Is there a difference in resultant quality between uploading my video to YouTube directly from my iPod Touch, or first copying the (huge) MOV file over to my computer and then uploading it with my PC's browser?
I'm running iOS 4.3.3 and have the HD setting selected in the "Publish Video" screen. However, I noticed that the estimated MB displayed in the "Publish Video" screen, is smaller than the video's actual file size.
So is there a difference, or does it not matter?
(this question would also apply to the iPhone)
Best Answer
The movie size difference is due to the compression that iOS does, specifically to support H.264 video format. More details is available at the Apple FAQ. The information that would be of most interest to you is the "Note:" under question 2.
As to your question on whether it matters, the answer depends. If you're uploading a video to a service like Youtube and you expect your viewers to be viewing on a mobile device, then H.264 is a good choice as it's likelier to be supported by current mobile devices in the market. On the other hand, if you plan to save the video so you can edit it later, then a non-compressed video and audio format will be better as it's less "lossy" (as compression tend to trade some details for smaller file size).