Best compressor for quicktimefiles

I mostly work om DVCPRO HD material so I cannot export with the DVCPRO HD compressor if I want I file suitable for computerplayback (not all macs and pcs kan play it..)
h.264 works fine on all computers with Quicktime 7 but I loose a lot of color with that compressor. Is it a better compressor that works fine on all computers?

I don't see a lot of color loss when exporting H.264 files... are you using compressor for this export? Might try that. If you are seeing some loss, you might try preserving the color with that option found in the last tab in the Inspector under the "filters" button.
Jerry

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What is the best Compressor setting for best quality video playback on an iBook g4?

I know the iBook and G4's in general are very outdated today, but I need to ask anyways. I have some video projects in 720p and 1080p in which I have down converted to 480p and also exported to MPEG-2 for DVD (personal wedding videos and videos made for my clients using Final Cut Studio). Anything encoded at most resolutions using h264 won't play on my iBook. Even 480p.
I have about 20 hours of mixed video content that I need it in a format that is suitable for an iPhone 4 and an iBook 12" with a 1.2GHz G4, 1.25GB RAM and I added a 250 WD 5400 IDE hard disk (running 10.5.8 and 10.4.11 for Classic Mode). I know the iBook doesn't seem like the best tool for modern video playback, but I need to figure out which setting will play best with iPhone 4 and iBook so I don't need to make 2 local copies of each video for each device.
The iBook plays best with the original DVD output MPEG-2 file and playing back in QT Pro or VLC... but I already have 180 GB's of MPEG-2 files now and my little HD is almost full. I don't have enough room to convert all the iPhone 4 counterparts. If I use Compressor 3.5.3, what is the optimal setting for iBook and iPhone .m4v or .mp4 files that can play on both devices? So far 720x400-480 widescreen videos @ 29fps works great on my iPhone, Apple TV 2, and other computers but seems to murder my poor iBook if encoded with high profile (and still choppy on simple profiles). 640x480 (adding black matte bars to my videos) plays fine in MPEG-2 but drops frames or goes to black screen if I convert it to mp4 (and looks bad on the iPhone 4 because of the matte). But if I convert on any of the simple profiles, it looks terrible on my iPhone 4 and a blocky on the iBook.
This is the problem leading me to having 2 copies of each video and eating my hard disk space. What is the best video setting for both playback on the iBook and iPhone 4? Can the iBook playback H264 at all in decent resolutionsat all? I don't really want to have a 480p .m4v collection for the iPhone 4 and a MPEG-2 RAW collection just to play the same videos on the iBook.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Update: The iBook can play any 480p video and higher if I encode them with DivX and in AVI format. But of course this is not compatible with my iPhone 4. At least I can shrink my library now and get away from the full MPEG-2s. I don't get why I can't use Apple's h264 though. There has to be a setting I am missing. The sample Apple h264 videos from the days of Tiger worked flawlessly on my iBook when it was new so the CPU must be capable of decoding it. I really can't understand this.
Also, since I made my videos in English for my family, I had to create soft subtitles for my wife's Chinese family, and I can't get players like QT with perian or MPlayerX to sync them properly to an AVI encoded with DivX, they only sync well with the iPhone 4 m4v/mp4 formatted files I made. This is a real pickle.
So now I may need three or four copies of each video, LOL. I need to hardcode the subtitles if I want to use AVI to playback on older machines, and keep the mp4 file for the iDevices too, while keeping higher quality h264 videos for my American relatives...
If h264 is compatible with my iBook, what is the proper encoding settings? Must I dramatically lower the settings or frame rate? I can settle on 2 copies of each video that way. One iBook/G4/eMac compatible video that syncs correctly with my srt soft subs, and another version that works well with my iPhone 4 and iPad.
All in all, I will end up with more than 3 or 4 version of each video. On my late G5 dual core I have the full 720-1080p uncompressed master files. On my i5 iMac I have the h264 compressed versions for distribution, and lower versions for my iDevices. Now I need to keep either full MPEG-2 files for the iBook to play, or convert to older formats like DivX AVI for our family's legacy machines. I am running out of hard disk space quick now, LOL.
Is there an easier way?

Best compressor settings for HDV downconvert -- attention hanumang

Reposting this bit because it differs significantly from topic of thread where it appeared.
goal: the best possible HDV-DV downconvert using final cut studio (hitch: I have added problem of converting resulting film from PAL to NTSC)
previous method: the best luck I've had is Quicktime converting from HDV to 10-bit PAL SD and compressor converting that to NTSC DVDPRO50
Hanumang recommended using compressor for first conversion. My response:
What settings?
By coincidence I decided to try the initial conversion (HDV to 10-bit) this morning on compressor (but I didn't change the frame rate; i didn't know they were relavant for HD downconvert; I only change them for the PAL-NTSC conversion).
At first glance, the compressor 10-bit conversion doesn't seem any better than the quicktime conversion (due to the frame rate settings?). I don't know for sure because I haven't sent it back to compressor for PAL-NTSC conversion and on to DVD SP.
One issue I'm worried about is the dimensions. quicktime's 768 x 576 (preserve aspect ratio checked; letterbox selected) was the only dimension setting that produced a film that looked right (on the dvd; it's squished in final cut). I don't see that option in compressor. I suppose I could type it in the frame size boxes.
I would be most grateful for help in this matter. I've spent a few weeks on this. I just plod along, zombie-like, trying a few different things every day, hoping to hit the jackpot eventually. I've been planning on trying to downconvert using my HDV/DV deck (print to tape in HDV; then change settings to downconvert and capture as DV). Would that help?
how do pro studios handle downconverting? What kind of hardware do they use? I'm an independent filmmaker, working on a small budget, but eventually, once the film is finished and (hopefully) I have more money, I''d happily pay for a good pro conversion. Do you know what that costs? The film will be 80 minutes long.
thanks again for your help.
What compressor settings do you recommend?
The best workflow I've come up with is qucktime conversion from HDV PAL to SD 10-bit PAL, then compressor conversion from 10-bit Pal to DVDPR0 50 NTSC.
By coincidence I decided to try the initial conversion (HDV to 10-bit) this morning on compressor (but I didn't change the frame rate; i didn't know they were relavant for HD downconvert; I only been change them for the PAL-NTSC conversion).
At first glance, the compressor 10-bit conversion doesn't look better than the quicktime conversion (due to the frame rate settings?). I don't know for sure because I haven't sent it back to compressor for PAL-NTSC conversion and on to DVD SP.
One issue I'm worried about is the dimensions. quicktime's 768 x 576 (preserve aspect ratio checked; letterbox selected) was the only dimension setting that produced a film that looked right (on the dvd; it's squished in final cut). I don't see that option in compressor. I suppose I could type it in the frame size boxes.
Anyway, I would be most grateful for answers to these questions. I've spent a few weeks on this and am past the point of frustration. I just plod along, zombie-like, trying a few different things every day, dimly hoping to hit the jackpot eventually. Actually, I've been planning on trying to downconvert using my HDV/DV deck (print to tape in HDV; then change settings to downconvert and capture as DV). Would that help?
how do pro studios handle downconverting? What kind of hardware do they use? I'm an independent filmmaker, working on a small budget for the time being, but eventually, once the film is over and (hopefully) I have more money, I'll be willing to pay for a good pro conversion. Do you know what that costs? The film will be 80 minutes long.
thanks again for your help.

My bad, I was out in the afternoon and didn't get a chance to pick up on your reply to the last thread. Sorry to hear that your first attempt with Compressor was so disappointing.
Just so we're clear, you're using what exact versions of the software? FCP 5.1? Compressor 2? (For Compressor, in particular, 2.0 vs 2.1 vs 2.3 is important.) And, what are your sequence settings in FCP? Finally, we're to understand that you're actually working in PAL HDV? Or are you working in AIC?

Best Setting for iTunes using Compressor 4

Can anyone give me a little advice. I have recently purchased a Panasonic X900 camcorder, very happy with the ease of use in FCPX using 1080/50p with surround sound. I use iTunes to play home movies to my television what would be the best compressor settings to make the most of this quality?
Also what would be the best setup to create Blu Ray Discs as previously I have used iDVD but I really want to make the best quality I can.
Thank you in advance.

Hi Ian,
Try one of the Apple TV presets for your movies.
Blu-Ray is a little complicated. There is a template choice in Compressor that will encode and burn either a physical or virtual (disk image) BD. By all means try it. It's a very limited menu and options. You'll need a Blu-Ray burner and a player and, of course, media.. If you want to move up to the kind of menus and selections you can work with in DVD Studio Pro and iDVD, you probably need to look at Adobe.
Good luck.
Russ

What is the best compressor setting to use ... when exporting a 720p timeline from FCP for a project that will only be played back in a standard def monitor?

What is the best compressor setting to use for DVD StudioPro ... when exporting a 720p 30 timeline from FCP for a project that will only be viewed in a standard def monitor?

Update: The iBook can play any 480p video and higher if I encode them with DivX and in AVI format. But of course this is not compatible with my iPhone 4. At least I can shrink my library now and get away from the full MPEG-2s. I don't get why I can't use Apple's h264 though. There has to be a setting I am missing. The sample Apple h264 videos from the days of Tiger worked flawlessly on my iBook when it was new so the CPU must be capable of decoding it. I really can't understand this.
Also, since I made my videos in English for my family, I had to create soft subtitles for my wife's Chinese family, and I can't get players like QT with perian or MPlayerX to sync them properly to an AVI encoded with DivX, they only sync well with the iPhone 4 m4v/mp4 formatted files I made. This is a real pickle.
So now I may need three or four copies of each video, LOL. I need to hardcode the subtitles if I want to use AVI to playback on older machines, and keep the mp4 file for the iDevices too, while keeping higher quality h264 videos for my American relatives...
If h264 is compatible with my iBook, what is the proper encoding settings? Must I dramatically lower the settings or frame rate? I can settle on 2 copies of each video that way. One iBook/G4/eMac compatible video that syncs correctly with my srt soft subs, and another version that works well with my iPhone 4 and iPad.
All in all, I will end up with more than 3 or 4 version of each video. On my late G5 dual core I have the full 720-1080p uncompressed master files. On my i5 iMac I have the h264 compressed versions for distribution, and lower versions for my iDevices. Now I need to keep either full MPEG-2 files for the iBook to play, or convert to older formats like DivX AVI for our family's legacy machines. I am running out of hard disk space quick now, LOL.
Is there an easier way?

The Best Compressor Settings for Rap Vocals

Does anybody know the best settings in compressor for rap vocals. I don't want it to sound over compressed but clean enough where the attack responds quickly. Thanks guys

I go for a ratio of about 8.0:1 on rapper vocals with an attack time of around 10 ms
Actually ( in Logic) if you click on an audio channel and go to settings at the top of the channel strip, in there under male vocals, there's a not bad rapper vocal setting which will get you started.

What is the best compressor setting for dvds

What is the best compressor setting for dvds that is not for HD dvd players? I used "DVD Best quality 90 min" and changed the GOP setting to 7.5 and my dvd looks terrible. the text is blurry and the colors are bad.

correction the bit rate is 7.5

Best Compressor Settings for Backup

Hello all,
At my place of business we capture live footage in DVCPRO HD format using Final Cut Pro. From that I edit the footage and compress it using Compressor. My question is concerning the unused footage that we capture. I'm trying to learn the best compressor settings that will offer the best balance of reduced file size with good quality.
Thanks!

The best is not to compress it at all. You don't know what the popular format will be in a couple years.
Raw drives are cheap. I have a drive dock on each of my machines plugged into the internal sata port of the Mac Pros. I backup all the footage to raw drives and then put them on the shelf. And yes, there are clones of those drives. And I've learned to do it as I go along rather than all at once. I use ChronoSync to keep the raw drive matched to the working raid in my machine. Takes a lot less time that way.

Best Practice for Conversion Workflow

Hello,
I'm converting video files from our "home grown" virtual media reserve to iTunes U. Some of the files are in RM format, some are already compressed .mov's (not H.264) and some I have the original DV files for.
Anyone out there have a best practice for converting these file types for posting to iTunes U? I have Final Cut Studio (Compressor), QT Pro and Squeeze available to me.
Any experience you have with this would be helpful.
Thanks,
Jeana

For converting old files to a podcast compatible video and based on the machine you have, consider elgato turbo.264. It is a fairly priced "co-processor" for video conversion. It is comprised of an application and a small USB device with a encoder chip in it. In my experience, it is the fastest way to create podcast video files. The amount of time that you will save will pay for the device quickly (about $100). Plus it does batch conversion of any video that your system currently plays through QuickTime. it has all the necessary presets and you can create your own. It has a few minor limitations such as not supporting (at this moment) enhanced podcasting features such as chapter markers and closed-captions but since you have old files for conversion, that won't matter.
For creating new content, the workflow varies a lot. Since you mention MP3s, I guess you are also interested in audio files. I would stick with GarageBand, especially if you are a beginner plus it supports enhanced podcasts.
In any case the most important goal is to have the simplest and fastest way to go from recording to publication. The less editing the better. To attain that, the best methods will require the largest investments. For example, for video production the best way is to produce the content live so when you finish recording it is only a matter of encoding and publishing. that will require the use of a video switcher that can ingest at least one video camera and a computer output to properly capture presentation material. That's the minimum. there are several devices that can do this for you. Some are disguised PCs and some connect to a PC for tapeless recording. You can check the Tricaster, which I like but wish it was a Mac and not a Windows Xp PC. Other routes may include video mixers from manufacturers like Edirol, Pansonic or Sony connected to a VTR or directly to a Mac for direct-ti-disc capture. I f you look at some of the content available in iTunes U, you will see what I explain here. This workflow requires preparation and sufficient live support but you will have your material ready for delivery almost immediately after the recorded event. No editing required. Finally, the most intensive workflow is to record everything separately and edit it later, which is extremely time consuming.

Best way for capturing HDV

Best way for capturing HDV
using easy setup setted to HDV1080 50i (camera is a Sony HDV HC1) captured video look like sh...
and when exported with compressor is worst!
some idea?

Ok fantastic ! you are right (the frustration was talking for me)
video is shooted in 16:9 HDV 1080 50i
Captured video looks:
full of orizontal lines (that look like scan lines) expecially evident on figure edges and on motion subjects
and
like it was resized 1440x1080i from a different lower resolution
video is exported with compressor
MPEG-2 3.7Mbps 2-pass 16:9
Description: Fits up to 150 minutes of video with Dolby Digital audio at 192 Kbps or 120 minutes with AIFF audio on a DVD-5
File Extension: m2v
Video Encoder
Format: M2V
Width and Height: Automatic
Pixel aspect ratio: default
Crop: None
Frame rate: (100% of source)
Frame Controls: Automatic
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Field dominance: Auto detect
Average data rate: 3.7 (Mbps)
2 Pass VBR enabled
Maximum data rate: 7.5 (Mbps)
High quality
Best motion estimation
Closed GOP Size: 1/2 second, Structure: IBBP
DVD Studio Pro meta-data enabled
In these case the first problem is i can't obtain 16:9 format an the lines becomes more more evidents
software is Final cut Studio HD
camera is Sony HDV HC1e
hope I wrote all the info
Thx

BEST COMPRESSION FOR DVD

HI,
I want to find out the BEST compression setting for a FCP project that is 1hr and 41min. I'm burning it to a DVD that is 120min long. It's NOT HD. And it's going to be shown on a wall when it's finished. What are the best settings for this?
Thank you for your help.
Andy

#42 - Quick and dirty way to author a DVD
Shane's Stock Answer #42 - David Roth Weiss' Secret Quick and Dirty Way to Author a DVD:
The absolute simplest way to make a DVD using FCP and DVDSP is as follows:
1. Export a QT movie, either a reference file or self contained using current settings.
2. Open DVDSP, select the "graphical" tab and you will see two little monitors, one blue, one green.
3. Select the left blue one and hit delete.
4. Now, select the green one, right click on it and select the top option "first play".
5. Now drag your QT from the browser and drop it on top of the green monitor.
6. Now, for a DVD from an HD source, look to the right side and select the "general tab" in the track editor, and see the Display Mode, and select "16:9 pan-scan."
7. Hit the little black and yellow burn icon at the top of the page and put a a DVD in when prompted. DVDSP will encode and burn your new DVD.
THATS ALL!!!
NOW...if you want a GOOD LOOKING DVD, instead of taking your REF movie into DVD SP, instead take it into Compressor and choose the BEST QUALITY ENCODE (2 pass VBR) that matches your show timing. Then take THAT result into DVD SP and follow the rest of the steps. Except you can choose "16:9 LETTERBOX" instead of PAN & SCAN if you want to see the entire image.

Best Practices for Export

I have recently begun working with a few AIC-encoded home movie files in FCPX. My goal is to compress them using h.264 for viewing on computer screens. I had a few questions about the best practices for exporting these files, as I haven't worked with editing software in quite some time.
1) Is it always recommended that I encode my video in the same resolution as its source? For example, some of my video was shot at 1440x1080, which I can only assume is anamorphic. I originally tried to export at 1920x1080 but then changed my mind as I assumed the 1440x1080 would just stretch naturally. Does this sound right?
2) FCPX is telling me that a few of my files are in 1080i. I'd like to encode them in 1080p as it tends to look better on computer screens. In FCPX, is it as simple as dragging my interlaced footage into a progressive timline and then exporting? I've heard about checking the "de-interlace" box under clip settings and then doubling the framerate but that seemed to make my video look worse.
3) I've heard that it might be better practice to export my projects as master files and then encode h.264 in Compressor. Is there any truth to this? Might it be better for the interlaced to progressive conversion as well?
Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

1) yes. 1440 will display ax 1920.
2) put everything in a 1080p project.
3) Compressor will give you more options for control. The h264 from FCP is a very high data rate and makes large files.

Need advise on best settings for FCP 7!

I am looking for some advice on the best settings for FCP 7 when I am syncing sound using pluraleyes, exporting into quicktime as one file and then importing that new file into FCP 7 for editing. I have noticed that sometimes my Quicktime files are very large (20 gb) and sometimes they are much smaller (130 MB), but I never changed the settings.
I am working on FCP 7 and shot using my Panasonic GH3 at 24 fps (which comes to 23.98). My frame size is 1920x1080. Compressor is H.264. Data rate: 8.6 MB/sec. Audio rate: 48.0 KHz. I have heard that FCP 7 does not properly deal with H.264. So, I am wondering, what should my settings be? Should I set to "Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) 1920x1080 24p 48 kHz"? Is there anything I need to know when I export to Quicktime 7 Pro in order to not reduce the quality of the video? Should I be changing my video files first before I even start to work on them?
I haven't edited in almost ten years so I am desperate need of some guidance!
Final Cut Pro 7, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Hi Shane Ross,
Thanks for your help. So, I already synced all of my interviews in FCP 7 (using pluraleyes) before I changed the video to ProRess 422. Can I just go into FCP (in the same project) and compress the video footage, import the new video files and throw it into the timeline? Or will this cause issues? I tried this as a test and it seems to be okay but I just want to check that there aren't any issues that I am not considering.
Also, when I do compress, it seems to take forever (sometimes two hours). Is there any way to make this move along faster?
Thanks so much!

What is the best format for HDV video for a computer playback

Hello guys,
I have made a very nice HDV video and after the frustration and awful results with compression for
SD DVD, I have decided just to export that video as a file, put that file on DVD, so people can just pop that DVD into their computers, copy that file on their HD and play it. (so there is no compression needed for over internet data transfer, Bit Rates for space, etc). The video is
HDV 1080i 60. If I export it from FCP as a QT Movie the quality is beautiful. But when being watched on the computer screen, there are those interlace lines visible, when any faster motion in the video occurs. So I am wondering, what would be the best export option in order to provide best qualities for computer playback. Would it be some of those QT progressive modes, like 1080 p24? Or any other?
Thank you for your help.
Cheers,
K.

Chris Walsh1 wrote:
Why are you using FCP 6.02? Why didn't you do the update to 6.04?? I did, and I am having tons of issues
That is pretty much the reason. It is fresh out the gate and so far untested. I am not an early adopter of any new technology (soft or hardware wise). I like to wait it out and see what other peoples' experience is. A bit of a prickish way to put it is: "In Chess, the pawns go first." (I'm a big Chess nerd -- I have Chess analogies for just about everything).
But even if the latest FCP, OS X and QT versions were humming along without any reported issues by the "power users" (by that I mean people who are editing on their systems 40+ hours a week in a professional capacity) I still wouldn't have upgraded because I am in the middle of three projects.
Well, that isn't entirely the truth. I started all three projects on a PowerMac G4 running OS X 10.4.11 and FCP 5.1.4. In the midst of this I started an across-the-board upgrade -- new computer, monitor, OS and FCS. But what I did (am still doing) is migrating from one to another and testing the performance on the new one before committing. In doing my research before hand, I see that the magic cocktail for stability appears to be OS X 10.5.2, FCP 6.0.2 and QT 7.4.5 so I built my new MacPro to that and stayed there. I have migrated all my current projects to the new system and have been putting the new setup to the test and is passing at every turn, so I feel confident I can work on this new system and will be retiring the PowerMac soon, but throughout this process I always had my stable G4 setup available so I wouldn't risk losing any work.
Might the reason the video you compressed "looked great" be because you didn't do the update?
Maybe, but I can't say with any certainty.
In the old compressor, I had no problems (in earlier versions of my project) compressing the video. It always looked GREAT! In 3.03, I get weird issues that don't make sense to me at all.
In the older version of compressor, this never happened. Even on this project.
Then I would think the update is the likely culprit.
Here is what I would like to try as my final attempt. I just bought yet ANOTHER computer. A Mac Pro/Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeo. I'd like to try to load Final Cut Studio on this machine, but where should I stop my upgrading? What is good stable working system for everyone??
OS X 10.5.2, FCP 6.0.2 and QT 7.4.5 is working great for me, and it appears for others here as well. I am running a new octo-2.8GHz Mac Pro.

What is the best program for playing games,dics,3d settings such as "groove setting"

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Aubry,
why don't you send your sequences straight to Compressor first, encode your movies as MPEG 2 and AC3 audio and import all assets in DVD studio PRO?
G.

Best compressor for quicktimefiles

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