How long does a codec comparison take?
Well, here’s a quick rundown on the 2004 shoot-out: It started back in late September when I got the first build of new codecs (Moonlight and HDX4). In the following months, I did some encoding but with a very low priority, to determine if those codecs could be included. Turns out I’ve had quite a hard time with Moonlight, but I eventually ended up watching some encoded HDX4 content and decided to include the codec in the upcoming comparison. The real work started in late November, when I started my search for a replacement of the Matrix source. I encoded both Matrix follow-ups in a bunch of codecs, and sample-reviewed them (watching a full movie encoded several time in short order is not something I plan to ever do). I finally settled for Matrix Revolutions, which I considered to be hard enough to encode. I sent out invitations to participate in the comparison on December 5th to all the companies that are now included in the comparison. They had until December 19th to deliver a codec
