Andrew Coppin <orp### [at] btinternetcom> wrote:
> Didn't see anywhere to adjust that... I was a "quality" setting, with I set
> to 100% (despite being warned that 90% would probably be as good). Still
> looked aweful! I'll have another look at it...

  If you are using for example the DivX5 codec, then in virtualdub
you can select Video -> Compression... -> DivX whatever -> Configure
  It will pop up the DivX configuration dialog which, among other things,
has an "Encoding bitrate" slider. Set it to something like 3000 kbps or
more and that should be plenty enough.
  Other codecs (such as Xvid) have similar configuration dialogs.

-- 
plane{-x+y,-1pigment{bozo color_map{[0rgb x][1rgb x+y]}turbulence 1}}
sphere{0,2pigment{rgbt 1}interior{media{emission 1density{spherical
density_map{[0rgb 0][.5rgb<1,.5>][1rgb 1]}turbulence.9}}}scale
<1,1,3>hollow}text{ttf"timrom""Warp".1,0translate<-1,-.1,2>}//  - Warp -

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"Warp" <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote in message
news:3f6f6192@news.povray.org...
> Andrew Coppin <orp### [at] btinternetcom> wrote:
> > Didn't see anywhere to adjust that... I was a "quality" setting, with I
set
> > to 100% (despite being warned that 90% would probably be as good). Still
> > looked aweful! I'll have another look at it...
>
>   If you are using for example the DivX5 codec, then in virtualdub
> you can select Video -> Compression... -> DivX whatever -> Configure
>   It will pop up the DivX configuration dialog which, among other things,
> has an "Encoding bitrate" slider. Set it to something like 3000 kbps or
> more and that should be plenty enough.
>   Other codecs (such as Xvid) have similar configuration dialogs.

I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5". The
configuration box doesn't let you select a bitrate - or anything much else
really - but I set the "quality" setting to "best". The resulting video
(with no sound at present) is about 500KB smaller than the MPEG-I (which
includes the audio). The star field doesn't look too bad I suppose - leaves
little "trails" behind. But when you get the the tunnel, it looks like a
badly tuned RF signal or something! It's just nasty...

Then I tried using something called "Cinepack Codec by Radius". This gives
me no controls at all, other than selecting colour or BW. The result was
18MB instead of 8MB (MPEG-I), and the starfield looked *terrible*! The black
wasn't even black, it was light grey! And there were bits of things left all
over the place... Interestingly, the tunnel sequence actually looked rather
good though... Weird!

For reference, I appear to have the following codecs...
Cinepack Codec by Radius
DivX 5.0.2 Codec
Indeo video 5.10
Intel 4:2:0 Video V2.50 (doesn't work)
Intel Indeo Video R3.2
Intel Indeo Video 4.5
Intel IYUV codec
Microsoft H.261 Video Codec (doesn't work)
Microsoft H.263 Video Codec (doesn't work)
Microsoft RLE (doesn't work)
Microsoft Video 1

Thanks.

PS. Notice how all the Microsoft codecs don't work? ;-)

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Andrew Coppin wrote:
> 

:)
You used some old codecs that should work for most purposes but not for
raytraced animations where you *care* about every pixel. Still, you have
to be a little bit less caring because in the end, when you finish with
a 100+Mb video you'll need a fast system to be able to play it smoothly.
So it's finding the right balalnce between file size and image quality
(can you tell I've been struggling with this for days quite recently?).
Divx would probably be your best option. You can also set the
compression level for sound and get quite a lot out of that without
losing much of the sound quality - especially with the Prodigy, perhaps.
;)
But again: you'll have to let go of the pixel precision. For moving
images this often isn't very relevant for the average user anyway.

Remco

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"Andrew Coppin" <orp### [at] btinternetcom> wrote in
news:3f6f6946$1@news.povray.org: 

> For reference, I appear to have the following codecs...
> Cinepack Codec by Radius
> DivX 5.0.2 Codec
> Indeo video 5.10
> Intel 4:2:0 Video V2.50 (doesn't work)
> Intel Indeo Video R3.2
> Intel Indeo Video 4.5
> Intel IYUV codec
> Microsoft H.261 Video Codec (doesn't work)
> Microsoft H.263 Video Codec (doesn't work)
> Microsoft RLE (doesn't work)
> Microsoft Video 1
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> PS. Notice how all the Microsoft codecs don't work? ;-)


Try the DivX 5.0.2 Codec as Warp mentioned.

-- 
Marc Champagne
marcch.AT.videotron.DOT.ca
Montreal, CANADA

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Andrew Coppin <orp### [at] btinternetcom> wrote:
> I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5".

  AFAIK that's not an MPEG-4 codec (nor any MPEG codec at all) and thus
not a very good one.

> Then I tried using something called "Cinepack Codec by Radius".

  That isn't either.

> For reference, I appear to have the following codecs...
> DivX 5.0.2 Codec

  Then use that, as I suggested.

-- 
#macro N(D)#if(D>99)cylinder{M()#local D=div(D,104);M().5,2pigment{rgb M()}}
N(D)#end#end#macro M()<mod(D,13)-6mod(div(D,13)8)-3,10>#end blob{
N(11117333955)N(4254934330)N(3900569407)N(7382340)N(3358)N(970)}//  - Warp -

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In article <3f6f6946$1@news.povray.org> , "Andrew Coppin" 
<orp### [at] btinternetcom> wrote:

> I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5". The
> configuration box doesn't let you select a bitrate

Do you know how ancient and outdated the Intel Indeo codecs are?  The first
hit searching in Google for the quoted string "Intel Indeo Video 4.5" will
give you a hint ... and as of Windows XP SP 1, even Microsoft dropped it out
of the system completely!  The codec has been _outdated_ at least five years
ago now...

    Thorsten

____________________________________________________
Thorsten Froehlich, Duisburg, Germany
e-mail: tho### [at] trfde

Visit POV-Ray on the web: http://mac.povray.org

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In article <3f6f853b@news.povray.org> , Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg>  wrote:

>> I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5".
>
>   AFAIK that's not an MPEG-4 codec (nor any MPEG codec at all) and thus
> not a very good one.

Indeed, it is an Intel codec with a copyright 1994-1998 (thus it was last
updated 1998!) according to the About Box of the codec as it can be seen in
VirtualDub!

>> Then I tried using something called "Cinepack Codec by Radius".
>
>   That isn't either.

Indeed, a codec last updated 1995...

>> For reference, I appear to have the following codecs...
>> DivX 5.0.2 Codec
>
>   Then use that, as I suggested.

Alternatively, there are a bunch of ports of ffmpeg to various platforms and
systems (but do not use ffvfw, that is outdated!), even if he doesn't want
to compile it on Windows: <http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/index.org.html>

BTW, the MPEG-4 codecs that come with some versions of Windos should *not*
be used because they are also outdated and have nothing to do with the
actual MPEG-4 standard supported by modern media players ...

    Thorsten

____________________________________________________
Thorsten Froehlich, Duisburg, Germany
e-mail: tho### [at] trfde

Visit POV-Ray on the web: http://mac.povray.org

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> > I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5". The
> > configuration box doesn't let you select a bitrate
>
> Do you know how ancient and outdated the Intel Indeo codecs are?

Erm... No.

> The first
> hit searching in Google for the quoted string "Intel Indeo Video 4.5" will
> give you a hint ...

I take it from that it's old? (And, therefore, poor quality.)

> and as of Windows XP SP 1, even Microsoft dropped it out
> of the system completely!  The codec has been _outdated_ at least five
years
> ago now...

Interestingly, Windows XP SP1 happens to be what I've got... so where the
heck did I get these codecs from? Hmm... weird!

Post a reply to this message

> > I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5".
>
>   AFAIK that's not an MPEG-4 codec (nor any MPEG codec at all) and thus
> not a very good one.

What's an MPEG-4 codec when it's at home? I thought a codec is a codec...

> > For reference, I appear to have the following codecs...
> > DivX 5.0.2 Codec
>
>   Then use that, as I suggested.

I was under the (mistaken?) impression that there are legal restrictions on
the use of DivX...

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Andrew Coppin wrote:
> 
> > > I just tried using a codec listed as "Intel Indeo Video 4.5". The
> > > configuration box doesn't let you select a bitrate
> >
> > Do you know how ancient and outdated the Intel Indeo codecs are?
> 
> Erm... No.
> 
> > The first
> > hit searching in Google for the quoted string "Intel Indeo Video 4.5" will
> > give you a hint ...
> 
> I take it from that it's old? (And, therefore, poor quality.)
> 
> > and as of Windows XP SP 1, even Microsoft dropped it out
> > of the system completely!  The codec has been _outdated_ at least five
> years
> > ago now...
> 
> Interestingly, Windows XP SP1 happens to be what I've got... so where the
> heck did I get these codecs from? Hmm... weird!

I have access to two XP systems, one did have the codec (the older one)
the other didn't. This is a developer's nightmare, especially if you try
to avoid installing codecs along with your application. It seems that it
that last thing is unrealistic to hope for...

Remco

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