PTE's Video Conversion Process Results

[goddi]

Greetings,

I have a couple questions concerning PTE's video conversion process and the resulting file size.

I have attached a gif of several video files that have been converted. My first question has to do with converting the 1419, 1420 and the 1421 video files. If I convert each of the mp4 (1080) files, they are converted to a larger file size. However, if I convert them from a 720p mp4 files, the converted file is smaller.

I am just curious from a technical point of view why this would happen. I was expecting the PTE conversion process to make all the resulting files to be either all smaller or all larger, but not a mixed bag.

Also, if you look at the MOV file as displayed in PTE, the file size shows '-1353333290' (notice the minus sign) when it is actually '2,872,690 kb', as shown in MyComputer. Is PTE not able to handle the larger file size number? Is this a bug?

Thanks, Gary

[goddi]

Gary,

If you right click on the .mov file in PTE and check file info does it list the correct file size? Not in front of a PC that can run PTE so it might now show.

Tom

=========================

Greetings Tom,

If I understand the first part of your posting, yes, the File Info does show the correct file size. See the attached gif.

But, I don't quite understand your last part, "Not in front of a PC that can run PTE so it might now show." The strange file size with the minus sign only shows up in PTE.

Thanks... Gary

[goddi]

Sorry. I meant to say "I'm not in front of a PC right now to check". I was able to reboot into Windows and check and PTE does show information about the file, including file size. So it must be showing a negative sign in something like this window?

Tom

==============================

Tom,

No, not in that File Info window. The File Info window shows the correct file size. The 'minus' file size only shows up in the PTE's File window and the Slide List.

Gary

[goddi]

Gary,

I can confirm video file sizes > 2 GB appear to have incorrect file size when View, File List as Thumbnails is not checked. I hope Igor will reply to your message.

Thanks,

Tom

===================

Super thanks, Tom. I appreciate you looking into this. Can you give any reasoning to my other question about the 'converting' of the video files? It is strange that it converts one type of file to be larger and another type of file to be smaller. There must be something technical about the process???

Gary

[fh1805]

Gary,

I'm not into video yet so cannot speak from personal experience. However, as I understand it, all video file formats are compressed to some degree. Therefore I suspect that if PTE converts a heavily compressed video file it might then increase in size; whilst conversion of a lightly compressed file might result in a reduction in file size. No doubt Igor will have chosen an output file format and compression level that makes the programming easier whilst preserving as much detail as he can.

Peter

[Igor]

Hello Gary,

The main purpose of the video conversion is to optimize playback of video clips in slideshows. Especially for shows in executable files. Optimized video clips require lower CPU usage and provide faster rewinding.

Optimized video clips can have larger or smaller file size than original video clip. It depends on a bitrate of source file. For example digital cameras use high values - about 40 mbit per second for 1080p video. Whereas video editors can suggest 15-25 mbit by default.

Digital cameras have to record video stream in realtime, they have limited battery and slow hardware to compress video. High bitrate compensates these restrictions. In a software encoder we have much powerful CPU and more time to analyze video stream to more optimally compress video picture.

Imagine that you're packing a suitcase for a travel. Quickly drop all items (goods) in a random order? Or put accurately all items according their sizes that take more time. Two ways - quick result but large bag (more bags) or more time and smaller bag.

By the way, competing slideshow product also performs automatic optimization of video clips. But as I discovered with worst visual quality than PicturesToExe does.

P.S. I'll fix the bug with displaying of file size larger than 2GB. Thanks!

[goddi]

Igor,

Thanks for taking a look at the 2Gb 'bug'.

Also, I tried to understand your explanation about the converting process. But I don't think I am following it too well. I see what you are saying but, in practice, the results aren't logical. For example:

When I looked at the size and bitrate for an MP4 (1080) video file, the conversion increased the file size from 333,645kb to 354,034kb. Their respective bitrates went from 4,573kb to 12,899kb. So the conversion process increased the bitrate, and therefore the file size increased. Ok, it makes sense.

However, then I looked at the file size and bitrate for the MP4 720p video file. The conversion decreased its file size from 223,753kb to 158,831kb. But their respective bit rates increased from 3,065kb to 5,875kb. So I would think that the increase in the bitrate from the conversion process would have increased the file size of the file, but the file size was actually reduced.

So it is apparent that I really don't get it and maybe I am comparing apples to oranges. But I will just accept the results from the conversion process. I am sure there is more technical info that I am not getting so let's just keep it simple and I will not pursue this any further. My goal is to make the video files as small as possible so sometimes I accept the conversion results, other times I don't, depending on the resulting file sizes. I haven't had any problems viewing any non-converted video files, so far.

Thanks again for the explanation.

Gary

P.S. I got my Total Bitrate figures from Properties/Details.

========================================

Hello Gary,

The main purpose of the video conversion is to optimize playback of video clips in slideshows. Especially for shows in executable files. Optimized video clips require lower CPU usage and provide faster rewinding.

Optimized video clips can have larger or smaller file size than original video clip. It depends on a bitrate of source file. For example digital cameras use high values - about 40 mbit per second for 1080p video. Whereas video editors can suggest 15-25 mbit by default.

Digital cameras have to record video stream in realtime, they have limited battery and slow hardware to compress video. High bitrate compensates these restrictions. In a software encoder we have much powerful CPU and more time to analyze video stream to more optimally compress video picture.

Imagine that you're packing a suitcase for a travel. Quickly drop all items (goods) in a random order? Or put accurately all items according their sizes that take more time. Two ways - quick result but large bag (more bags) or more time and smaller bag.

By the way, competing slideshow product also performs automatic optimization of video clips. But as I discovered with worst visual quality than PicturesToExe does.

P.S. I'll fix the bug with displaying of file size larger than 2GB. Thanks!