As it turns out, I'm capturing and compressing videos for a big bunch of colledge kids who are studying comunications.

I usually just give them the raw footage and they edit it, but thats for small 5-10 min of footage.

Now there is a girl who is in her senior semester and she has 2 hours of footage to be captured. It won't fit on my hardrive if I do it RAW and let alone hers. So I have to compress it, but she wants it in AVI.

I've come here to ask what you consider would be a great codec that I can use to compress a series of raw avi's? I also am capturing audio, factor that into the codec, or should I provide it seperately?

Seeing as I don't use AVI (unless its RAW AVI for editing), I wouldn't know what codec is the most suited.

Help?

h264 is probably the best codec to use, and it can be put in an AVI container if they absolutely must have it in an AVI container. (Although if that's true, they need to stop using Windows Movie Maker)

Thats the problem, I don't know what software they will be using. I'm gonna have to ask her when she comes. Can Windows Movie Maker open an AVI compressed with H.264 codec?

It can't open ANY AVI with ANY codec half the time. Windows Movie Maker absolutely despises anything that isn't raw or WMV. It /might/ work if you have the codec installed, but expect ridiculous number of crashes.

Yes, thats what I was afraid of. The people should really use something like After Effects, Premiere, Sony Vegas etc... their school should supply them with the appropiate software, but hey, its Mexico.

They're not Communications students if they can't capture video, don't know what h.264 is, or don't have a program that can edit files encoded with it.

Its a government university. Its a bad joke. In Mexico, a title is more important than abilities. I am a PROFESSIONAL 3D MODELER by their standards. I am better at modelling than people who waste their time for 2-3 years in a modelling course down here. Makes me sad.

THIS IS WHY I WANT TO ****ING MOVE.

Isn't .avi just used for porn movies?

Lots of ripped videos use it.

I was under the impression that Windows Movie Maker was strictly for amateur stuff and couldn't do professional quality editing.

But then again I've never seen much less used "professional" video editing software so I dunno.

Communications is usually the sports cop-out major. You should be happy that they can use a computer.

SF, use Super.

Dude, I thought SF_Gold was a super duper ultra movie mcmaker guy that is well versed in all special effects and editing in starwars fanfics.

Why does he need to ask so many questions about it?

Movie McMaker?
...
Really?

I'm sorry I'm not aquainted with the list of every format that Windows Movie Maker is capable of working with. I must be a complete noob. Especially since I don't hardly use it.

You don't hardly use it?
What the hell does that mean?

Its a sarcastic statement that made sense only to me a few minutes ago, when I was still waking up from my afternoon nap.

At least he's asking questions instead of just stealing, like he does with models

hmm a siesta you say