Hi.

OK, I'm hoping that the balance of well-informed opinion on the bbs will suggest an answer to this question.

I have some video footage recorded on a mini-DV camcorder that I want to edit into short clips (perhaps 60s or so max) and put on a website. The editing bit is no problems, what I'm looking for is suggestions on the best format for encoding the video.

Now, by best I mean not only the smallest file, but one that will be playable on the widest variety of platforms. For instance, WMV9, which seems to be fairly good quality and compression ratio, is a pain in the arse to play on, oddly enough, windows 2000! It requires the latest version of mediaplayer to be installed, with all the idiot EULAs that go with it. Ironically, the files (assuming no DRM is used) play fine on linux with mplayer, which made me laugh.

I prefer plain old MPEG 1 for several reasons, but the file size isn't optimal unless the bit rate is pretty low, and then you lose all the detail. Divx of some form might be a good choice.

Anyway, suggestions?

pca

(The video in question is some test footage from my UAV project, shot from about 700 feet over a friends house over the weekend)