heres my problem i have 3 large files on my drive right now (each 32mins at 3000 bitrate mpeg stuff). To make a long story short i have to take them off my drive but i need to preserve the file the way it is. They come close but will not fit on an 80min data cdr. i tried winzip but still slightly too large. is their any other compressor out there that will perform an even higher rate of compression then winzip??? thanks

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), March 24, 2000

Answers

Why dont you break it into two or three zip files.Try this site for free winzip splitter http://cyberec.tucows.com/files5/BX_Setup.zip

-- Ismael (irdoming@bechtel.com), March 24, 2000.

Hi Doug.

I have tested myself many compressors and the differences in the achieved ratios are minimum because they are all based in similar algorithms. Mpeg is naturally highly compressed itself and I don't think that another compressor will beat Winzip by more than a tiny %. As a solution, I can propose you:

1) Try to set the "maximum compression" in WinZip which I guess you've already tried it, or

2) If using more CD-Rs is not a problem try the multivolume option of ol'ARJ. This program has the benefit that you can set exactly the size of the volumes that you want to create, so you can make 4 volumes from the whole 3 files. The MPEG files will remain untouched. Of course, if one of the volumes gets ruined you loose'em all, but overall...

In case you like the idea but don't have this program/don't know how to use it, drop a line.

-- Matias (mpetrel@fi.uba.ar), March 24, 2000.