Video Encoder Question

Mar 22, 2011

Hey all.  I couldn't find a forum just for the video encoder program, so I'm posting my question here.  I hope that's okay.

First, I have a .mov file that I need to either convert to a flv file or a mp4 file for my presenter movie.  I have been told that for long movies, mp4 is the best option, but I've also heard that every person watching the video has to have Flash Player 9 installed on their computer.  So, what do most users and staff on here recommend?  Mp4 or FLV?

For the Video Encoder, what are the best settings for high-quality flv?  I've been searching on Google, which I do before I post a question on here, and I can't find that many posts on settings that produce a great video.  Any recommendations for settings in Format Factory to get it to mp4 if that is recommended?

Any help would be so greatly appreciated.  Thank you all!

2 Replies
Robert Kennedy

Hi Tammy,

First, Video Encoder only exports to FLV.  As far as settings, that really depends on your end user bandwidth.  If bandwidth is not an issue, then go ahead and crank it out to the top end on every setting.

Are you publishing this video to be watched as a standalone or are you importing it into a presentation?  Mp4 files usually are smaller than FLV files.  They are also playable in more players than FLV files.  So for standalone, yes mp4 is probably an easier option.  FLV files require a Flash Player.

If you are publishing to a presentation, then you are talking about something different and it really may not matter.

Tammy Smith

Well, I'd like viewers to be able to do both.  We're going to be publishing it to the web but also sending out the DVD to clients so they can watch in on their computer if they want without an internet connection.  So I'm not really sure what direction to go in.  I just know that the .flv file is looking pretty fuzzy and I thought I had done everything I could to get it the best quality there is.

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