Suggestions for streaming media ...

MUTTLEY wrote on 3/30/2003, 7:39 PM
Looking for some insight here. Usually I use .wmv and by and large it looks great. ( http://www.undergroundplanet.com/dehigh.htm ). On the latest one I posted ( http://www.undergroundplanet.com/warhigh.htm ) it's kinda laggy. There are a whole bunch of images and transitions that are getting lost and its driving me crazy. I realize there probably isn't a compression that will allow the scrolling text at the bottom to be read but the " lagginess " during some of the transitions is killing me.

Any insight on possible settings or other formats ?

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com

Comments

Paul_Holmes wrote on 3/30/2003, 8:27 PM
That's the problem with streaming media if you have a lot going on. You're just going to have to slow down the rate of scrolling and stream at a higher bitrate. I have a photo-movie that has shifting color filters over the photos. Looks great on TV but doesn't translate well to streaming. Pictures become very blurry in an attempt to average out all the color changes and motion at the same time. I would say to have this appear well with all transitions you would have to render it in WM9 at around 500 plus vbr and keep it in a small window. If you look at Douglas Spotted Eagle's tutorials on streaming you'll see he mentions the importance of little movement in the video and reducing information by cropping in -- especially if you want to keep the bitrates down.
Liam_Vegas wrote on 3/30/2003, 8:36 PM
Also reducing the color saturation and contrast in the video will also result in "better" streaming (tip from SPOT also)...
MUTTLEY wrote on 3/30/2003, 8:47 PM
Well that grovels, I havent had the money to upgrade to VV 4 and 3 only has wm8. What about using mpeg2 ? How well does that work for streaming ?

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
MUTTLEY wrote on 3/30/2003, 9:21 PM
Hm, curious. I just rendered it to mpeg-2 and it has no video in Windows Media Player. I'm baffled.

Anyone ?

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
Paul_Holmes wrote on 3/31/2003, 11:44 AM
Don't know about mpg but you might want to go to Microsoft's site and download their Windows Media 9 encoder, which is what I use, even though I have Vegas 4. Requires you to have rendered to an avi file first. Also, raising the bitrate for wm8 would help -- don't HAVE to use wm9, just a step up in quality.

WM9 Encoder
MUTTLEY wrote on 3/31/2003, 4:59 PM
Thanks for the info, downloading the encoder now. Will the vid still play on older players ? And does Vegas have wm9 ?

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
Paul_Holmes wrote on 3/31/2003, 8:31 PM
WM9 will not play in older players and Vegas 4 does encode to wm9 if you have the codec installed (Maybe it installs it if you don't -- I already had it so I don't know).
SonyTSW wrote on 3/31/2003, 10:19 PM
Yes, the Vegas 4 installer does install what you need for encoding to WM9.

However, if you want to use the Windows Media Player to view your WMV v9 videos or play audio encoded with the WMA Pro codec, you'll need to install WMP9.
Spirit wrote on 3/31/2003, 11:22 PM
Nothing beats Sorrenson Squeeze when it comes to crunching and streaming - various formats too like mov, wmv and swf. Not cheap - but then few goods things are...
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/1/2003, 10:45 PM
So I did as suggested and got the WM9 encoder. Still pretty huge file but it looks good. Dont think without cutting out cutting 90% of the text I could ever slow it down enough to see it at that size but its close. Decided for those who see it online to post a transcript.

Anyway, for those who care to here's the link and as always, would love your feedback on the editing. ( As well as a job *s* )

Thanks again all.

- Ray

ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/2/2003, 6:54 PM
Wow, sorry guys, coudnt find this post somehow. Here's the link ( look's like I'm batting a thousand ).

http://www.undergroundplanet.com/iraq.htm

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

- Ray

ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/3/2003, 12:26 PM
Not one comment ? I feel shunned. Only looking for feedback on the edit, not necessarily the content.

Thanks.

- Ray
Paul_Holmes wrote on 4/3/2003, 5:22 PM
Just saw your last post, Muttley. Actually, I viewed it yesterday and think it's pretty incredible BUT even though the text is somewhat readable now, it just scrolls too fast. When you go from viewing on a TV monitor to streaming there has to be compromises occasionally. I would "edit", eliminate some of the text, then scroll it quick but not SO quick!
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/3/2003, 5:35 PM
Yea ! A comment ! Thanks man, yea, huge diff between TV and streaming. Its still pretty fast on a television but defiantly readable. There was so much info I just didn't want to cut and in truth, on the television I preferred it being that way as it added an urgency. I really don't see a way without cutting 2/3 of the text that it would ever be readable online, though I'm open to suggestions.

Honestly appreciate the feedback, was feeling a wee bit neglected.
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/5/2003, 9:52 PM
Since so few gave feedback I'm assuming that it was because not everyone has Windows Media Player 9, I've reformatted, still hoping for opinions.

http://www.undergroundplanet.com/iraqinfo.htm

Thanks guys,

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/7/2003, 7:29 PM
So I'm curious that though this board isn't political, a similar thread that was " anti-war " got lots of artistic and technical feedback yet mine has been by and large ignored.

Worry not, I'll let this topic die. Just a little disappointed that few took the time to critique my vid. As you people on this board know more than anyone, projects like these are a lot of work, but alas, you care not.

- Ray
stormstereo wrote on 4/8/2003, 3:09 AM
I'm downloading the zipped version now. I saw the beginning of it through streaming. Very good start. But as other people here have said - the scroll is much, much too fast. I think you, who have seen every clip in it and every sentence a thousand times have no problem to keep up. I on the other hand have not got a chance. I noticed that I had to choose, either look at the scroll OR look at the vid. And when looking at the scroll I had major problems following it.

To comment on war - I'm strongly opposed to any war. Human beings are smart enough to use other methods. Remember the movement in South Africa, Czech Republic, Chile, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the Samizdat in former Soviet? That worked. Too many americans and brits are already dead, not to mention the 100 Iraqis a day. I'm very concerned about my friends who live in Bagdad. Their families here in Sweden are sick with worries.

Lets make it better.
Laurence wrote on 4/9/2003, 12:20 AM
I'm downloading the video so I can try it out on a TV tomorrow. I couldn't read the scrolling text on my computer, but I know from reading it on your site that it is powerful stuff. I like how you included video from people opposing the war as well. To me it makes more impact. Vegas's ability to mix still and video footage sure is cool. Windows media 9 is really nice as well.

Laurence Kingston
MUTTLEY wrote on 4/12/2003, 12:04 AM
I honestly was gonna let it die kids =)

... but thanks.

And so far that is the only real criticism I've heard ( aside from some having issues with the content ) is that it scrolls to fast. I can handle that. Again on a TV I think it lends urgency which I like. And as for it being difficult to focus on either the images or the text at once ... well, that was part of the intent. Though it may be a cheap gimmick, I like that you can't absorb everything in one viewing, but that's just me.

If anyone wants it to burn a DVD or put it on DV so you can view it on a TV, let me know. I'll post the who avi, though it will be a helluva download.

Thanks again, not getting feedback doesn't feel good.

- Ray
ray@undergroundplanet.com
www.undergroundplanet.com