PerroneFord
Contributor
It is going to be difficult for a "computer idiot" to understand some of the intricacies of what we discuss here because frankly, HiDef computer based video requires some good knowledge of video and computers.
The primary basic that you'll need to understand is something called a CODEC. Codec is short for compressor/decompressor. It is a bit of computer programming that takes a video file and compresses it in a specific way. That file can be decompressed with a program that understands that method of compression.
The second basic that you need to understand is the file type or file container. Usually you see this as the last 2-4 letters of the file name. Windows Media Files have a .wmv extension. Windows AVI files have a .avi extension. Quicktime files have a .qt or a .mov extension.
The tricky bit is that sometimes a file type or file container can only contain one kind of compressed file. For instance a .wmv file only contains files that were compressed with the Windows Media Compressor. In some other cases, like the .avi container, the it can contain files created with a very wide variety of codecs. The same is true for quicktime files.
Stage6 requires that files are compressed with one of two codecs. One is called DivX, and the other is called Xvid. They are similar, and compatible, but not the same. Both can be stored in a .avi file type, but DivX can also create a .divx file which is compatible with Stage6. Unfortunately, Vegas cannot create a Stage6 compatible file. There are two ways around this. The first, and simplest way, is to download (and buy) a DivX converter program like Dr. DivX or the DivX convertor.. These are available from the Stage6 site. The DivX converter is as simple as it gets. You save your file from Vegas in an uncompressed format, then open the converter and point it to the uncompressed file, and it makes a .divx file suitable for upload to stage6.
The harder way is to use a variety of software to prepare your uncompressed file for uploading. I prefer that way, because it gives a LOT of control over many of the parameters and can create a very nice file. But it requires a fairly good knowledge of computers and computer video. The big upside is that this method is free.
The other major factor, as you found out, is that there is a parameter when making files called the bit rate. This basically says how much memory per second, a file can consume. The higher the number, the cleaner the video will be. But the higher the number the larger the file will be, and the more demand it will place on a computer to play it. HD video even when compressed, will tax older computers. The file you made with the 6.4 Mbps rate is nearly what a commercial Hollywood DVD would be. Many older computers could not play it without it stuttering and pausing. And playing it over the internet simply would not happen.
Most internet based video is encoded at between 384 kbps, and 768kbps. A file of 1024kbps (also known as 1mbps) is probably the minimum for encoding HD files. When I encode 720p files, I usually use 350kbps (aka 3.5mbps) and I know that many older computers will struggle to play them, and most internet connections are too slow to play them in real time, so they have to "buffer" or download part of the file and then play part while the remainder downloads in the background.
In terms of buying new storage, consider that HDV takes about 13.5GB per hour. Uncompressed HD or minimally compressed HD (your intermediate format) will take about 50-100GB per hour. Do not buy drives that spin slower than 7200 rpm. 10,000 rpm is preferable. Buy as much disk space as you can afford. And believe me, it won't be enough.
I hope this is a help to you.
-P
The primary basic that you'll need to understand is something called a CODEC. Codec is short for compressor/decompressor. It is a bit of computer programming that takes a video file and compresses it in a specific way. That file can be decompressed with a program that understands that method of compression.
The second basic that you need to understand is the file type or file container. Usually you see this as the last 2-4 letters of the file name. Windows Media Files have a .wmv extension. Windows AVI files have a .avi extension. Quicktime files have a .qt or a .mov extension.
The tricky bit is that sometimes a file type or file container can only contain one kind of compressed file. For instance a .wmv file only contains files that were compressed with the Windows Media Compressor. In some other cases, like the .avi container, the it can contain files created with a very wide variety of codecs. The same is true for quicktime files.
Stage6 requires that files are compressed with one of two codecs. One is called DivX, and the other is called Xvid. They are similar, and compatible, but not the same. Both can be stored in a .avi file type, but DivX can also create a .divx file which is compatible with Stage6. Unfortunately, Vegas cannot create a Stage6 compatible file. There are two ways around this. The first, and simplest way, is to download (and buy) a DivX converter program like Dr. DivX or the DivX convertor.. These are available from the Stage6 site. The DivX converter is as simple as it gets. You save your file from Vegas in an uncompressed format, then open the converter and point it to the uncompressed file, and it makes a .divx file suitable for upload to stage6.
The harder way is to use a variety of software to prepare your uncompressed file for uploading. I prefer that way, because it gives a LOT of control over many of the parameters and can create a very nice file. But it requires a fairly good knowledge of computers and computer video. The big upside is that this method is free.
The other major factor, as you found out, is that there is a parameter when making files called the bit rate. This basically says how much memory per second, a file can consume. The higher the number, the cleaner the video will be. But the higher the number the larger the file will be, and the more demand it will place on a computer to play it. HD video even when compressed, will tax older computers. The file you made with the 6.4 Mbps rate is nearly what a commercial Hollywood DVD would be. Many older computers could not play it without it stuttering and pausing. And playing it over the internet simply would not happen.
Most internet based video is encoded at between 384 kbps, and 768kbps. A file of 1024kbps (also known as 1mbps) is probably the minimum for encoding HD files. When I encode 720p files, I usually use 350kbps (aka 3.5mbps) and I know that many older computers will struggle to play them, and most internet connections are too slow to play them in real time, so they have to "buffer" or download part of the file and then play part while the remainder downloads in the background.
In terms of buying new storage, consider that HDV takes about 13.5GB per hour. Uncompressed HD or minimally compressed HD (your intermediate format) will take about 50-100GB per hour. Do not buy drives that spin slower than 7200 rpm. 10,000 rpm is preferable. Buy as much disk space as you can afford. And believe me, it won't be enough.
I hope this is a help to you.
-P
