples have been made deliberately too big, so you can see the "artifacting" inherent in each. )

The video/audio degredation will depend on just how much compressing you are trying to accomplish. At higher bitrates, you will see almost none.

The On2 VP6/Flash8 scheme is MUCH better than previous versions, in terms of video quality at a given bitrate.

It would help if you could post examples or let us know what bitrate you're attempting to deliver the material.

-Travis
Former user wrote on 10/16/2006, 6:18 PM
Thanks for the replies. I was able to get a decent looking encode by slightly cropping the video (4 pixels on each side) in the Flash encoder. I guess the encoder must mess around with the incoming stream to acomplish the crop. Anyway -- the results are much cleaner than without the crop.

Thanks again :-)

Jim
[r]Evolution wrote on 10/16/2006, 6:41 PM
jimwoodruff
The landing page for your site says:
minimum recommended screen resolution: 1024 x 768 px.

If you're using the VP6 codec the minimum needed is Flash Player v8.

Also, while Flash8 may require the downloading of a new player, that process is very simple and fast, right?

This depends on the End User. Sometimes they are NOT the Administrator of the computer so they cannot install anything. Other times they are just NOT computer literate and have no idea how to download and install.

Although the Flash Player is pretty simple to download and install... some still have trouble with it. Since you're the designer... you basically decide who your audience will be.

-edit-
Also, have a look at this. Knowing who your visitors are can have a big impact on your choice of delivery.
Flash Player Penetration
Former user wrote on 10/16/2006, 6:56 PM
Thanks for the Flash info.

The site is a photographers template website (bludomain.com) -- not one of my own. It's Greg's site, I just encoded our video for inclusion in the video gallery section as an example of our work.

I made a note of the Flash 6 intro warning and will get the site developer to revise the html home page to reflect the need for Flash 8...

Thanks.

Jim