In the case of Encoding.com, the simplest solution is often Vid.ly Universal URL for enterprise-grade, hosted video delivery as-a-service. Users upload video via our  browser-based interface or API and receive a universal embed code and URL for universal playback. Any time the hosted video is viewed, Vid.ly runs device detection to stream an optimized video format tailored to the  viewer's unique playback environment. In addition, our easy-to-use  browser based UI, well documented XML API, Watch Folder tool, and high-speed Desktop Uploader integrate seamlessly into any video workflow. Interested in some use cases? Check out how AOL and Revision3 are using cloud-based video transcoding.

Cloud-based video transcoding converts video for playback across a broad spectrum of media players, operating systems, devices and browsers using the infinitely scaleable, parallel processing capabilities of cloud computing. Users only pay for the transcoding volume they use as-a-service avoiding unnecessary infrastructure investments, development resources and ongoing R&D. Robust cloud-based encoding solutions provide value added services including editing and customization features, packaging options (e.g. digital rights management), closed captioning and more.

Closed captions as a concept is unique to the States; Europeans refer to them as “subtitles for the hard of hearing” and deliver them as such. There are some technical differences. The practical difference in North America (or Region 1 for all you DVD watchers) is viewers use their TV remote to turn on closed captions and use the remote for their DVD player to switch on subtitles. Most digital TVs make it dead simple to turn on the closed caption decoders. You will need to use the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad to turn on closed captions. Your Android device probably depends on subtitles instead of closed captions, as well. 

Securing your iPhone streams is easy with Encoding.com's stream encrytion option. We encrypt your TS segements using AES-128 with no need for an additional processing step. The encryption passes on delivery, as opposed to requiring additional processing time. You'll need a few things to get started, so let's lay out all the details:

1)  Create 32 character hexadecimal string. (Noted as 128 bit key below.)

     Sample encryption key: 243F6A8885A308D313198A2E03707344. Don't confuse this with API keys, as the encryption key can only contain characters A - F & 0- 9.

     Sample of encryption key that will fail immediately: COq8MA6wT3aHxEIvGy4U3VNBa3BMch29

OR

     Create a file that contains the hex string. If you choose a file, this will overrride the hex key specified in the request.

3) Request an HLS encode with the following additions:

<format>
    <!-- Format fields -->
        <output>[iphone_stream|ipad_stream]</output>
        ...
        <encryption>[yes|no]</encryption>
        <encryption_key>[128bit-key]</encryption_key>
        <encryption_key_file>[SourceURL]</encryption_key_file> <----Use a key_file or a string value. Don't use both, as the file will override the key. 
        ...
    </format>

###

Full XML:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<query>
  <action>AddMedia</action>
  <userid>[userid]</userid>
  <userkey>[userkey]</userkey> 
  <source>[source]</source>
  <notify/>
   <format>
   <output>iphone_stream</output>
  <size>480x320</size>
   <bitrate>512k</bitrate>
<destination>[URL]</destination>
   <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
   <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
   <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
   <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
   <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
   <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
   <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
   <two_pass>no</two_pass>
   <turbo>no</turbo>
   <cbr>no</cbr>
   <deinterlacing>yes</deinterlacing>
   <keyframe>300</keyframe>
   <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
   <rotate>0</rotate>
   <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
   <hint>no</hint>
   <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
   <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
   <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
   <pack_files>no</pack_files>
   <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
   <add_audio_only>no</add_audio_only>
   <still_image>no</still_image>
   <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
   <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
   <encryption>yes</encryption>
   <encryption_key>[128bit-key]</encryption_key>
   <encryption_key_file>[URL]</encryption_key_file>
   </format>
</query>

For additional information on encryption of iPhone streams: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa1661/_index.html

The JW players is a versitile tool for allowing your encodes to play the optimal version of your video in the correct browser. The JW player team put out a great article summarizing how to embed HTML5 as default with a flash fallback.

http://www.longtailvideo.com/support/jw-player/jw-player-for-flash-v5/16000/embedding-with-default-html5-mode-selected

If you're a current Encoding.com customer, utilizing our API to create content, try adding this to the mix:

You're create a URL that can be accessed via any browser with the correct, optimized version served up whether its a mobile, ipad or browser. 

Have more questions about Vid.ly? Perhaps...what's it all mean? Look no further: http://m.vid.ly/user/

Have a ton of videos that just require lossless rotation? Did someone have too much fun with the iPhone and shoot everything portrait instead of landscape?

Try this on for size. Lossless rotation for use with .mov --> .mov files only.

<format>
  <output>mov</output>
  <destination>[Destination]</destination>
  <rotate>0</rotate>
  <set_rotate>90</set_rotate>
  <video_codec>copy</video_codec>
  <audio_codec>copy</audio_codec>
</format>

The encoder that we choose for this particular encode will automagically change the dimension on your requested encode to the nearest multiple of 16 for both width and height. This is to give you the best possible results for viewing these particular flash files. 

Yes! You can select the following choices in our watch folders to create files specifically targeted for playback via Roku. 

Click on any of the links below to expose the templates that we use for each preset:

roku_800
roku_1200
roku_1800
roku_2700
roku_hls

Roku 2700k Template

<format>
  <output>mp4</output>
  <destination>
  <size>1280x720</size>
  <bitrate>2700k</bitrate>
  <audio_bitrate>192k</audio_bitrate>
  <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
  <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
  <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
  <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
  <profile>high</profile>
  <VCodecParameters>yes</VCodecParameters>
           <video_codec_parameters>
           <coder>1</coder>
           <flags>+loop</flags>
           <flags2>+wpred+mixed_refs+dct8x8+fastpskip</flags2>
           <partitions>+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8</partitions>
           <me_method>umh</me_method>
           <subq>8</subq>
           <me_range>16</me_range>
           <bf>4</bf>
           <keyint_min>25</keyint_min>
           <sc_threshold>40</sc_threshold>
           <i_qfactor>0.71</i_qfactor>
           <b_strategy>2</b_strategy>
           <qcomp>0.6</qcomp>
           <qmin>10</qmin>
           <qmax>51</qmax>
           <qdiff>4</qdiff>
           <b_qfactor/>
           <directpred>3</directpred>
           <trellis>1</trellis>
           <level>30</level>
           <refs>4</refs>
           <wpredp>0</wpredp>
  </video_codec_parameters>
  <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
  <two_pass>no</two_pass>
  <turbo>yes</turbo>
  <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
  <cbr>no</cbr>
  <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
  <keyframe>200</keyframe>
  <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
  <rotate>0</rotate>
  <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
  <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Roku 1800k Template

<format>
  <output>mp4</output>
  <destination>
  <size>1280x720</size>
  <bitrate>1800k</bitrate>
  <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
  <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
  <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
  <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
  <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
  <profile>high</profile>
  <VCodecParameters>yes</VCodecParameters>
           <video_codec_parameters>
           <coder>1</coder>
           <flags>+loop</flags>
           <flags2>+wpred+mixed_refs+dct8x8+fastpskip</flags2>
           <partitions>+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8</partitions>
           <me_method>umh</me_method>
           <subq>8</subq>
           <me_range>16</me_range>
           <bf>4</bf>
           <keyint_min>25</keyint_min>
           <sc_threshold>40</sc_threshold>
           <i_qfactor>0.71</i_qfactor>
           <b_strategy>2</b_strategy>
           <qcomp>0.6</qcomp>
           <qmin>10</qmin>
           <qmax>51</qmax>
           <qdiff>4</qdiff>
           <b_qfactor/>
           <directpred>3</directpred>
           <trellis>1</trellis>
           <level>30</level>
           <refs>4</refs>
           <wpredp>0</wpredp>
  </video_codec_parameters>
  <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
  <two_pass>no</two_pass>
  <turbo>yes</turbo>
  <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
  <cbr>no</cbr>
  <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
  <keyframe>200</keyframe>
  <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
  <rotate>0</rotate>
  <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
  <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Roku 1200k Template

<format>
  <output>mp4</output>
  <destination>
  <size>640x480</size>
  <bitrate>1200k</bitrate>
  <audio_bitrate>192k</audio_bitrate>
  <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
  <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
  <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
  <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
  <profile>main</profile>
  <VCodecParameters>yes</VCodecParameters>
           <video_codec_parameters>
           <coder>1</coder>
           <flags>+loop</flags>
           <flags2>+wpred+mixed_refs+dct8x8+fastpskip</flags2>
           <partitions>+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8</partitions>
           <me_method>umh</me_method>
           <subq>8</subq>
           <me_range>16</me_range>
           <bf>4</bf>
           <keyint_min>25</keyint_min>
           <sc_threshold>40</sc_threshold>
           <i_qfactor>0.71</i_qfactor>
           <b_strategy>2</b_strategy>
           <qcomp>0.6</qcomp>
           <qmin>10</qmin>
           <qmax>51</qmax>
           <qdiff>4</qdiff>
           <b_qfactor/>
           <directpred>3</directpred>
           <trellis>1</trellis>
           <level>30</level>
           <refs>4</refs>
           <wpredp>0</wpredp>
  </video_codec_parameters>
  <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
  <two_pass>no</two_pass>
  <turbo>yes</turbo>
  <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
  <cbr>no</cbr>
  <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
  <keyframe>200</keyframe>
  <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
  <rotate>0</rotate>
  <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
  <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Standard Template for 800k

<format>
  <output>mp4</output>
  <destination>
  <size>640x480</size>
  <bitrate>800k</bitrate>
  <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
  <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
  <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
  <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
  <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
  <profile>main</profile>
  <VCodecParameters>yes</VCodecParameters>
           <video_codec_parameters>
           <coder>1</coder>
           <flags>+loop</flags>
           <flags2>+wpred+mixed_refs+dct8x8+fastpskip</flags2>
           <partitions>+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8</partitions>
           <me_method>umh</me_method>
           <subq>8</subq>
           <me_range>16</me_range>
           <bf>4</bf>
           <keyint_min>25</keyint_min>
           <sc_threshold>40</sc_threshold>
           <i_qfactor>0.71</i_qfactor>
           <b_strategy>2</b_strategy>
           <qcomp>0.6</qcomp>
           <qmin>10</qmin>
           <qmax>51</qmax>
           <qdiff>4</qdiff>
           <b_qfactor/>
           <directpred>3</directpred>
           <trellis>1</trellis>
           <level>30</level>
           <refs>4</refs>
           <wpredp>0</wpredp>
  </video_codec_parameters>
  <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
  <two_pass>no</two_pass>
  <turbo>yes</turbo>
  <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
  <cbr>no</cbr>
  <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
  <keyframe>200</keyframe>
  <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
  <rotate>0</rotate>
  <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
  <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it. Closed captions typically show a transcription of the audio portion of a program as it occurs, either verbatim or in edited form.  Occasionally closed captioning will including non-speech elements. A device or application is required to interpret and decode the embedded closed captions in order to display them on-screen and toggle on/off.

Digital rights management (DRM) is a term for access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to limit the use of digital content and devices. The term is used to describe any technology that inhibits the use of digital content that is not desired or intended by the content provider. The term does not generally refer to other forms of copy protection, which can be circumvented without modifying the file or device, such as serial numbers or keyfiles.

A buffer contains data that is stored for a short amount of time, typically in the computer's memory (RAM). The purpose of a buffer is to hold data right before it is used. For example, when you download an audio or video file from the Internet, it may load the first 20% of it into a buffer and then begin to play. While the clip plays back, the computer continually downloads the rest of the clip and stores it in the buffer. Because the clip is being played from the buffer, not directly from the Internet, there is less of a chance that the audio or video will stall or skip when there is network congestion.

A content management system (CMS) is a database used to manage workflow in a collaborative environment.

Open captions provide the same functionality as closed captions, except they are permanently enabled; open captions cannot be turned off by the user.

Please see the closed captions article here for more information.

A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a system of computers containing copies of data placed at various nodes of a network.

SDK is an acronym for Software Developers Kit. This refers to a set of development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.

The byte  is a unit of digital information in computing and telecommunications that most commonly consists of eight bits.

A bit (a contraction of binary digit) is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications. 

Bandwidth is the amount of information that can be sent via a connection. Generally, this is measured in bits per second.  This is also referred to as throughput. At Encoding.com, we charge via the amount of information transmitted to and from the Encoding.com platform. Think of it as GB in + GB out = charges applied, based on what monthly or pre-paid plan you subscribe to with us.

Standard Wowza Template

<format>
    <output>wowza</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>48000</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <framerate>24</framerate>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <turbo>no</turbo>
    <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mov</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
  </format>

Standard Wowza MBR Template

<format>
    <output>wowza_multibitrate</output>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>48000</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <framerate>24</framerate>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <turbo>no</turbo>
    <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mov</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
    <bitrates>270k,570k,1000k,1200k,1400k</bitrates>
    <sizes>320x180,420x270,720x406,1024x576,1080x608</sizes>
  </format>

Roku HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) Template

<format>
  <output>ipad_stream</output>
  <destination>
  <size>0x480</size>
  <bitrate>1024k</bitrate>
  <audio_bitrate>96k</audio_bitrate>
  <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
  <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
  <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
  <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
  <VCodecParameters>yes</VCodecParameters>
           <video_codec_parameters>
           <coder>1</coder>
           <flags>+loop</flags>
           <flags2>+wpred+mixed_refs+dct8x8+fastpskip</flags2>
           <partitions>+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8</partitions>
           <me_method>umh</me_method>
           <subq>8</subq>
           <me_range>16</me_range>
           <bf>4</bf>
           <keyint_min>25</keyint_min>
           <sc_threshold>40</sc_threshold>
           <i_qfactor>0.71</i_qfactor>
           <b_strategy>2</b_strategy>
           <qcomp>0.6</qcomp>
           <qmin>10</qmin>
           <qmax>51</qmax>
           <qdiff>4</qdiff>
           <b_qfactor/>
           <directpred>3</directpred>
           <trellis>1</trellis>
           <level>30</level>
           <refs>4</refs>
           <wpredp>0</wpredp>
  </video_codec_parameters>
  <profile>main</profile>
  <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
  <two_pass>no</two_pass>
  <turbo>yes</turbo>
  <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
  <cbr>no</cbr>
  <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
  <keyframe>300</keyframe>
  <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
  <rotate>def</rotate>
  <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
  <hint>no</hint>
  <bitrates>1200k,800k,600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
  <framerates>29.97,29.97,29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
  <keyframes>90,90,90,90,45,30</keyframes>
  <pack_files>no</pack_files>
  <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
  <add_audio_only>no</add_audio_only>
  <still_image></still_image>
  <still_image_time></still_image_time>
</format>

Standard Templates for Blackberry devices. 

Old phones

<format>
   <output>3gp</output>
   <size>176x144</size>
   <bitrate>384k</bitrate>
   <audio_bitrate>12.2k</audio_bitrate>
   <audio_sample_rate>8000</audio_sample_rate>
   <audio_channels_number>1</audio_channels_number>
   <framerate>15</framerate>
   <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
   <video_codec>h263</video_codec>
   <profile>baseline</profile>
   <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
   <audio_codec>libamr_nb</audio_codec>
   <two_pass>no</two_pass>
   <turbo>no</turbo>
   <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
   <cbr>no</cbr>
   <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
   <keyframe>90</keyframe>
   <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
   <file_extension>3gp</file_extension>
</format>

New Phones

<format>
   <output>mp4</output>
   <size>240x180</size>
   <bitrate>240k</bitrate>
   <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
   <audio_sample_rate>22050</audio_sample_rate>
   <audio_channels_number>1</audio_channels_number>
   <framerate>15</framerate>
   <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
   <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
   <profile>main</profile>
   <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
   <audio_codec>libmp3lame</audio_codec>
   <two_pass>yes</two_pass>
   <turbo>no</turbo>
   <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
   <cbr>no</cbr>
   <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
   <keyframe>90</keyframe>
   <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
   <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
   <hint>no</hint>
</format>

<format>
   <output>mp4</output>
   <size>240x180</size>
   <bitrate>300k</bitrate>
   <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
   <audio_sample_rate>22050</audio_sample_rate>
   <audio_channels_number>1</audio_channels_number>
   <framerate>25</framerate>
   <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
   <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
   <profile>baseline</profile>
   <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
   <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
   <two_pass>yes</two_pass>
   <turbo>no</turbo>
   <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
   <cbr>no</cbr>
   <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
   <keyframe>150</keyframe>
   <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
   <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
   <hint>no</hint>
</format>
</query>

Standard Zune Template

<format>
    <output>zune</output>
    <size>320x180</size>
    <bitrate>512k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>wmv2</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>wmav2</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <turbo>no</turbo>
    <twin_turbo>no</twin_turbo>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>wmv</file_extension>
  </format>

So you're hunting for the field in the web UI or our API as to designate hinting on 3GP files? Easy answer, our encoders prep all 3GP files for streaming, no need to do anything else to your settings files.

WebM is an audio-video format designed to provide a royalty-free, open video compression format for use with HTML5 video.  A WebM file consists of VP8 video and Vorbis audio streams, in a container format.  

<format>
    <output>webm</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libvpx</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libvorbis</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <preset>6</preset>
    <file_extension>webm</file_extension>
    <acbr>no</acbr>
</format>

Flash Video, or FLV, is a container file format used to deliver video via the Adobe Flash player.  Deployed by leading video sites such as YouTube, Yahoo! Video, and many others, Flash Video is an open format which supports H.264, VP6 and Sorenson Spark formats.

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create FLV files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into FLV files. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply a FLV preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' and apply an FLV preset to your encoding workflow from the dropdown menu.  As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit source content and create FLVs in a snap. Complete API documentation here

<format>  
<output>fl9</output>  
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>libx264</video_codec>  
<profile>high</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>300</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>mp4</file_extension>  
</format>  

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create iPhone Streaming (m3u8) files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below. Our new HLS encoding has better adaptive bitrate distribution within the H.264 segments!

<format>
    <output>iphone_stream</output>
    <destination>ftp://***** the output iphone index file (.m3u8) *****</destination>
    <size>400x300</size>
    <audio_bitrate>56k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <turbo>yes</turbo>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <rotate>0</rotate>
    <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
    <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
    <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
    <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
    <pack_files>no</pack_files>
    <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
    <add_audio_only>yes</add_audio_only>
    <still_image>first_segment</still_image>
    <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
    <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
  </format>

<format>  
<output>fl9</output>  
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>libx264</video_codec>  
<profile>high</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>300</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>mp4</file_extension>  
</format>  

<format>  
<output>mp4</output>  
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>  
<profile>main</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>300</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>mp4</file_extension>  
<hint>no</hint>  
</format>  

Our MPEG-2 encoder offers advanced encoding parameters for both GOP structure and cadence. Closed GOPs with scene detection are ideal for delivery to many STBs (Set-Top-Boxes), such as Tivo and Roku. The Strict GOPs option locks the size to your keyframe value, and is necessary for some hardware DRM solutions. We also now provide MPEG-2 keyframe presets for both DVD and Long-GOP output, as well as the option to turn B-frames on/off. This greatly increases compatibility with a wide range of MPEG-2 players and chipsets.

MPEG-2 API options

Here are all the accepted values for our API

<output>mpeg2</output>  
<keyframe>[12|15|25|30]</keyframe><!--GOP length for NTSC/PAL-->
<bframes>[2|0]</bframes><!--bidirectional frames-->
<gop>[cgop|sgop]</gop><!--closed or strict GOP-->   
</output>

MPEG-2 Advanced XML Samples

Sample for Tivo and NTSC DVD output

Closed 15-frame GOP using standard IPBBPBBP cadence.

<output>mpeg2</output>  
<keyframe>15</keyframe>   
<bframes>2</bframes>  
<gop>cgop</gop>   
</output>

Sample for PAL DVD output

Closed 12-frame GOP using standard IPBBPBBP cadence.

<output>mpeg2</output>  
<keyframe>12</keyframe>   
<bframes>2</bframes>  
<gop>cgop</gop>   
</output>

Sample for Cablelabs Broadcast NTSC output

Long 30-frame GOP using broadcast IPPPPPPP cadence.

<output>mpeg2</output>  
<keyframe>30</keyframe>   
<bframes>0</bframes>  
<gop>cgop</gop>   
</output>

Standard Flash 9 Template

<format>
    <output>fl9</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>high</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
  </format>

Standard Template for MPEG2

<format>
    <output>mpeg2</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>256k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg2video</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>mp2</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>15</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mpg</file_extension>
    <bframes>2</bframes>
    <gop>cgop</gop>
</format>

Standard template for 3GP

 <format>
    <output>3gp</output>
    <size>176x144</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>12.2k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>8000</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>1</audio_channels_number>
    <framerate>15</framerate>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>h263</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libamr_nb</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>3gp</file_extension>
</format>

Standard Flash 8 VP6 Flix Engine Template

<format>
    <output>vp6_flix</output>
    <file_extension>flv</file_extension>
    <video_codec>vp6_flix</video_codec>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>200k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <vp6_profile>1</vp6_profile>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <upct>90</upct>
    <kfinttype>1</kfinttype>
    <cxmode>1</cxmode>
</format>

Standard Flash 8 VP6 Template

<format>
    <output>vp6</output>
    <file_extension>flv</file_extension>
    <video_codec>vp6</video_codec>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>200k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
</format>

Standard PSP Template

<format>
    <output>psp</output>
    <size>368x192</size>
    <bitrate>1024k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>24000</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <framerate>30000/1001</framerate>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
 </format>

Standard Template for Apple TV

<format>
    <output>appletv</output>
    <size>710x480</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Standard iPad Template

<format>
    <output>ipad</output>
    <size>640x480</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>22050</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Standard template for iPhone video

<format>
    <output>iphone</output>
    <size>480x368</size>
    <bitrate>1024k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
 </format>

Standard iPod template

<format>
    <output>ipod</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>1024k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>128k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Raw MPEG4 Template

<format>
    <output>m4v</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>m4v</file_extension>
  </format>

Standard QuickTime MOV template

<format>
    <output>mov</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mov</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Standard template for MPEG4

<format>
    <output>mp4</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
  </format>

Standard template for WMV:

<format>
    <output>wmv</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>wmv2</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>wmav2</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>wmv</file_extension>
</format>

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .avi and .wmv containers. Read on to learn more about our H264 to WMV conversion platform and check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats.

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes. It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding.

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation.

Encoding.com: Online H264 to WMV Converter

Through our web uploader, it is easy to access and use our online H264 to WMV file converter. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select WMV. That’s it! Free plans are available – sign up now!

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within many video containers. Read on to learn more about our H264 encoder and check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats.

H264 Converter

Through our web uploader, our online H264 converter is easy to use. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the appropriate container and H264 codec of choice. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

A Simple Online H264 Encoding Solution

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes. It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding. H264 encoding is simple with Encoding.com. Try one of our free plans today!

We are your HD codec solution. Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine to easily create stunning HD content. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or local storage and effortlessly have them encoded for playback in the HD environment of your choice.

Find Codecs for HD Videos

Need to create HD content daily and find codecs for HD videos? Deliver to multiple locations? Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations and add multiple destinations with ease. Encoding to HD has never been easier.

Encoding.com has removed the guesswork for creating dynamic workflows for mobile content. We make it fast and easy to convert to mobile video format.

Find the Right Mobile Video Codec for Your Needs

Encoding.com has the mobile video codec you seek. Choose from iPhone, iPod, iPad, Blackberry, Droid, Nokia, PSP or Zune. Upload content via API or web UI, pick and choose from the presets in our web interface and that’s it! You’ve just created a simple workflow that’s ready to distribute to many mobile formats in just a few clicks.

Mobile Video Compression is Easy with Encoding.com

Try our cloud-based mobile video compression and encoding software today. Regardless of your needs, Encoding.com has the solution.

Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine and online MOV converter to easily convert your video files to .mov. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or your local storage and effortlessly have them converted and delivered back to S3, FTP or Rackspace.

MOV Encoder

Need to encode many files to .mov daily? Need to deliver to multiple locations? Our MOV encoder is the answer. Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations and add multiple destinations with ease. Encoding to .mov has never been easier.

Encoding.com: MOV Conversion Software

File conversions are fast and easy with our MOV conversion software. We offer several packages for our cloud-based encoding system. Contact us today to learn more.

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .mpeg4 and .3gp containers. Learn more about our easy-to-use MP4 to 3GP converter or check out our up to the minute list of other supported file formats.

MPEG-4 Part 14, with its official filename extension .mp4, is a multimedia container format most commonly used to store digital audio and video streams, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. It is based on AppleÕs QuickTime file format (.mov). Like most modern container formats, MP4 allows streaming over the Internet. A separate hint track is used to include streaming information in the file.

3GP is a multimedia container format that supports MPEG-2, H.263 and H.264 video codecs. 3GP was designed to decrease storage and bandwidth requirements in order to accommodate mobile phones. Most 3G capable mobile phones support the playback and recording of video in 3GP format (memory, maximum file size for playback and recording, and resolution limits exist and vary).

Encoding.com: The Online MP4 to 3GP Video Converter

With our web uploader, using our online mp4 to 3gp video converter could not be easier. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select 3gp. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

Try one of our free plans today!

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within many video containers. Learn more about our easy-to-use MPEG encoder or check out our up to the minute list of other supported file formats.

Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4. VP6 is a proprietary video codec developed by On2 Technologies and is supported by Adobe Flash, Flash Video and JavaFX media files. It was widely adopted prior to the emergence of the H.264 codec, and is used primarily for Internet video and Flash video files. VP6 supports multi-pass encoding, constant or variable data rates, and advanced error recovery; and can be used to encode high resolution video, including 1920×1080 HD video streams.

MPEG Video Compression

Through our web uploader, MPEG video compression and MPEG transcoding have never been easier. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the flavor of mpeg that you need. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

Encoding.com: Scalable Online MPEG Transcoding Software

We offer our users a simple and scalable online MPEG transcoding solution. MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Try one of our free plans today!

Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine to easily convert your video files to On2 VP6 based Flash. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or your local storage and effortlessly have them converted and delivered back to S3, FTP or Rackspace.

Find On2 VP6 Video Codecs

Need to encode many files daily? Deliver to multiple locations? Need On2 VP6 video codecs? Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations, use our “VP6” encoding output option.

Perform On2 VP6 Video Encoding

On2 VP6 video encoding has never been easier. Encoding.com has online encoding and conversion software that is entirely scalable and easy to use.

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create On2 VP6 FLV files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into On2 VP6 FLV files. It's easy to do by applying one of our On2 VP6 presets. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply a On2 VP6 preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' to request an On2 VP6 FLV file to be created from your source content. As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit source content and create On2 VP6 FLVs in a snap. Complete API documentation here

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for On2 VP6 FLV creation.

<format>  
<output>vp6</output>  
<file_extension>flv</file_extension>  
<video_codec>vp6</video_codec> 
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>200k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
</format> 

Windows Media Video is one of the many major video codecs, widely accepted across the board as a format for internet streaming applications. Our online Windows Media encoder is fast and easy to use. Encoding.com accepts many types of files from the .wmv family.

Streaming Video Encoder

Encoding.com offers a streaming video encoder that is completely scalable and easy to use. Use our web interface, powerful API or desktop application to create or encode the flavor of .wmv of your liking. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats.

Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine as your Apple TV video converter solution and easily convert your video files to Apple TV compliant files.

Convert Your Video Files to Apple TV Format

Easily convert video to Apple TV format with Encoding.com. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or your local storage and effortlessly have them encoded for playback on Apple TV and delivered back to S3, FTP or Rackspace.

Apple TV Encoding Made Easy

Need to encode many files to .mov daily? Deliver to multiple locations? Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations and add multiple destinations with ease. Encoding for Apple TV has never been easier.

Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine and online 3G2 converter to easily convert your video files to 3g2 files. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or your local storage and effortlessly have them encoded for mobility and delivered back to S3, FTP or Rackspace.

3G2 Codec

Need to encode many files to .3g2 daily? Deliver to multiple locations? We have the 3G2 codec that you seek. Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations and add multiple destinations with ease. Encoding for mobility has never been easier.

We now have an mpeg-2 muxing feature that takes two source files and outputs a DVD format mpeg-2 file (PAL or NTSC)

Here's a snippet of the XML you would use:

	<?xml version="1.0"?> 

	<query> 

	<action>AddMedia</action> 

	<userid/> 

	<userkey/> 

	<source>[Video source]</source> 

	<source>[Audio source]</source> 

	<format> 

	<output>muxer</output> 

	<target>ntsc-dvd</target>  <!---or pal-dvd---!>

	<maps>0:0,1:0</maps> 

	</format> 

	</query>   

Unfortunately, we do not currently support muxing to mpeg-4 output. We also do not support start/duration flags for multiple sources during a concatenation encode, and have no plans to do so.

x264 ffmpeg mapping and options guide

This guide maps most of x264's options to FFmpeg's options along with detailed descriptions by x264 developer Dark_Shikari.

FFmpeg developer superdump has implemented x264 presets to FFmpeg. You can find his guide here.

Frame-type options:

g <integer>
Keyframe interval, also known as GOP length. This determines the maximum distance between I-frames. Very high GOP lengths will result in slightly more efficient compression, but will make seeking in the video somewhat more difficult. Recommended default: 250

keyint_min <integer>
Minimum GOP length, the minimum distance between I-frames. Recommended default: 25

sc_threshold <integer>
Adjusts the sensitivity of x264's scenecut detection. Rarely needs to be adjusted. Recommended default: 40

bf <integer>
B-frames are a core element of H.264 and are more efficient in H.264 than any previous standard. Some specific targets, such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, have limitations on the number of consecutive B-frames. Most, however, do not; as a result, there is rarely any negative effect to setting this to the maximum (16) since x264 will, if B-adapt is used, automatically choose the best number of B-frames anyways. This parameter simply serves to limit the max number of B-frames.

Notes:

- Baseline Profile, such as that used by iPods, does not support B-frames. Recommended default: 16. 

- If you want to generate H.264 baseline for older iPhone 3 phones, then do not use Advanced Parameters like B-frames or else the output will be generated as Main profile.

0: Very fast, but not recommended. Does not work with pre-scenecut (scenecut must be off to force off b-adapt).

1: Fast, default mode in x264. A good balance between speed and quality.

b_strategy <integer>
x264, by default, adaptively decides through a low-resolution lookahead the best number of B-frames to use. It is possible to disable this adaptivity; this is not recommended. Recommended default: 1

bframebias 
Make x264 more likely to choose higher numbers of B-frames during the adaptive lookahead. Not generally recommended. Recommended default: 0

flags2 +bpyramid
Allows B-frames to be kept as references. The name is technically misleading, as x264 does not actually use pyramid coding; it simply adds B-references to the normal reference list. B-references get a quantizer halfway between that of a B-frame and P-frame. This setting is generally beneficial, but it increases the DPB (decoding picture buffer) size required for playback, so when encoding for hardware, disabling it may help compatibility.

coder
CABAC is the default entropy encoder used by x264. Though somewhat slower on both the decoding and encoding end, it offers 10-15% improved compression on live-action sources and considerably higher improvements on animated sources, especially at low bitrates. It is also required for the use of trellis quantization. Disabling CABAC may somewhat improve decoding performance, especially at high bitrates. CABAC is not allowed in Baseline Profile. Recommended default: -coder 1 (CABAC enabled)

refs <integer>
One of H.264's most useful features is the abillity to reference frames other than the one immediately prior to the current frame. This parameter lets one specify how many references can be used, through a maximum of 16. Increasing the number of refs increases the DPB (Decoded Picture Buffer) requirement, which means hardware playback devices will often have strict limits to the number of refs they can handle. In live-action sources, more reference have limited use beyond 4-8, but in cartoon sources up to the maximum value of 16 is often useful. More reference frames require more processing power because every frame is searched by the motion search (except when an early skip decision is made). The slowdown is especially apparent with slower motion estimation methods. Recommended default: -refs 6

flags
Disable loop filter. Recommended default: -flags +loop (Enabled)

deblockalpha <integer>
deblockbeta <integer>
One of H.264's main features is the in-loop deblocker, which avoids the problem of blocking artifacts disrupting motion estimation. This requires a small amount of decoding CPU, but considerably increases quality in nearly all cases. Its strength may be raised or lowered in order to avoid more artifacts or keep more detail, respectively. Deblock has two parameters: alpha (strength) and beta (threshold). Recommended defaults:-deblockalpha 0 -deblockbeta 0 (Must have '-flags +loop')

Ratecontrol:

cqp <integer>
Constant quantizer mode. Not exactly constant completely--B-frames and I-frames have different quantizers from P-frames. Generally should not be used, since CRF gives better quality at the same bitrate.

b <integer>
Enables target bitrate mode. Attempts to reach a specific bitrate. Should be used in 2-pass mode whenever possible; 1-pass bitrate mode is generally the worst ratecontrol mode x264 has.

crf <float>
Constant quality mode (also known as constant ratefactor). Bitrate corresponds approximately to that of constant quantizer, but gives better quality overall at little speed cost. The best one-pass option in x264.

maxrate <integer>
Specifies the maximum bitrate at any point in the video. Requires the VBV buffersize to be set. This option is generally used when encoding for a piece of hardware with bitrate limitations.

bufsize <integer>
Depends on the profile level of the video being encoded. Set only if you're encoding for a hardware device.

rc_init_occupancy <float>
Initial VBV buffer occupancy. Note: Don't mess with this.

qmin <integer>
Minimum quantizer. Doesn't need to be changed. Recommended default: -qmin 10

qmax <integer>
Maximum quantizer. Doesn't need to be changed. Recommended default: -qmax 51

qdiff <integer>
Set max QP step. Recommended default: -qdiff 4

bt <float>
Allowed variance of average bitrate

i_qfactor <float>
Qscale difference between I-frames and P-frames. Note: -i_qfactor is handled a little differently than --ipratio. Recommended: -i_qfactor 0.71

b_qfactor <float>
Qscale difference between P-frames and B-frames.

chromaoffset <integer>
QP difference between chroma and luma.

pass <1,2,3>
Used with --bitrate. Pass 1 writes the stats file, pass 2 reads it, and 3 both reads and writes it. If you want to use three pass, this means you will have to use --pass 1 for the first pass, --pass 3 for the second, and --pass 2 or 3 for the third.

rc_eq <string>
Ratecontrol equation. Recommended default: -rc_eq 'blurCplx^(1-qComp)'

qcomp <float>
QP curve compression: 0.0 => CBR, 1.0 => CQP. Recommended default: -qcomp 0.60

complexityblur <float>
Reduce fluctuations in QP (before curve compression) [20.0]

qblur <float>
Reduce fluctuations in QP (after curve compression) [0.5]

p8x8 (x264) /+partp8x8 (FFmpeg)

p4x4 (x264) /+partp4x4 (FFmpeg)

b8x8 (x264) /+partb8x8 (FFmpeg)

i8x8 (x264) /+parti8x8 (FFmpeg)

i4x4 (x264) /+parti4x4 (FFmpeg)

partitions <string> One of H.264's most useful features is the ability to choose among many combinations of inter and intra partitions. P-macroblocks can be subdivided into 16x8, 8x16, 8x8, 4x8, 8x4, and 4x4 partitions. B-macroblocks can be divided into 16x8, 8x16, and 8x8 partitions. I-macroblocks can be divided into 4x4 or 8x8 partitions. Analyzing more partition options improves quality at the cost of speed. The default is to analyze all partitions except p4x4 (p8x8, i8x8, i4x4, b8x8), since p4x4 is not particularly useful except at high bitrates and lower resolutions. Note that i8x8 requires 8x8dct, and is therefore a High Profile-only partition. p8x8 is the most costly, speed-wise, of the partitions, but also gives the most benefit. Generally, whenever possible, all partition types except p4x4 should be used.

directpred <integer>
B-frames in H.264 can choose between spatial and temporal prediction mode. Auto allows x264 to pick the best of these; the heuristic used is whichever mode allows more skip macroblocks. Auto should generally be used.

flags2 +wpred
This allows B-frames to use weighted prediction options other than the default. There is no real speed cost for this, so it should always be enabled.

dia (x264) / epzs (FFmpeg) is the simplest search, consisting of starting at the best predictor, checking the motion vectors at one pixel upwards, left, down, and to the right, picking the best, and repeating the process until it no longer finds any better motion vector.

hex (x264) / hex (FFmpeg) consists of a similar strategy, except it uses a range-2 search of 6 surrounding points, thus the name. It is considerably more efficient than DIA and hardly any slower, and therefore makes a good choice for general-use encoding.

umh (x264) / umh (FFmpeg) is considerably slower than HEX, but searches a complex multi-hexagon pattern in order to avoid missing harder-to-find motion vectors. Unlike HEX and DIA, the merange parameter directly controls UMH's search radius, allowing one to increase or decrease the size of the wide search.

esa (x264) / full (FFmpeg) is a highly optimized intelligent search of the entire motion search space within merange of the best predictor. It is mathematically equivalent to the bruteforce method of searching every single motion vector in that area, though faster. However, it is still considerably slower than UMH, with not too much benefit, so is not particularly useful for everyday encoding.

me_method <epzs,hex,umh,full> One of the most important settings for x264, both speed and quality-wise.

me_range <integer>
MErange controls the max range of the motion search. For HEX and DIA, this is clamped to between 4 and 16, with a default of 16. For UMH and ESA, it can be increased beyond the default 16 to allow for a wider-range motion search, which is useful on HD footage and for high-motion footage. Note that for UMH and ESA, increasing MErange will significantly slow down encoding.

1: Fastest, but extremely low quality. Should be avoided except on first pass encoding.

6-7: 6 is the default. Activates rate-distortion optimization for partition decision. This can considerably improve efficiency, though it has a notable speed cost. 6 activates it in I/P frames, and subme7 activates it in B frames.

8-9: Activates rate-distortion refinement, which uses RDO to refine both motion vectors and intra prediction modes. Slower than subme 6, but again, more efficient.

subq An extremely important encoding parameter which determines what algorithms are used for both subpixel motion searching and partition decision.

flags2 +mixed_refs
H.264 allows p8x8 blocks to select different references for each p8x8 block. This option allows this analysis to be done, and boosts quality with little speed impact. It should generally be used, though it obviously has no effect with only one reference frame.

flags2 +dct8x8
Gives a notable quality boost by allowing x264 to choose between 8x8 and 4x4 frequency transform size. Required for i8x8 partitions. Speed cost for this option is near-zero both for encoding and decoding; the only reason to disable it is when one needs support on a device not compatible with High Profile.

0: disabled

1: enabled only on the final encode of a MB

2: enabled on all mode decisions

trellis <0,1,2>The main decision made in quantization is which coefficients to round up and which to round down. Trellis chooses the optimal rounding choices for the maximum rate-distortion score, to maximize PSNR relative to bitrate. This generally increases quality relative to bitrate by about 5% for a somewhat small speed cost. It should generally be enabled. Note that trellis requires CABAC.

flags2 -fastpskip
By default, x264 will skip macroblocks in P-frames that don't appear to have changed enough between two frames to justify encoding the difference. This considerably speeds up encoding. However, for a slight quality boost, P-skip can be disabled. In this case, the full analysis will be done on all P-blocks, and the only skips in the output stream will be the blocks whose motion vectors happen to match that of the skip vector and motion vectors happen to match that of the skip vector and which have no residual. The speed cost of enabling no-fast-pskip is relatively high, especially with many reference frames. There is a similar B-skip internal to x264, which is why B-frames generally encode much faster than P-frames, but it cannot be disabled on the commandline.

MPEG-4 Part 14, with its official filename extension .mp4, is a multimedia container format most commonly used to store digital audio and video streams, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. It is based on Apple’s QuickTime file format (.mov).  Like most modern container formats, MP4 allows streaming over the Internet.  A separate hint track is used to include streaming information in the file.  When encoding.com encoded into .mp4 format by default we add the hint track so prepare your file for streaming.

The 3GP Codec

Encoding.com is a Flexible Online 3GP Converter

3GP is a multimedia container format that supports MPEG-2, H.263 and H.264 video codecs. Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within many video containers. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats and read below to learn more about our 3GP online converter.

3GP Video Compression is Easy with Encoding.com

3GP was designed to decrease storage and bandwidth requirements in order to accommodate mobile phones. Most 3G capable mobile phones support the playback and recording of video in 3GP format (memory, maximum file size for playback and recording, and resolution limits exist and vary). Free plans are available now!

Encoding.com: Online 3GP Converter

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create 3GP files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, create a watchfolder and turn an entire folder of source content into 3GP files.  Next, apply our our 3GP preset from the drop down menu to create your encoding workflow. Watchfolders can exist on Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP sites.

+ Use our web-based encoding software, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into 3GP files. It's easy to do by applying our 3GP preset. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply the 3GP preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI.  Select 'Add Task' to apply the 3GP preset to your encoding workflow.  As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful encoding API to submit source content and create 3GPs in a snap. Complete API documentation here.

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for 3GP creation:

<format>  
<output>3gp</output>  
<size>176x144</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>12.2k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_sample_rate>8000</audio_sample_rate>  
<audio_channels_number>1</audio_channels_number>  
<framerate>15</framerate>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>h263</video_codec>  
<profile>baseline</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>libamr_nb</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>300</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>3gp</file_extension>  
</format>  

Apple TV is a device from Apple that enables consumers to distribute media including HD movies, music and photos from their computers to their HDTVs.  It can connect wirelessly to home networks and with a single HDMI cable to the HDTV. Apple TV supports the H.264 codec at various high-resolution and standard bitrates using the .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.  It also supports a number of audio file formats including AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. The WMV codec can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV.  The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1.  While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation.

+ Use our transcoding software web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into WMV files. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply a WMV preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. Need just Windows Media Audio, we have a preset for that as well!

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' and apply an WMV preset to your encoding workflow from the dropdown menu.  As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit source content and create WMVs in a snap. Complete API documentation here

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for WMV creation.

<format>
    <output>wmv</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>wmv2</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>wmav2</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>wmv</file_extension>
</format>

MPEG-4 is a developing standard used to compress audio and visual data, and is divided into several parts. The standard includes the concept of “profiles” and “levels,” allowing a specific set of capabilities to be defined in a manner appropriate for a subset of applications.  The MPEG-4 standard is generally used for streaming media and CD distribution, video conversation, and broadcast television and includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray.  MPEG-4 also supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks.  Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

The existence of two different file extensions for naming audio-only MP4 files has been a source of confusion among users and multimedia playback software. Since MPEG-4 Part 14 is a container format, MPEG-4 files may contain any number of audio, video, and even subtitle streams, making it impossible to determine the type of streams in an MPEG-4 file based on its filename extension alone. In response, Apple started using and popularizing the .m4a file extension. Software capable of audio/video playback should recognize files with either .m4a or .mp4 file extensions, as would be expected, as there are no file format differences between the two. Most software capable of creating MPEG-4 audio will allow the user to choose the filename extension of the created MPEG-4 files.

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create mpeg4 files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into mpeg4 files. It's easy to do by applying our mpeg4 preset. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply the mpeg4 preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' and apply the mpeg4 preset to your source content. As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit source content and create mpeg4 files in a snap. Complete API documentation here

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for mpeg4 creation.

<format>
    <output>mp4</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
</format>

Advanced System Format (ASF – formerly Advanced Streaming Format) is Microsoft’s proprietary digital audio / digital video container format especially meant for streaming media.  ASF is part of the Windows Media framework. The ASF format does not specify which codec should be used to encode the audio or video – it just specifies the structure of the audio / video stream.  This is similar to the QuickTime and AVI container formats.  The most common file types contained within the ASF file are Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV).  ASF files can also contain metadata including artist, title, album and genre for an audio track, or director of a video track, similar to ID3 tags of MP3 files.

M4V Codec

M4V video files containers are produced by Apple for iTunes TV episodes, music videos, and feature length movies. The M4V file format is a standard file format for videos for iPods and PlayStation Portables developed by Apple. The  M4V files format is based on the MPEG-4 AVC video codec, which is a global media standard with the aim to provide optimized video podcasts for the video iPod. .M4V files are related to .MP4 files, however M4V files are opened with the iTunes player by default while MP4 files are opened with Quicktime player by default. The copyright of M4V files may be protected by using Apple's FairPlay DRM copyright protection. To play a protected M4V file, the computer needs to be authorized (using iTunes) with the account that was used to purchase the video. However, in some cases unprotected M4V files may be recognized and played by other video players by changing the file extension from ‘.m4v’ to ‘.mp4’.

The 3GP2 file type is primarily associated with '3GPP2'. 3GPP and 3GPP2 are the new worldwide standards for the creation, delivery and playback of multimedia over 3rd generation, high-speed wireless networks. Defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project and 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 respectively, these standards seek to provide uniform delivery of rich multimedia over newly evolved, broadband mobile networks (3rd generation networks) to the latest multimedia-enabled wireless devices. 3GPP and 3GPP2 are based on the MPEG-4 standard that was derived from Apple's QuickTime.

MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data.  The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray.  MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks.  Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

Encoding.com: Online MPEG Converter

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create MPEG2 files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into mpeg2 files. It's easy to do by applying our mpeg2 preset. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply the mpeg2 preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' to request an mpeg2 file to be created from your source content. As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit source content and create MPEG2s in a snap. Complete API documentation here.

+ Want to go even deeper into mpeg2 creation? Check our our advanced mpeg2 controls here. Interested on muxing details for DVD delivery in either PAL or NTSC? Go here for details on how to mux either via API or web UI. 

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for MPEG2 creation:

<format>  
<output>mpeg2</output>  
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>256k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>mpeg2video</video_codec>  
<profile>baseline</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>mp2</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>15</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>mpg</file_extension>  
<bframes>2</bframes>  
<gop>cgop</gop>  
</format>  

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes.  It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding.

AVI Codec

Scalable, Cloud-Based AVI Conversion/Encoding Software

Audio Video Interleave, known as the AVI codec, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992.  AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback.   An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others.

Encoding.com: The Flexible AVI Converter

The Encoding.com' platform makes it easy to create one or many encodes from your AVI source files, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below.

+ Use our web UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of AVI content into encoded files. It's easy to do by applying any of our presets. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply a preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI. 

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' to after you upload an AVI source file.  Next, apply one of our ready to use presets. As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful API to submit AVI source content and create your encodes in a snap. Complete API documentation here

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML templates here. 

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV.  The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1.  While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation.

Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992.  AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback.   An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others. 

Easily Convert H264 to AVI at Encoding.com

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes.  It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding.

Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992.  AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback.   An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others. 

Easily Convert VP6 to AVI Format with Encoding.com

VP6 is a proprietary video codec developed by On2 Technologies and is supported by Adobe Flash, Flash Video and JavaFX media files.  It was widely adopted prior to the emergence of the H.264 codec, and is used primarily for Internet video and Flash video files.  VP6 supports multi-pass encoding, constant or variable data rates, and advanced error recovery; and can be used to encode high resolution video, including 1920x1080 HD video streams.

Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992.  AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback.   An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others.

WMV Transcoding from Encoding.com

With our web uploader, using our WMV compression software is fast and easy. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select WMV. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

WMV transcoding is one of many online conversions available through Encoding.com. Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation.

Try one of our free plans today!

Find On2 VP6 Video Codecs

Use Encoding.com’s powerful encoding engine to easily convert your video files to On2 VP6 based Flash. Upload videos to our platform from S3, FTP, Rackspace or your local storage and effortlessly have them converted and delivered back to S3, FTP or Rackspace.

Need to encode many files daily? Deliver to multiple locations? Need On2 VP6 video codecs? Designate a watch folder on any of our supported locations, use our “VP6” encoding output option.

Perform On2 VP6 Video Encoding

On2 VP6 video encoding has never been easier. Encoding.com has online encoding and conversion software that is entirely scalable and easy to use.

Online MPG Converter

Encoding.com accepts many types of files from the .mpg family. Use our web interface, powerful API or desktop application, access our MPG encoder to create or encode the flavor of .mpg of your liking. MPEG is a large set of standards for encoding video and audio, for use in transport or locally. Encoding.com’s online MPG converter is fast and easy to use. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats for more information.

MPEG Video Compression

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within many video containers. Learn more about our easy-to-use MPEG encoder or check out our up to the minute list of other supported file formats . Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4. VP6 is a proprietary video codec developed by On2 Technologies and is supported by Adobe Flash, Flash Video and JavaFX media files. It was widely adopted prior to the emergence of the H.264 codec, and is used primarily for Internet video and Flash video files. VP6 supports multi-pass encoding, constant or variable data rates, and advanced error recovery; and can be used to encode high resolution video, including 1920x1080 HD video streams.

Through our web uploader, MPEG video compression and MPEG transcoding have never been easier. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the flavor of mpeg that you need. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

Encoding.com: Scalable Online MPEG Transcoding Software

We offer our users a simple and scalable online MPEG transcoding solution. MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Try one of our free plans today!

A Simple Online H264 Encoding Solution

Yes you can! Through our web uploader, our online H264 converter is easy to use. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the appropriate container and H264 codec of choice. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes. It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding. H264 encoding is simple with Encoding.com. Try one of our free plans today!

This guide maps most of x264's options to FFmpeg's options along with detailed descriptions by x264 developer Dark_Shikari. FFmpeg developer superdump has implemented x264 presets to FFmpeg. You can find his guide here.

Frame-type options:

g <integer> 
Keyframe interval, also known as GOP length. This determines the maximum distance between I-frames. Very high GOP lengths will result in slightly more efficient compression, but will make seeking in the video somewhat more difficult. Recommended default: 250

keyint_min <integer>
Minimum GOP length, the minimum distance between I-frames. Recommended default: 25

sc_threshold <integer>
Adjusts the sensitivity of x264's scenecut detection. Rarely needs to be adjusted. Recommended default: 40

bf <integer> 
B-frames are a core element of H.264 and are more efficient in H.264 than any previous standard. Some specific targets, such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, have limitations on the number of consecutive B-frames. Most, however, do not; as a result, there is rarely any negative effect to setting this to the maximum (16) since x264 will, if B-adapt is used, automatically choose the best number of B-frames anyways. This parameter simply serves to limit the max number of B-frames.

Notes"

- Baseline Profile, such as that used by iPods, does not support B-frames. Recommended default: 16

- If you want to generate H.264 baseline for older iPhone 3 phones, then do not use Advanced Parameters like B-frames or else the output will be generated as Main profile.

0: Very fast, but not recommended. Does not work with pre-scenecut (scenecut must be off to force off b-adapt).

1: Fast, default mode in x264. A good balance between speed and quality.

2: A much slower but more accurate B-frame decision mode that correctly detects fades and generally gives considerably better quality. Its speed gets considerably slower at high bframes values, so its recommended to keep bframes relatively low (perhaps around 3) when using this option. It also may slow down the first pass of x264 when in threaded mode.

b_strategy <integer>
x264, by default, adaptively decides through a low-resolution lookahead the best number of B-frames to use. It is possible to disable this adaptivity; this is not recommended. Recommended default: 1

bframebias  
Make x264 more likely to choose higher numbers of B-frames during the adaptive lookahead. Not generally recommended. Recommended default: 0

flags2 +bpyramid
Allows B-frames to be kept as references. The name is technically misleading, as x264 does not actually use pyramid coding; it simply adds B-references to the normal reference list. B-references get a quantizer halfway between that of a B-frame and P-frame. This setting is generally beneficial, but it increases the DPB (decoding picture buffer) size required for playback, so when encoding for hardware, disabling it may help compatibility.

coder
CABAC is the default entropy encoder used by x264. Though somewhat slower on both the decoding and encoding end, it offers 10-15% improved compression on live-action sources and considerably higher improvements on animated sources, especially at low bitrates. It is also required for the use of trellis quantization. Disabling CABAC may somewhat improve decoding performance, especially at high bitrates. CABAC is not allowed in Baseline Profile. Recommended default: -coder 1 (CABAC enabled)

refs <integer>
One of H.264's most useful features is the ability to reference frames other than the one immediately prior to the current frame. This parameter lets one specify how many references can be used, through a maximum of 16. Increasing the number of refs increases the DPB (Decoded Picture Buffer) requirement, which means hardware playback devices will often have strict limits to the number of refs they can handle. In live-action sources, more reference have limited use beyond 4-8, but in cartoon sources up to the maximum value of 16 is often useful. More reference frames require more processing power because every frame is searched by the motion search (except when an early skip decision is made). The slowdown is especially apparent with slower motion estimation methods. Recommended default: -refs 6

flags 
Disable loop filter. Recommended default: -flags +loop (Enabled)

deblockalpha <integer>
deblockbeta <integer>
One of H.264's main features is the in-loop deblocker, which avoids the problem of blocking artifacts disrupting motion estimation. This requires a small amount of decoding CPU, but considerably increases quality in nearly all cases. Its strength may be raised or lowered in order to avoid more artifacts or keep more detail, respectively. Deblock has two parameters: alpha (strength) and beta (threshold). Recommended defaults:-deblockalpha 0 -deblockbeta 0 (Must have '-flags +loop')

Ratecontrol:

cqp <integer>
Constant quantizer mode. Not exactly constant completely--B-frames and I-frames have different quantizers from P-frames. Generally should not be used, since CRF gives better quality at the same bitrate. b <integer> 
Enables target bitrate mode. Attempts to reach a specific bitrate. Should be used in 2-pass mode whenever possible; 1-pass bitrate mode is generally the worst ratecontrol mode x264 has.

crf <float> 
Constant quality mode (also known as constant ratefactor). Bitrate corresponds approximately to that of constant quantizer, but gives better quality overall at little speed cost. The best one-pass option in x264.

maxrate <integer> 
Specifies the maximum bitrate at any point in the video. Requires the VBV buffersize to be set. This option is generally used when encoding for a piece of hardware with bitrate limitations.

bufsize <integer>
Depends on the profile level of the video being encoded. Set only if you're encoding for a hardware device.

rc_init_occupancy <float>
Initial VBV buffer occupancy. Note: Don't mess with this.

qmin <integer> 
Minimum quantizer. Doesn't need to be changed. Recommended default: -qmin 10

qmax <integer> 
Maximum quantizer. Doesn't need to be changed. Recommended default: -qmax 51

qdiff <integer>
Set max QP step. Recommended default: -qdiff 4

bt <float> 
Allowed variance of average bitrate

i_qfactor <float> 
Qscale difference between I-frames and P-frames. Note: -i_qfactor is handled a little differently than --ipratio. Recommended: -i_qfactor 0.71

b_qfactor <float> 
Qscale difference between P-frames and B-frames.

chromaoffset <integer> 
QP difference between chroma and luma.

pass <1,2,3> 
Used with --bitrate. Pass 1 writes the stats file, pass 2 reads it, and 3 both reads and writes it. If you want to use three pass, this means you will have to use --pass 1 for the first pass, --pass 3 for the second, and --pass 2 or 3 for the third.

rc_eq <string> 
Ratecontrol equation. Recommended default: -rc_eq 'blurCplx^(1-qComp)' 

qcomp <float> 
QP curve compression: 0.0 => CBR, 1.0 => CQP. Recommended default: -qcomp 0.60

complexityblur <float>
Reduce fluctuations in QP (before curve compression) [20.0]

qblur <float>
Reduce fluctuations in QP (after curve compression) [0.5]

partitions <string>
One of H.264's most useful features is the ability to choose among many combinations of inter and intra partitions. P-macroblocks can be subdivided into 16x8, 8x16, 8x8, 4x8, 8x4, and 4x4 partitions. B-macroblocks can be divided into 16x8, 8x16, and 8x8 partitions. I-macroblocks can be divided into 4x4 or 8x8 partitions. Analyzing more partition options improves quality at the cost of speed. The default is to analyze all partitions except p4x4 (p8x8, i8x8, i4x4, b8x8), since p4x4 is not particularly useful except at high bitrates and lower resolutions. Note that i8x8 requires 8x8dct, and is therefore a High Profile-only partition. p8x8 is the most costly, speed-wise, of the partitions, but also gives the most benefit. Generally, whenever possible, all partition types except p4x4 should be used.

p8x8 (x264) /+partp8x8 (FFmpeg)

p4x4 (x264) /+partp4x4 (FFmpeg)

b8x8 (x264) /+partb8x8 (FFmpeg)

i8x8 (x264) /+parti8x8 (FFmpeg)

i4x4 (x264) /+parti4x4 (FFmpeg)

directpred <integer> 
B-frames in H.264 can choose between spatial and temporal prediction mode. Auto allows x264 to pick the best of these; the heuristic used is whichever mode allows more skip macroblocks. Auto should generally be used.

Motion Prediction:

flags2 +wpred
This allows B-frames to use weighted prediction options other than the default. There is no real speed cost for this, so it should always be enabled.

dia (x264) / epzs (FFmpeg) is the simplest search, consisting of starting at the best predictor, checking the motion vectors at one pixel upwards, left, down, and to the right, picking the best, and repeating the process until it no longer finds any better motion vector.

hex (x264) / hex (FFmpeg) consists of a similar strategy, except it uses a range-2 search of 6 surrounding points, thus the name. It is considerably more efficient than DIA and hardly any slower, and therefore makes a good choice for general-use encoding.

umh (x264) / umh (FFmpeg) is considerably slower than HEX, but searches a complex multi-hexagon pattern in order to avoid missing harder-to-find motion vectors. Unlike HEX and DIA, the merange parameter directly controls UMH's search radius, allowing one to increase or decrease the size of the wide search.

esa (x264) / full (FFmpeg) is a highly optimized intelligent search of the entire motion search space within merange of the best predictor. It is mathematically equivalent to the bruteforce method of searching every single motion vector in that area, though faster. However, it is still considerably slower than UMH, with not too much benefit, so is not particularly useful for everyday encoding.

me_method <epzs,hex,umh,full> 
One of the most important settings for x264, both speed and quality-wise.

me_range <integer> 
MErange controls the max range of the motion search. For HEX and DIA, this is clamped to between 4 and 16, with a default of 16. For UMH and ESA, it can be increased beyond the default 16 to allow for a wider-range motion search, which is useful on HD footage and for high-motion footage. Note that for UMH and ESA, increasing MErange will significantly slow down encoding.

1: Fastest, but extremely low quality. Should be avoided except on first pass encoding.

6-7: 6 is the default. Activates rate-distortion optimization for partition decision. This can considerably improve efficiency, though it has a notable speed cost. 6 activates it in I/P frames, and subme7 activates it in B frames.

8-9: Activates rate-distortion refinement, which uses RDO to refine both motion vectors and intra prediction modes. Slower than subme 6, but again, more efficient.

subq 
An extremely important encoding parameter which determines what algorithms are used for both subpixel motion searching and partition decision.

flags2 +mixed_refs 
H.264 allows p8x8 blocks to select different references for each p8x8 block. This option allows this analysis to be done, and boosts quality with little speed impact. It should generally be used, though it obviously has no effect with only one reference frame.

flags2 +dct8x8
Gives a notable quality boost by allowing x264 to choose between 8x8 and 4x4 frequency transform size. Required for i8x8 partitions. Speed cost for this option is near-zero both for encoding and decoding; the only reason to disable it is when one needs support on a device not compatible with High Profile.

0: disabled

1: enabled only on the final encode of a MB

2: enabled on all mode decisions

trellis <0,1,2>
The main decision made in quantization is which coefficients to round up and which to round down. Trellis chooses the optimal rounding choices for the maximum rate-distortion score, to maximize PSNR relative to bitrate. This generally increases quality relative to bitrate by about 5% for a somewhat small speed cost. It should generally be enabled. Note that trellis requires CABAC.

flags2 -fastpskip 
By default, x264 will skip macroblocks in P-frames that don't appear to have changed enough between two frames to justify encoding the difference. This considerably speeds up encoding. However, for a slight quality boost, P-skip can be disabled. In this case, the full analysis will be done on all P-blocks, and the only skips in the output stream will be the blocks whose motion vectors happen to match that of the skip vector and motion vectors happen to match that of the skip vector and which have no residual. The speed cost of enabling no-fast-pskip is relatively high, especially with many reference frames. There is a similar B-skip internal to x264, which is why B-frames generally encode much faster than P-frames, but it cannot be disabled on the commandline.

Easily Convert H264 to MPEG at Encoding.com

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the H264 and .mpeg containers. Check out our up to the minute support list for what’s available: http://www.encoding.com/formatsupport/#h264 Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select ‘Encoding Options’ and select ‘Add Task.’ Use the pulldown menu to select the mpeg flavor of your choice. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes. It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding. Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992. AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback. An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others.

<format>
    <output>mp4</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mp4</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
  </format>

<format>    
<output>mpeg2</output>
    <size>320x240</size>
    <bitrate>256k</bitrate>
    <audio_bitrate>256k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>mpeg2video</video_codec>
    <profile>baseline</profile>
    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>
    <audio_codec>mp2</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>15</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>mpg</file_extension>
    <bframes>2</bframes>
    <gop>cgop</gop>
 </format>

Encoding.com: Online H264 to WMV Converter

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .avi and .wmv containers. Read on to learn more about our H264 to WMV conversion platform and check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats.

H.264, short for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, is a standard for video compression and is poised to become the next standard for format of convergence in the digital video industry now supported by Google / YouTube, Adobe, and Apple iTunes. It contains a number of features that enable it to compress video much more effectively than previous standards, and provides more flexibility for applications across a wide variety of network environments from low bit-rate Internet streaming to HDTV broadcast and Digital Cinema applications with nearly lossless coding.

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation.

Encoding.com: Online H264 to WMV Converter

Through our web uploader, it is easy to access and use our online H264 to WMV file converter. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select WMV. That’s it! Free plans are available – sign up now!

Encoding.com: The Online MP4 to 3GP Video Converter

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .mpeg4 and .3gp containers. Learn more about our easy-to-use MP4 to 3GP converter or check out our up to the minute list of other supported file formats.

MPEG-4 Part 14, with its official filename extension .mp4, is a multimedia container format most commonly used to store digital audio and video streams, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. It is based on AppleÕs QuickTime file format (.mov). Like most modern container formats, MP4 allows streaming over the Internet. A separate hint track is used to include streaming information in the file.

3GP is a multimedia container format that supports MPEG-2, H.263 and H.264 video codecs. 3GP was designed to decrease storage and bandwidth requirements in order to accommodate mobile phones. Most 3G capable mobile phones support the playback and recording of video in 3GP format (memory, maximum file size for playback and recording, and resolution limits exist and vary).

With our web uploader, using our online mp4 to 3gp video converter could not be easier. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select 3gp. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

Try one of our free plans today!

Easily Convert FLV to MOV with Encoding.com

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .flv and .mov containers. Check out our up to the minute support list for what’s available: http://www.encoding.com/formatsupport/#mov Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select ‘Encoding Options’ and select ‘Add Task.’ Use the pulldown menu to select .mov. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. Flash Video, or FLV, is a container file format used to deliver video via the Adobe Flash player. Deployed by leading video sites such as YouTube, Yahoo! Video, and many others, Flash Video is an open format which supports H.264, VP6 and Sorenson Spark formats. The QuickTime (.mov) file format functions as a multimedia container file that supports the most popular video and audio codecs, and stores audio, video, effects, and text data (for subtitles). The QuickTime file is a unique container format with its ability to support an encoded media stream or a data reference to a media stream located in another file.

<format>
<output>mov</output>  
<size>320x240</size>  
<bitrate>256k</bitrate>  
<audio_bitrate>64k</audio_bitrate>  
<audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>  
<keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>  
<video_codec>mpeg4</video_codec>  
<profile>main</profile>  
<VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>  
<audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>  
<two_pass>no</two_pass>  
<cbr>no</cbr>  
<deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>  
<keyframe>300</keyframe>  
<audio_volume>100</audio_volume>  
<file_extension>mov</file_extension>  
<hint>no</hint>  
</format>  

Encoding.com: The Scalable WMV to MPEG File Format Converter

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation. Converting from WMV to MPEG is simple and fast with Encoding.com.

MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .wmv and .mpeg2, 4, H264 containers. Check out our supported file formats for more information on converting files from WMV to MPEG. Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the flavor of mpeg that you would like . That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. Start performing easy WMV to MPEG file conversions today. Sign up for a free plan at Encoding.com now!

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .flv and .mpeg containers. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats and read below to learn more about our FLV to MPEG converter.

Flash Video, or FLV, is a container file format used to deliver video via the Adobe Flash player. Deployed by leading video sites such as YouTube, Yahoo! Video, and many others, Flash Video is an open format which supports H.264, VP6 and Sorenson Spark formats. Converting files from FLV to MPEG is easy and scalable at Encoding.com.

MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

Encoding.com: Powerful Online FLV to MPEG Video Converter

Through our web uploader, it is easy to use our online FLV to MPEG video converter. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the mpeg flavor of your choice. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. Sign up for one of our free plans today!

VP6 to MPEG

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .flv and .mpg containers. Learn more about our easy-to-use VP6 to MPEG video converter or check out our up to the minute list of other supported file formats.

VP6 is a proprietary video codec developed by On2 Technologies and is supported by Adobe Flash, Flash Video and JavaFX media files. It was widely adopted prior to the emergence of the H.264 codec, and is used primarily for Internet video and Flash video files. VP6 supports multi-pass encoding, constant or variable data rates, and advanced error recovery; and can be used to encode high resolution video, including 1920×1080 HD video streams.

VP6 to MPEG Converter: Encoding.com

Using our web uploader, accessing our VP6 to MPEG converter is easy and fast. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the flavor of mpeg that you need. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos.

Free plans are available. Try one today!

MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

Covert Your AVI Files to MPEG 4 Files Online

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .avi and .mpeg4 containers. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats and read below to learn more about our AVI to MPEG4 converter.

Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992. AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback. An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others. MPEG-4 is a developing standard used to compress audio and visual data, and is divided into several parts. The standard includes the concept of ÒprofilesÓ and Òlevels,Ó allowing a specific set of capabilities to be defined in a manner appropriate for a subset of applications.

The MPEG-4 standard is generally used for streaming media and CD distribution, video conversation, and broadcast television and includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 also supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4

Through our web uploader, you can easily convert AVI files to MPEG4 files. You can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select Encoding Options and select Add Task. Use the pulldown menu to select mpeg4. That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. Learn more about our free plans today!

AVI to WMV

Easily Convert AVI to WMV With Encoding.com

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .avi and .wmv containers. Check out our up to the minute support list for what's available. Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select 'Encoding Options' and select 'Add Task.' Use the pulldown menu to select WMV. That's it! You're ready to use Encoding.com's platform to compress your files.

Encoding.com Makes AVI to WMV Conversions A Snap

Audio Video Interleave, known as AVI, is a multimedia container format created by Microsoft in 1992. AVI files contain both audio and video data and support synchronous audio-with-video playback. An AVI container can support virtually any compression scheme including Full Frame (uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo), Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Real Video, MPEG-4 and others. Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation. The Encoding.com software makes it easy to perform AVI to WMV and WMV to AVI conversions. Register for a free encoder account, and start performing your AVI to WMV conversions now!

Encoding.com: The Scalable WMV to MPEG File Format Converter

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation. Converting from WMV to MPEG is simple and fast with Encoding.com.

MPEG video generally refers to a set of standards and methods for compressing audio and video data. The most important and widely used standards include MPEG-2, an older format currently used by over-the-air digital television providers (digital cable, satellite) and MPEG-4, which includes additional features for digital rights management and support of higher-efficiency standards used by streaming media, HD DVD and Blu-Ray. MPEG-4 supports interactivity and has the ability to crunch massive video files into pieces small enough to send over mobile networks. Within MPEG-4 standards are two very popular formats utilized for broadband video delivery: H.264 and MP4.

Encoding.com supports a host of file formats within the .wmv and .mpeg2, 4, H264 containers. Check out our supported file formats for more information on converting files from WMV to MPEG. Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Select “Encoding Options” and select “Add Task.” Use the pulldown menu to select the flavor of mpeg that you would like . That’s it! You’re ready to use Encoding.com’s platform to compress your videos. Start performing easy WMV to MPEG file conversions today. Sign up for a free plan at Encoding.com now!

Convert Your MP4 Files to WMV Files Online with Encoding.com

Encoding.com makes it easy to convert your MP4 files to WMV files online. To begin the conversion, select ‘Encoding Options’ and select ‘Add Task.’ Use the pulldown menu to select WMV. That’s all you need to do to convert your MP4 files to WMV!

MPEG-4 Part 14, with its official filename extension .mp4, is a multimedia container format most commonly used to store digital audio and video streams, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. It is based on Apple’s QuickTime file format (.mov). Like most modern container formats, MP4 allows streaming over the Internet utilizing a separate hint track to include streaming information in the file.

Windows Media Video, or WMV, is Microsoft’s family of video codecs including WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9. It can handle anything from low resolution video for dial-up Internet users to HDTV. The latest generation of WMV, based on the WMV 9 codec, has been standardized and approved as a new and more open codec known as VC-1. While all versions of WMV support variable bit rate, average bit rate, and constant bit rate, WMV 9 introduced several important features including native support for interlaced video, non-square pixels, and frame interpolation

In addition to .mp4, Encoding.com supports many other file formats as source material. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats now. Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files.

Ready to begin your .mp4 to .wmv file conversion? Sign up for free now!

Encoding.com: Online Video to 3GP Converter

3GP is a multimedia container format that supports MPEG-2, H.263 and H.264 (MPEG-4) video codecs. 3GP was designed to decrease storage and bandwidth requirements in order to accommodate mobile phones. Most 3G capable mobile phones support the playback and recording of video in 3GP format (memory, maximum file size for playback and recording, and resolution limits exist and vary).

Encoding.com: Online Video to 3GP Converter

Encoding.com makes it easy to convert your files to 3GP format. To begin a video to 3GP conversion, Select "Encoding Options" and select "Add Task." Use the pulldown menu to select 3GP. That's it! You're now ready to use Encoding.com's platform to compress your videos  and convert to 3GP.

Encoding.com also supports many file formats as source material. Check out our up to the minute list of supported file formats now. Through our web uploader, you can push individual files directly to our encoding platform from your local disk, FTP, S3 or Rackspace location. Alternately, you can select a watch folder on your FTP, S3 or Rackspace location to be polled at the time interval of your choice to encode files. Ready to begin performing 3GP video conversions? Sign up for a free account now and begin performing your video to 3GP conversions.

Since users often will be uploading a wide variety of videos, I generally like to break them down into two types:

Static/Low Action - stable tripod shots, very little background movement, actors standing still 
Active/High Action - panning/jerky camera, lots of action, sports-like movement

A good starting point is to choose a variable bitrate setting equal to the width of the video. So, for example: 640x480 SD at 640 kilobits per sec (kbps), or 1280x720 HD at 1280 kbps. Higher action video may require a slightly higher bitrate to prevent blocking artifacts.

Noise Reduction

Applying some noise reduction is useful to save bits for high detail regions, but be careful not to overdo it. I've seen video samples where whole areas of ocean and grassy fields disappear to achieve a lower bitrate. This of course, falls under artistic preference, but generally I'd rather see a smaller framesize and more detail. At low bitrates, it is increasing important to improve the quality of noisy video sources, such as film containing lots of grain or video shot in low light. The 3D noise reduction in ffmpeg allows control over both luma and chroma values for fine-tuning your output image quality.

	<noise_reduction>4:3:6</noise_reduction> 

luma_spatial – Spatial Luma Strength. Allowed values: [0,255]
chroma_spatial – Spatial Chroma Strength. Allowed values: [0,255]
luma_temp – Temporal Luma Strength. Allowed values: [0,255]

General recommended starting value is 4:3:6. [luma_spatial:chroma_spatial:luma_temp] Noise reduction is also available via our web interface as the High Quality 3D Denoiser option.

Single Pass vs. Two Pass

For most purposes 2-pass encoding achieves very good results. It's a tradeoff of diminishing returns, 2-pass gaining perhaps 10% quality bit-for-bit but doubling the encoding time. Do not lower qcomp, CBR is horrible on quality. I'd experiment with values floating between 0.60 and 0.80 if you want more VBR. if qcomp = 1.00 then quantizer is constant for second pass. Real variable bitrate with constant quality. if qcomp = 0.00 then bitrate is constant for second pass. Real constant bitrate with variable quality.

<two_pass>yes</two_pass>

I'd recommend having two sample videos, tell your users to choose Low or High Action content setting, experiment a bit with your B-frames then define two "baseline" settings for each bitrate. For web video it's best to narrow your targets to four different bitrates at most, especially if you are going to be processing thousands of users uploading. Most folks have a slow (up to 240kbits), good (~700kbits), or fast (2mbits and higher) connection. I'd say H.264 over 2mbits is generally overkill for website content. For general purposes, I'd recommend 2-pass and we push a 10 second keyframe interval (300 frames) which may not be appropriate for "high-action" source video.

For more detail on H.264 controls for scenecut thresholds, B-frames, and more, please refer to:

Advanced H.264 Guide http://sites.google.com/site/linuxencoding/x264-ffmpeg-mapping

H.264 parameters for our API http://www.encoding.com/help/article/advanced_configuration_options_for_the_libx264_video_codec

An excellent collection of HD videos at 2mbits/sec can be found at http://californiaisaplace.com/cali/ 

16x16 Macroblocks

H.264/AVC does a much more efficient job when the horizontal and vertical framesize dimensions are multiples of 16. Good examples include:

SD (4:3) aspect ratios: 320x240, 432x320, 480x360, 544x400, 640x480, 768x576
HD (16:9) aspect ratios: 432x240, 576x320, 640x360, 720x400, 848x480, 1024x576, 1280x720, 1920x1080

In 4:2:0 H.264/AVC coding, each block contains 4 luminance samples (Y), 1 blue sample (Cb), and 1 red sample (Cr). Modern video decoding chips (GPUs) are optimized for playback of 16x16 macroblocking.

Keyframes and GOPs

Low action scenes generally handle more bidirectional (B-frames) better since they don't have to track interframe motion as aggressively. Higher action content will require more keyframes (I-frames) to keep the picture from breaking apart. Longer GOPs with more B-frames also require more buffering by the playback GPU to recursively track the motion for each macroblock. Fortunately, x264 offers very good scene detection, which is why for most applications, we set keyframes to 300.

H.264/AVC sample for modern mobiles (30 fps with a 10 second GOP)

	<framerate>30</framerate>
	<keyframe>300</keyframe>

For older computers, and early generations of iPod and Blackberry phones, the chips might not have enough processing power and memory to successfully buffer longer GOPs. Keep your bitrates low, try lower framerates, and shorter GOPs.

H.264/AVC sample for older mobiles (15 fps with a 4 second GOP)

	<framerate>15</framerate>
	<keyframe>60</keyframe>

More information about GOPs available on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_pictures

Turbo Mode

NOTE: For bigger or longer HD encoding jobs, turbo mode is absolutely recommended since you will see speed gains in the neighborhood of 3x faster vs. normal mode. Please be aware turbo is running on more powerful encoders, so it costs an extra $1 per gigabyte.

<turbo>yes</turbo>