Video Formats
The animations and videos can be downloaded in different sizes and qualities:
| Format | Dimensions SD [pixels] (4:3) | Dimensions HD [pixels] (16:9) |
Field/Frame Rate [fps] | File type | Encoded today | Bitrate (kbit/s) |
Directory | Other info | |
| Small |
Small Flash | 320 x 240 | 320 x 180 | 25 | .flv | small_flash | Flash 8 encoded, low quality small preview file. | ||
| Small QT | 320 x 240 | 320 x 180 | 25 | .mov | small_qt | QuickTime H.264. Fast start. | |||
| Medium |
Video Podcast | 640 x 480 | 640 x 360 | SD:25, HD:50 | .m4v | * | 1500 |
medium_podcast |
QuickTime H.264 encoded. It can be watched with any hardware, Apple iPod included, or in any program that reads files in .m4v format. |
| Medium MPEG-1 | 640 x 480 | 640 x 360 | 25 | .mpeg | 3000 | medium_mpg1 | MPEG-1 encoded, good quality, medium file for download (suitable for PowerPoint). | ||
| Medium Flash | 640 x 480 | 640 x 360 | 25 | .flv | 1500 | medium_flash | Flash 8 encoded | ||
| Large |
Large QT | 768 x 576 | 720 x 405 | 25 | .mov | 2000 | large_qt | QuickTime, H.264. Fast start. | |
| Broadcast SD | 768 x 576, 4:3 interlaced | 720 x 576, 16:9 Anamorphic (plays full screen on a 16:9 display | 25 | .mxf, .avi | 30 000 | broadcast_sd | MXF-HD source, DV Type 2 SD-Source | ||
| HD | HD & Apple TV Preview | N/A | 1280 x 720 | 25 | .m4v | * | 5000 | hd_and_apple | MPEG4 H.264. Suitable for Apple TV. Fast start, .m4v |
| HD Broadcast 720p/50 | N/A | 1280 x 720 | 50 | .mxf | hd_broadcast_720p50 | MXF(XDCAM) encoded, high quality, massive file for broadcasters. | |||
| Full HD Preview 1080p | N/A | 1920 x 1080 | 25 | .mp4 | * | 18- 25 000 (var.) |
hd_1080p25_screen | MPEG4 H.264 | |
| Full HD Broadcast 1080p | N/A | 1920 x 1080 | 25 | .avi (before 2023) and .mov (from 2023) | * | 7 200 000 | hd_1080p25_broadcast | Grass Valley HQX codec in an AVI wrapper and Apple prores 422 HQ (.mov) | |
| Ultra HD | 4K Ultra HD Preview H.264 | N/A | 3840 x 2160 | 25 | .mp4 | * | 20 000 | ultra_hd | MPEG4 H.264 |
| 4K Ultra HD Preview H.265 | N/A | 3840 x 2160 | 25 | .mp4 | * | 30 000 | ultra_hd_h265 | MPEG4 H.265, high quality (only offered in special cases, playable in latest DivX player) | |
| 4K Ultra HD Broadcast | N/A | 3840 x 2160 | 25 | .avi (before 2023) and .mov (from 2023) | * | 7200 000 | ultra_hd_broadcast | Grass Valley HQX codec in an AVI wrapper and CineForm Master-10bit-max (.mov) | |
| Fulldome | Fulldome Preview | N/A | 1024 x 1024 | 30 | .mp4 | * | 12 000 | dome_preview | MPEG4 H.264 |
| Fulldome 1.5k mov | N/A | 1536 x 1536 | 30 | .mov | * | 15 000 | dome_mov | QuickTime, H.264 | |
| Fulldome 2k Master | N/A | 2048 x 2048 (or best available) |
30 | .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip | * | ~230 000 | dome_2kmaster |
For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium. Only supplied for long clips or shows. |
|
| Fulldome 4k Master | N/A | 4096 x 4096 (or best available) | 30 | .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip | * | ~1 000 000 | dome_4kmaster | For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium. Note: 1. Do not use Windows' built-in unzipper or Mac OS' standard Archive Utility (or unzip command) as they produce random frames (on Windows due to its default security settings). 2. As no network or browser is 100% stable, we strongly recommend using a download manager (like Free Download Manager1 or the command line tool aria2). |
|
| Fulldome 8k Master | N/A | 8192 x 8192 | 30 | .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip | * | dome_8kmaster | For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium. Note: 1. Do not use Windows' built-in unzipper or Mac OS' standard Archive Utility (or unzip command) as they produce random frames (due to its default security settings). 2. As no network or browser is 100% stable, we strongly recommend using a download manager (like Free Download Manager1 or the command line tool aria2). |
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| VR | 16k Cylindrical VR Master | N/A | 16384 x 8192 | .zip | * | cylindrical_16kmaster | |||
| 8k Cylindrical VR Master | N/A | 8192 x 4096 | .zip | * | cylindrical_8kmaster | ||||
| 4k Cylindrical VR Master | N/A | 4096 x 2048 | .zip | * | cylindrical_4kmaster | ||||
| 8k VR | N/A | 8192 x 4096 | 25 | .mp4 | * | 8k_vr | |||
| 4k VR | N/A | 4096 x 2048 | 25 | .mp4 | * | 4k_vr | |||
1 In Free Download Manager we recommend setting: Options -> Settings -> Downloads -> New Download -> Advanced -> Connection: unclick "Maximum number of attempts" (to have infinite numbers of reconnection attempts). And please double-check that you have enough free disk space where you're saving. With this solution we believe that even up to 400 GB large files can be taken down on a personal DSL16000 line (at 1.8 MB/s) over a weekend.
Comparison chart
Below you can compare the relation between the different provided video formats. The "4K" (i.e. "Ultra HD"), is equivalent to a horizontal resolution on the order of 4000 pixels.
Audio
Split audio means individual narration and music + effects. This means that split stereo consists of three separate tracks typically: music, special effects and narration. And split surround typically consists of music front left, music front right, music middle, music back left, music back right, and narration and special effects mono.