Compression and Streaming File Formats

Convert Your Video to an Internet Format

After your project is completely edited, you can save it in a variety of different formats. You can record it back to videotape, you can convert it to MPEG1 for sharing via email or CD; you can convert it to MPEG2 for internet downloads and for burning onto DVDs.

The above formats enable someone to download and save the completed multimedia file on their hard drive and then play it back whenever they feel like it. Streaming Media formats on the other hand, download a little bit a time, enabling the viewer to watch the video as it streams out over the Internet. Most streaming media players take a few moments to buffer or accumulate enough data on your desktop before they start to play.

You can save your multimedia production as one of the three most common Streaming Media Formats like Windows Media, Real Video or QuickTime. 

Most video editing programs now offer a choice of saving options - in addition to saving your finished production as an AVI file for playback to tape, as an MPEG-1 file for emailing or use on a video CD, or as MPEG-II for burning to DVD, most Windows based editing programs enable you to save your final production as either a Real Video or a Windows Media file. In addition, you also get a choice of saving it optimized for dial-up, 100 Kbps ISDN, or 300 Kbps for broadband DSL or cable. Some software products provide a lot more optimization choices as well. Mac based program also enable you to save your final version as a streaming QuickTime file.

There are other proprietary streaming formats that are becoming popular. Many are based on the up and coming MPEG-4 standard. However, at this point in time, Real Video, Windows Media and QuickTime are the leading contenders that you need to be aware of.

Discrete Cleaner and/or Canopus Procoder are the leading tools that many pros use. Available for both Windows and Macintosh computers, Cleaner  is the industry-standard tool for importing, authoring, encoding and delivering interactive streaming media using popular streaming formats, including RealVideo, QuickTime, Windows Media, as well as MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. Web designers can produce video that drives web content by adding interactivity to streaming media like "Buy Me!" links and hot spots. This powerful program is not cheap. $600. If you are serious about creating  professional-looking Internet videos for various platforms and bandwidths, you are going to be using Cleaner or ProCoder. Cleaner 5.1 press release. Check out ProCoder Review

CleanerXL for Windows Review

Cleaner for Macintosh Review

Canopus ProCoder Express - Powerful Video Conversion at a GREAT Price

Microsoft' s- everything you need to know about Windows Media 9

Q&A with 3ivx Founder Jan Devos

Compression Tips for Internet Transfer

Here is a tutorial from Ulead that covers basic compression techniques - this is especially useful if you want to create files for transferring and downloading via the Internet http://www.ulead.com/learning/video6/page1.htm