Compressing mpegs
 

Before I waste more time trying, is it at all possible to reduce the file size of a mpeg comparable to what you can do with a wmv file and retain some quality?

I've tried to reduce a mpeg from 2 mb to 1 mb (using variuos free trial programs I downloaded) and it looks crappy, while the same clip in wmv actually looks pretty good at 600 kb. Am I trying to do the impossible?

We do the mpegs for Angel at 700 and they look great.

I'm using Compressor which is part of Final Cut Pro.

Sorenson is an even better.
http://www.sorenson.com/solutions/index.php

Thanks for the Sorense link. :) I was there earlier but couldn't find the free trial.

I just ordered a copy of Sorenson based on some testing I completed a week ago. If someone doesn't give you the link to the trial you will never find it. It seems to do a good job abd as long as you avoid the square pixels the finally mpegs look great.

I almost went with Main Concept MPEG Encoder and it's output seems to be just as good and a little faster but when purchasing the Sorenson Suite you have a lot more flexibility with the other encoders.