as the title suggests, was wondering which codec people have found
as the best for play back on the exported AVI's i need to run these
from a laptop for a presentation

thanks

I have an AVel Linkplayer so I often export to Windows Media 9. I do that at 8Mbps which is generally too fast to be played back on a PC. So I generally export a second copy at around 5Mbps. The lower data rate is fine for most laptops. You may have to go even lower if you want to play off of the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.

Try one at 5Mbps and see how your particular laptop performs.

Also, if you are presenting at 1280X1024 or even less, you will want to consider reducing your frame size at export to something that will play on the screen without being shown at less than 100%. Why waste the data being pulled off of the hard drive to just compress it later.

Even though I shoot 1080i I usually export to 720p.

If use the CineForm AVI, the CFDecoder2.ax component (store in Program Files/Common/CineForm/) is all you need for playback on another PC. Even simpler is to install the Connect HD trail on your laptop to enable the playback. The playback functions do not expire with the trial.

But isn't trying to play the Cineform AVI at full quality a bit stressful on a PC?

It is less stressful than WM9, particularly if you export as 1280x720p24/30 then it is great for laptop HD presentation. But pixel for pixel a CineForm AVI is easier to decode at any resolution, if you can accept the increased disk requirements -- the real advantage of WM9 is the size.

Cool. I will give it a test drive when I get a chance. Any particular player you recommend?

Indeed, in my opinion, playing Cineform AVIs from a PC is one of the best ways to present HD material at this time, specifically in "ordinary" settings like schools, offices, homes, etc., where they are unlikely to have HDCAM or other pro HD gear.

thanks guys for the info will use connect HD , as steven has said any particular player? currently im exporting at 1440 x 1080 and playback has
resulted in a bit of artifacts is this typical?,

this is on a dual core running @ 3.4, 2 gig ram, off a sata raid 0

ok probably a silly question but if im exporting at 720p i dont have to
deinterlace my footage yeah?

You shouldn't be getting any artifacts, but to guarantee a great looking images you can always set the codec to Large/High for you master output. As for 1080i to 720p, you still need to de-interlace to make a good looking 720p.

thanks David