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Codecs and Media Types
VJamm will load many different types of media, but some types of media work better than others for live playback.
In order to be able to play a particular clip in VJamm you need to have the right codec installed in your windows system. If possible you should use a VFW codec - VJamm defaults to loading clips using the VFW system which gives faster live response and better loading times. If no VFW codec is present VJamm will try to load the clip using installed Direct Show codecs.
If you are making clips specifically for live VJamm use here are some recommended compression options:
PAL - HQ
768x576 Indeo |
PAL - Low Res
384x288 Indeo |
NTSC - HQ
640X480 Indeo |
PAL - Low Res
320X240 Indeo |
Every frame a keyframe
Audio 44.1 Khz uncompressed
Clips should ideally be deinterlaced into progressive scan.
Mono / Stereo / surround sound audio is your choice depending on source material.
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If you are making material from DV clips you might like to stay at D1 pixel aspect ratio and use 48Khz audio so as not to loose quality on recompression eg.
PAL - HQ
720x576 Indeo |
PAL - Low Res
360x288 Indeo |
NTSC - HQ
720X480 Indeo |
PAL - Low Res
360X240 Indeo |
| Every frame a keyframe
Audio 48 Khz uncompressed
If you work at these D1 aspect ratios you should get VJamm to display these clips at 4:3 (or 16:9 if anamorphic widescreen) ie. 768x576, 384x288 etc...
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Indeo is not the only codec that is good for VJing - there are hundreds of codecs with different advantages and disadvantages.
Bear in mind though when choosing a codec that there is a great advantage in using a codec that is established and in widespread use.
Note: Indeo no longer comes installed in windows after XP SP1, you have to get it yourself.
We also use cinepak in our downloads as this codec is still shipped free with windows. Cinepak is very fast but the maximum image quality is quite low.
For the moment VJamm only supports older QuickTime (.mov) formats.
If you have AVI or MPEG clips that won't play in VJamm please upload a small clip in that format to the web and send us a link.
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