Sorenson Squeeze 6 review

In fact, you may find someone has already done this for you, and made it available on the Preset Exchange section of Sorenson's website. And you can download directly within the application itself. Opening your download automatically loads the import dialog within Squeeze, allowing you to add the preset to your selected group, or create a new one. Alas you can't add your own; only Sorenson's closed selection of industry experts are able to upload presets.

Sorenson's particular forte has always been its own codecs, but compatibility with the wide range of file-type options now available is essential in encoding software. Squeeze now supports input in the AVC-Intra format used by Panasonic professional camcorders, particularly those recording to P2 media. You can import WMV files using VC1 encoding as well, for compatibility with Blu-ray discs using this format and Microsoft Silverlight. However, we found AVCHD MTS files weren't supported.

You can also output WMVs with VC1 encoding. The export options have been considerably enhanced across the board, and finally include AVIs. You can export AIFFs, DV streams, image sequences, and WAV audio. The latest On2 VP6 and MainConcept H.264 codecs are included and Sorenson claims these provide up to five times the encoding speed compared to the previous version of Squeeze.

A selection of new filters have been added too, which include blur, RGB, tint, white balance, and timecode. The white balance filter uses a simple eyedropper to set pure white. The timecode filter provides limited formatting options, and can only use the file's existing timecode or create a new timecode starting at the beginning of the clip. It has no offset facility, but it could still be useful when sharing a rough cut for comment using the online publishing tools.

Integration between Squeeze and Avid Media Composer was already good, with the application being part of the latter's bundle for a while. But this has now been extended to Apple's Final Cut Pro and iMovie, which can now export directly to Squeeze. The user interface has been modernised too. Instead of the old-fashioned option trees, you now get more aesthetic lists, and the presets are arranged into tabbed categories, making them easier to navigate than the drop-down list of version 5.

Despite these improvements, the most significant feature of Squeeze 6 is its online integration. Sorenson has done a good job here, and if you think these abilities will aid your work then Squeeze could be well worth the outlay. However, if all you want is powerful, fast encoding, Canopus's Procoder 3 costs far less, and provides a similar range of input and output options.

Author: James Morris