AVI Files and Youtube

[Peter Coles]

I have made a number of AVI files with previous versions of PTE and subsequently used them to create Sequences on www.youtube.com

The latest version of PTE gives me problems. Could some kind soul inform me which boxes to click in order to produce the right sort of AVI file for youtube?

Peter Coles

[Conflow]

Peter,

To be honest I was a bit hesitant in contributing a reply to your query for the reason that this has been discussed

many,many times before, and the general concencus of opinions seemed to be that You-Tube is a 'no-go' for PTE

due to its reproduction qualities ~ or lack of same !

Most of this negativity is due to a fundamental lack of knowledge about U-Tube (You-Tube) and what it is, and how

to 'construct' a compatible Program for uploading to U-Tube. For the benefit of others let me explain:-

1)What is You-Tube?

U-Tube is a 'low-resolution' Video-Presentation with composite Stereo Sound reduced to Coded/Mono and reconverted

back into a suitable format for viewing on PC,Laptops,iPhones etc,etc. The Sound-File is also reconverted backwards.

2)Downloading a U-Tube Presentation

This is frought will all types of difficulties which impact the reproduction quality.Better by far to use a Downloader Program

such as "You-Tube Grabber" which recognises the You-Tube URL and downloads the File properly into a newly created Folder

called 'Downloaded Videos' on your Hard-Drive, within which you will find the proper Macromedia Flash-Video Files (intact).

Screenshot and links below.

3)Replaying U-Tube

This uses a 'Flash Active-X Plug-In' for Replay on your PC depending on what Media-Player is Installed. However for the

very best reproduction I would advise to download a special 'bespoke' Flash Player such as the "nFLV Player" which

uses the genuine 'Macromedia Flash-Engine' together with the Flash9-ActiveX Control. This Player will automaticallyrecognise

the 'Download Video Folder' and the contained Flash-Files created by the "You-Tube Grabber" above...so no problems there!

Screenshot and links below.

4)Making a You-Tube Presntation

Concerning PTE Users, this is the 'Achilles Heel' of all prospective U-Tube Uploaders ~ for the simple reason they are expecting

too much and are going about the job the wrong way !

Error-1

U-Tube is a Lo-Resolution System. It simply can't handle your 'Large-Image' AVI Files nor can it handle your 'Large-Sound' Files.

Correct

Images should be 'No-Larger' than 800x600 pixels as U-Tube's native resolution is 400x300 pixels ~ So make a special Show for it

but dont worry, the Flash-Encoders (below) will do a proper job on 800x600 pixel Images which can be expanded on the U-Tube Player.

Sound Files should be Mp3 (FM.Radio Quality) Composite Stereo at 'Sample Rate' of 22.Khz and Bitrate of 96.Kbps.

Error-2

Try and avoid PZR Effects unless you have mastered this technique and can actually make a proper Test DVD-Video with PZR Effects.

Error-3

Do NOT UPLOAD your new U-Tube AVI Presentation directly to the 'You-Tube Website' ~ it will look awful and will be very jerky !

Correct

Use a properly designed 'You-Tube Encoder Program' such as 'Riva-Flash Encoder' or 'Easy-Flash Encoder' to convert your AVI-File

into the proper 'You-Tube Format' complete with the Flash-Meta-Tags which will ensure proper running of your new You-Tube Show.

Screenshot and links below

Finally if you are in doubt about 'UpLoading' your presentation, use a proper Uploader If not already available) use 'DVDVideoSoft'.

Screenshot and links below. NOTE: Files must be less than 100mB, (typically 16-20mB) and no more than 10 minutes lenght.

Hope this helps the Novice to get started and others to give it a Re-Try had it not been successful before....

Brian.Conflow.

Disclaimer: The Sites below were safe as of this morning 11-7-08 Scanned with Norton-Executive.

________________________________________________________________________

You-Tube Downloader:

http://www.bulletproofsoft.com/v-grabber.html

NFLV Player:

http://www.zeraha.org/dload.php?sid=3b7b7a...e70b80e42b6ffde

Riva Flash Encoder: (AVI~FLV)

http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Riva_FLV_...er/rivaflv.html

EasyFlash Encoder: (AVI~FLV)simple.

http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/easyflv-f...er/easyflv.html

YouTube Uploader:

http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/youtubeuploader.htm

[Peter Coles]

I am aware of all the disadvantages of you-tube, but also appreciate that literally thousands of viewers can see what we produce and maybe go on to see PTE as a result of first seeing a Sequence on You-tube. This compares, for example with the few hundreds of folk who may witness what we make and show on Beechbrook.com

So I will try what you suggest and hope to produce acceptable AVI files for uploading onto You-tube.

Thanks

Peter

[Conflow]

Peter,

Firstly, I am in no way disparaging towards 'U-Tube', I use it myself, and I would like to see more people

giving it a "try-out" precisely for the reasons you stated above, otherwise I would not have made the effort

putting that 'Suite of Programs' together with the appropriate Notes...that takes considerable time to do.

But so far, with 132 viewings of the 'thread' and only 10 downloads of the Programs, I feel that we might be

knocking our heads against a stone wall ~ I did say there is a lot of negativity towards U-Tube ~ perhaps

because people don't know enough about it, or it doesn't live up to their expectations, who knows why ??

Well at least I gave it a shot, and I do hope some of the Notes can be of use to you in your New U-Tube Project.

Best regards,

Brian.Conflow.

[Ian]

Hi Peter

YouTube is a very quick and handy method of publishing 'thumbnail' of your sequences. Its not intended to show high resolution video, and as long as this is understood it provides an excellent service. I've got a small collection here: YouTube link

This is primarily used as a method to include examples of AV sequences on my websites, as YouTube allows you to embed the link code into your own pages - eg see Wantage Camera Club Festival Sequence

and 321 website

I have tried various video codecs from Video Builder, but ultimately found that the most reliable method was to use the 'old' PTE temporary avi output file, then convert this to a Quicktime video using a 3rd party conversion program. I set an output file sixe of 480 x 320, and let the You Tube converter re-size the correct You Tube dimensions. This seems to give a sharper result that outputting at 320 x 240.

The next release of PTE 5.6 will have a built-in YouTube uploader anyway, so this will take all of the guesswork out of it. Igor demonstrated it when he gave his talk in the UK last month.

Ian

[Conflow]

Ian,

I'm pleased that someone contributed to this 'thread' in a positive way ~ and yes, I like U-Tube also. I does however give

some problems to those who are unfamiliar about the 'correct set-up' ~ but then so does PTE and any other Program which

demands careful human interface. Like everything else it has a 'Learning Curve' and that curve is nothing like as difficult as

the PTE5.5 curve particularily when one becomes engaged with the PZR Effects.

When I first started using U-Tube the resolution was 200x150 pix, now its up to 400x300 pix and before long it will probably

be up to 800x600 pix this due to the proliferation of Hi-Speed Broadband and advance Video-Graphics in new Server Systems

and of course better Encoders & Decoders. In that respect Apples Quicktime Player is certainly up in the top 3, but personally

I prefer the 'nFLV Player' simply because it uses the (generic) Macromedia Flash-9 Engine so I don't need to download Flash-X

controls for it and I simply want it to play Videos with it, thats all.

As a player, Quicktime is excellent, and of course it does an awful lot more than simply play Videos (for Readers information).

As regards chosen formats, yes again you are quite correct, I personally use Images no larger than 800x600 pix for the reason

that the Codecs are not stressed beyond 4:1 compression ratio and that brings the Images down to 400x300 U-Tube Format

without disernable loss of quality. I see that you use 480 x320 pix - well that says it all, just about bang on the target Format.

The problem with very small Images is that one can't replace the missing pixels (no data) so the decoder end up multiplying blank

spaces on Replay to fill the U-Tube Format, looks awful.

Lets hope U-Tube get's up to 800x600 pix within the next year ~ they might have to drop the Bandwidth to 50.Mb to do that ~

but thats more than adequate for a 10 minute Hi-Quality Presentation put together properly.

Ian, as you know I didn't start this 'thread', but like you, I wish others would try out U-Tube and the advice given so far should be

more than adequate to help them on their way.

I nearly forgot, its nice to hear that Igor intends to implant a U-Tube utility in PTE5x ~ thanks for that info.

Best Regards,

Brian.Conflow.

[Peter Coles]

Thanks Ian.

I am pleased that Igor will be including a Youtube facility in 5.6 as this may well take out all the confusion for those wanting to put simple views of their Sequences on line. I have now 55 Sequences on Youtube.com under avpeter; most of them may also be viewed through my own site www.avpeter.com and there are also occasionally PTE files which can be dowloaded from this site.