New Compression Tool: Stomp
I’ve added a new link to my tower of links over to the right there. This one is for version 1.0 of Stomp, a compression utility by Shinywhitebox. It includes support for all QuickTime codecs, presets for all sorts of outputs (check out the video demo on their web site), manual control of all audio and video options, compression of multiple videos at once, video effects, and other features. Stomp is a Universal Binary priced at $29.95, is Universal, as well as Tiger and Leopard compatible.
Here’s a look at the unified interface:
It looks pretty good.
I have added Stomp to the new “Compression” links in my tower of links.
Top of the list is Squeeze, my current tool of choice.
Next down is Cleaner. I used to love Cleaner, and was using it back when it was shareware.
Yes. That long!
I remember paying Terran my $19 shareware fee for MovieCleaner Lite.
But the latest versions have showed no design improvements and when we had serious problems with it here in the studio, we tried Squeeze. Despite the comparative lack of minute controls, Squeeze has worked perfectly. It’s blazingly fast and, best of all, it lets me add or delete things to the compression que, adjust settings and more- all while Squeeze is compressing!
Very, very cool. (Apple apps like FCP should have this feature.)
Then we jump to Stomp and VisualHub. Both look like good products from small, independent authors. Also, it’s hard to argue with multi-codec compression for just $30 and $23, respectively.
Lastly, I include HipFlics because it seems like a bigger tool, even though it’s been at version 1 forever. Also, the company’s web site has no press releases since 2005, and features Google ads on each page. That makes me very wary.
So, proceed with caution here, if you proceed at all.
I didn’t include numerous other compression utilities, like BitVice, because they are purpose-built. BitVice compresses to MPEG-2 and that’s it.
So, be sure to check out the 31 different production resource links here at the IEBA Tech Thoughs blog.
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How funny…. Stomp was the Apple code name for Compressor when it was in development.
Philip
Comment by Philip Hodgetts
| November 17, 2007
PS My favorite encoding tools is definitely Episode Pro on the Mac.
Philip
Comment by Philip Hodgetts
| November 17, 2007
Will have to check it out and maybe provide a head to head comparison down the road…
Comment by ieba
| November 17, 2007
I’ll second the Episode Pro, definitely the bees knees for quality, robustness, and workflow.
Beats Squeeze (which I’ve been using for years) by a wide margin, and the great Cleaner now seems covered by a layer of cobwebs.
Comment by B.J. Ahlen
| November 28, 2007