Sorenson Squeeze 6 Review (page 2)

Encoding Projects

However, Squeeze goes much deeper into automating encoding beyond building a list of files and options. You can save and re-use projects for recurring customers. Within the projects, you can customize your own options, and then import and export presets and filters to share them with others. Even better, the preset definitions also can contain filters and publishing options, so you can apply all these options in one operation. In addition, Sorenson has set up a Preset Exchange site as a repository of professional video encoding presets, with some 190 variants currently posted.

For further control for automating encoding, a Squeeze project can be more than a list of files. A project can contain multiple jobs, each with multiple source files and their associated options. Presets and other options can be applied to individual sources, or as global options applied as the default to all the files in the job (such as deinterlace and crop to the aspect ratio).

To further automate your workflow as you edit and export new clips, you can set up Squeeze to monitor Watch Folders, and then automatically encode any files added to the folder, using the specified options. This is especially useful for networked editing with a dedicated encoding computer to compress and deliver the results.

Get Automated

Squeeze is built for our new world of digital media - delivering videos for viewing on a wide variety of platforms, from physical discs to streaming over the Web, and viewed on the desktop computer to set-top boxes to portable media players and game systems.

So get automated about your encoding - download the free trial of Squeeze 6, check out the pre-defined presets, and see how you can package up the many delivery formats for your projects, and even the approval process for your customers.

Tech Specs

Windows: Pentium IV-based computer or greater, Windows XP, Vista or 7, 512 MB RAM, 120 MB available hard drive space, QuickTime 7.2 or later, DirectX 9.0b or later
Mac: Intel-based processor, Mac OS 10.4 or later, 512 MB RAM, 120 MB available hard drive space, QuickTime 7.2 or later

Formats
Input Formats: AAC, AC3, AIF/AIFF, ASF, AVC-Intra, AVI, DV, MOV, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, WAV, WMA, WMV
Publish Formats: aacPlus, AAC, AC3, AIFF, AVI, Sony PSP, 3GPP, DVD, DV Stream, Image Sequence, FLV (Sorenson Spark, and On2 VP6), F4V, HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP3, MP4 (H.264), MOV, SWF, WAVE, WMV, plus other QuickTime export components

Encoders
Video Encoders:Main Concept H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2; On2 VP6 Pro; QuickTime; Real Media Sorenson H.264 Pro; Sorenson MPEG-4 Pro (Visual Simple and Visual Profile); Sorenson Spark Pro
Audio Encoders: aac Audio, aacPlus Audio, ACELP RealAudio, ADPCM, ATSC A/52, QuickTime compatible audio codecs, Fraunhofer MP3

Strengths

• Extensive format coverage: Desktop,editing, discs, devices, Web
• Advanced compression options, even select specific codec
• Import / export presets and filters, share online at Preset Exchange
• Upload and notify on completion, with integrated review and approval process
• Integrated with Sorenson 360 video delivery platform
• Integrated export from Avid, Apple Final Cut Pro, iMovie, QuickTime

Weaknesses

• Would be helpful to schedule / queue compression jobs
• Cannot capture/import direct from tapeless cameras (i.e., AVCHD)
• Limited built-on Help (15 page User Guide)
• Telecine frame rate conversion, but not NTSC / PAL

Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.

Sorenson Media, Inc.
4179 Riverboat Rd., Ste. 208
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
www.sorensonmedia.com
$800, $500 for Flash