What is the best format for quality if I save my slide show for viewing on my computer and not making a DVD? I was told Quicktime is what I should use. Do you agree? Thanks, Brent.
Quicktime (MOV) is not a movie format in the sense of mpg - it is a container file and can have any video/audio codec inside it.
For exporting to computer it is best to match the screen resolution you are viewing the movie on - however this can be impractical if you are going to the view the movie on several computers. Also export the video as Progressive, not Interlaced, if you have the option.
I would suggest you export at the same resolution as the original material if you can - the only problem here is that if you have used some low resolution images you may get some upscaling artifacts present. - scaling down is much better than scaling up.
Which format you use depends on the installed software on the computer(s) you are viewing on. The most universal format is mpg and mp4 - both will play on Windows Media Player. Also do you intend to keep the video files 'permanently' in which case mp4's take up less space then mpg's
I completely agree with John's comments. The .mov container creates huge files that do not produce any better quality than .mp4 and require that you have Quicktime (with the latest version installed on your system). Quicktime which is a Apple format hogs memory, creates large files, delivers no useful benefits, and to me is pretty much a waste of time unless you are running a MAC OS. Whenever I have a .mov file, I immediately change it to a .mp4 file, and everything in my life is much much better.
Yes, the reslution is sometimes a little bit lower, but you can adjust for that in the conversion process.
It was a Mac. user that told me to use Quicktime, imagine that! OK, I will experment with .mp4 and compare the quality. This whole issue seems pretty confussing to me but I would like to figure out the best system to use. Brent.