After using Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to edit and author a 60 minute 16:9 ratio home video captured from my camcorder, I had to save the finished video to my PC hardrive so that I can import it into PowerProducer to produce and burn a DVD. Before saving the video, WMM gave me several saving options as far as file size and bit rates to use etc. Not sure which to choose, I copied the same video three times using three different options: Option 1: High Quality Video (PAL) - 720 X 576 pixels at variable bit rate. Option 2: Video For Local Playback (PAL) - 720 X 576 pixels at 2.1 Mbps bit rate. Option 3: High Quality Video (Large) - 856 X 480 pixels at variable bit rate. After saving all three, the properties of the three videos reads: (Video saved using option 1): Bit Rate 4737 Kbps, Dimensions 720 X 576, Size 649 MB. (Video saved using option 2): Bit Rate 2079 Kbps, Dimensions 720 X 576, Size 887 MB. (Video saved using option 3): Bit Rate 4141 Kbps, Dimensions 856 X 480, Size 591 MB. Which of the 3 saved files would offer the best quality video and audio? Option 1 having the highest bit rate, Option 2 being the largest file or Option 3 having the most pixels? Very confused. Will appreciate any advice...
Use option 1. Variable bit rate is better than constant bit rate, such as option 2. And as far as option 3 being having the most pixels, that isn't going to matter unless the video has that many pixels.
Thanks for your reply vtowner. But if option 1 is the better quality, can you explain why option 2 is a much larger file? Like I said, they're both exactly the same video in both content and length...
It's because option 2 has a constant bit rate of 2.1Mbps, meaning that's the bit rate of every frame throughout the video. But with variable bit rate it can use a low bit rate for slower scenes without a lot of movement, and it will use a higher bit rate for scenes with a lot of movement.
But the properties of option 1 saved video says 'Bit Rate 4737 Kbps' compared to option 2 saved video properties which says 'Bit Rate 2079 Kbps'. Wouldn't it make sense that the option 1 video be a larger file than the option 2 video? Sorry for my persistance vtowner, I'm just trying to learn something here...
