Compressor Batch Question

Hey, quick question about using the batch function in compressor. im using it to compress a 4 minute video piece using H.264 which im going to put up on the web. whats the diference between the different batches such as H.264 100mps. 300mps & 800mps??

Those numbers - 100, 300, 800, reflect the kilobytes per second of your compressed video & audio stream.
The more bytes per second, the better your file's quality can be - and I say can because it's not an exact science - but your file size will also be that much larger.
Once you've selected a preset, the Inspector window of Compressor 2 will show you an estimated file size in the Summary tab, if that helps.

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Compressor Batch Window Will NOT open

Please help. I have read some posting on this subject but I cannot get Compressor Batch window to open. I have un-installed and installed following the Apple instructions several times, updated the software, all to no avail. I need this work and I am tearing my hair out. Has anyone had this problem and found a solution? Thank you.

The only way I got it to work is to manually uninstall Compressor and Qmaster first (earlier post 3 up). The part of article 302845 you need is below. AFTER you uninstall them and restart, Leopard and your install discs should not see compressor. Then re-install Compressor and Qmaster, but don't update them.
Remove and reinstall Compressor
To reinstall Compressor effectively, you need to remove the application, its receipts and associated files, then install Compressor and use Software Update to install additional updates. Follow the steps below to completely reinstall a fresh copy of Compressor. Note: Make sure that you have the installation discs for the application that Compressor was bundled with and the serial number handy before starting this.
1. Use Finder to remove the following listed items:
* /Applications/Apple Qadministrator.app
* /Applications/Apple Qmaster.app
* /Applications/Compressor.app
* /Applications/Utilities/Batch Monitor.app
* /Library/Application Support/Apple Qmaster (the folder)
* /Library/Frameworks/AECore.framework
* /Library/Frameworks/Compressor.framework
* /Library/Frameworks/MediaServerAPI.framework
* /Library/Frameworks/Qmaster.framework
* /Library/Logs/Qmaster (the folder)
* /Library/PreferencePanes/Apple Qmaster.prefPane
* /Library/Receipts/Compressor.pkg
* /Library/Receipts/ProMediaIO.pkg
* /Library/Receipts/Qmaster.pkg
* /Library/Receipts/Qmaster_Frameworks.pkg
* /Library/StartupItems/Qmaster (the folder)
2. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.
3. Type the following path:
/usr/sbin/
4. Click the Go button.
5. Locate the following items from that Finder folder, and drag them to the Trash:
* qmasterca
* qmasterd
* qmasterprefs
* qmasterqd
6. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.
7. Type the following path:
/var/spool/qmaster/
8. Click the Go button.
9. If there are any folders inside the qmaster directory, drag them to the Trash.
10. If you have Motion installed, drag it from the Applications folder to the Trash.
11. From your install disc, reinstall Compressor and Apple Qmaster (and Motion, if applicable).
12. When finished, use Software Update (under the Apple menu) to update your software to the latest version.

Qmaster/compressor- only 2 of 8 render farm nodes service compressor batch?

I have 8 nodes in my farm but only two are servicing Compressor jobs.
In the QM Administrator console these two nodes display a line item for both "Compressor" and "Rendering" in the "ServiceType" column, the other nodes only show Rendering so I can understand why these two are the only nodes that are handling the Compressor batch.
What I don't understand is what I need to do to configure the other nodes in the farm to also display a Compressor "service type", I've checked and rechecked the QMaster settings on all the machines and there is no apparent difference in the configurations b/t the two nodes that work for compressor and the others that do not (as viewed in the QM System Prefs panel).
FYI, there are no other batches running, ALL nodes correctly service other render jobs, such as Maya and After Effects, and there are other Compressor batches "waiting" so there is enough work for the other nodes to complete.
Any ideas are appreciated.
Thanks,
Brian

I answered this one myself. From Sys Pref->QMaster on each node:
1. Stop Service
2. Option-click "Start Service" button to change button to "Reset Service", then to Reset Service (note: resetting the service will remove the node from a Cluster if it belonged to one).
3. Start Service
4. In QM Administrator add the node back to your cluster.
*I am using managed services only and each node has "shared/managed" enabled for BOTH "rendering" and "compressor".

FCS for automating compressor batches and thumnail creation

Hello,
We're in the process of putting our video archive online, and I've been tasked with finding the best way to encode all the media we need.
I've found a workflow that's clunky, but it works using FCP and Compressor. My question really, is can I do all of this in Final Cut Server, and better still - will it speed things up?
_*Existing workflow*_
The starting point is a set of clips, a hundred or so per tape, that are ready and exported from Final Cut as DV files.
1. Create compressor presets with watermark, timecode reader, and text overlay with tape number.
2. Repeat for both flash versions and a quicktime at full DV.
3. Stick the media into compressor and apply presets, then submit.
4. Upon completion, stick the new DV through Sorenson Squeeze.
5. Using Automator and some quicktime actions, get the first frame of every clip and save as jpeg for thumbnails.
6. Batch resize all these thumbnails in photoshop.
7. Upload all files to site via FTP.
That's pretty much it. So my questions are:
1. If I set up all my compressor presets, can I bring these into FCS?
2. Does it support flash?
3. Can I use watch folders to automate any of this?
4. Will it submit these various things to a compressor cluster?
5. Can it make thumbnail images of the files (this would be hugely advantageous, as the current system is so clunky)
6. Does FCS include Compressor?
7. I'm looking at buying a machine to get all these encodes done faster. Should I spend more on RAM or processor for faster compression? I'm under the impression that it's more processor intensive.
Any help in any of these areas would be much appreciated!
Best,
Ben

re 1: Yes, you can use your compressor presets in FCS.
re 2: No, FCS/Compressor does not natively support Flash. However, there is a slick add-on for Compressor called Episode (http://www.telestream.net/products/episode_series.htm) that will allow you to encode Flash (and Windows media, and 4:2:2 Mpeg2, etc) using Compressor.
re 3: Yes, you can use watch folders to automate the compression, ftp upload, and thumbnail generation.
re 4: Yes, FCS supports clusters.
re 5: see re 3:
re 6: Yes, FCS includes Compressor.
re 7: If only a few people are going to connect to FCS simultaneously, spend the money on the processors. If a bunch of people will be connected at the same time, you may want to look into more RAM and a fast hard drive configuration.

URGENT HELP PLEASE! Compressor BATCH WINDOW disappear

Hello Folks,
I work with final cut Studio 2 and compressor since 1 year. Since last week, when I try to export or open a clip in compressor, the Batch window is not there. I've try to submit a new batch from Final cut or motion to compressor or open directly a movie in compressor but nothing seems to work??? I tried to reinstall all the software and nothing to do. The same problem occur. What's the bug???
Sorry for my bad english, it's not my first language.
Thank you for your help!

There's an actual application called Batch Monitor. Go to Spotlight and type Batch Monitor. It should appear, click it and there it is.
If you were talking about the batch window in Compressor itself, there is the history window (I think that's what it is called, I'm away from the Mac right now). Check up in the menubar under Window and look for the History window. That will list all the jobs you have submitted, whether they were successful or cancelled and the time remaining.
Hmmm... wait. Are you looking for the window that you actually drag your files onto and where you drag the compressor settings to? Try again under the Window menu, or try under the File Menu and select New Batch.
See if that works.

Compressor Batch - will NOT open batch monitor

i had to reinstall my friends FCP/Compressor/DVDSP (he didn't want the other stuff)
but now when we try to export a file from compressor to a dvd file such as dolby audio
we get an error saying "unable to connect to background process"
any ideas? maybe we need to install something else?
i did notice (at least i think) batch monitor was in the applications folder and now its in utilities
maybe thats the issue?
any ideas i can give him so we can continue to work on some stuff
thanks

Batch Monitor is meant to be in Utilities, so that is fine.
Try these steps (I assume you are using Compressor 3):
http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/compressorerror_unable_to_connect_to_backgroundprocess.html

Trouble with Compressor/Batch

I had a huge problem with Compressor yesterday. When setting up a batch encode I have trouble getting back to FCP (6.05) to get my files to complete my batch. I use a shortcut button from my button list as opposed to file>export to when I do this most times I will end up with a spinning ball and when I try force quitting it says FCP is not responding. I have a Quad 2.8 .
Thanks
Jeff

formats?
filters?
encoding preset?
trashed prefs?

Compressor Batch submissionn Quits

I am running Compressor 2.0.1 (Came with DVDSP stand alone software), and I haven't used it in awhile. Tonight when I ran it the Batch program quit unexpectedly. I tried rebooting and reinstalling QT Player but no luck. I don't have iLife '09 but I do have iWork installed. I am trying to export from FCE on a G5 with plenty of memory on the 2 internal HD's. What else should I try?

I tried compressor_repair, but no dice. I reinstalled qmaster and related files from DVDSP disk. Then I reinstalled Compressor and decided not to use "All" for the selections, just the AIFfF and video and lo and behold that seems to work. It is compressing frame by frame now.

Can you Up-Convert SD footage to HD in Compressor? Question in 2 parts

Hi guys, this may sound silly but I have to ask if this is possible.
My question is in 2 parts!
1. I have SD Footage, shot with XL2 at 60i and I am trying to achieve best picture quality to burn in DVDSP.
Can I up-convert it to HD in Compressor 3? If so, which preset would I use?
2. If it is possible to up-convert SD footage to HD,
Can you still burn the up-converted HD video on a regular SD DVD in DVDSP if it fits on a single or dual layer disc?
Thank you,
Z

For starters, you can't make SD turn into HD. It's just not possible. Something was shot at a resolution of 720x480 which means it will never become 1280x720 or 1920x1280. That being said, there are hardware solutions called line doublers which can upscale for you, but those are expensive and not really what you even asked about so nevermind. Upscaling DVD players add pixels by interpolating info in between real pixels and adding what it think might go there. After this, filters are added to blend and soften and then some sharpening is added. I have seen DVD players that do a really nice job of this and others that don't.
Anyway, you can blow up your footage in compressor but not upscale as far as I know. The best quality footage however is going to be 720x480 since that is your source. This is especially true if you are playing back on an SD TV which only has a resolution of 720x480.
Did that help? I think I rambled a little.

Compressor 3 questions - specifically streaming for web

I am new to the world of video compression and every thing else that comes along with it. Recently i have been getting some experiance w/ FCP and now need to get some experience with compression. I have access to a computer w/ Compressor 3 but i dont know enough to use it and get the results iam looking for.
The main problem iam facing now is how to get a fair quality (not necessarily crystal clear) video compressed for the web that can stream and hopefully average out at about 1.5 mb per minute at 400 x 300 dimesnions. I was shown some settings before that did this but it seems that i have either accidently changed them or they just dont work like they used too. I know it ssems wierd to suggest that they would suddenly stop working like they used to but it actually seems like this must be the case and oddly my friend started experianceing the same thing w/ the same settings.
These are the settings i used to use when exporting through Final cut using Quick Time conversion:
Format: Quick Time Movie
Compression type: H.264
Frame Rate: 24
Key frames: 100
Data rate: 180
size: 400 x 300
This used to make ok quality video with the size at approx. 1.5 mb per min. but it doesnt seem to do that anymore(????). Anyway if any one has any experiance or advice that can help please let me know.
These are some other questions I have:
• In Compressor there are preset Apple settings and within those there is a folder for web and then for streaming. Do only these settings stream or are they just optimized for streaming? What constitutes a streamable file and can any of the other Apple presets also stream (if so which ones) ?
• Are there adavantages to using Adobe Media Encoder over Compressor, or are there other good programs that can be recommended ?
• Where can i read in a simplified or summarized way what all the comppressions terms mean, what the settings do, and which formats are ideal for what purposes etc.?
Thanking everyone in advance
ncd

Here's a great little book:
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Compressor-Quick-Reference/dp/032147408 2
While you're waiting for it to arrive, check this out:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/compressor_h-264_moviesfcp.html

Watermark - Batch Question

Hi all,
I have hundreds of PDF's where I have to watermarks to them. So I enlisted the help of Batch Processing, but my question is, is there a way for me to just run the batch job of "adding watermark" and be set and forget about it? Because right now when I run the sequence I constantly have to press OK for all the documents, it works but semi works because I have to sit there and hit the OK button for all of the PDF's.
Is there a better way for this?

I just tried to check what you advised but don't see what you say is true, where is this? I have adobe 9 pro.
Below is all I get.

FCP - Compressor - DVDSP Question

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to figure out what settings to use to get better results when creating a DVD coming from FCP.
Here's the information :
In FCP, I edited a small test video made with a 3D software. Saved uncompressed in 720 x 480 NTSC, 30 fps, anamorphic for 16:9. Looks great in FCP.
Using Compressor, I use DVD Best Quality 90 min, 16:9.
I import the resulting file in DVDSP and the quality is horrible. I know that the movie is compressed in MPEG2 and it looses quality but I'm sure I can get better results (well, I hope).
Any idea, tips, tricks to enhance the final result would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Phanault

Hey Phanault,
did you use compressor presets or did you create settings from scratch?
also, you said your video codec was "uncompressed". did you mean FCP uncompressed 4:2:2 8-bit or like an uncompressed Blackmagic, Kona file (yes, they are different).
i don't think it has to do with your PAR, but more with settings.
what you can try is to use the 4:3 preset in compressor and manually set the 16x9 flag in DVDSP, like that, you dont have to recreate your video in 4x3 (just a suggestion and technically, both methods work!).
Mikey M.

Dumb compressor geometry question

I have a compressor setting all created, and it needs to be able to handle either 16:9 or 4:3 input. I want it to output 640x__ where _ is whatever the proper height is.
I've tried specifying only 640 in the setting, that obviously didn't work.
Suggestions?

Correct, you have to choose a height. Compressor will not adjust itself based on the input. You will have to create one setting for 16:9 source files and one for 4:3 source files.

Photoshop Batch question

Hi,
I am having a problem resizing 100 images. What I do is, record (and resize all the images 7x10) and when I use the batch option half it resizes to the correct dimenstions and the other half comes out smaller. Any idea why this is happening?
Thank you
(using CS6)

Have you tried in Bridge Tools/photoshop/image processor? May be easier than doing an action.

Compressor presets question

I'm using Compressor 3 to compress a 1.5 minute video in Apple ProRes 422 to something pretty portable- something that I can demo on my late 2005 PowerBook G4. Exporting my video right from Final Cut Pro 6 gives me a file roughly 2.3 GB. What's the best compression setting to use? I'm using a Power Mac G5 Dual Core 2.3GHz model (Late 2005) with the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 and 6.5 GB of RAM.

Would that be the preset in the 'Quicktime' folder, or one of the presets in the 'Apple Devices' folder? I'm not actually looking to play it on a specific device- just thru Quicktime on my PowerBook.

Compressor Batch Question

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