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MillimeterSorenson Media Squeeze Beta Sight
Nov 20, 2009 12:00 PM, By Alan Robinson, owner of Bonnie Blink Productions
Compression for the event videographer.
Figure 3. This example uses H.264 MPEG-4 and AAC for better quality at a similar data rate.
The next example (see Figure 3) uses one of the MPEG-4 presets as a starting point. The Format Constraint is set to Adobe Flash 9+ (F4V). Instead of MP3 audio, we will choose AAC, as it provides better quality than MP3 for an equivalent data rate; 128kbps to 192kbps is ideal for most web videos. The other parameters are set as follows:
- Codec: Main Concept H.264
- Method: Multipass (slow but best quality)
- Data Rate: 800kbps to 1200kbps
- Constrain Maximum Data Rate to 200 percent
- Frame size: 640x360
- Keyframe: Every 300 frames
- Auto Keyframe: On
- AVC Profile: High
- Interlace Mode: Progressive
- Encoding Effort: Best
- B-Frames: 3
- CABAC Coding: Yes
- Slices: 0.
H.264 takes longer to encode than VP6, but the results are outstanding.
Before we press the "Squeeze It!" button (to start encoding) there is one more thing that we do. As the results are often a bit darker than we prefer, a filter is applied to raise the gamma. Squeeze has a full set of video and audio filters: brightness, contrast, HSL, de-interlace, and many more.
Figure 4. Squeeze's iPhone preset offers a starting point, but it requires some tweaking for the best image.
As mentioned earlier, we also encode iPod/iPhone compatible QuickTime with Squeeze. We start with the iPhone preset that comes with Squeeze. (See Figure 4.)
We use the defaults with a couple of exceptions. Frame Size is set to 640x360 and the Display Aspect Ratio Policy is set to Unconstrained. The reason for this is that we want a 16:9 image that will use the full width of the iPhone screen. The default settings, 640x480 and Display Aspect Ratio Policy of Letter Box or Pillar, result in a smaller image when displayed on an iPhone. To improve image quality, we use filter presets to slightly darken the image, increase the saturation, and make a small hue shift towards green.
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As a result of the switch to Squeeze, we have been able to provide our clients with high-quality web video within a few days of their wedding. This has been a boon for us, as excited newlyweds can't wait to share their day with family and friends. We are now used to seeing a large spike in site traffic after posting a clip. With excellent batch capabilities, Squeeze allows us to simultaneously produce several web versions as well as iPhone video.
I have only touched on a few of the applications for Squeeze. There are many more to be explored. Squeeze has been and is the Swiss Army Knife of video encoders. There is very little that can't be done with it, and Squeeze has become a valuable part of our workflow.
Alan Robinson is owner of Bonnie Blink Productions outside of Philadelphia. Robinson has been in the wedding video business since 2003 and is a graduate of the Temple University School of Communications and Theater with a major in radio, television, and film. When not shooting and editing high-end wedding video, Alan works as an IT application support specialist. He can be reached at alan@bonnie-blink.com.
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