What has Microsoft done to MPEG?

[compi]

I have done some testing on why MPEG-1 files no longer "stream" using XP and post the results because they are likely to be of interest to many on here.

I have tested Kevin Shaw's videos (a mix of wmv and mpg) on his website

http://www.videomem.com/wedding_gallery.htm

In Feb 04 he said that "if you need something which will play on most computers with minimal hassle and it needs to be a small file, I'd recommend using MPEG1. The quality may not be quite as good as some more current options, but it will play on anything ...".

Using Win98, indeed all his videos start playing before completion of downloading. However, on current XP, only the wmv files do. MPEG-1 files need to be downloaded before viewing, which will put most people off viewing altogether. Just clicking a link gives you random outcomes (proper viewing, page of funny letters, downloading that takes forever or even never ends) making it wholly unreliable IMHO. It no longer "streams" (not real streaming, of course).

The implication for us, i am afraid, is that mpeg-1 seems to have lost its status as the clear favourite amoungst encoding techniques for web. Now, it is probably best to use an old encoder version of WMP (e.g. 7). Things have turned for the worse IMHO.

[Chewy]

files are way too big for slower connections

25-30 + Megs

30/(8x60) = 62KB/s

620Kb/s faster dsl if the server's not busy!

[drfsupercenter]

They stream fine for me! I use Media Player 9 and have XP Professional SP2. Since Microsoft took MP9 for XP off the web I am hosting it myself now for all to download! If you want to install version 9, download this:

http://www.drfsupercenter.3lo.net/Programs/Windows%20Media%20Player%209%20Setup.exe

Hope that solves your problems!

[compi]

MPEGs

Thanks DRF

What prompted me to go into this detail was a client wo said that only one of their 9 PCs was able to "stream" the MPEG-1 i had produced for them. Then i realized that they didn't stream on our two XP computers either (only on the Win98 machine). You can always make compressed videos work somehow by installing something. The charm of MPEG-1 was in the past that it worked fool-proof. Today's experience with my client (and with our two XPs) was enough for me to drop my one-time favourite compression technique (*sob*).

compi

[drfsupercenter]

So I take it that it worked?

[compi]

MPEGs

DRF, to be honest i didn't even try as it makes no difference if it did. What matters is what other people's computers can cope with, not mine. It's a bit like the problem with QuickTime. Ad agencies, video producers and MAC users love it (for good reason, i agree), but corporate clients cannot cope with it as hardly anyone has it installed, rendering it useless at best for professional use.

[drfsupercenter]

what do you mean? On WMP9 it streams perfectly. For me it was laggish but that is just my connection (I am on a wireless router)

[atifsh]

what he means he does'nt want to update or download anything, before [as he says] it works on any system,regaredless of media players and codecs.. [say new installed xp with wmp 8], but now u have to download ver 9 for that to work....