Vimeo Quality of PSP upload questions

[JMR59 Profile Private message]

Hi,

I hope someone familiar with uploading PSP Slideshows to Vimeo can help me. I've only made 2 PSP slideshows so far, and have uploaded one of them to Vimeo -- it's my first time uploading anything to the internet (I guess I'm a little behind the times . . . . ).

Two things are bothering me about the Vimeo upload:

1. Lost a little quality in terms of "sharpness" of the picture quality. Although this works out kind of well in "smoothing out the wrinkles" on the photos of my 40 and 50 year old facial close ups , I still notice it for the rest of the program. Is this normal when uploading a slideshow to Vimeo in general? For comparison, I made an MP4 of the show, which when I play on my laptop computer, is as good as the original PSP version.

2. There is a lot of "stuttering" in the Vimeo version. I think some of this might be my laptop (using Windows 7 Media player). But I went to the library and watched the Vimeo version there. The "stuttering" was much improved -- but some of it was still there. Is this normal when uploading a slideshow to Vimeo in general? Again, for comparison, my MP4 version of the show plays pretty well on my laptop, although there is a little stuttering.

Since I've never uploaded anything to the internet before, I don't know what to expect. Is this typical to lose some picture quality, and gain some stuttering, with Vimeo?

Oh, I also uploaded to Vimeo both from the PSP original and the MP4 version -- same result.

Any insights on if I'm expecting too much, or if this is as good as it gets, would be appreciated!

[ezwriter Profile Private message]

I've loaded quite a few PSP shows to Vimeo. I pay for Vimeo Plus+ version so I can load 1080p quality, otherwise I believe only 720p is available as HD. The shows are first rendered in SD quality and then upgraded (if you choose) 720p. Afterwards, if you have a Plus or higher account, you can then further upgrade the show to 1080p. In PSP, I output (publish) my show to 1080p using h264 compression and mp4 container, and then upload that. The shows playback (after upgrading to 1080p) very well and look sharp to me. If I view them in SD or even 720p, they are not as sharp.
Stuttering is usually a function of the speed and quality of the computer and video card from what I've seen. My shows play back fine, but I have a fairly fast cpu with a decent video card.
I'm by no means a Vimeo expert, but it's worked well for me and allows others to view them on virtually any device.

Hope this helps,
[another] Dale

[JMR59 Profile Private message]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply. I think that helps a lot -- if I only understood how to do some of it. Any chance you can walk me through it?

I do have a Vimeo plus account. How do I figure out if my current Vimeo version is SD, 720p, or 1080p?

Here is the info from "properties" on my MP4 version. Can you tell from this info if it's 1080p and h264 compression?
MP4 video
Video:
Frame width 1920
Frame height 1080
Data rate: 7902 kbps
Total bitrate 8054 kbps
Frame rate 30 frames/second
Audio:
Bit rate 151 kbps
Audio sample rate 44 kHz

Sorry I don't know more about this stuff -- just learning!

[ezwriter Profile Private message]

I can't really tell from the data you've given, perhaps someone else could. However, it is easy to see what version is in Vimeo.
In Vimeo go to your video.
Directly under the video, click on "Settings"
Near the top, you'll see the selections: Basic Privacy Collections Embed Video File Advanced.
Click on "Video File." In the middle of the screen you will see "Upgrade" and the 720p or 1080p bullet will be selected if the show is in HD.
If 1080p is not chosen and is available and not chosen, select it, and then click on "Save" at the bottom.
It will take Vimeo a while to reformat the show, but when finished, it should be in 1080p quality.

In PSP6 I create my show for upload the following way:
In "Publish" mode, select "Video for Web, Devices and Computers"
In the popup window expand "Video File" by clicking on the "+"
Click on the "+" in front of MPEG4
Click on H.264 1080p
Click on "Create"
It will ask you where you want to save the show. Tell it where and let it rip!
When finished, go to Vimeo and upload the show
Vimeo will first upload the show in SD format, and then convert it to 720p. After it has finished converting it to 720p, you can follow the procedure above to upgrade it further to 1080p.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[another] Dale

[JMR59 Profile Private message]

Thanks! That's pretty clear cut. Unfortunately, it looks like the Upgrade to 1080p option isn't available to me (won't let me change it). So I've got an email to Vimeo right now to try and figure out why not.

May take a few days for me to figure this out, but will post when I do. Thank you again!

[ezwriter Profile Private message]

I'm not sure either, but Vimeo won't upgrade it if the file uploaded is not capable of being 1080p. For example, if you only uploaded a 720p format (although from the properties you previously posted, it looks like it is 1080p.) You might try re-publishing the file in PSP as I suggested, and see if that file can be upgraded.

[another] Dale

[JMR59 Profile Private message]

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know I was able to upgrade to 1080p. I had to go to Advanced Settings and turn on "Store the source file". Vimeo doesn't store the source files unless you request that they do so.

After that, I had to re-upload the video. I used my MP4 version. Then was able to upgrade to 1080p from there.

The video still stutters quite a bit on my laptop, but I guess it's just my device. I went to the library and tried another computer, and it played back pretty well. So between getting excellent advice from both you and Vimeo, it appears my problem is solved!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer me!

[ezwriter Profile Private message]

I'm glad it all worked out for you. Have a happy Holiday Season and many more successful shows!

[another] Dale