25 October 2001

Web Video Codecs Compared - This article provides both a qualitative and quantitative look at the current generation of codecs designed to work with the three leading Web video architectures: Apple QuickTime, Microsoft Windows Media Video, and RealNetworks RealVideo.

To cut a long article short, here's a summary of the codecs tested for data rate control, frame rate, performance and quality. Complete results are here, and here are the test files.

Windows Media Video 8
Data rate control: WMV8's data rates were a little unpredictable, frame rate was rock solid for every file, better than average decode performance.

RealVideo 8
data rate control is extremely accurate and doesn't vary at all from the setting you request. Predicted frame rates were generally accurate, performance on Mac OS was extremely poor, RV8-encoded files had good quality, but not as good as files encoded with WMV8.

QuickTime 5

Sorenson Video 3
SV3 had trouble hitting the 800kbps target data rate even with frame dropping activated. Frame rate in two-pass mode was always perfect. SV3 Professional provides excellent quality, better than RV8 and approaching but not surpassing WMV8.

H.263
Data rate control in H.263 is always dead-on, a legacy of the tight data rates needed in videoconferencing, H.263's heritage. Visually drops substantial numbers of frames in difficult sections. H.263's soft images and dropped frames simply aren't competitive. Even the talking head file looked terrible at 30kbps.

VP3
At 200kbps and 800kbps, final data rates were close to the targets. Performance is VP3's biggest strength. Content encoded with VP3 at 640x480 pixels can play back on machines of middling speed. In all, VP3 is a good alternative to SV3 for high-resolution broadband content.

ZyGoVideo
ZyGoVideo had poor data rate control. The codec delivered encoded files with exactly the frame rate that was assigned at compression. Even the dual-PIII computer had trouble playing back all frames evenly on the 800kbps files encoded with ZyGoVideo. In its current version, ZyGoVideo is not competitive.

Was taugt Maya OS X? - Wie berichtet, gibt es in der kommenden MacUp-Ausgabe meinen Artikel über Maya Complete 3.5 für OS X. Als Aperitif hier schon mal das Resüme:

"Keine Frage, daß Maya eine erstklassige Highend-Software ist, die in den Händen von Profis wahre Wunderdinge vollbringt. Man muss sich allerdings darüber im Klaren sein, daß wir es bei der OS X-Version mit der ersten großen Portierung des Pakets zu tun haben, die an zentralen Punkten ö dem Rendering und der allgemeinen Arbeitsgeschwindigkeit ö noch deutlich zu wünschen übrig lässt.

Bei dem Preis, den Alias|Wavefront für Maya/OS X verlangt, fragt man sich, welche Zielgruppe denn nun eigentlich gemeint ist: Power-Anwender können mit der jetzigen OS X-Complete-Version 3.5 wenig anfangen. Trotz des Preises von über 21.000 DM (zuzüglich Mehrwertsteuer) fehlen ihr Werkzeuge wie Subdivision Surfaces, wichtige NURBS Modeling-Tools oder der Maya Batch-Renderer. (...) Das schöne Aqua-Interface von OS X wird wohl für die Wenigsten ein Grund zum Umsteigen sein.

Für alle anderen, die 3D nicht als fulltime job betreiben, ist Maya vermutlich schlicht zu teuer. Complete kostet ca. 21.000, Unlimited über 40.000 DM, der Lernbedarf ist sehr hoch und daher ebenfalls teuer. Diese Ausgaben kann man zwar bei einem Highend-Job verschmerzen, aber bis man den bekommt, sollte man nicht mit Maya üben. Dafür gibt es die Mittelklasse: 3D-Programme, die für einen Bruchteil der Einstandskosten jedem, der nicht die allerletzten Kontrollmöglichkeiten braucht, absolut professionelle Resultate liefern.

Zum Trost bieten die Händler ein "Produktivitäts-Paket": das ist zwar nicht preiswerter, enthält aber neben Maya eine Jacke in limitierter Auflage und eine Dreitasten-Maus. Die Jacke gibtâs im Onlineshop von Alias|Wavefront auch - ohne Maya OS X..." [ weiter ... ]
(October 18., 2001, mjh)

Digital Video Tidbits -

A new tool to combat the IE/Windows Quicktime cut off issue: Pageot est un utilitaire developŽ par Francis GorgŽ qui gŽnŽre le code EMBED et OBJECT pour le QuickTime Plug-in. -- Pageot is an application which generates EMBED and OBJECT code for the QuickTime Plug-in.

iMovie Plug-in Pack 2.1.1 for iMovie OSX includes additional effects, transitions, and titles [registration required]

LiveChannel Pro serves as both a broadcaster and QuickTime Streaming server. It allows to add graphics, text, recorded audio and video, and effects during a live broadcast. All you need to broadcast, besides the software, is a DV camera and a FireWire Mac. "Live Channel is the world's first software-only solution designed to replace a television studio, providing real-time editing, high quality encoding and real-time streaming in one integrated application." Judy and Robert have been impressed.

There seems to be a problem between Toon Boom Studio and Mac OS X 10.1. Toon Boom apparently won't save files under the latest version of Mac OS X. The situation is being "looked at internally at Toon Boom". (October 11., 2001, )

CINEMA 4D Dynamics, a a realtime physics simulation plug-in for CINEMA 4D XL R7.2 upwards, provides mass, rotational mass, gravity, friction, springs, elasticity, wind [opens a Quicktime movie], soft bodies and more give you a wealth of control over your simulation, often in realtime.

Updates for CINEMA 4D XL R7, CINEMA 4D XL Release 7.0 & Bodypaint 3D (integrated version), CINEMA 4D NET R7. Avaliable for Mac OS 9.x and OS X (CINEMA 4D NET not available for Mac OS X) and Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000 Intel.

Macromedia Shockwave plugin for exporting 3D models to Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio. The 3D technology will enable new types of Web experiences to be delivered using the Macromedia Shockwave Player.


(October 11., 2001, )

Live from the Pirate's Shipwreck - Apple Learning Interface ALI broadcasts an underwater videocast from a 1718 pirate shipwreck.

QAR DiveLive is a week-long event - October 1-5, 2001 (last day today) - with underwater videocast from the wreck, the flagship of the notorious pirate known as Blackbeard. In June, 1718, the Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground about one mile offshore of the small port town of Beaufort, North Carolina. For 278 years, the remains of the QAR lay covered by the sands of the Atlantic. In 1996, after hurricanes and nor'easters scoured the sands away, divers from Intersal, Inc., searching for other shipwrecks around the inlet found the wreck site.

The videocast will begin today, at around 8:30 am Eastern (15:30 GMT +1), and run until around 3:00 pm. (October 5., 2001, )

[ FTD ]: "Zum ersten Mal gehen in diesem Verfahren Studios und Musiklabels vereint gegen die nicht autorisierte Verbreitung ihrer Ware im Internet vor - ein Indiz dafür, dass auch der Tausch von digitalisierten Kinofilmraubkopien zu einem ernsten Problem geworden ist. (...) Napsters ehemaliges Millionenpublikum indes tauscht mittlerweile Musik (und mittlerweile auch Bilder, Videoclips, Filme und elektronische Bücher) bei konkurrierenden Angeboten. Die erfolgreichsten darunter sind die in der Klageschrift genannten Angebote Musiccity Morpheus, Grokster und Kazaa. Die drei Dienste nutzen eine gemeinsame Technologie, die des FastTrack-Netzes. Nach Erhebungen des Branchendienstes Webnoize wurde das FastTrack-Netz im September durchschnittlich von weltweit einer Million Nutzern gleichzeitig verwendet. Napster hatte zum Höhepunkt seiner Beliebtheit im März dieses Jahres etwa 1,5 Millionen Nutzer gleichzeitig." (October 5., 2001, )

Too many buttons, too many options - Last week, RealNetworks unveiled its new all-in-one player, RealONE, combining the RealPlayer, RealJukebox, a media browser and a subscription service.

[ streamingmedia ]: "First, it's important to note that RealONE (web site hasn't been updated) is essentially replacing RealJukebox and RealPlayer, both the free and Plus versions. RealONE player will be free for everyone but paying for a GoldPass/RealOne subscription will unlock enhanced features in the player.
Currently, RealONE works with Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT or XP. RealNetworks said that a Mac version would be available in 2002. It remains to be seen, however, if RealONE will be ported to other operating systems. Until the full consumer launch of RealONE in about two months, RealNetworks will still push its RealJukebox and RealPlayer, however. " (October 1., 2001, )

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