Compression for Great Video and Audio: Master Tips and Common Sense

Learn how to compress video and audio with optimal quality and minimal hassles. Renowned expert Ben Waggoner teaches you to improve the quality of your final content and develop effective workflows. Understand the basic concepts of vision and hearing, apply that knowledge in the context of compression, then move onto practical, applicable information for creating, editing, and compressing the best video and audio, whether you're delivering for the web, DVD, Blu-ray, phones, or beyond.

Clear examples of how to make the best choices in real-world projects
Covers Mac and Windows products for a complete look at today's compression technologies: all the different tools, codecs, and formats for different kinds of deliverables are described, focusing on how to pick the right options for particular projects, players, and sources

Formats

Windows Media

QuickTime

Flash FLV and F4V

MPEG-4 and H.264

MPEG-2

Ogg Vorbis and Theora

Silverlight and Smooth Streaming

Devices

iPod and iPhone

Zune HD

Playstation Portable

Playstation 3

Xbox 360

DVD and Blu-ray

Ben Waggoner has been compressing video for nearly 20 years. He cofounded the pioneering digital media services company Journeyman Digital, launched Terran Interactive's consulting services division, and was principal of Interframe Media. Ben joined Microsoft in 2005, and is now Principal Video Strategist for Microsoft's Silverlight platform.