Blame Society Productions - Help Compressing Files

Blame Society Productions: Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan

How to compress your files for the Internet

Technology changes fast. This information is current as of November 22, 2006.

Compress your file for regular download or hosting on your own website:
When providing files for download (directly from our site or through our podcast) we use the mpeg-4 and H.264 Quicktime formats because they work for a large number of users on both Mac and Windows computers. For regular download we use the 320x240 size, but if you want a larger window and don't mind a larger file size, then just increase this ratio.

The mpeg-4 format works on both older and newer systems (users with Quicktime version 6 can play it). In the Compressor program, use the "Mpeg-4 300 Kbps" preset in the "Web Download (Quicktime 6 compatible)" section, or input these compression settings by hand:

Video
Video Enabled (checked)
ISMA Profile: Basic
Frame Rate: 15.00 fps
Key Frame Interval: 75
Bit Rate: Constant at 224 Kbps

Audio
Audio Enabled (checked)
Channels: Stereo
Sample Rate: 32.000 kHz
Quality: Medium
Bit Rate: 64 Kbps

Streaming
Streaming hints enabled (checked)
Packet Maximum Size: 1,450 bytes
Packet Maximum Duration: 100 milliseconds

Summary
Name: MPEG-4 300Kbps
Description: MPEG-4 for medium-bandwidth connections
File Extension: mp4

Audio Encoder
Format: MPEG4
Sample Rate: 32.000kHz
Channels: 2
Bits Per Sample: 16
AAC encoder quality: medium

Video Encoder
Format: MPEG4
Width: 320
Height: 240
Pixel aspect ratio: default
Crop: None
Frame rate: 15
Frame Controls: Off
ISMA Profile: 0
Constant bit rate: 224 (Kbps)
Hinted for streaming server with
packet size: 1450 bytes
and packet duration: 100 milliseconds

The H.264 format is more streamlined and works on newer systems (users with Quicktime version 7 can play it). In the Compressor program, use the "H.264 300Kbps" preset in the "Web Download (Quicktime 7 compatible)" section, or input these compression settings by hand:

Video
File Format: QuickTime Movie
Extension: mov
Allow Job Segmenting (checked)
Video Settings Enabled
Frame Rate: 15 fps
Key Frames: Every 75 frames
Frame Reordering
Compressor Quality Medium
Encoding: Best quality
Data Rate: Restrict to 220 kbits/sec
Optimized for: Download

Audio
Audio Settings Enabled
Format: AAC
Channels: Stereo (L R)
Rate: Recommended kHz
Show Advanced Settings
Render Settings
Quality: Normal
AAC Encoder Settings:
Bit Rate Format: Constant Bit Rate
Target Bit Rate: 80 kbps
Precedence: Bit Rate

Streaming
Streaming: Fast Start

Summary
Name: H.264 300Kbps
Description: H.264 for medium-bandwidth connections
File Extension: mov

Audio Encoder
AAC, Stereo (L R), 32.000 kHz

Video Encoder
Format: QT
Width: 320
Height: 240
Pixel aspect ratio: default
Crop: None
Frame rate: 15
Frame Controls: Off
Codec Type: H.264
Multi-pass: On, frame

reorder: On
Pixel depth: 24
Spatial quality: 50
Min. Spatial quality: 50
Key frame interval: 75
Temporal quality: 50
Min. temporal quality: 50
Average data rate: 225.28 (Kbps)
Fast Start: on

Compress as Flash Video (.flv format) for embedding on your own site:
Flash video is our preferred format for presenting videos on our site because it currently is accessible for the greatest number of browsers. In the Sorenson Squeeze program, use these settings, or input them into an alternate compression program:

Modify the "Med_Prog" preset within the Macromedia/Adobe Flash Video (.flv) settings

Audio
Codec: Fraunhofer MP3
Data Rate: 64 Kbps
Sample Size: 16
Sample Rate: 44100
Channels: Mono

Video
Sorenson Spark Pro
Method: Sorenson 2-Pass VBR
Data Rate: 436 Kbps
Frame Size: 320x240
Maintain Aspect Ratio (checked)
Frame Rate: 15 Frames/Sec
Key Frame Every: 300 frames
Auto Key Frame on Scene Change: 50
Image Smoothing and Playback Scalability (unchecked)

To play the .flv Flash video file on your site, you'll need a Flash video player on your site and you'll embed the movie file in it.

Compress your file for uploading to sites like YouTube and MySpace:
When we're going to upload a file to be recompressed by a site like YouTube, we use a higher quality compression setting, which results in a larger file than we would normally use to host a video on our own site. In the Compressor program, use the "Mpeg-4 800 Kbps" preset in the "Web Download (Quicktime 6 compatible)" section, or input these compression settings by hand:

Video
Video Enabled (checked)
ISMA Profile: Basic
Frame Rate: 15.00 fps
Key Frame Interval: 90
Bit Rate: Constant at 656 Kbps

Audio
Audio Enabled (checked)
Channels: Stereo
Sample Rate: 32.000 kHz
Quality: Medium
Bit Rate: 96 Kbps

Streaming
Streaming hints enabled (checked)
Packet Maximum Size: 1,450 bytes
Packet Maximum Duration: 100 milliseconds

Summary
Name: MPEG-4 800Kbps
Description: MPEG-4 for high-bandwidth connections
File Extension: mp4

Audio Encoder
Format: MPEG4
Sample Rate: 32.000kHz
Channels: 2
Bits Per Sample: 16
AAC encoder quality: medium

Video Encoder
Format: MPEG4
Width: 320
Height: 240
Pixel aspect ratio: default
Crop: None
Frame rate: 15
Frame Controls: Automatic
ISMA Profile: 0
Constant bit rate: 656 (Kbps)
Hinted for streaming server with
packet size: 1450 bytes
and packet duration: 100 milliseconds

Check out our BlameSocietyFilms YouTube page ... and for hardcore fans visit BlameSociety2
Matt's blog at

| Aaron's blog at

Courtney Collins - music & voicework | Andrew Yonda & The Buffali - original music for films | Matt's personal site
Bigbite Productions - cinematography, documentary, web & graphic design by Tona Williams
Urban Photo Company - John Urban's photography & video production | Saul Mandel - digital video special effects
The Monkey Business Institute - live improv comedy & workshops featuring Blame Society regulars
More online shows at Channel 101 | Madison Wis-Kino film network | Kino Int'l filmmaking movement