57MB MPEG file - how can I reduce the size?

[rh71]

Have a video that I'd like to provide to users on our intranet. Nobody is likely to download a 57MB file...

I don't know which multimedia format would be best for compression purposes. So if you guys can let me know of ways to compress the file even more, I'd appreciate it. Is it QuickTime MOV, MPG, AVI, etc.? The software to do it with helps too.
Thanks!

[DanU]

I've been playing with DiVX compression. It's a lot smaller than the rest, but it takes a 600MHz processor or faster to display it smoothly. Also, not many people have the codec installed. I wouldn't use it unless compression is all you care about.

For widespread distrubition, mpeg or quicktime is probably your best bet. File sizes are reasonable and practically anyone can view them.

[zskillz]

i've watched plenty of divx movies on my 366@550 celeron, and they aren't as perfect as mpegs, but they certainly aren't bad

-Z

[rh71]

Well DIVX may not be an option. Most users here are running on WIN95 machines which indicate they're definitely not even 300MHz PIIs. The codec thing is another problem.

[rh71]

I'm currently looking into putting it into WMV (Windows Media) format. But I'd like to know how to convert an MPEG into DIVX format...

[smokin1]

This is a great site with info and tools for converting all sorts of formats.
http://www.vcdhelp.com/
Enjoy
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[wchang99]

Well, I can attest that my comp (P2-266) seems to be right at the borderline of handling divx. At the lowest quality setting, without a lot of other windows open, it runs fine -- doesn't drop any frames whatsoever. The lowest quality setting isn't perfect, but it might be clear enough, depending on the purpose you have in mind... So, might not need to rule it out entirely.

As to the codec, it's a really small file right? Maybe you could provide a link on the intranet along with the video file?