Video sizes and bitrates

[davidb2b]

You may have noticed that video files are a little larger these days. That's because I have increased the bitrate to 7,000-7,5000 kbps (up from 6,000) to make the video quality the best I can without blowing file sizes out of all proportion. I do create 4K versions of new files which go onto Clips4Sale. I don't include them on my server because (1) the server is already 80% full, and (2) some people would not be able to download them anyway.

If anyone who purchases a 1080p version of a recent video and would like the 4K version (which has a bitrate of 12,000 kbps - yes, I know, it should be at least 15,000, but again, size issues), let me know and I will send it to you via WeTransfer. We'll try this at least, but if requests are too numerous, I may have to revise the offer. Let's play it by ear.

[LittleFool]

just toyed around a bit with h.265 maybe thats something to look into for you?
In my testing I saved around 50% filesize with the same quality at 1080p

[davidb2b]

That's a good point. I have been using it for 4K videos only. While I can certainly start applying it to 1080p, my concern is there are people whose computer may not be able to handle the h.265 codec. I can experiment and have h.264 copies available to send in the event of a problem. Perhaps that will enable me to gauge how widespread this issue may be.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[watcherwatch]

I recommend using H265 as encoding for high resolution files. Remarkable file size reduction compared to older encoding A problem is that some versions of Windows Media Player can't process H265. But, VLC can !

Watcher

[davidb2b]

VLC can, but even on my newest computer with plenty of RAM, it is a bit stuttery with h.265 files. Quicktime player does a better job in this regard; Windows Media is, as you point out, problematic.

I am just generating a comparison for a 74-minute compilation. Set at a bit rate of 7,500 kbps, the h.264 codec creates a file 4.23 GB in size. The same bit rate and using h.265, 10-bit color for compression creates a file 4.1 GB in size. Clearly, the difference is not that great.

This is not the only example. I have experimented with a number of files and achieved a 10-20% reduction. h.265 has a more dramatic effect on 4K, bringing the file size down by around 50% over compression with h.264.

If anyone has advice on tweaking the setting to improve the 1080p/h.265 advantage, I'd love to receive it.

[chris2]

Not my area of expertise, but I think setting the same bitrate will end up with roughly the same file size. A 74 minute video at 7,500 kbps will be 74 * 60 * 7,500 / 8 = 4.2 GB.

The benefit of h.265 is that you should be able to set a lower bitrate - somewhere around 4,000 kbps might end up with the same quality as a 7,500 kbps file encoded in h.264.

[davidb2b]

Not my area of expertise, but I think setting the same bitrate will end up with roughly the same file size. A 74 minute video at 7,500 kbps will be 74 * 60 * 7,500 / 8 = 4.2 GB.

The benefit of h.265 is that you should be able to set a lower bitrate - somewhere around 4,000 kbps might end up with the same quality as a 7,500 kbps file encoded in h.264.

Thanks Chris. I was always led to believe that in order to benefit from 2.265, the bitrate should be set on the higher side. I'll give the 4,000 kbps a go.

[davidb2b]

Processing the 74-minute video with h.265 at 4,000 kbps resulted in a video size of 2.22 GB. I have created a short segment with these settings; let me know what you think of the quality. You'll need to download it rather than trying to play it online. Right-click and select a download option from your browser.

https://www.bound2burst.net/movies/free ... s_h265.mp4

[LittleFool]

exactly what chris2 said

about the test video: It looks smoother than the original to me. I didnt find this exact scene by scrooling through but a similar one and the h265 just looks smoother to me. I think you also did something to the colors tho

I tested some videos (not b2b) and pretty much always got around 50% reduction with the same quality. One video was totally crazy, it went from 900mb to about 90mb.

[davidb2b]

Here's a direct comparison. You can download the following clip in three formats.

1. Using Apple Devices for 1080p straight from Final Cut Pro using h.264. This uses a bit rate of 12,000 kbps. I've been using this recently to increase the quality.
35 seconds, 43.4 MB
https://www.bound2burst.net/movies/free ... 0_h264.mp4

2. Exporting from Final Cut Pro in Quicktime at ProRes quality then converting to mp4 using Compressor with a bit rate set at 7,500 kbps
35 seconds, 32.8 MB
https://www.bound2burst.net/movies/free ... T_h264.mp4

3. Using Apple Devices for 1080p straight from Final Cut Pro using h.265 and a bit rate of 4,000 kbps
35 seconds, 17.8 MB
https://www.bound2burst.net/movies/free ... 0_h265.mp4

I'll let you guys compare them and decide if the h.265 option is sufficient for your needs.