Video codecs
Video codecs compress video when you are filming in Second Life (see machinima).
Wheelo ran some tests to compare compressing quality. Important factors were quality of video compared to size of the video file, and framerate in-world when filming (the framerate is restored when you watch the video, but drops when you are actually filming).
The test
All codecs were subjected to the same test: a 360 degree view rotation with a tardis as a reference point. All codecs were at default settings, and the sky was set at midday.
Results of codec testing
| Codec | Framerate in-world | File size | Settings (all are default) | Did it work? | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinepak | 1 | 2.94MB | 50% quality | Yes | Good image quality; playback was sped up |
| Intel 4:2:0 V2.50 | 21 | 0KB | (None) | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Intel Indeo Video R3.2 | 21 | 0KB | 65% quality | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Intel Indeo Video 4.5 | 1.6 | 2.72MB | 85% quality | Yes | Good image quality; playback was sped up |
| Intel IYUV | 21 | 0KB | (None) | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Microsoft RLE | 21 | 0KB | 85% quality | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Microsoft Video 1 | 3 | 8.76MB | 75% quality | Yes | Medium image quality; playback was at normal speed |
| Microsoft H.263 | 21 | 0KB | 100% quality | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Microsoft H.261 | 21 | 0KB | 100% quality | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| Indeo Video 5.10 | 21 | 0KB | 85% quality | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| MainConcept DV 2.0.4 | 21 | 0KB | (None) | No | Computer couldn't read the file |
| XviD MPEG-4 | 3 | 2.14MB | (None) | Yes | Good image quality; playback was at normal speed |
| DivX 5.0.5 | 4.1 | 789KB | (None) | Yes | Low image quality; playback at normal speed; unreliable (sometimes works, sometimes not) |
| Microsoft MPEG-4 (1) | 5 | 1.79MB | (None) | Yes | Good image quality; playback at normal speed |
| Microsoft MPEG-4 (2) | 4 | 1.70MB | (None) | Yes | Good image quality; playback at normal speed |
| Microsoft MPEG-4 (3) | 4 | 1.70MB | (None) | Yes | Good image quality; playback at normal speed |
| Uncompressed | 3.5 | 125MB | (None) | Yes | Best image quality; playback at normal speed |
- One point - all the ones where you've put "Computer couldn't read the file" have, if you look, zero size; in other words, SL didn't save half of them! --Decimus 17:01, 26 May 2007 (BST)
Conclusion
Cinepak and Intel Indeo 4.5 were among the few that worked, but they didn't work well; playback was sped up for some reason.
Microsoft Video 1 - considering the image quality was medium, the file size is too big for a 2.5-second video.
The XviD codec was better than the above codecs, a good all-rounder.
The DivX codec was of low quality, but had a very small file size (good for web use). However, playback was unreliable - sometimes it worked perfectly, sometimes it chopped off the last few seconds, sometimes it skipped.
There is no clear distinction between the Microsoft MPEG-4 versions 1-3, but they all perform well; good image quality, reliable, and a small file size. They are the best on my machine.
Uncompressed - the name says it all really. 125MB for 2.5 seconds makes this impractical for web use.
- One thing to check would be if you could take an uncompressed file, use something like 7z (possibly on all the films you have, so you get a single archive of them all) - it can compress things really well (one example I saw was around 20Mb for a 7z archive which was around 50+Mb as a normal Zip and, uncompressed, is around 175Mb!) --Decimus 16:59, 26 May 2007 (BST)
I downloaded the latest DivX codec (version 6), now it works perfectly. Use DivX!
