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Capturing uncompressed audio and video files

Until recently, it was not possible to encode uncompressed files that were larger than 2 gigabytes (GB). This limitation made it difficult to capture or archive high-quality content. Windows Media Encoder now enables you to create uncompressed profiles that support the capture and archive of high-quality content. When used in conjunction with the NTFS file system, the archive can remain intact and be used as a high-quality source for future encoding sessions. (The NTFS file system is only available on Windows NTŪ and Windows 2000 operating systems.)

Note   The FAT32 file system has a file size limit of 4 GB. If you expect your content to exceed 4 GB, you should reconfigure your drive to use NTFS.

When you capture uncompressed content from a device, such as a camera or VCR, the resulting video is created in the Intel YUV format (also known as YV12), regardless of the pixel format specified on the device or in the profile. The Windows Media Video codec is optimized for YUV, making it the preferred format for quality, size, and performance. The resulting audio is created in the pulse code modulation (PCM) format.

For best results when capturing uncompressed content:

To capture uncompressed audio and video files, set up an encoding session using an uncompressed profile. System profiles are not provided for capturing uncompressed content, so you must use Profile Manager to create them.

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