Mpeg2 for broadcast

i think I have a fairly simple problem here.... hopefully.
I am trying to deliver a multiplexed mpeg2 file for broadcast and every time I use compressor to do so my audio comes out incomplete. usually at the head the tone cuts in and out. I have submitted many mpeg2 spots to my client and they always come back with some sort of QC issue, such as audio cuts out or video interpulated. I need to find out a fullproof way of exporting a mpeg2 file for broadcast. the source footage that was cut in FCP6 was HD 1920x1080 at 23.98 then ultimately down converted to 720x480 29.97. once it is ready i export from FCP6 using compressor3. I choose apples mpeg2 program stream settings and choose extras then click on the mutiplexed box. once the file goes through compressing the result is a 640x480 mpeg2 file with spotty audio. for the life of me I can not understand when the file comes out 640x480 and the audio cuts in and out. anyone able to lend a hand in this???

Don't worry about the 640x480 resolution. That is the dimensions of the video in square pixels (which computers use), which is the same as 720x480 rectangular pixels (which NTSC uses). The audio is much more concerning.
Are you using 48 KHz audio in FCP? Or are you bringing in some tracks at 44.1 KHz?
Finally, you might consider using BitVice Helper Multiplexor, which is free and will take separate audio and video and multiplex them for you.

Similar Messages

Best FC settings for broadcast?

Hello everyone,
I am relatively new at this, and I am looking for a better workflow and FC/compressor/ settings for our productions, and to solve a sound issue.
We use a set of Panasonic AG-HMC150P to capture external videos, so the footage is in HD (imported through ProRes)... sometimes we use our older Panasonic DVXs connected to a Tricaster to produce on-location multi-camera programs, and finally we record our studio programs on DV mini-tapes and/or recorded DVDs.
We need to produce each program in two formats: DVDs, and Mpeg-2 muxed to feed our video server (Cablecast), which in turns feeds a fiber-optic transmitter to the cable company.
At present what we do is import everything into a preset NTSC DV (3:2) 720x480 sequence (QuickTime Video Settings Compressor set at DV/DVPRO - NTSC) with 48 kHz- 16-bit audio. Then we basically send the finished product to compressor and export it to a standard best-quality 90-min DVD. We use that for our DVD copies of the program. Then what we do is grab the .ac3 and .m2v files created by compressor, and feed them to MPEG-Streamclip, exporting them as an Mpeg with MP2 audio stream; which creates the mpeg-2 file for our cablecast server.
So the first question is this: is there a better/efficient sequence setting or workflow we should use? Should we use one sequence setting for DVD production and then copy the content onto a different sequence with different settings for broadcast/mpeg-2 encoding?
The quality of the mpeg file (when played from the server onto our monitor) is quite good, although I am noticing a loss of quality when I watch the program on TV at home (some visual artifacts and occasional pixellations), but my main problem is sound crackling when the program displays lower thirds (occasionally), more pronounced when PPT files converted to jpeg graphics are displayed in the program. I am VERY careful to keep white levels below 90 IRE (or whatever the scopes indicate as being 90%) and apply broadcast safe filters (chroma and brightness). I keep my average sound level at about -12 dBFS with peaks not exceeding -6 dBFS (sound is compressed in SoundPro).
Any idea what might be causing the crackling? Thank you for any help you can provide...

I found the custom settings that I'd made from the DVD Best 90 minute preset and pasted them below. I made these based on a screen shot that my client provided of an MPEG Streamslip settings window.
Stefan, you should be able to start from any of the DVD presets in the Settings window. Then click "Duplicate Selected Setting" (just below the Settins tab, 3rd button over) to add a copy to the "Custom" settings folder. Select the copy, make changes in the Inspector window and then click "Save" (at the bottom right of the Inspector window).
My settings were for PAL, but the same settings should apply to NTSC minus frame rate and frame size differences. The key changes that I made were the number of encoding passes (I changed 2-pass to 1-pass) and the bit rate (the average bit rate and the maximum bit rate were increased). Also, I was encoding from DV source which has the same picture dimensions at its MPEG2 counterpart so there was no need to change the width and height.
After you've made your custom preset, encode a short test file and send it to the broadcaster to see if it's compliant with what they can broadcast before committing an entire program to it.
-Warren
Name: MPEG-2 6.2Mbps 1-pass Custom
Description: Custom settings based on screen shot provided by client.
File Extension: m2v
Estimated size: 9 GB/hour of source
Type: MPEG-2 video elementary stream
Usage:generic
Video Encoder
Format: M2V
Width and Height: Automatic
Pixel aspect ratio: Default
Crop: None
Padding: None
Frame rate: (100% of source)
Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
Start timecode from source
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Field dominance: Automatic
Average bit rate: 20 (Mbps)
1 Pass VBR enabled
Maximum bit rate: 23.5 (Mbps)
Best motion estimation
Closed GOP Size: 1/2 second, Structure: IBBP

Output for Broadcast

What should I know in order to output for broadcast? At this point, I know it's on MPEG2. Also, what application do I need to output to MPEG2?

heee. deep breaths mate!
ok. if you really want to simulate what you'll see off air as per a 14:9 version of your master then you have to simulate what CH4 will do it ... you have to give it a 14:9 crop in a 4:3 frame.
take your 16:9 master and drop the 14:9 safe guide generator on it ... leave the guide turned on.
now nest your 16:9 master into a 4:3 sequence and blow it until the 14:9 crop area, as indicated by the blue guide, is ... cropped should be 114% or so.
turn on FCP's overlays ...see how, in this 4:3 sequence the built-in action safe and title safe overlays now overlay the burnt in guides on your nested sequence?
what you are looking at now is a shallow letterbox 14:9 cropped version of your 16:9 master. that is what CH4 will do to your 16:9 broadcast for their analog terrestrial broadcast path ... and if you kept with the title safe then your keys should be safe
if you want you can go back into your 16:9 master and disable the guide to remove the burn in on the nest, and then burn a DVD of the 4:3 (14:9) sequence. then watch it back on a 4:3 tube TV ... kind of pointless doing all this and then watching it on a 16:9 telly anyway!
by the way, a few days ago I uploaded a new version of my guides plugin for download, with a bucketload of extra controls
http://web.mac.com/andymees/Freeand_Easy/main/Entries/2008/1/29_Andy’sGuides.html

Preparing Music Video for Broadcast in Premiere and Encore?

I am trying to prepare a music video for broadcast in Premiere Pro. However, the specs require audio (Ch. 1-2 stereo, Ch. 3 mono Ch. 4 mono). I can't find a way to do this in Premiere Pro. I seem to be able to do this in Encore - I can create four audio tracks.
Problems so far:
1. I can only import the stereo wav file onto track 1, and have to import it again on track 2. The stereo mix isn't spread across both tracks Left/Right. Will the stereo mix appear on the correct tracks when delivered for broadcast?
2. I need to export the video as an mpeg 2 on my hard drive - not actually burn to disc. Can I export an mpeg 2 video file without burning to disc?

I am delivering the master as an mpeg 2, uploaded by FTP.
Here are the audio specs:
Stereo Left and Right audio signals must appear on channel 1 and 2 respectively
Dolby ProLogic matrixed audio (Lt /Rt) may be substituted for Stereo audio on channel 1 and 2 if desired
Monaural audio may be substituted for Stereo on channels 1 and 2, but must appear on both channels and must be in-phase.
Secondary Audio Program (SAP) if available, must appear on Channel 3, otherwise a mono mix of Channels 1 and 2 should appear on Channel 3.
Descriptive Video Service (DVS) audio, if available, must appear on Channel 3 if delivered in lieu of SAP audio
DVS must appear on Channel 4 if delivered in addition to SAP audio, otherwise a mono mix of channels 1 and 2 should appear on channel 4.
So basically, I need a Left and Right stereo on Ch. 1 and 2. And mono on 3 and 4, because I don't have SAP or DVS content.
I can create 4 audio tracks in Encore, then I import my stereo wav file and mono wav file. But when I drag the stereo wav file onto audio track 1, both channels of the stereo wav file are on track 1. I read in Encore's help files that (assuming this would be going to DVD and not an mpeg on my hard drive) only one audio track can play at a time. Each individual audio track appears to be stereo, but I don't know how they would each correspond with the requirement for Ch. 1 to be stereo left and Ch. 2 to be stereo right. As of right now, it appears that track 1 is both left and right, and I can import the same stereo wav file on track 2 seperately with both left and right audio.
The specs I'm trying to meet are Viacom/MTV which is a major outlet for music video content, so I'm assuming their requirements are reasonable enough.
As for making an MPEG2 from Encore without burning a disc, here is the format:
Container: MXF OP1a (SMPTE 378M)
Resolution: 1920x1080i (interlaced) 16x9 aspect ratio
Encoding: MPEG2, High Profile@ High Level 4:2:2, 50Mbps Long GOP, CBR, 29.97 frames per second (59.94 fields per second)
Audio: Uncompressed 2-, 4-, 12- or 16-channel audio, 24bit @48khz, BWF (SMPTE 382M). All audio channels must be contained within 1 MXF track.
Not sure how to export from Encore - only options I am seeing involve burning to DVD or Blu-Ray.
I really appreciate your help thus far!

Short Dump when the Bex-Report scheduled for Broadcast

Hi Guru's
I am getting the short dump when I am scheduling the Bex-Report for Broadcasting. Need your help to reslove this issue.
Thanks
Navin
Note
The following error text was processed in the system BDV : The current application triggered a termination with a short dump.
The error occurred on the application server spdbwd01_BDV_05 and in the work process 0 .
The termination type was: RABAX_STATE
The ABAP call stack was:
Form: INTERNAL_ERROR of program SAPLSDCL
Form: PHIO_GET_CONTENT_ACCESS of program SAPLSDCI
Function: SDOK_PHIO_GET_CONTENT_ACCESS of program SAPLSDCI
Function: SKWF_PHIO_CONTENT_ACCESS_GET of program SAPLSKWF_CONTENT
Method: COPY_MIME_TO_FOLDER of program CL_RSRA_KWF_UTILITIES=========CP
Method: GET_STYLESHEET of program CL_RSRA_KWF_TMPL==============CP
Method: CONSTRUCTOR of program CL_RSRA_KWF_TMPL==============CP
Method: SET_TEMPLATE_FOLDER of program CL_RSRA_ENGINE_BC=============CP
Method: CONSTRUCTOR of program CL_RSRA_ENGINE_BC=============CP
Method: EXECUTE_SINGLE of program CL_RSRA_JOB===================CP

HI Navin,
Check the short dump analysis in T-code ST22.
and also check the Information Broadcast Settings / Configuration
Check the error for Emails in t-code SCOT. BASIS Consultants will help you on this issue.
Regards
Daya Sagar

What is the best way to export a video for broadcast using FCE? H264?

I need to get the best quality HD video for broadcast using final cut express and I need to know all info and settings please?

Hello,
You need to find out from the broadcaster what specs they require you to meet. H.264 is probably not it.

Clean downconversion from DVC-Pro HD to NTSC for Broadcast

We just shot some PSAs for the local DirecTV channel with the HVX200. We edited the footage in Final Cut and everything looked good. Then we downconverted the footage in Final Cut to NTSC and outputted it to DVCam. When we played it back on a TV monitor, it looked blurry and faded.
How do we maintain that clean HD look when we downconvert our footage for broadcast?
Most of the other programs shot on HD and then subsequently downconverted all have that clean professional look. Am I missing something?
Thanks.
BTW, we shot 720P24PN straight into the P2 cards.

Most of the other programs shot on HD and then subsequently downconverted all have that clean professional look. Am I missing something?
I would hazard a guess that most of these "other programs" are not using a bundled piece of software to up/down/cross-convert their HD video.
Look into hardware conversion.

HDV mixed format editing and mastering for broadcast TV

Hi
I have HDV blues with regards mixed format and multi time base.
Any help advice will be greatly appreciated.
I have never handled HDV in multiformat and multiple timebase to Mater and output for Broadcast television.
I am hoping to master to DVD directly on the configuration ( details provided below ) to deliver to NTSC and PAL market for DVD retail.
However I would need to take to a post house, one or more quicktime file to Output to Digital Betacam for television broadcast for both NTSC and PAL formats.
with regards
problems I am facing are on two fronts:
1) I am unsure of best quality and workflow to output master on Digital Betacam tape for broadcast TV in NTSC and PAL both formats.
2) With sequence set at HDV 1080 50i, and export setting as current setting, upon render and export of self contained quicktime direct from FCP timeline I face few troubling symptoms;
- that the quicktime exports 3mins to 35 minutes of qt clip but not the whole program of 90 minutes as one clip. System crashes and I have to reboot.
- Another symptom is that by doing above my time line shows aduio as out of sync to video. here i see that Audio tracks A1,A2 as being torn apart at cut edit points and have gap of 1 frame at random ( but not on all edit points ).
A3, A4 and other music and sound fx tracks have slipped off sync by few frames , again at random and also other places the edit comes back in sync with audio.
- Of course I am having to re- render this sequence timeline a zillion times even though the previously rendered files still exist in relevant folder.
Program duration: 90 minutes
current sequence : 1440 x 1080 at 50i
edit sequence time-line consists following source material directly ingested from tape via firewire in native HDV and DV:
VIDEO
-HDV footage of 1440 x 1080, 50i
-HDV footage of 1440 x 1080, 60i
-PAL footage standard and widescreen
-NTSC footage standard and widescreen
- still images
AUDIO
-AUDIO is 16 bits , 48Khz
- Voice Over is 24 bit , 48 Khz
Software: Final Cut Pro version 6
QT: 7.4.1
System configuration:
1) Mackbook pro: OS 10.4.11
graphics/ display card: GeForce 8600M GT
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: MacBook Pro
monitor: one apple cinema display 23 inch
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
2) Mac pro: dual core, 2.3 ghz, 3GB RAM
two apple cinema display 23 inch
All project media residing in 1TB Lacie 800 firewire external disk.

Hi guys, thanks for getting back to me. My client has now changed her mind and so I'm just mixing XDCAM and HDV 16:9 footage which is absolutely fine. Awesome. Thanks for your help!
I have one issue - some of the XDCAM footage she has given me is .MP4 video (actually each clip is a folder with 5 files in it (.MP4, .SMI, .PPN, .XML, .BIM). Do I have to convert the .MP4 into .MOV via Compressor to work with it (presumably this will compress it somewhat) or can I convert it simply and losslessly somehow (perhaps using sony XDCAM software?)
Thanks again for any help!
Oliver

Colour safe for broadcast help...

Hi all....
Right, not too sure about this one....
Having taught myself coulor corrections, luminance and Gammas etc.... I am now being carefull at my colour levels throughout my sequences, I am left with an issue.
My sequence is done and I am about to apply a broadcast safe filter throughout the sequence to keep my levels below 100% brightness.
But for broadcast I understand that I also need to keep my RGB values below 100%.
I understand that the way to check that those are below 100% is to check the vectorscope.
But that means going through everyframe of the sequence.
Broadcast safe doesn't seem to affect colour? or am I wrong?
Does it just modify the luminance?
Whats the best way to check the coulor levels?
Anyone?
THanks in advance
Steph

But that means going through everyframe of the sequence
yes it does ... welcome to our world
Broadcast safe doesn't seem to affect colour? or am I wrong?
Does it just modify the luminance?
the Broadcast Safe filter does indeed affect the color ... it is just far more forgiving, at its default setting, than perhaps you were expecting. if you try some of the other settings "ultra super duper conservative" etc you might see more appreciably that it is in fact working.
Whats the best way to check the coulor levels?
Use your scopes as you go through the sequence.
Plus, go to View menu > Range Check... > Excess Chroma - make sure it is checked - then scrub through your edit and see if you get any warning flags come up in the canvas.

Standard template for broadcasting

Hi,
Can anybody tell me what is the standard template for broadcasting? I am confused between:
0BROADCASTING_TEMPLATE
0QUERY_TEMPLATE_BROADCASTING70
0BROADCAST_INDEX_PAGE
0REPORT_TEMPLATE_BROADCASTING
Moreover I cannot see all the new distribution types when I create a setting. We are running it in portal..
Thanks

See the documentation for thius.
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/en/0b/bca042046fc46ae10000000a155106/content.htm

Creating video for broadcast

I'm about to start making some commercials for the company i work for.
i've never done anything for broadcast before.
most of the things i work on are for the web and for dvd.
i'm using a jvc hd1.
I guess i'm just asking for any advice that can be given...
including how to get the best possible quality in every aspect..
recording, capturing, exporting, etc.
any help would be appreciated.
thanks!
cASEY

Wow, Michelle. You are very professional in your practice. I wish more people in my market were like you. Although, I would like to modify some of her recommendations, and add some more of my own, too.
First off, Michelle is right. :30 is not :30;00. It's :29;15, or 29;20 for me. However, with new digital video servers and automated playback units in Master Control rooms, even the big guns like Dodge, Budweiser and so on get away with :29;29. Since switching can be done on the frame level with computer controlled stuff, the margin of error is less. However, don't push it if you don't know what they have in the control room. Stick to :29;15, or :29;20 if you feel lucky.
Thirty seconds of bars is a must. Record thirty seconds of bars at the beginning of every tape before you shoot. It will help during capturing later. At least :10 of a slate is good. Mine is about :13 (I have a special composited slate with a huge animated countdown that moves to killer rock music). However, with a countdown ending at 2, you can't put 10 seconds of black after that. I only put two seconds. Also, make sure you put at least 10 seconds of black at the end of the spot. Slates should include the client, title, version or revision if necessary, date, length, and names of important people (like editor and producer).
If you use a cassette to archive your finished spots, put a "dirty" version with all the graphics, and follow it with a "clean" version, which has no graphics, and the music is placed on the left channel and the voice on the right (or vice versa if desired). I archive on hard drive using those rules as well. I also archive my bins, projects and sequences. The edit system I use for commercials is not FCP, so my bins and sequences can be saved outside of the project. This is helpful because you can always recapture your footage and recreate the spot if necessary.
This brings me to my next point. DO NOT recycle MiniDV tapes. I've found that they fail quickly. Use a new one for each client, and keep all their footage on their own tape (or tapes). Include it in your operating cost, since they're $4 each. Doing this helps you if you have hard drive problems or if you need to change a shot in a commercial you made last year. Keep in mind the tip of recording bars for thrity seconds on each tape. If you need to recapture footage that starts 4 seconds into the tape, the process is a lot harder than if it starts 34 seconds into the tape. The second option is more automatic and it will make you happy. Another good idea is to record bars after your footage for thirty seconds. That way you have a separator between shoots. As long as the timecode remains consistent, capturing will never be an issue.
That's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Best compression for broadcast video

Hi
I need to compress a very short piece for broadcast (5 sec, no audio). What is the best compression to keep it around 25Mb?

It should be. 5 seconds at DV should be 125MB.
If you have to get under 25MB, then I'd suggest getting into h.264. It should give you a very good output at 25MB, though of course not the same as DV.
If you do use a different coded make sure to do it from a QT reference movie so your material doesn't get an extra DV compression.

Export MXF with multiple audio channels for broadcast

Hi,
I work at a broadcast company as an editor. We always used FCP with the free sony xdcam plugin to export. This plugin seems to be one of the rare ways to export an MXF with 4 audio channels. I don't know exactly why we need to export it for broadcasting with 4 audio channels, but we do.
Since our workload has grown enormously the last few months and it will only become more we are optimizing our workflow. We also work with a lot of different endboards in After Effects and we made a nice template to work with. And since AE and Premiere can make a dynamic link we are considering changing from FCP to Premiere.
Now comes the question!: The only obstacle we could not find an answer to is exporting it with 4 audio channels as an MXF from Premiere CS5. Will there be some development on this level regarding CS6?
A solution to this should save us a lot of time!
Any help will be highly appreciated!
I also attached an example for the usual MXF files we export

I have the same problem. I have a project with multiple audio channels and I want to export them as individual channels in a MXF-file.
Method:
When I created a new sequence I choose "Multichannel" from the "Tracks" page. When I export the MXF OP1a, I choose 8 channels from the "Audio" page. None of the channels are muted.
Result:
The rendered file contains 8 channels, but only the first two channels contains any audio (main left + right), the rest of the channels are empty. Channel 1 and 2 contains the audio from all channels, but I want the channels to be seperated in the same way as they are layered in Premiere.
I don't understand your answer to wleoni75's question. Could you please help me further?

Transport KM rooms as entry point for broadcasting from Portal 7.01 to Portal 7.4 possible?

Hallo together,
is it possible to transport entry points (for broadcasting) from one portal to another?
For our upgrade BW 7.01 to BW 7.4 we want to transport the KM Content (including the rooms).
Transporting the rooms and room structures is no problem, but the transported rooms are not visible in ENTRY POINTS -> My Room Folders.
Only rooms that are newly created in the 7.4 Portal are visible in that folder.
Is there are way to make the transported rooms also visible there?
Thanks and best regards!
Christian

Hi Ramakrishna!
I know that WP-PI 6.00 will work fine with R/3 4.6C but my doubt is if I can use WP-PI 6.00 (which is
EP 6.00 plug-in) to connect the R/3 4.6c with an EP 7.00.
I didn´t find anything like WP-PI 7.00 in SAP Marketplace. I´ve already read the note you pointed out but it refers to EP 6.00. It also says you can use WP-PI 6.00 por EP 5.0 or Sap Workplace. But can I also use it with EP 7.00?
Thanks for your help.
Fernando

Exporting Video B-Roll for Broadcast Use

Hello:
What format should I export my b-roll video in from an event? We're distributing it online via a download link but I want this file to be as easy for reporters to use as possible.
Can someone explain the best process/format to export this in?
Will Quicktime be best? If so what options do I need to select to keep the file large enough for broadcast use yet compressed enough to send via YouSendIt?

Thanks. This might be a stupid question but how can I convert the output Quicktime from FCE to a MPG2? Are there any settings I need to check off?

Mpeg2 for broadcast

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for