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Jul 7, 2000, 09:00 AM

I'm looking for any type of MPEG-4 codec that may be available for quicktime integration...

Has anyone seen or heard of a developer edition of MPEG-4 codecs or anything I can use to export a video file to MPEG-4 and then burn to a CD.

I'd be very greatful to anyone who can steer me in the right direction....

iggie

kokosnootje · Jul 7, 2000, 11:15 AM

www.mac.st

There is a codec (divx)
I haven't tried it yet.

mac freak · Jul 7, 2000, 06:36 PM

The problem with that codec is that it uses MS Media Player--not QuickTime. Although, I believe it is the only one available for Macintosh.

Feathers · Jul 12, 2000, 04:57 PM

DivX is NOT mpeg4. Mpeg4 is a standard, DivX is Microsoft's bastardization of the same standard. Futher mention of DivX in this forum will be punished by an eternity filled with very short men with pointy fingers!!!!

MacOS761 · Jul 13, 2000, 10:34 AM

Okay, we hear ya, Feathers, but it's important to make sure everyone knows what we're trying to discuss. Is the question about the real MPEG-4 or not? If it is, MPEG-4 is based on Quicktime itself, and I think is going to be the standard format for HDTV transmissions and stuff. That OTHER thing is a cruel attempt by M$ to re-create another standard their own way, and ironically, it is mostly used for illegal movie trading. So any way you look at that, it's a bad thing.

Feathers · Jul 13, 2000, 05:37 PM

I agree entirely "7.6.1 OF NINE", true MPEG4 should be good news all round but it does certainly appear that Apple have been beaten to the punch, with a proprietary variation getting more airtime than the real thing. Doh!

It annoys me that everytime somebody asks the genuine MPEG4 question, we get all this DivX sputter that just clogs up the channel and as it's basically a Windoze/WiMP technology we should probably assume that the repeated mention of it is just win-trolling.

Don't they have any forums of their own?

blizaine · Jul 16, 2000, 01:17 PM

Sorry for adding more DivX clutter

I just successfully converted the DivX Trailer of Dinosaur to a DV stream in Quicktime Pro then printed it to my DV cam and watched it on TV... (it can also be converted to any QT codec, ie. sorenson)

If you would like to know how to do this email me at: blizaine51@hotmail.com

note: I would not recommend doing this to an entire DivX movie for two reason's:
1) It's probably illegal
2) It would take along time and lot of HD space!

note 2: I have a strong interest in video, video editing, video codecs, video compression, and other video related things. I don't pirate movies, because to me it's retarded to spend hours downloading a movie, when I could buy a movie for $18 bucks on line and have it tomorrow without any of the quality loss associated with DivX/mpeg4 (whatever you want to call it). Oh yeah, it's kind of illegal.

If this is old news and everyone already knows how to do this, then don�t make fun of me, just ignore my post�

Later - blizaine

blizaine · Jul 16, 2000, 01:35 PM

Oh yeah, BTW:
MacOS761, were did you here that it MPEG 4 is going to be to standard for HDTV? From what I know the Government decided a few weeks ago to have 720p (progressive scan) to be the standard HDTV format. And they were only trying to decide between two different formats, 1080i (interlaced) and 720p. 720p won the fight even though it has less lines of rez because it gave a more accurate picture. i.e. When they conducted tests with both, in some instances 1080i, when zoomed into a 1 dollar bill would could not accurately portray the fine lines in the dollar because 1080i is interlaced, 720p gave an perfect image on screen.

After all of my babbling I realized that you meant mpeg4 would be transmitted to the HDTV, similar to the way a DVD sends it mpeg2. Sorry for the confusion. I'd still be interested in were you got that info, so I could read about it. Thanks...

Feathers · Jul 16, 2000, 04:14 PM

Unfortunately, ATM there are speculatively 17, yes seventeen different formats vying globally for the HDTV rubber stamp. It's the reason HDTV is taking so long. I worked at SMPTE/EBU HDTV Conference TEN YEARS ago when they were saying that there would be a widescreen TV in every home in five years. Boy were they wrong! At the time the proposed format was 1280i@100Hz in Europe and 1125i@120Hz in the US. Bosch/Philips/BTS lost a packet on that horse!! I'll only believe anything about HD when I actually see it for sale in my local TV shop.

One thing of course is the fact that the next episode of StarWars is being shot on Sony/Panavision HDCAM's (Eleven of them) at 1080/24P with a horizontal rez UNDER 2K isn't exactly good news either. They are using a few film cameras aswell though.

Feathers · Jul 16, 2000, 04:17 PM

Bliz, what's the DivX/DV on TV quality like? ( And do you have to use that WiMP/DivX creation?

[This message has been edited by Feathers (edited 07-16-2000).]

blizaine · Jul 16, 2000, 06:57 PM

Interesting stuff Feathers! I didn't realize they've been trying to nail down a format/standard for so long!

DivX/DV looks great.. It's not DVD quality obviously, but still very cool and way better and smoother than what DivX on the Mac can offer right now. I would compair it to VHS but it's digital looking.

Frankly, I was supprised it actually worked.

MacOS761 · Jul 18, 2000, 02:13 PM

720p is the way the information is presented, not the format per se. For example, most digital video formats are progressive - Quicktime, AVI, DV, etc. I admit that I am not up to speed on HDTV, but I believe that QuickTime/MPEG-4 are the basis for HDTV transmissions, no matter what the resolution or scan type.

blizaine · Jul 20, 2000, 10:06 PM

cool

Feathers · Jul 22, 2000, 04:45 PM

There seems to be slight confusion (or if there isn't I apologize now) here over what's a transmission standard or format and whats a compression algorithm.

Quicktime and AVI are only File Formats
DV and MPEG are codecs although DV is also a Format.

I can have a 320x240 movie compressed with MPEG4, but the use of MPEG4 doesn't make it broadcast etc.

Generally a format is specified by framerate, aspect ratio and/or pixel dimensions and, I suppose, whether interlaced or not.

So, in the context of HDTV it may be a Quicktime File Format, of a 720 line vertical rez non-interlaced 16:9 aspect-ratio frame, compressed with an MPEG4 codec.

So specifying QT and MPEG4 alone for HD actually tells very little about what the quality will be because ultimately quality comes down to rez...and bit depth...and...God I hate video, give me film anyday...24fps or 25fps or 29.976...at 1:1.33 or 1:1.85 or... Hell I give up!!!!!