The Last Laugh
3rd Level Green Feather
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2001
- Messages
- 4,588
- Points
- 38
Hello everyone,
Ever since the first time I considered producing pay clip versions of my videos, one of the issues that's bothered me the most is what bitrate I should use (screen size too). It goes without saying that computer systems vary a lot from person to person, and just because a clip plays just fine on mine doesn't mean it will on all others. Naturally, I want my clips to play well for as many of my customers as possible. But at the same time, I'd like the bitrate to be fairly high so that my clips look good. It's a tough compromise to reach, quality vs playability. My knowledge of computers is too limited to have a good idea what most computers are capable of nowadays. I could really use some advice.
Recently I've been going with a video bitrate of 1200 Kbps for my pay clip, for a total of 1273 Kbps with audio. They play fine on my computer, and no one has told me that they don't work for them. I think they look pretty good. But they're only 480x360. Personally I've no problem with that screen size, but I know many producers offer 640x480. Is it an important issue for customers?
Now, my clips don't look bad when I make them 640x480 at a 1200 Kbps bitrate, but not quite as good as I'd like. Even 1500 Kbps is a bit disappointing to me. I get the feeling I'd have to boost the bitrate in a major way to get a similar level of quality with 640x480 as I do with 480x360, possibly too much for several of my customers (though I may be wrong). Frankly, I think that the simple fact that a clip is reduced to 480x360, as opposed to 640x480, automatically makes it look better, regardless of the actual bitrate. It's like video artifacts and other flaws simply aren't as obvious. The same applies to pictures. They simply look better when they're smaller (but that doesn't mean they're as satisfying).
I personally like the 480x360 clips just fine, but I can't help but wonder if making them 640x480 would affect my sales in a significant way. Would the change be worth it? And if so, what bitrate could I get away with? Like I said, even 1500 Kbps is a tad disappointing to me when making my clips 640x480. How much higher can I go?
It's a bit frustrating to know that in the near future, a 1500 Kbps bitrate will be a joke for pretty much all computers. I can imagine that high resolution clips will be easy to play for most people, and even 640x480 will seem somewhat small. But I have to work in the present.
Anyway, if anyone has any comments or advice, I'd be very grateful. Should I simply go on making my clips the same way (480x360 screen size and 1200 Kbps bitrate), or would pushing for a larger screen size and a significantly higher bitrate benefit my business enough to be worth it? Please keep in mind that most people should be able to play them. I'm also not too keen about offering two different versions of each clip, like some other producers do. It's a good concept, but it's too much time and trouble for my tastes.
Ever since the first time I considered producing pay clip versions of my videos, one of the issues that's bothered me the most is what bitrate I should use (screen size too). It goes without saying that computer systems vary a lot from person to person, and just because a clip plays just fine on mine doesn't mean it will on all others. Naturally, I want my clips to play well for as many of my customers as possible. But at the same time, I'd like the bitrate to be fairly high so that my clips look good. It's a tough compromise to reach, quality vs playability. My knowledge of computers is too limited to have a good idea what most computers are capable of nowadays. I could really use some advice.
Recently I've been going with a video bitrate of 1200 Kbps for my pay clip, for a total of 1273 Kbps with audio. They play fine on my computer, and no one has told me that they don't work for them. I think they look pretty good. But they're only 480x360. Personally I've no problem with that screen size, but I know many producers offer 640x480. Is it an important issue for customers?
Now, my clips don't look bad when I make them 640x480 at a 1200 Kbps bitrate, but not quite as good as I'd like. Even 1500 Kbps is a bit disappointing to me. I get the feeling I'd have to boost the bitrate in a major way to get a similar level of quality with 640x480 as I do with 480x360, possibly too much for several of my customers (though I may be wrong). Frankly, I think that the simple fact that a clip is reduced to 480x360, as opposed to 640x480, automatically makes it look better, regardless of the actual bitrate. It's like video artifacts and other flaws simply aren't as obvious. The same applies to pictures. They simply look better when they're smaller (but that doesn't mean they're as satisfying).
I personally like the 480x360 clips just fine, but I can't help but wonder if making them 640x480 would affect my sales in a significant way. Would the change be worth it? And if so, what bitrate could I get away with? Like I said, even 1500 Kbps is a tad disappointing to me when making my clips 640x480. How much higher can I go?
It's a bit frustrating to know that in the near future, a 1500 Kbps bitrate will be a joke for pretty much all computers. I can imagine that high resolution clips will be easy to play for most people, and even 640x480 will seem somewhat small. But I have to work in the present.
Anyway, if anyone has any comments or advice, I'd be very grateful. Should I simply go on making my clips the same way (480x360 screen size and 1200 Kbps bitrate), or would pushing for a larger screen size and a significantly higher bitrate benefit my business enough to be worth it? Please keep in mind that most people should be able to play them. I'm also not too keen about offering two different versions of each clip, like some other producers do. It's a good concept, but it's too much time and trouble for my tastes.
