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The field of six tested low-cost MPEG encoding systems included four software-only solutionsPixelShrink, from CeQuadrat; MPEG Converter from Ulead; MPEG Maker, from Vitec; and Xin MPEG Encoder, from Xing Technologies. Two systems-Darim's MPEGator and Data Translation's Broadway-possess hardware components. [For analysis of the issues and strategies for low-cost MPEG, read "Leading Low-Cost MPEG Encoders: How the Other Half Encodes," by Jan Ozer, in this issue-ed.] A series of comparative reviews yielded three clear winners based on quality, usability, and compatibility.
CeQuadrat's PixelShrink
PixelShrink Shrinks from low-Cost Lead
PixelShrink, CeQuadrat's $199 software MPEG encoder, which gets off to a promising start with software written in conjunction with CD-i giant Philips Consumer Electronics, proved surprisingly behind the curve in both user interface and video quality. Testing yielded no compelling reason to chose PixelShrink over Xing, which costs $110 less.
The 32-bit PixelShrink program, which is installed from a single floppy, runs on Win 3.11 using Microsofts 32-bit extensions, or Windows 95 or NT without them. The program opens up into a quarter-screen application with menu and icons that sit on top of a white area that holds the batch list of processes to be performed.
PixelShrink can compress audio and/or video...