Boy did I blow it...wrong format..duh!

[BuddyB]

I did this movie for a friend, forgetting my experiences with Flash. I wanted it to be the best it could be so I rendered it as an .mpg4. Guess what? It hesitated on my friends computer with Win7-32 catching up with with itself, good pic though. It would not play on any Tv. On my other Friend's computer with Vista Home Premium-64 bit it wouldn't recognize the format.

Sorry Steve, hadn't reads that part of the book. I want it to play on computers and tvs. So, should I use .mpg2 or .avi? And is the quality difference notated.

[Peru]

I don't use Vegas, but I do use DVD Architect Studio.

I export a DVD MPEG-2 file from Premiere Pro and import that into DVDAS. I then prepare to a folder and burn the Video_ts file to a disc using ImgBurn. It plays well on a DVD player connected to a TV and on a computer.

[Steve Grisetti]

An MP4 should work fine on any computer, Buddy. Although your friend with Vista should download Quicktime Player. Just output your movie using the Render As option Main Concept AVC and select one of the Internet options. I don't know if you want to play it in high-def or standard, widescreen or 4:3. but there are plenty of options. Any of those options should give you a nice, smooth, good-looking playback.

But playing it on TV is whole other ballgame. Unless, of course, they've got Apple TV and a Mac linked to it. For that purpose it's best to give them a DVD or BluRay disc.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

.....But playing it on TV is whole other ballgame. Unless, of course, they've got Apple TV and a Mac linked to it......

.....or a DLNA certified streaming device such as a WD Live or similar.

[BuddyB]

I want to thank you guys for the input. I will download the Apple player. What puzzles me is my XP friend with 2.9Ghz processor and 3 plus gigs of RAM. I would have thought he'd been fine. T he hiccups response was just like it wasn't downloading fast enough and the playhead kept running into the download. Anyway I won't really be able to fully address the issue until I get back home next week
BuddyB

[BuddyB]

I downloaded Quicktime from Apple, and the movie plays on the Vista-64 machine, but it hiccups just like the XP machine. This machine has 4 gigs of RAM, so I'm still at a loss why. On our machines at home it plays without a hitch...hmmm.

[Steve Grisetti]

Did you use the Render As preset I recommended?

It could be the XP machine is way underpowered. If so, I can recommend a Render As that will produce a less intensive file. But this is going to reduce the quality and/or frame size of the video a bit, if that's okay.

[BuddyB]

That would be perfectly fine Steve, I'm game. I presume I'll have to render from Sony, so that part will have to wait until I get back home. I right clicked on the Apple ap and didn't see any route to go. Thanks.

[BuddyB]

One last question before I arrive home and make rendering changes. Some guy told this friend of mine the format I should use is JVD, AVI or M&R. I'm familiar with AVI, but the other two don't compute with me. Anyone here know anything about the other two? Thanks.

[Steve Grisetti]

In this particular case, I still say AVC/MP4 is still the best choice.

[Bob]

Anyone here know anything about the other two?

I'd say someone got the format names confused. JVD and M&R aren't any formats I've ever heard of.

[BuddyB]

The AVI and MPG2 renderings are beautiful. The MPG2 is 2.5 gigs and the AVI is 9 gigs, and of course that won't fit on a standard DVD. So it looks like the MPG2 will have to do for this 46 min production. The thing that makes it difficult is that I've not run across a rendering that didn't look like a winner on our machines at home. Nothing plays on our DVD; 'tis over 10 years old. Some of the old DVDs probably will, but nothing that is fairly recent..gotta' get a new one. It's one of those that you have to use a digital converter to work with standard def tvs.

[Steve Grisetti]

Now I'm a bit confused, Buddy. In your original post you said you wanted to produce a file you could share on a computer -- but now you're talking about distributing via DVD.

You can certainly use a DVD as a means to distribute your video -- but it's not going to look nearly as good on a computer as an AVCHD/MP4 file.

[BuddyB]

Sorry for the confusion Steve. I was born in a state of confusion . The friend needs it to be played on both computer and DVD. The MP4 I created did play on his computer, pic quality good, but the play head kept running into the download causing it to briefly hesitate. It would not play on his DVD. He wants this to play on computers that are not as up-to-date as ours. I fear this is something, in my noobie state, I have failed to execute properly. Everything is great on my computer, no prob.

[Steve Grisetti]

DVDs have a tendency to not look good on computers, Buddy, because they are interlaced and computer monitors are not.

I'm not sure how out of date your friend's computer is -- but, if it was made in the last 7-8 years and he's got Quicktime Player installed, he should be able to play an MP4 made to the specs I recommended above.

But, if not, there's always the WMV Windows Media option.

It all depends on whether your friends will be watching the video on a computer or on a TV.