2009 Encoder Shootout

As always, Squeeze presents encoding options in both a simple and an advanced interface, so if these parameters make you sweat, you can simply make them go away. Squeeze also allows you to produce files directly to Adobe’s F4V format—a nice convenience for those using H.264 for Flash.

One blemish on Squeeze’s H.264 performance is a problem I first noted when I reviewed the program back in 2008. Specifically, the program missed keyframes at scene changes when producing H.264 video using the MainConcept codec (not the older Apple codec), which caused a second or two of ugly video. Though Sorenson claims to have fixed the problem, it keeps popping up in my tests. I’ve also received an email or two from users who’ve experienced similar problems. My advice would be to download the trial version and run some tests on your footage before making a buying decision.

VP6 performance was strong across the board, making Squeeze one of the best choices for VP6 encoding on the Windows platform. Windows Media performance was also very good, with quality on par with Expression Encoder 2 in SD tests, better than par in HD, and very good encoding speed just seconds behind CS3 and CS4, though Squeeze offers neither direct tweaking support or the ability to create a Silverlight player.

On the Mac, Squeeze was just a touch behind the leader, Episode, in H.264 video quality, though the difference was not commercially relevant, meaning that viewers wouldn’t see the difference without viewing side-by-side comparisons, which, of course, they probably never have. Configurability was about the same as Episode, but encoding time was again very slow, with Squeeze three times slower than Episode (encoding serially, with Squeeze in parallel) and six times slower than CS4.

Mac VP6 performance was similar to Windows, with very good quality, access to all the desired features, and speed about 20% behind the leader, Flix Pro. Windows Media encoding on the Mac was all Squeeze, with the best quality (significantly ahead of Episode Pro and Compressor) and the fastest five-file encoding time by a bunch (1:20 for Squeeze, 3:34 for Compressor, and 13:55 for Episode).

Other than the scene-change issue noted previously, Squeeze’s single enduring negative is inconsistent deinterlacing quality, which is fine for most footage, but it occasionally inserts ugly jaggies where other encoding tools create smooth edges. My Sorenson contacts have mentioned that they’re coming out with a new deinterlacing algorithm, and I can’t wait. Until then, you should examine your output for signs of excessive jaggies or, if possible, scale and deinterlace when you’re outputting from your editor, which is the technique that I favor.

Grass Valley ProCoder 3
From a performance perspective, ProCoder is the encoding tool we all want to be when we grow up, natively utilizing multiple cores more effectively than any other encoding tool in this review. You insert your files, assign templates, and then send them to a queue manager, which divvies the encoding task among multiple processor computers without any of the hassle of loading multiple instances or even running a separate process such as Qmaster. As with Compressor, you can also create droplets, which are essentially icons on your desktop with an assigned template; to encode any file, you simply drag and drop it on a droplet.

Unfortunately, despite the under-the-hood horsepower, ProCoder hasn’t gotten the codec-specific care and feeding that it needs to compete with Squeeze and other encoding tools. For example, Grass Valley uses the Apple codec for H.264 encoding, which produced low-quality stills and noticeably more artifacts during real-time playback than any other Windows competitor, including CS3 and CS4.

ProCoder doesn’t offer native VP6 encoding, so you’ll have to purchase Flix Exporter to perform this task—an extra $199. Once equipped, ProCoder actually performs well, producing good quality at very competitive speeds; however, ProCoder is unable to produce VP6-S. If you can live without support for tweaking or Silverlight output, ProCoder is a good choice for Windows Media production, with competitive quality and good encoding times.

Telestream Episode Pro 5
Telestream Episode, currently available only on the Mac but with a Windows version coming, is a binary performer that’s a great tool when used for some formats and subpar for others. Fortunately, once you know where the hurdles are located, it’s easy to use the tool effectively.