I have used Sorenson Squeeze for a number of years and the upgrade to Version 10 takes the software that was a little rough around the edges from a GUI standpoint and really ups the game.. What is already a world class video encoder, media processing application has really been refined. They have loaded this version with a lot of new features I get into later. For those of you looking at this product as a production solution there are many compelling reasons to upgrade and or purchase the software.
What I love most about this software is that it is simple to operate, upon install you do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. But as you dive into the feature sets and possible customizations / job processing you will soon realize how powerful the application really is as a complete end to end solution.
Sorenson Squeeze 10 is a professional encoding product that can be used by a non-pro. Encoding with Sorenson Squeeze is simple, you select a source video or audio file. Then choose encoding presets or per-configured global setting and click “Squeeze it”. Want multiple versions of your media encoded in different resolutions, no problem just queue up the encodes you want and walk away.
One of the use cases for me is taking a 720p .mp4 media file and using the encoder to convert it to 720p .webm format, it does a beautiful job and my master video quality is maintained. The number of conversion formats that Sorenson Squeeze supports is incredible, I really don’t think they miss anything. For the full list review their website. Each of these supported formats have a selection of per-programed presets tested by the Sorenson team for best results.. Want a YouTube optimized video encode just pick the preset. They make it easy for you to get you up and running very quickly. If you do not like one of preset parameters, you can clone and change or add a preset and customize your own encode.
The Preference menu in Sorenson Squeeze 10 allows you to setup all the standard settings, export locations, VST plugins, set system loading parameters. GPU qualification etc. With Sorenson Squeeze 10 you can apply filters like watermarks, time-code, converting color to black and white, noise removal to name just a few. Within the preview window you can crop the video, select in and out points.
The GPU integration allows to use CUDA supported video cards, to encode media with the GPU on select presets at a much higher rate than using the CPU alone..
Version 10 now comes in three version Lite, Standard & Pro with slight feature deltas between versions. There is cost delta between the three so review the options you will need carefully. Their is also upgrade paths for existing customers.
New Codec support includes the new HEVC/x265 High Efficiency Video Coding, also new now you can encode and decode with the VP9 codec. New is also Multi-Rate bundle encoding feature that lets setup one preset to output up to 4 presets with one click. Automatically packages files for Apple HLS, Adobe Dynamic Streaming, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, MPEG DASH, and MP4 downloads by only encoding each data rate once and then packaging everything into multiple formats.
Another new feature is the ability to link closed caption files with your media. Squeeze also now supports 4k
As in past versions you can automatically push media that has been encoded to content delivery networks like Amazon S3, Akamai, YouTube or a FTP site you customize. If you are working for a client Squeeze also has a notification and review feature that allows automated emails with review and approval forms included to speed up your media production.
One thing I like is that I can take a production quality video recording from Wirecast or my Tricaster and I can import the raw master. I can then set the in and out points on the video and very quickly encode a full show or break out some highlight segments.
Squeeze 10 can also be used to capture video. It worked with my digital video camera and few other devices, but I could not get it to work with my Black Magic Design Video card.
The option I like the best, is that it has some automated features that you can setup to watch a folder. As soon as the media is put in the folder squeeze will start encoding media based on what you have set in your Global Job Settings. What this allows you to do is produce your master recording in your favorite video editing program and as soon as it is finished squeeze will start building the additional media files automatically that you have designated. With the auto publish feature it will then upload to your cdn etc.
Lets talk about cost.. The pro version brings you an incredible feature set that you will want, I looked at both the lite version and the standard version but really knew I would need the HEVC/x265 encoder. This alone was worth the price of the product. The Lite version is $199, Standard $549, Pro $749. While the pro price may scare you this is a nuts to bolts video encoder that is going to save you a ton of time. Automated Uploading to you CDN or YouTube, Automated processing of watch folders, review and approval management, CC support, VP9 the list goes on. Sorenson Squeeze 10 is a serious piece of my software arsenal.