output AVI file size

[potwnc]

Ok I'll try one more (5th!) time since we seem to have a definitive place to post these topics now.

I want to put small AVI files on my web site as demos so that non-Windows users can see them. This has nothing to do with burning them to DVD or to CD.

The issue: when I select custom AVI for output, the resulting AVI file is always the same (huge) size - it

doesn't matter what frame size I select. Generally speaking, video files (AVI, MPG, WMV, MOV etc.) are

supposed to be smaller when a smaller frame size is used (just like a smaller JPG will produce a smaller

file than a larger JPG). It appears PTE is not taking the frame size into account. So I end up with an AVI of

about 40 seconds requiring a 7.5 Megabyte file! I've tried this with all 4 betas and get the same result.

Any help on how to get this file size down is greatly appreciated!

Ray

[LumenLux]

Ray, I certainly don't knowthe answer. I have been waiting for Igor to respond to your question. Food for thought though - might be that the file size is dependent on the size of the PTE show, not the eventual output as an avi screem size. A little demo that might offer some insight - Create a PTE show using random transition effects. Use PTE to create a default .avi file. Leave the PTE program and file open, and run the (temp)avi file in some other player or editor. You should observe that the first transition is indeed still random when you run the show over and over again. So it seems it is still the PTE show that is running normally in the mask of an avi file. I know, probably doesn't help. I am sure Igor knows the answer, but it too may not be the one you want it to be.

[ccmanz]

As Lumenlux has said the AVI file that PTE creates is a Temp file.

You can not Copy it. and watch it later. You can not watch it

on a different computer. It is only good on the computer it is

created on. And only watchable while PTE is still open.

If you try and copy it to watch later you will have a black screen

with just audio.

As he has said you need to use a different program to convert the

Temp PTE_AVI file to a mpeg file. The program you use should

allow you to pick the size and quality of the compression of the Mpeg.

TEMGenc is a Freeware program that will allow you to convert the the file

to a Mpeg file. It does work well with the PTE_AVI file.

But it does take time for the conversion to take place.

The quality of the Mpg file will be a lot lower then the quality of the

EXE file. And the Mpeg file will also be a lot larger. You will have to

play with the Mpeg and see what you are happy with.

But if you make a slideshow that is VHS quality for 3 min and 30 sec.

The Mpeg file could be about 65MB. If you go lower that that I am not

sure you would be happy with the quality for some one to view your work.

You may not even be happy that VHS quality. DVD quality would be

somewhere around 155MB. These are very large files for someone to download.

I am not sure of the answer to the question about the size of the Temp PTE AVI

file. But I think the size of it is more becasue of the audio you are using and not

the Pictures. Because the pictures are sent to the temp file as you watch it.

I hope this answers some of your question.

cc

[potwnc]

I think the output AVI only needs PTE to be running on the same computer if the PTE codec is used - I can

use a different codec, copy the AVI file to a different directory, exit PTE and play the copied AVI just fine.

I tried a different experiment - I actually resized my jpg images to 200x150 pixels. This also has no effect on the output AVI file size - it is the same as it was with 800x600 jpgs. It is even bigger using the DIVX codec,

which, as everyone knows, is supposed to produce very small AVI files!

The .exe produced from the project is around 1MB, but the AVI is 7.5MB - and this is a really simple show

with 4 images (each about 40KB) and a short (43 seconds) mp3 that takes up 700KB. I've tried putting

the AVI through TMPGenc. As you probably know, TMPGenc allows only VCD, SVCD and DVD frame sizes, so

the rendered mpg file has a minimum 352x240 frame size. I can live with that frame size, but the resulting

mpg file is still around 7.5MB (it's actually a little smaller than the original AVI file!!!). I have seen good-quality MPG and AVI files on the Web that last around 43 seconds that are less than 1MB!

I realize that this new version of PTE is really supposed to be for burning to VCD, SVCD and DVD format - and I'm very happy with the results when I do that. I just wish Igor would come along and clarify this so I can stop wasting everyone's time, including my own! If this version of PTE is not going to allow me to produce reasonably small, stand-alone video files that I can put on my web site then OK, I'll just have to live with that, but at least I can save a lot of time trying to do the impossible. But at the same time, I believe it would be an oversight and a mistake not to include it - or at least announce plans to include it in the next version. I for one would (reluctantly) switch to something like Proshow Gold to get this capability which, based on the trial version, Proshow Gold does extremely well already.

Ray

[LumenLux]

Ray, see if this helps or tells you (us) anything -

I made a test show in PTE 2 min. 49 sec.

The PTE produced temp .avi is 29,400 Kb

The Studio 8 produced 720x480 avi is 641,776 kb

Studio 8 offered 640x480 avi is only 125,592 kb

I could not find a way to select different sizes, except by selecting a different codec. The 640x480 came up as the default when I tried the Intel codec.

Both the 641,776 kb and the 125,592 kb avi's were readily viewed by MS Media Player on XP and on Win98 SE.

If anything, the much smaller file size, not much smaller screen size, was the clearer picture.

And yes the mp3 sound is included.

Does this confirm the way you have thought it should/could be?

[potwnc]

Ray, see if this helps or tells you (us) anything -

I made a test show in PTE 2 min. 49 sec.

The PTE produced temp .avi is 29,400 Kb

The Studio 8 produced 720x480 avi is 641,776 kb

Studio 8 offered 640x480 avi is only 125,592 kb

I could not find a way to select different sizes, except by selecting a different codec. The 640x480 came up as the default when I tried the Intel codec.

Both the 641,776 kb and the 125,592 kb avi's were readily viewed by MS Media Player on XP and on Win98 SE.

If anything, the much smaller file size, not much smaller screen size, was the clearer picture.

And yes the mp3 sound is included.

Does this confirm the way you have thought it should/could be?

Yes, these numbers are much closer to what I would expect!

I imagine you used Pinnacle Studio 8 to do this? Unfortunately I don't have that software so I can't

do a comparison test on my own show - unless there's a trial version for download?

Out of interest, which codec were you using?

Ray

[ccmanz]

This is the link for the Studio 8 Trial

Also, If you are using Windows XP It comes with Windows Movie Maker

It can convert the PTE AVI file to the WMV file format. You can try that

and see if it works for you. If you do try it Windows has a free update

for it on there web site. You have a lot of choices on the video size and quality.

I conveted one file and it seemed to work ok. But I have not used it much.

cc

[potwnc]

Ok I'll give Studio 8 a try.

I don't think Windows Movie Maker would help because WMV is only viewable on Windows, right?

Ray

[potwnc]

LumenLux, I may need your help... when I try to re-encode PTE's AVI using Studio 8 (trial) I just get an error message saying the AVI wasn't compressed with DV Video Encoder. But when I create the AVI file using PTE there is no such codec to use! How did you manage to get this to work? When I click Help in Studio nothing happens!!! I guess the trial version doesn't include any help?

Ray