Highest possible bitrate for WMV?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michel
  • Start date Start date
M

Michel

Good morning.

I envisage to install Windows Media Encoder, in order to create a custom
profile for MM2, allowing me to save a WMV file with the maximum possible
bitrate (minimum possible compression).

Before I proceed, I would like to ask you: what is the maximum possible
bitrate in Windows Media Encoder? Is there a sort of "uncompressed" WMV file
possibility?

Thank you in advance.

Michel
 
Hi Michel,

The info I have on the Saving Movies... Custom WMV Profiles page says that
the video bitrate of a custom profile must be between 4 Kbps and 20 Mbps.

But, if I open MM2, save a movie and drive the bitrate up as high as it will
go by using the file size constraint when saving, it'll go thru my normal
and custom profiles and use one with the highest bit rate. With the custom
profiles I currently have, it tops out at 2.8623 Mbps (that would be the
total bitrate, not the video part).

In the encoder there isn't any choice for lossless video compression, but
there is for audio.

PapaJohn
 
Thank you PapaJohn,

Starting from a miniDV input, do you think that saving to a custom 20Mbps
WMV file and then encoding to mpeg2 will result in a *noticable* loss of
quality in the mpeg2 file, as compared to a save to dv-avi, encoded to
mpeg2?

Thanks again

Michel
 
I think it won't be 'noticeable unless the content is so bad that the
viewers will need something else to do, like find and point out pixels that
could be better.

PapaJohn
 
Michel,

You might want try working with DV-AVI if you're looking for the best
possible quality. Movie Maker 2 supports capturing and saving out to
DV-AVI. DV-AVI video is ~25Mbps, plus a bit more for the audio.

-Gareth
 
Hi Gareth,
I can not properly save to dv-avi on my system: I do have this annoying
issue of audio and video problems at the start and end point of titles and
transitions or during them.
That's why I inquire about low compression wmv, because the save to dv-avi
is of no use to me.
Anyway, thank you for your suggestion.
Michel
 
Hi everybody,

I take the opportutinity of this thread to say that I've the same problem:
how to get a DV-AVI format when you capture from VHS-C cassette with a VCR.
Francis
 
Hey Michel,

Okay, I understand what you're trying to do - when you're looking for the
best WMV profile you'll want it to be 720x480 if you're planning on burning
a DVD or going back to tape. In the Encoder's profile editor you'll need to
check the setting 'Allow non-square pixel output' to get this to work
properly.

NTSC video is 720x480, and the pixels are non-square (they're 10:11 like
skinny pixels) - both of these statements have been fervently debated by
video professionals, but for the purposes of this explanation we can assume
this is true. Your computer monitor can only show square pixels, so for all
intents and purposes, 640x480 video looks the same on a PC as 720x480. Your
TV doesn't have "pixels" per say (more like scan lines), so you'll see a
difference between 640x480 and 720x480 video.

You should keep in mind that higher bitrate WMV files require more CPU power
to play back (and edit), so you may want to balance performance/quality.

-Gareth
 
Thank you Gareth. Very helpfull.
Have a nice day.
Michel
PS: of course I would prefer to save to dv-avi, but unfortunatly I could
never find a solution to the issues on this.
 
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