compression tools
Goals: This session will discuss the process of repurposing media assets into deliverable streaming formats. We will discuss the tools available, as well as the settings used to deliver content to a variety of audiences using a variety of media formats.
Comments: There are number of products capable of compressing video. There are several inexpensive and free programs that work with only a single video format. These include QuickTime Pro, Helix (Real) Producer, and Windows Media Encoder. These are good options if only one single format is to be used. We choose a commercial product that is capable of compressing in all the formats we recommend, and creating batches of work that does not require active monitoring of the process.
- Sorenson Squeeze
- Discrete Cleaner
- QuickTime Pro
- RealProducer - Mac
- Windows Media Encoder
- Compression Settings
- QuickTime Reference Files
- Publishing Files
- Exercise
sorenson squeeze
Sorenson Squeeze is a cross-platform compression application that is capable of compressing MPEG1, 2, and MPEG4 (basic and advanced), Quicktime, Real, Windows Media and the Flash video format. This software is able to compress batches of source files into a chosen formats. In addition, it is possible to set up drop and drag compression "watch" folders that can make routine compression very easy. A "watch" folder is nothing more than a folder on the computer running Squeeze that monitors whether there are any files present. When a file is added to the folder, a specific set of compression settings are applied to the file and the compressed file is delivered to a programmed destination. More information Sorenson Squeeze is found in the exercise below.
- Squeeze interface:
The interface controls most of the functions of the program, though the pull down menus can also be used, as well. There are only a few occasions where the pull down menus will be used. The six panes are the Input, Filters, Formats and Compression Settings, Preview, Job (Batch Tree), and Details. Most items will describe themselves if the cursor is held over them. While the picture below is from the Macintosh version, the Windows version looks and functions the same way.
- To import a file click the Import File button.
The file will appear in the Job Pane.
- By default, Squeeze compresses the entire source video file.
To trim the time
of the compressed video, adjust where the compression
start by dragging the play head (marked in the image above) to
the start point and then select Set
In Point from the Player menu.
To set the end point, drag the play head to the point where
the video is to be stopped and select Set Out
Point from the Player menu.
Now, only the video and audio from between these points will
be compressed.
- To apply the Format & Compression Settings choose
the desired format (note: the Windows version also allows for
Windows Media compression; this is coming to the Macintosh version
soon).
- To choose compression levels, double click on the desired video
format. This will reveal a listing of presets. Create
a custom preset by clicking the "+" button. To select
a preset, click it. To make multiple selections hold down the
control key (Windows) or Control key (Macintosh) while clicking.
- Choose to apply these settings to all files (globally)
in the Job pane or to a single video file. To
apply them to all source video files, click on the
Job heading in the Job pane.
To apply to a single source video file, select that source video
file from the Job pane. Then, click the Apply button
to add them to the compression job.
- Filters and Cropping can be applied in the same way as compression
settings. They can be applied globally or to a single source
video file.
- All filters and compression settings can be modified by double
clicking on the setting. Changes are saved as new settings by
double clicking on the setting files in either the Filters or
the Formats
& Compression Settings Panes. If the settings are
double clicked in the Job pane,
the changes are only for that job, and are lost when the job
is completed.
- By default, the compressed files are written to the same place
on the hard drive as the source video files. To change the destination,
select the individual jobs and select Modify Output
Directory from
the Batch Menu in the menu bar
- When a job as been set up with the formats, compression levels, filters, and cropping to match the desired requirements, click the "Squeeze It!" button in the lower right of the control panel. The job will be run.
discrete cleaner
For many years, Cleaner was our compression tool of choice, but a number of factors have led us to change our recommendation. Cleaner is still a fine product for many applications, but we currently recommend an easier to use and equally feature rich product.
quicktime pro
- Order QuickTime Pro - Mac & PC -- $25.00
- Download QuickTime - Mac & PC -- Free
QuickTime Pro ($25.00 - UW departmental price) will allow media files to be opened and exported to many different Quicktime formats.
Exporting Files
- Open file in QuickTime Pro.
- Choose Export from the File Menu.
- Choose the Export Format under the Export Menu.
- Click Options to specify compression settings.
- Choose Settings under Video and Sound to specify all export functions.
- Click OK.
- Click Save.
quicktime reference movies
Reference movie files are small text files that opens up QuickTime Player and points to a QuickTime movie or movies. There are several reasons to use reference movie files. First, the .mov extension can often be claimed by other players during installation. When creating a reference movie file, one can use the .qtl extension if player hijacking is an issue. This will provide greater assurances that QuickTime will be used to view the file. Second, reference movie file are used with streaming servers to point to different versions of a movie based on connection speed. This small file is then placed on a Web server and linked to on a Web page. It is then launched by a user and the correct version of the movie is delivered.
MakeRefMovie
Once all movie clips have been processed and have been placed the files on the streaming server, links to these files are created using MakeRefMovie.
- Launch MakeRefMovie
- Enter the name of the reference movie. Click Save.
- Choose Movie | Add URL.
- Enter the URL for each clip. The URL would be rtsp://qtstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/"your account name"/folder or file location/
- Click OK.
- Specify the connection speed for this clip to be delivered.
- Repeat for each clip.
- Choose File | Save.
real producer - mac
- Order and Download $199.95 (Windows)
- Real Producer Basic (Windows) - Free
- Helix Producer QT Component - Mac (OSX)- Free
RealProducer can be used to compress:
- Audio (.au)
- Waveform audio (.wav)
- Video for Windows (.avi)
- QuickTime for Windows (.mov); requires DirectX 6.0
- MPEG-1, Moving Pictures Expert Group (.mpg); requires DirectX 6.0
Real Producer Plus takes input media source and records it
into a RealMedia clip. A clip can be saved as a file to be
streamed at a later time, or it can be sent directly to a server
as a live broadcast.
windows media encoder
Converting a file
- Open the New Session Wizard, and then click Convert an audio or video file into a Windows
Media file. To start encoding after completion of
the wizard, select the Begin converting when this wizard
finishes check box, and then click Next.
- In File to convert box, enter the name of
the file to be converted.
- In File to create box, enter the name of the
Windows Media file to be created, and then click Next.
- Select how the file will be distributed (through a Windows
Media server, Web server, or locally on a computer), and then click Next.
- Select an existing profile that is best suited to the content;
use the profile description to help determine the appropriate
choice. Click Next.
- (Optional) In Title, Author, Copyright, Rating, and Description,
enter information about the file, and then click Next.
The information added is displayed in Windows Media Player
when the content is viewed.
- Review the summary of the selections, and then do one of the
following:
Click Back to modify a session.
Click Finish to complete the session configuration.
compression settings
These setting reflect the campus audiences' ability to use the most recent player. Older video and/or audio codecs may be needed to be used to reflect a specific audience. Squeeze users, please note that Squeeze settings make excellent starting points for encoding, but they assume a mix of video content (still vs. high motion), they may need to be modified to achieve the desired results. Squeeze will try to do what you tell it. If you ask it to compress a video at full size and full frame rate but keep the data rate very low, it will try to do that. It might look terrible, but it tried to do what you asked. It is also possible to give too much data and waste bandwidth for no noticeable improvement in quality.
Image size is one of the major factors influencing the ratio of perceived quality to file size/bandwidth. Assuming you are working with NTSC 4:3 aspect ratio video, we recommend an image size of 240x180 pixels for 56K modem users, 320x240 for lower speed cable/DSL users, and 480x360 for high-speed DSL/Campus users. These sizes can be adjusted as needed to meet the needs of the content, viewers, and desired bandwidth utilization. One technical note: you would be better off using pixel dimensions that are divisible
Download Settings
Sorenson Squeeze does not offer a default download setting that is suitable for 56K modem users (without excessive waiting), you will have to create your own. If you have a choice, when you are compressing video for download choose variable bit rate (vbr) compression. Generally, this will take longer as the software performs both an analysis pass, and the compression pass. In the analysis pass the software is determining where it can lower the data rate in the video and places that will benefit by an increased data rate. This allows the total data rate to not exceed your desired total data rate and achieve the best quality.
QuickTime
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | Sorenson 3 vbr* | 24 | 10 | 120 | MP4 audio (AAC) | 8 | 16 mono |
| Cable/DSL | Sorenson 3 vbr | 200 | 15 | 150 | MP4 audio (AAC) | 16 | 32 stereo |
| Campus | Sorenson 3 vbr | 900 | 29.97 | 300 | MP4 audio (AAC) | 44 | 128 stereo |
Real Media
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | RealVideo 10 | 24 | 10 | 120 | RealVideo 8 | 16 music |
| Cable/DSL | RealVideo 10 | 200 | 15 | 150 | RealVideo 8 | 32 stereo music |
| Campus | RealVideo 10 | 900 | 29.97 | 300 | RealVideo 8 | 128 stereo music |
Windows Media
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | Windows Media Video 9 | 28 | 10 | 120 | Windows Media | 8 | 8 mono |
| Cable/DSL | Windows Media Video 9 | 200 | 15 | 150 | Windows Media | 32 | 32 stereo |
| Campus | Windows Media Video 9 | 900 | 29.97 | 300 | Windows Media | 32 | 128 stereo |
Streaming Compression Settings
QuickTime
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | Sorenson 3 | 24 | 10 | 120 | MP3 | 8 | 16 mono |
| Cable/DSL | Sorenson 3 | 200 | 10 | 100 | MP3 | 16 | 32 stereo |
| Campus | Sorenson 3 | 800 | 15 | 150 | MP3 | 44 | 96 stereo |
Real Media
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | RealVideo 10 | 24 | 10 | 120 | RealVideo 8 | 16 music |
| Cable/DSL | RealVideo 10 | 200 | 10 | 100 | RealVideo 8 | 32 stereo music |
| Campus | RealVideo 10 | 800 | 15 | 150 | RealVideo 8 | 96 stereo music |
Windows Media -
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56K | Windows Media Video 9 | 24 | 10 | 120 | Windows Media | 8 | 16 mono |
| Cable/DSL | Windows Media Video 9 | 200 | 15 | 100 | Windows Media | 32 | 32 stereo |
| Campus | Windows Media Video 9 | 800 | 15 | 150 | Windows Media | 32 | 96 stereo |
CD-ROM - Compression Settings
| Connection | Video | kbps | fps | Key frame | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD-ROM | Choose based on desired format-see above |
1500 | 29.97 | 300 | Choose based on desired format-see above | 44 | 128 stereo |
DVD - Compression Settings
| Video | Format | Audio | kHz | kbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MPEG-2 | NTSC | MPEG-2 Layer 2 | 48 | 224 |
Sorenson Squeeze offers a range of presets that closely mirror our recommendations, so they are a good place to begin.
publishing files
Files must be moved to a streaming server for them to be delivered to students. On this campus, faculty can get an account on the DoIT Streaming Server for no cost.
To move files, log into the following servers using the FTP Client WS-FTP on the PC or Fetch on the Macintosh.
- winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu (Windows Media)
- realstreamer.doit.wisc.edu (Real Media)
- qtstreamer.doit.wisc.edu (Quicktime)
WS-FTP
- Log into the appropriate server for the type of file to be uploaded.
- Click Mkdir button.
- Type last name and click OK.
- Double-click on that folder inside the Remote System window to open it up.
- Locate files on the computer inside the Local System window.
- Select the file from the Local System window and click the Right Arrow button.
- The file is moved to the server.
FETCH
- Open an new connection, and enter the appropriate server name, user name, and password.
- Navigate to the appropriate folder in the account or create a new folder (use the "new folder" button)
- Click the "Put" button, and locate the file to uploaded (you may also drag the file into the Fetch window)..
- The file is moved to the server
exercise
- Launch Squeeze.
- Choose Import File from the Input pane. Select the file playing_pandas.MOV from the desktop (Download it from the link if necessary).
- In the timeline: drag the orange cursor until the left time display reads approximately 00:00:10;00. Select Set In Point from the Player Menu.
- In the timeline: drag the orange cursor until the left time display reads approximately 00:00:30;00. Select Set Out Point from the Player Menu.
- This process only needs to be done once as it is applied to the source file, not the encoder setting.
- Set the destination of the output by choosing the Modify Output Directory from the Batch Menu; direct the output to a new folder on the desktop.
- Choose desired format and compression settings from that pane (see below).
- To select multiple settings hold down the control key (Windows) or Control key (Macintosh) while clicking .
- Click and drag the setting(s) to the Job pane (Lower right corner).
- Click the Squeeze It! button in the lower right corner of the control panel
- When the files are completed they will have the name of the
compression setting appended to them. So Playing_pandas.MOV compressed
with Real_56K_Dial_Up_Stream will become Playing_pand56K_Dial_Up001.rm, by
default.
Making QuickTime Streaming Versions
- Following Steps 3,4, and 5 from the directions above, add
the following compression settings:
Quicktime 56K_Dial_Up_Stream, 256K_Stream, and 768K_Stream.
Making RealMedia Streaming Versions
- Following Steps 3,4, and 5 from the directions above, add
the following compression settings:
Real 56K_Dial_Up_Stream, 256K_Stream, and 768K_Stream; or use MBR_Broadband_Stream.
Making Windows Media Streaming Versions
- Following Steps 3,4, and 5 from the directions above, add
the following compression settings:
Windows Media 56K_Dial_Up_Stream, 256K_Stream, and 768K_Stream; or use MBR_Broadband_Stream.
MakeRefMovie
Once all the movie clips have been processed and placed the files on the streaming server, links to the Quicktime files need to be created using MakeRefMovie.
- Launch MakeRefMovie
- Enter the name of the reference movie. Click Save.
- Choose Movie | Add URL.
- Enter the URL for each clip. The URL would be rtsp://qtstreamer.doit.wisc.edu/"your account name"/folder or file location/
- Click OK.
- Specify the connection speed for this clip to be delivered.
- Repeat for each clip.
- Choose File | Save.
Moving Files
Log into the appropriate streaming server (qtstreamer.doit.wisc.edu, realstreamer.doit.wisc.edu, or winstreamer.doit.wisc.edu) for the format using the FTP Client FETCH.
QuickTime, Real Files & Windows Media
- Click New Folder button.
- Type last name and click OK.
- Double-click on that folder inside the FETCH window to open it up.
- Click the Put button
- Locate files on the computer.
QuickTime Files: Desktop | YOURNAME | Large | Upload to Streaming Server.
Real Files: Desktop | YOURNAME | large.rm.
Windows Media: Desktop | YOURNAME | large.mwv and large_stream.wmv.
- Select the file and click the Put button.
- The file is moved to the server.