What is the Most Lossless QuickTime Format I Can Save As?

September 25, 2004 9:39 PM

I have a bunch of iMovie 3 projects which I'd like to export as QuickTime movies and then convert to MPEG2 with TMPGEnc Express on Winders. I wish that TMPGEnc could just import a DV stream, but it won't, so my question becomes: what's the most lossless QuickTime format I can save as? Size-to-quality isn't the issue. I have lots of space, I just want to lose very little in the QuickTime export. Which format do I export in, and with which settings? wish I had a Superdrive...
posted by scarabic to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

I'd just crank up the bitrate on the MPEG4 encoder and let 'er go. Also I *think* the animation codec is lossless at 100%, but the code behind it is pretty old (hello Quadra, nice to know ya' - that old) so be prepared to wait for awhile.

That said, why do you want to encode on Windows? You could run it through ffmpegx which does have the ability to convert from a DV Stream into MPEG2.
posted by nathan_teske at 5:41 AM on September 26, 2004

The PNG encoding should be absolutely lossless. Every frame is its own PNG image, all wrapped up in the video file. Your movie will be enormous.
posted by tss at 7:49 AM on September 26, 2004

Scarabic,

Go to "share" your movie.

Choose "quicktime" full quality DV.

This is a QT DV flavored piece that is essentially a copy of your movie as one file. This can be transferred to the PC for TMPGenc (v3 can see qt movies.)

Going to PNG or other "lossless" formats won't improve the picture - and they will be huge.
posted by filmgeek at 9:07 AM on September 26, 2004

Response by poster: I wish that TMPGEnc could just import a DV stream, but it won't

Tried that, filmgeek. It doesn't see the DV stream as a QuickTime movie. If you've actually tried that and succeeding in doing that, tell me more.
posted by scarabic at 1:43 PM on September 26, 2004

Scarabic.

I think one more item is necessary - a QT pro sn.

I might point you out to one at here; but you know, those are a bunch of those sort of search engines.

So, Export the .DV file, send it to the PC. Convert (using references) to .MOV (this references the .DV file.)

It went great into TMPGenc Xpress 3.
posted by filmgeek at 3:27 PM on September 26, 2004

Response by poster: Okay, lemme give that a shot. Thanks for all the suggestions. ffmpegx looks really neat.
posted by scarabic at 4:51 PM on September 26, 2004

Importantly, as soon as you put it into mpeg-1 or -2, that's the last time you're going to play with the footage. Mpeg is a destination format. Fimgeek is right: "share movie" at full-quality DV. If you have QT Pro, it should give you a QT movie in DV format, which you can use and reuse and export to Mpeg as needed. Good luck! Don't forget to share your movies with your fans!
posted by squirrel at 9:02 AM on September 27, 2004