After reading last week’s Real World Video Compression article that compared four Mac compression tools, I suggested a more comparative test that took time to standardize encoding settings to level the playing field. In the initial shootout, default templates and encoding settings were used for the most part. That’s not to say that the initial test isn’t useful information…in fact, it may be more useful to the majority of users that just want a “set it and forget it” approach to encoding (apologies to Ron Popeil for borrowing his catchphrase). But for more advanced users who will immediately begin pushing knobs and digging into the encoding templates, a comparative test is invaluable for determining what kind of quality and encode times you can expect from each solution. And reviewer Andy Beach has done just that with his latest update to the article.

“As we look at the results, here were the things that stood out for me - all the times were closer to one another than the last test. True, Compressor still took the longest, but it definitely closed the gap. Both it and Episodes times fell and were more consistent this go around (notice neither had an extremely long run as they did before). Visual Hub’s time did increase, which I expect, though not very much.”

“In an overall quality comparison, I also thought Episode came out looking best, followed by Visual Hub and Compressor. There is a sharpness to the image (both video and gfx) in the Episode Pro encode that the other two don’t have (again, check out the full screen to really see the difference).”

I recommend that you read the full Mac Encoder Shootout Redux article here. Thanks to Andy for listening and revisiting this test!

Real World Video Compression has posted a Encoder Shootout between three common Mac software compression options, and one hardware assisted solution. The disparity in price between the tools tested is enormous…with VisualHub at under $25, and Episode Pro nearly $1000. Much like the pricing, the speed and quality of the results were varied.

“…on the Macbook Pro, the Turbo264 was the clear winner, coming in at realtime for the encode for both versions. Surprisingly however, Visual Hub came in second at fairly close to real time. Both Episode and Compressor did about the same coming in at 2 to 4x depending on the encoder and setting. Interestingly enough, each took a great deal longer on one encode, but not the same one (compressor struggled with the iPhone clip, while Episode choked on the Apple TV one). Arguably, I can guess that both Episode & Compressor are doing multi-pass encodes by default, while Visual Hub is doing a single pass. I’m not sure about Turbo as its offloading the encode process to the external DSP, but i’ll throw a guess that it’s single pass until i learn otherwise.”

It is very important to note that this test relied only on default templates for each tool. The author made no attempt to establish a baseline set of encoding options and settings, so the results shouldn’t be read as a definitive answer for which tool is the best performer overall. To the authors credit, he makes this clear…it is a shootout of “quick and dirty” default settings only. While it’s an informative test in that regard, I wish he had also performed a comparative test with identical settings for each tool. Perhaps it will be revisited in a future article…

UPDATE: Andy has expanded on his encoder research by performing a more comparative test and taking time to optimize each software solution. You can read about his findings here.

Ever wonder what formats and encoding options the “big boys” use for their streaming video content? Jan Ozer has written a detailed 2-part article on the subject. In it, he talks about how he examined video content from ABC, Accuweather, ESPN, CNET, Cisco, Microsoft, and many others. He breaks down into tables the current trends as well as what formats and datarates are in use. So if you are re-evaluating your codec options, perhaps this info will be helpful. Read Part1 and Part2.

As spotted on bash.org:

sterano: Whats the difference between Raid_0 and Raid_1?
Steve: In Raid_0 the zero stands for how many files you are going to get back if something goes wrong.

On April 1st, gaming megasite IGN released a “World Exclusive Trailer” for The Legend of Zelda movie. It was of course an elaborate prank, but the trailer was very convincing and effective. The project was produced by Rainfall Films, Pre-Production began last summer and post took 3 months.

Filming took place in September. The trailer was shot 720p HD on two Panasonic’s HVX-200 cameras, one with the Redrock Micro 35mm adapter to achieve a film-like look. Footage was transferred via P2 media cards to a MacBook Pro laptop and 1TB LaCie firewire drive. A wealth of footage was shot, well beyond what was needed for the trailer (the entire three minutes could have been made from Link and Ganon’s swordfight). In the end, no one wanted to leave Hyrule - but after three days of filming, production wrapped.

You can watch the trailer and behind the scenes video below. Continue reading ‘Behind the Scenes on the IGN Legend of Zelda Trailer’

Via CDM, here’s a CG-free short “Tron” remake. Very cool. Watch the video below.
Continue reading ‘Tron Fan-flick Made with Cardboard and Creativity’

There’s just a few days left in Avid’s “The Perfect Pitch” contest, entries must be uploaded no later than April 1, 2008 and community voting also closes on that date. The top 20 entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts and the winner stands to earn a trip to Sundance and the opportunity to pitch the film idea in earnest. So if you want to help separate the wheat from the chaff, time’s a-wasting.

Hulu, NBC’s video service ala Youtube, has come out of beta today. No longer do you need an invite to use the service, it’s gone public as of Wednesday the 12th. For fans of NBC programming, Hulu rocks. And now that they are adding additional content providers like The Onion, I think they will be the service to beat in the coming months. Check it out for yourself at hulu.com.

In an extremely detailed and well thought-out post, Roughly Drafted calmly pours a steaming mug of SimmaDown for the video community that is perpetuating the rumor that Apple is shopping it’s Pro Applications around to the highest bidder. These rumors really surfaced after Apple’s announcement that, like Avid, they would not have a booth presence at NAB 2008. This post is well worth the read if you are even mildly concerned that Final Cut Studio will be leaving the Apple fold in the near future. Continue reading ‘Reports of ProApps Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated’

I am an avid viewer of the Discovery Channel. Dirty Jobs is extremely entertaining, anyone interested in hosting should take a few cue from Mike Rowe. Survivorman is very engaging, feels “real” and can be downright harrowing (remember the jaguar in the rainforest episode?). The new series Some Assembly Required tickles the Henry Ford gene in viewers and provides even more family-friendly viewing (my son loves the show). Planet Earth provided some of the most captivating imagery I have ever laid eyes on. I remember sitting there, mouth agape during the show’s US premiere. With that show they truly raised the bar on the nature documentary genre. Everest: Beyond The Limit upped the drama ante with very animated characters on an amazing journey that seems like complete insanity to outsiders. Finally, Mythbusters is arguably one of the best shows on TV, certainly among the reality/doc genre.

So when Discovery’s latest series debuted, you can imagine how surprised I was to discover how shallow and un-engaging Smash Lab really is. On the surface it looks like a great idea. Take some of the best of the Mythbusters formula, mix in a few attractive hosts with a geeky bent, add a liberal dose of gratuitous slow-motion, and blow things up. Sounds great, right? Sadly, it is lacking in execution. The science presented on the show is shoddy at best, the concepts and theories appear only casually tested and largely unresearched, and (unless an hour of 1000fps explosions is enough to entertain you) the viewer is thoroughly disrespected. I’m not alone in my criticism of the show…Discovery has a Smash Labs blog and they’ve been getting absolutely slammed in the comments by viewers.
Continue reading ‘Can Discovery Save Smash Lab?’

Screenwriter and filmmaker John August has personally weighed in on his film The Nines showing up on BitTorrent link sites.

“I’m not bouncy with joy over my movie getting torrented, but I think it’s a stretch to equate unlawful downloading with traditional theft. As many commenters have pointed out, The Nines isn’t available in any legal form in many countries around the world, nor will it be in any foreseeable time frame. So I have a hard time arguing that a reader in Germany should pay for the movie when there’s no way he could.”

“…That’s why I have no problem with Sony and the MPAA going after bootleggers and other merchants of ill-gotten films. It’s not just the studios’ right to see that the law is enforced; it’s their job.”

For a slightly different point of view on this issue, read BitTorrent, A Boon To Independent Filmmakers. Thanks to Anthony for the tip. The Nines is available at Amazon beginning Tuesday January 29th.

So you know how in Corporate America it is somehow considered acceptable to use the painfully horrific (and equally unprofessional) Comic Sans font for memos, notices, and newsletters? Trajan is like that, only for movies. Goodiebag TV takes the font’s overuse to task in this humorous episode. “Russell Crowe has co-starred with Trajan three times now.” Video below. And while we’re dishing on design, Make My Logo Bigger Cream is not to be missed.
Continue reading ‘Trajan - The Comic Sans of Movies’

In your off-topic news of the weird, it seems that Fox execs allowed Mike Judge’s latest film Idiocracy languish without an audience or proper promotion (just like his cult-fave Office Space), yet are running with the film’s idea of an energy drink that ultimately destroys the human race. Drink Brawndo, the Thirst Mutilator!

“Fox wouldn’t support a film about Brawndo, the energy drink that destroys plants, debases the human race, and makes those who drink it ‘win at yelling’, but they are now putting wholehearted support behind the actual drink.”

“There’s no beating that kind of corporate rationale. More rich absurdity, meanwhile, surely lies in Fox’s choice of business partner: Redux Beverages having until now been best known for the last vastly caffeinated energy drink they launched - the interestingly named Cocaine.”

And people wonder why the entertainment business seems to be faltering… Watch Brawndo’s viral ad below (which happens to be a complete Powerthirst ripoff clone):
Continue reading ‘Win At Exercise With The Thirst Mutilator’

The director of The Tracey Fragments has Creative-Commons licensed the film’s raw footage and music score and made it all available for download in multiple 4GB+ Bittorrent packages. Re-edits can be submitted in a contest to win a “Final Cut Pro Prize Pack”. Note that the contest rules state you must be a resident of Canada to enter. But regardless of eligibility, this could be a valuable learning experience for new editors with big ideas but no feature footage to work with. Here’s your chance.

(Via Studio Daily)

Spotted during a live ESPN broadcast: “This is the main text box where you can put up to 3 lines of information for your lower-third bio graphic.” I’m actually kind of surprised we don’t see slipups like this more often.