Streaming 101 defines file-related terms like bandwidth, frame rate, data rate and resolution, and then delivery options like streaming and progressive download. This article describes codecs and streaming architectures, and then common en
Read More »Details of ESPN’s new higher resolution VP6 files
This article details the encoding parameters used by ESPN to produce the VP6 encoded files for the standard Flash Player offered on www.espn.com.
Read More »Affordable HD Video Format
If you’re considering buying a new affordable HD camcorder, you should have at least three formats in mind: tried-and-true HDV, up-and-coming AVCHD, and the ever-more-affordable DVCPRO HD. By a stroke of good fortune, I have three such camcorders in hand right now, and I thought it would be a good time to discuss their relative merits. Specifically, I’ve got the …
Read More »CS4 and 64-bit Systems
So there I was, testing Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4)’s AVCHD compatibility. I created a simple project, about 4 minutes long, two picture-in-picture overlays with simple rotation and color correction. I had two eight-core systems: the Windows workstation, a 2.83GHz HP xw6600 running Windows XP (32-bit version) with 3GB of RAM, and a 3.2GHz Mac running OS X version 10.5.5 …
Read More »Streaming 101: The Basics – Codecs, Bandwidth, Data Rate and Resolution
v:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } o:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } w:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } .shape { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; m
Read More »ProRes on Windows
OK, I'm guessing that you don't come here for tips on cross-platform editing between Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro Windows, but here's a piece of news you may find useful. By way of background, one frustration I've always had with the Final Cut
Read More »Hey MPEG-LA – How ‘Bout some transparency with H.264 internet royalties? We have alternatives!
A rant about MPEG-LA's continued lack of transparency about H.264 royalties.
Read More »RAM and CPU Configurations for Adobe CS4
If you're buying or configuring a computer for CS4, either on Mac or Windows, you should check out this Affordable HD article at Digital Content Producer, here. The article compares single and dual processor performance at various RAM levels on both
Read More »Is 32-bit computing slowing your streaming encoding?
I've never been a big fan of 64-bit operating systems, but some recent comparative trials with Adobe Media Encoder and Premiere Pro showed that 64-bit computers - both Windows and Macintosh -- had a huge advantage over 32-bit Windows. If you're in th
Read More »Delivering HD Videos Online
So, you’ve been shooting in high definition for a while now, and you are ready to start posting HD sample clips on the web that actually reflect the quality of the footage you’re capturing in your camera and editing in your NLE. You ha
Read More »