Yahoo Loves MPEG2

If you read my video upload shoot out, you know that Yahoo didn't even get to the finals since they can't handle Windows Media 9 Advanced Profile (either interlaced or frames). WM9AP is my preferred codec as it makes my content look great, much better than the grainy result you get from software MPEG2 encodes. Well, I decided to give Yahoo another shot. I came up with the best MPEG2 encode I could fit into their ridiculous 150 MB limitation, and low and behold the results were gorgeous. Almost as good as the WM9AP interlaced encode that MSN Video is running right now. Here is the Yahoo link so you can decide for yourself:

Yahoo encode from MPEG2 source.

Here are some of the details of the encode. The file that I submitted to Yahoo had a 4.6 Mb target, with a 6.0 Mb max bitrate. The file had the traditional MPEG grain along edges and such, but overall it was very true to the source. The transcode that Yahoo is displaying looks almost identical to the file I submitted. Absolutely incredible. There is some loss in the soundtrack and a little grain has been added to the picture overall, but the results are basically amazing.

There are also some other benefits of using the Yahoo site. The search functionality on their site is great. And since you are not competing with millions of other videos, yours can stand out.

A huge drawback is the 150 MB limitation. With a fat MPEG2 encode you will get even less screen time than you would with the MSN 100 MB limitation (and a highly compact WM9AP encode).