Compressor vs episode pro

what would be the benefits, if any, to upgrade to episode pro over compressor?

Hi,
I've been using both for some time now.
The reason for me is that Compressor don't handle specific settings of MPEG4 H264 for hardware like PS3. For some stupid reason, Quicktime let you compress video files into .MP4 that are compatible with PS3 but Compressor don't have those settings. I've been wondering why Apple made such limitations on Compressor while Quicktime don't have them.
So I use Compressor for iPod and SD resolutions and Episode to create 480p, 720p and 1080p all in .mp4 H264 to be as compatible as possible with most hardware (PS3, Xbox360, mobiles, PMPs, etc.)
I've tried to use the Episode plug-in in Compressor, but it crashes every time for me on some settings.
So I'm stuck of using 2 software while I was dreaming to use only one and hoping for benefits when I'll switch to Snow Leopard.
I've just ordered the Matrox MXO2 Mini Max that has an hardware accelerated compression compatible with the Quicktime plateform. I hope it will help me speed things up.

Similar Messages

H.264 encoding with Episode Pro or Compressor ???

I will be doing some HDDVD soon and was wondering if anyone have used Episode Pro for H.264 encoding. I'm using CinemaCraft for SD encoding and find it much better than compressor but at the moment there's no affordable H.264 encoders other than Episode pro...Any suggestions ??? Thanks

Currently, I have Episode Pro 4.2.2, which is the latest version of Episode Pro. The limitations with it are that there are several small things like with H.264, where it will only do 2 pass encoding, instead of multipass, which if you're a stickler for detail like I am, you will see the difference.
Episode doesn't base it's encoding on QT, though it does make use of the codecs contained in QT. As one of the people at telestream said, they use there own proprietary engine and as a result, for the most part, does very fairly nice job.
If you were to really put to the test Episode Pro against compressor's multipass encoder, you find that all things being setup the same, that compressor would yield a technically superior image, (due to multipass encoding.)
If you are in a hurry and the quality of image is not as important as time, Episode Pro is you're choice. Now in defense of Telestream, they are a company that listens to there end users, unlike some I know, (Auto Desks Cleaner 6.5 comes to mind.) I have emailed there technical team and made suggestion on improvements to Episode Pro and believe it or not, they will be implementing my suggestions within the next 6 to 8 months. My moneys always on the company that listens to there customers.
When I have very critical work, dealing with H.264, compressor when setup correctly gives outstanding results, but now that when I have corresponded with Telestream over the last month, I'm betting that the limitations that Episode currently has, will rapidly disappear in a very short time, they just listen the there customers.
I also have 3 copies of Cleaner 6.5 and it also, (when it works) also uses multipass encoding for H.264 and resulting files look fabulous. The only problem is that I can never keep a batch running for more than a day.
Long story short, for day to day output, were perfection is not a concern, Episode Pro is a very good choice, (I own 3 copies.) For mission critical work, where high quality is a must, I unfortunately have to still use Cleaner 6.5, even though it hasn't seen an update in over a year, (not even bug fixes.) The reason for using Cleaner 6.5 is that, I guess I'm just use to the software and know were all the gotchs are, so I just work around them. Compressor again is a very good choice, but the setup is still not on par with the other encoders, this is why I use Cleaner 6.5, (for critical work) and Episode Pro, (for day to day use) there easier to setup.
Sorry for rambling on so much, I have been dealing with finding the best solution for a long time now, and still there isn't just one app that has it all, YET! I even own a copy of Sorenson 4.5, but don't use it at all.

How can i export lossless video from FCP for Episode Pro?

Hi,
i am looking for a way to export videos from Final Cut Pro in order to use it in Episode Pro for further converting.
I know i xould use Compressor an just import the Episode settings into Compressor, but that's gonna obstruct my workflow and - to be honest - i hate Compressor.
So what video format is the best for this kind of project?
Thanks,
Heidi

Hideous Heidi wrote:
If i do it like David says the titles are displayed with different fonts.
Unfortunately the source material is on an external Drive connected via Firewire 800 to a mac in the office next to mine. Our macs are connectet via gigabit ethernet.
Something doesn't sound right.
First, If you render the Sequence before exporting it for Episode, it should not matter whether or where the fonts are installed. Are you sure everything is rendered?
Second, are actually saying that your are editing material in your Final Cut timeline that is coming in over a network connection in another office? You must spend an awful lot of time, drumming your fingers on the desk!
We export everything we do to Episode for conversion to Flash. It just works.

Using episode pro to do flash file

I am using episode pro in compressor to do a flash file, but on the lower third of a name banner with a red lower third, with a name caption on top, the name caption has shifted up and off the red background and now is not in line. ( its mpved the text up 1 cm from where it should be )
any ideas why? the sequence on fcp is all looking correct.
Daz

Yes it is. I have the HC1's bigger brother the prosumer HVR-A1U and I just received my universal final cut studio yesterday and just played a little, but yes it can. I have the 17" MBP and have both played high def. H.264 quicktime movies on it and have also imported some HDV content and that too plays fine. The only problem I have is that I went with the 7200 RPM drive so that I can edit on the go with just my laptop, but between the system software, and my document from my current machine, I was down to barely any space available. What I'm gonna do now is keep my old machine and the documents on that, and so I can keep the majority of my HDD open for video editing.
-Brian

Episode Pro Desktop and Final Cut Server ... anyone?

Hi everyone.
Has anyone found a way to use Episode Pro Desktop v5 within FCS? I know that the more expensive Episode Engine is compatible with FCS, but there seems to be no reason why the desktop edition (with the Compressor plugin) shouldn't work.
I've created a number of presets in Compressor that use the Episode plugin, and everything works fine. (I'm encoding to FLV8 and MPEG-2)
I add those presets to FCS - but the encoding jobs just fail with the message:
*Error: Missing destination media format*
and
*ERROR: EMISSINGPARAM*
*Wrapper format missing from destination media format*
Any ideas? It seems to be more of a problem with FCS than Episode. FCS doesn't seem to understand the format of my destination file - which is frustrating, because I don't need it to understand it - I just want it to post the job off to Compressor!
Apple's FCS website suggests that Episode can easily extend the formats FCS can support:
Taken from www.apple.com/finalcutserver:
+"For even more options, you can add the Episode Pro plug-in from Telestream to encode to VC-1, WMV, GXF, and FLV formats, as well as High Profile H.264 and a number of third-party proprietary broadcast server formats."+
I read that as "Episode Pro plug-in for Compressor" ... and not "you need to spend £4k on Episode Engine" - so it must be possible with the desktop edition ;o)
FCServer, Episode Pro and Compressor are all running on the same machine.
Is there something obvious I'm missing? Has anyone got this working? Does this problem also suggest that other Compressor plugins wont work with FCS?
Thanks,
Oliver.

Oli,
I understand. Keep your eye open for Snow Leopard with Quicktime X that offers [quote] "native support for all common video formats". My guess that will be MXF, WMV, various MP formats will be added along with others for portable devices. Some people disagree with me though stating that Apple would never support competitive formats. Let's see, fact is that the Pro video & broadcast industry is screaming for native MXF support (Major broadcasters are investing in MXF play-out servers) and many corporate CMS builders need WMF because ignorant executives will never understand that quicktime offers the best possibilities. They are just sitting behind their windows machines staring at their Windows Media player. I hope that Apple will at least offer people, that are smart enough to develop in a Quicktime based environment, the native support they deserve for sticking their heads out.
By the same token, I hope that there will be a Web App soon for review & approve purposes.

On2 Flix Pro or Telestream Episode Pro w/ Flash option?

Like most of the posts on FCP 6 and Compressor 3, I was crushed to find out that you need to spend an extra $350 - $500 to export a timeline to .flv
Flash seems to be the most compatible option for web video so I have to have that option. I don't have CS 3 on my current machine. Has anyone tried On2 Flix Pro or Telestream's Episode Pro? Any feedback on ease of use, quality, etc?
I also need to send timelines to our Grass Valley server....again I was crushed to find out that you need a plug-in to do that.
I vote for a clear WARNING on future packaging. FCP is a GREAT GREAT product, but I really got the impression you got it all - flash, grass valley export, and color!

Kevin,
for a visual comparison of various Flash encoding tools, look no further than here:
http://www.flashvideofaq.com/
If you get along with 1-pass encoding, Flix Encoder Standard does the job well.
It's currently offered for $39.
http://www.on2.com/products/flix/flix-standard/
If you don't need the newer VP6 codec from Flash 8 I can also recommend Visual Hub ($23.32).
http://www.techspansion.com/visualhub/
Epsiode (you only need the basic, not the Pro version) produces the best quality, has the greatest amount of control, integrates with Compressor etc. but has a quite hefty $495 pricetag (Episode basic w/ Flash 8 option) if you don't need the other functions/export formats.
http://www.flip4mac.com/episode.htm
If you really only need Flash Export, then On2 Flix Exporter can be integrated into a compressor workflow, too, although I didn't test this tool myself. $200.
http://www.on2.com/products/flix/exporter/
Hint:
Why not try the 30-day demo version of Flash?
It installs a standalone encoding tool plus a quicktime export component.
Hope this helps.
Best regards, Oliver

Logic Pro 9 Compressor and Soundtrack Pro

Hi,
I have recently installed Mackeeper in my iMac. After everything I opened Logic Pro and it couldn't open. So I thought it could be an issue from Mackeeper, I requested a help from them and they asked me to send my report and I sent to them. Later on I was recommended to uninstall the logic pro, so when I reinstalled the logic pro the following components Compressor and Soundtrack Pro were deselected, it was in gray and I couldn't find out how to install it. The other issue is that the installation was successfully completed without installing the Logic Studio Audio Contents 1,2,3 and Demo Content was also not installed
Is there anything wrong I did?
Help Please!
Many thanks in advance

Interesting; and who would have thought ! What does Logic and FCP have to do with each other being installed. I have FCP running (w./ all) and Logic Pro 9 and perhaps your Logic Studio 2 is not the same. I have no idea.
I'm hoping that I can export the LPro files into FCP ez along with exporting them to WAV or formats that a PC can use; if anyone has heard of problems with that. ?

Importing HDV footage created in Episode Pro

Episode Pro (latest update) creates HDV files that i can't import in Fina Cut 6 (latest update).
It happenend since updated Itunes to version 10. It seems to have stopped working at this moment
now when importing footage in FCP i get File error: unknown file type. It did not happen before
Any idea?

Open it in Quicktime and hit command-I and the codec and all other vital stats will be given in that window.
Likely the FCP file used a ProRes codec, and those will not open in FCE. FCE uses only the Apple Intermediate Codec for HDV material.

A Compressor/DVD studio pro question

Hi all.
I have a Compressor/DVD studio pro question.
I have a compressor setting that is just the standard DVD MPEG 2 best quality 120 minutes. I have only changed the video setting to Pal as I am in Australia.
When I go to import the rendered product into DVD Studio Pro I get an error message saying "incorrect format". I even tried importing the rendered file into Toast Titanium and I get the same message from that program.
Can anyone help with this problem?

In DVD SP you have to set the format, NTSC or PAL first. Then import the clip. If there is already footage from one format already in the project you cannot flip it to the other. You have to remove the footage first. Then try flipping to PAL. Sometimes it doesn't work. Generally only video footage is ID'ed as PAL or NTSC. Audio just has frequency.

Compressor and Soundtrack Pro not installing even if Final Cut isn't there

Hello,
I have a problem installing Compressor and Soundtrack Pro that I don't know how to solve.
The "read me" note of the software says, "Warning: Soundtrack Pro 3 and Compressor 3.5 contain updated components that are incompatible with Final Cut Studio 2 or earlier. If the Logic Studio installer detects Final Cut Studio 2 or earlier on your system, it automatically deselects the checkboxes for Soundtrack Pro and Compressor in the Custom Install pane."
Problem is, I've never had Final Cut Studio installed and the installer still deselects Compressor and Soundtrack Pro, and I cannot find a way to install them.
I'm using a new MacBook Pro and everything is up to date on it. I haven't installed much of anything else on this machine either.
Can anyone help?

Hi
Perhaps these will help:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3580
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=13051934&#13051934
CCT

Flash Access Packager with Bridges to Rhozet Carbon (Win) and Telestream Episode Pro (OSX)

Hi guys,
i develope in the last month a full automate packager for flash access 2.0, written in AIR.
I used AIR for the GUI and native process for communication with the jar fp access packager.
I was impressed how fast i can develope a GUI for our customer with the latest flash builder. The hard work was to communicate with encoders like rhozet carbon coder on windows and episode on OSX.
I first thought that i need about 2 days for a stable watch folder function, but if you want toDo a stable watch folder with error and retry managment it can steal you maybe more then 2 weeks of your lifetime for developing.
anyway, i record 2 tutorials and i would like to share how to build your DRM pipelines with other encoders or media assets management. The very interesting part is that it seems to possible to pack h.264 encrypted content into .flv. I think some of you know what this means. I got some examples ready, but need to proof more the flv specs if we transmux everyting right.
Flash Access 2.0 with Rhozet Carbon Coder 3.18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69tY3059RYQ
Flash Access 2.0 with Episode Pro 6.1.xx for OSX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GILbP7oFOM (audio is broken for some reasons)
Let me know what you think about this and if you want to talk about technical things or if you need help with FA lets start a disscusion here.
Have a nice weekend.
Gary
http://onlinelib.de

Hi guys,
i develope in the last month a full automate packager for flash access 2.0, written in AIR.
I used AIR for the GUI and native process for communication with the jar fp access packager.
I was impressed how fast i can develope a GUI for our customer with the latest flash builder. The hard work was to communicate with encoders like rhozet carbon coder on windows and episode on OSX.
I first thought that i need about 2 days for a stable watch folder function, but if you want toDo a stable watch folder with error and retry managment it can steal you maybe more then 2 weeks of your lifetime for developing.
anyway, i record 2 tutorials and i would like to share how to build your DRM pipelines with other encoders or media assets management. The very interesting part is that it seems to possible to pack h.264 encrypted content into .flv. I think some of you know what this means. I got some examples ready, but need to proof more the flv specs if we transmux everyting right.
Flash Access 2.0 with Rhozet Carbon Coder 3.18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69tY3059RYQ
Flash Access 2.0 with Episode Pro 6.1.xx for OSX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GILbP7oFOM (audio is broken for some reasons)
Let me know what you think about this and if you want to talk about technical things or if you need help with FA lets start a disscusion here.
Have a nice weekend.
Gary
http://onlinelib.de

How do I get audio from compressor to Studio Pro?

I used the Compressor preset "DVD: Best Quality 90 minutes" "MPEG-2.6Mbps 2 pass" on my 8 minute video in order to create a movie to import into Studio Pro. I end up with a m2v file with no audio. If I try using the Dolby setting it makes a ac3 file but the file crashes Studio Pro whenever I import.
"MPEG-2.6Mbps 2 pass" says "with AIFF audio" but all I get is video when it compresses.
I tried to go into the inspector for audio selections but it won't let me change anything.
I noticed in one tutorial when you move the "MPEG-2.6Mbps 2 pass" setting to the submit window that two lines appear for submission. One video and one audio. When I do that I only get the video. That's why I thought I might need the Dolby setting.
Using 4.2 Studio Pro
OS X 10.6.6 and installed ProKitUpdate7.0.

For openers, using ProKit 7.0 may be what is causing the DVDSP crashes... AC-3 audio certainly won't.
Read this for more info:
Restoring an older version of ProKit - Digital Rebellion Blog
If you wish to use AIFF audio, you're going to need to put an AIFF audio setting on the clip along with the
"MPEG-2 6.2Mbps 2-pass" setting which, as you've discovered, creates the m2v. DVDSP expects to get two components, one audio and one video.
There is an excellent help file included within Compressor (access with the Help button while in Compressor) which contains not only these answers but also your next ones. Check it out.

Steps to exporting from FCP to Compressor/DVD studio pro

Hello,
I have just completed editing my video and would like to know the steps to exporting my video so that I can burn it on a DVD. I need help with the steps involved in exporting my project to compressor then to DVD studio pro.
Thank you for your help in advance!
p.s. on a separate note: I shot in 1080i and converted my raw footage to .mov format (640 x 480) to edit. Now that I'm done with editing, is there a way to bring the quality back up to 1080i?
Thanks!

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12830379&#12830379

FCP Pro Res Super 16mm -- Compressor -- DVD Studio Pro (Nightmare Workflow Critique)

Hello,
I figured I post here rather than the DVD Studio Pro forum; I've posted on Creative Cow as well but haven't gotten any responses yet.
Before I mention my problem, I'd like to mention that I've tried several types of compression methods and bitrates and unfortunately, my disk still freezes in my player, generally around the same area.
(I have two, minute long clips with Smoothcam there).
I'll try to be as specific about my work-flow as I can and I've posted the photos of my FCP and Compressor settings below.
30 Minutes. Super 16mm.
2K DPX Scans -- > Graded In Color --> Pro Res 4444 23.976 --> Sent To Compressor --> Mpeg 2 + AC3 --> Build & Format With DVD Studio Pro
I set blue compression markers at the start of each Smoothcam clip.
I've recompressed my footage without Smoothcam as well - with the same end result.
I've sent my timeline to Compressor and used both the 5.5-7 VBR setting and the 6.5 CBR settings (with everything under Frame Controls set to the highest quality).
(I've also used the 6.2-7.7 built in settings with the ninety-minute high quality preset).
I am using Sony DVD-R disks. 16X/1X. When I play them in my PS3, the film freezes at different points in the first two-three minutes - then skips ahead exactly to the same point in my film - about halfway.
I've set Chapter markers and it skips to the halfway one; from there it plays fine.
1. I wanted to ask if I should maybe export my entire sequence first through FCP (an .mov file) and try Compressing that?
(I've done this and the result is still the same)
2. Should I set it to Pro Res 422 HQ first?
(I've done this and the result is still the same)
3. Perhaps I should just try to Compressor with the 90Min-HQ setting without changing anything?
(I've done this and the result is still the same)
4. Should I remove the Smoothcam?
I'm currently compressing the entire sequence void of all Smoothcam.
When I bring the files into DVD Studio Pro, I see under preferences that Studio Pro also has VBR settings. Do those have any effect on my DVD encode? There is no CBR there - only VBR set from 5.5-7.
5. Is there anything I'm doing wrong with regards to my workflow? There are several options that may be causing this; I'm not sure if its the progressive footage to interlaced standard definition disk, or modifying field dominance, gop structure, etc.
Any help would be greatly (that's greatly) appreciated.
Thanks!
-Boris

My first impression is you're trying to make this too hard...
You have a high quality timeline which is downconverted to 1080, no problem. Once rendered, SmoothCam
should not represent a problem. If anything, SmoothCam will reduce the sudden movement that can cause problems. Any scenes where you have a high rate of change per frame (like in an explosion or a background of leaves flapping in the wind) should be marked with compression markers.
Export as a QT movie using sequence settings (include markers for DVDSP) so you have a completed source file for compression. I'm not aware of anything that will improve the quality beyond what is in the timeline, so current sequence settings are fine. Test this for playback issues.
If you are having playback problems with the sequence after export and compression, the most probable cause is excessively high bandwidth requirements. Try using the DVD: Best Quality 90 minutes preset. It generally produces a very good quality product. Any attempt to increase the quality will likely increase the bandwidth requirements that are the probable cause of the skipping.
While Sony is a big name, their DVD substrate is only mediocre. If you think the substrate is a problem, switch to Verbatim or JVC/Taiyo-Yuden.
If you are dissatisfied with the quality of the Compressor output, look into the Cinema Craft encoding products.
Hope this helps.

Help with Workflow FCP to Compressor then DVD Pro and Shaky footage

Hi, I am new to using a MAC and also to Final Cut Studio so if this question has been asked before or seems obvious then I offer my apologies.
I have a clip on the timeline which is a little shaky but I need to use it. I have added a SmoothCam filter and when I playback in FCP all seems OK however after sending to Compressor then eventually to DVD Pro the clip shows as being shaky again, almost as if the filter had been deleted in the Compressor. Could someone perhaps talk me through the correct workflow I should be using and maybe suggest where I am going wrong please. As I said this is my first attempt to author a DVD with FCP on my MAC.
The footage was captured on my Panasonic Home camcorder. The settings in my camera were set at 1920 x 1080 HG mode for High Definition.
In my camera user guide it refers to the images being based upon the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec so should I have set something similar when capturing into FCP.
Any advice would be welcomed.
Regards
Fred

Hi Mike I tried everything to try and resolve this one, I tried all combinations of field dominance. I also followed the recommendations from the Apple help to use the intermediate codec (search under AVCHD in the Help files) If I get anywhere I will mail you
Regards
Fred
PS I had some advice from another forum group who said to try and export a Quicktime movie into DVD Pro and not to send to Compressor, I will try that later and see if that helps.

Compressor vs episode pro

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