Compressing mpegs

[Lemmy]

Before I waste more time trying, is it at all possible to reduce the file size of a mpeg comparable to what you can do with a wmv file and retain some quality?

I've tried to reduce a mpeg from 2 mb to 1 mb (using variuos free trial programs I downloaded) and it looks crappy, while the same clip in wmv actually looks pretty good at 600 kb. Am I trying to do the impossible?

[Cleo]

We do the mpegs for Angel at 700 and they look great.

I'm using Compressor which is part of Final Cut Pro.

Sorenson is an even better.
http://www.sorenson.com/solutions/index.php

[Lemmy]

Thanks for the Sorense link. :) I was there earlier but couldn't find the free trial.

[SirMoby]

I just ordered a copy of Sorenson based on some testing I completed a week ago. If someone doesn't give you the link to the trial you will never find it. It seems to do a good job abd as long as you avoid the square pixels the finally mpegs look great.

I almost went with Main Concept MPEG Encoder and it's output seems to be just as good and a little faster but when purchasing the Sorenson Suite you have a lot more flexibility with the other encoders.