Which codec/resolution to use for distribution?

V

visata

Member
I shoot everything in slog2 1080p (XAVC-S) using A7s. Which codec/resolution would you suggest to use for distribution to the end user? Preferably it should fit on DVD (at least 30mins of video or even more if possible). The video would be watched via PC or some kind of media centre.

I tried converting to DNxHD 720 145/120/75/60, but 10mins takes around 4.8GB. Tried changing format to 720p h264, the file size pretty the same. Should I downgrade the resolution further? Use different codec?

Thanks
 
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When I made my choice regarding this, my thought was: "I bet pirates have this question sorted out nicely". So I researched what software those bittorrent uploaders were using.

What I do: I export from the editor with full res and at a very high bitrate, then use HandBrake to convert to H.264 MKV with quality "15", which means about 500MB for a 5min video (3GB for your 30mins). HandBrake is free and relatively simple to use (though it requires some manual settings every time you open it: load file, set MKV as export, no resampling, no crop, 23.976, constant fps, 15 --> start). I haven't still found a device that can play 1080p video and won't play those files.
 
h264 as it is widely accepted and gives great results, h265 once it becomes more widely available. Blu-rays use h264 and just about any device can play them. This codec was designed for distribution with high quality compression and reasonable file sizes.
 
I usually use Davinci Resolve for grading, so tried available export settings there first. I get a very decent video quality when I export using h264 codec, set compression quality High and downgrade resolution to 720p. Medium or low settings produces too much compression artifacts. The size around 5-6MB/min which is acceptable. I use QuickTime wrapper since h264 codec is not available in Davince Resolve under AVI video format.

The only downside that there is no sound if I try playing the video (.mov) using Windows Media Player. It plays well with VLC but I doubt many end users use custom software. I will check other Audio settings, hopefully, I will find the solution without using any external software. Wish I could use h264 codec with AVI video format in Davinci Resolve. I prefer to keep the workflow as simple as possible.
 
I'd downrez to 960x540, square pixels, progressive. Use Premiere's native H.264 preset, not QT (I find it's better quality than the quicktime version encoded at the same bitrate, plus it still plays in QT player). Pick a bitrate between 5-10 Mb/s, depending largely in the amount of movement in the video.
 
If you would like to play the DVD on traditionell players as well, you need to convert to mpeg. In my experience it is not as bad as many people say and the file size is reasonable if you do not exaggerate the data rate.
benn
 
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