[M4IF Discuss] NerdTV encoder chosen

[Ben Waggoner]

Everybody,
    Thanks for everyone's help with the codec evaluation for the Robert X.
Cringely Nerd TV project.  Since this likely will be the biggest audience
for an all MPEG-4 project yet, by a good order of magnitude, we spent the
time to make sure we could get the best results possible.
    Because I consult for a number of different MPEG-4 companies, I decided
it was best that I take myself out of the final decision about codec
quality.  First, I spent several weeks with the encoders making sure I could
get the best results out of each.  I assigned a randomized number to each
vendor, and supplied Bob and his crew with these files, with no indication
of which vendors did which.  I didn't indicate any workflow issues with
these files, but didn't provide samples from tools that simply didn't
provide adequate workflow for our needs.
    The target specs were 320x240 25 fps Simple Visual @ 100 Kbps, with
22.050 KHz 24 Kbps mono AAC-LC audio, all encoded for progressive download.
We didn't look at other combinations in any formal way, so don't extrapolate
from our results too broadly.
    The unanimous pick (all viewers agreed it was better for all samples)
was the beta of Sorenson Squeeze 3.0.  Which is priced at US$119!
    The close runner up was Envivio Encoding Station, with the other
encoders in a pack somewhat behind that, and with QuickTime's encoder dead
last (which concerns me, since many are using it to demo MPEG-4 quality).  I
note that both Squeeze and EES support 2-pass VBR encoding, which is a big
help with this kind of long-form progressive download content.
     And while we didn't judge it in this regard, Squeeze also provided the
best workflow of any of the tools, again with EES as the closest runner up.
    Since I'm under NDA with a number of the encoders, I won't be providing
a full list and results here.  If I did test your encoder, expect in the
next few days a more detailed report from me describing how your particular
product fared.
    I'm writing a feature for the April issue of DV Magazine (out in late
February) describing the initial phase of Nerd TV, including more details on
the codec shootout.
    And remember, I can consult for you too!  If you're building MPEG-4
tools, or implementing MPEG-4 in your organization, drop me a line privately
if you'd like to discuss how I can help you out.
Ben Waggoner <http://www.benwaggoner.com>
Compressed Video Consulting, Training, and Encoding
My Book:            http://www.benwaggoner.com/books.htm
Cleaner Tutorial:   http://www.saferseas.com/navseries/adclean.html
Compression Books:  http://www.benwaggoner.com/bookshelf.htm