IÂ got a couple questions about the cryptic “WMV 2500k/sec” kinda stuff I write. So here’s a quick primer for those who don’t know what this stuff means.
“WMV” is a video format. It stands for Window Media Video and it is Microsoft’s proprietary video compression format. Other common video formats are “MPEG”, and “RM” (RealPlayer). Both WMV and MPEG will play on your Window Media Player no problem, though you need to download RealPlayer to play RM files. In general, MPEGs play on almost any video player, but their video quality is generally surpassed by both WMV and RM files, which use better video compression algorithms. The advantage to MPEGS is that there is tons of free software out there to edit and join them.
“2500k/sec” refers to the videos resolution or “quality”. Basically, the higher the number the higher the quality, and therefore the bigger the size of the file. For example a 500k/sec video clip will look decent at about 1/4 screen. Here are some basic guidelines:
350-500k: Good for viewing at 1\4 screen. Will be too blurry to watch at full screen. Should stream fine without too much buffering for most people with DSL or cable.
800-1000k: Possible to watch at full screen, but blurry. Slower DSL services may not stream them without buffering frequently (choppiness). File sizes are about 8MB per minute of video, so a 20 minute video is 160MB.
2000k: This is where videos start to look really excellent at full screen, even on larger monitors. This is where the top sites are doing the highest quality videos. You need some speedy internet to stream these without any buffering, so most Cable modem users will be fine, but some DSL users may not be able to stream them smoothly. Files sizes are 15MB per minute, so a 20 minute video will be 300MB.