Video Format?
polycounter lvl 19
I'm wondering what the best codec/format choice is for videos in your portfolio. I want to make sure it's widely compatible to avoid any problems of the video not working at all for someone out there. Any suggestions? 
Replies
I'm sure some folks will have some other ideas. Divx seems popular. I just don't wan't the silly logo.
So that leaves you .mov (perferably few versions old so they wouldnt have to upgrade).
WMV is installed with XP, ergo it must be on every computer. (unless in the rare case of Mac or Linux users at the company, checking portfolios, unlikely.)
so, WMV is your safest bet.
I would not send .exe anything, also atleast for me some movie files reboot my computer for who knows why and if someone sent me cd with one of those i would throw it away.
So that leaves you .mov (perferably few versions old so they wouldnt have to upgrade).
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Well, I certainly hope you're never in charge of reviewing reels then. "I'm using a borked computer" is a lousy reason to throw away someone's reel.
nah, definitely avoid anything platform specific, like wmv. or even worse, an exe - probably rejected by any decent virus scanner anyway. and i'm with toomas - make sure to choose a codec version that's not bleeding edge. the safest bet is still mpg, runs anywhere, but of course doesn't compress well/looks shabby in many cases.
quicktime sorenson sounds reasonable, divx and xvid are common, too.
for someone applying in the film/vfx industries, there's a high chance that the reel will be reviewed on a linux or mac box.
why would you need a reason to throw away someone's reel? one more or less on the pile... what does it matter? an applicant who makes access to his work unneccessarily hard, did just fail in lesson number one, i'd say. ;]
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My point was that it's a problem unique to his setup. It's not the reviewee making his stuff difficult to view, it's the reviewer having a funky system
Oh, and I just noticed, no one has mentioned simply burning it as a DVD, if it's physical distribution. Is it a bad idea?
but seriously, why not get a DVD making soft for free, and mail a DVD out? much more fun.
My point was that it's a problem unique to his setup. It's not the reviewee making his stuff difficult to view, it's the reviewer having a funky system
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Its not a system but a codec thing, and the situation is like if it reboots with some i could fix it but then it wont show some other file and it only happens with open-source codecs.
Now .wmv is not very reliable, after i was forced to install the lates ms media thingy by The Movies .wmv went to hell (ironically it includes The Movies movies
So that leaves .mov that is rather popular and has been 100% reliable in my case anyways (by that i mean i have been able to watch any and all .mov's i wanted with latest QT, occasional player crashes happen but it only takes a second to start it again).
then there's those companies who specifically ask for dvd's, but in games this does not seem too common.
asthane: my point is all what matters is that the reviewer can see your work. sure, he could have f**ked up his system, his mediaplayer might not have web access rights to download the neccessary codec update or maybe the tech staff set it up incorrectly in the first place or whatever. either way they won't bother with trying to fix it, instead the reel will be thrown away.
Also i would find it more comfy to click links rather than opening mail and physically swapping disks. You open the mail, go to the senders portfolio site, if you like what you see you d/l the reel, if not then just close the page and repeat.
BTW im not sure if a reel is that much requiered anymore, judging by the job offers it seems like modelers/texturers can just get away with pictures mostly. IMHO its very hard to judge the reel that is like 640x480 and that shows a texture that would be 1024x1024 but now its just some blurry mess, same goes to models aswell. Whats the point? So you can have rotating model? Wee so so cool, i havnt seen rotating model before!!!
Here's my own sample pages where I've done just that:
http://jhaywood.com/FX.htm
The movies could even be bigger and they would still start right away. They just stream in the background while you're watching, depending on the connection speed of course. But I'm assuming that any company whith enough funds to hire Daz would have a fast connection.
Edit: Of course, you can also add a download option if someone still wants to save the movie to their HD. But at least they don't have to wait to start watching it.
BTW im not sure if a reel is that much required anymore, judging by the job offers it seems like modelers/texturers can just get away with pictures mostly. IMHO its very hard to judge the reel that is like 640x480 and that shows a texture that would be 1024x1024 but now its just some blurry mess, same goes to models aswell. Whats the point? So you can have rotating model? Wee so so cool, i havnt seen rotating model before!!!
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I think it somewhat depends on who you are applying to, and what kind of an impression you want to make. If you look at jobs pages on sites from pre-rendered cg shops for instance, the only method they offer up for you to submit work is by physical media. i.e a mailed in DVD. Personally I think that making a decent reel is worth it under the right circumstances. It can be a ton of work, so it is a pain though I agree. In terms of presentation the most polished looking reels always seem to be students, since they have the time to devote to it. My biggest pet peeve loking at reels was film modelers just showing huge chunks of a movie they worked on and calling that their reel. It's seemed to be the done thing. Obviously it seems acceptable for animators to do that, but modelers? It's arrogant and lazy and simply doesn't show your specific models in working detail.
Looks good James!
NTSC res perhaps on the reels? DVD hard copy would be impressive, most people can play dvds, and it negates the need of codecs. Dunno.
If so, go to the advanced card settings and go to Video Overlay settings. Switch from standard to advanced, then back again. that might sort it.