Working to HD Video Revisited

[Dave Labrecque]

OK... I've been trying all these different codecs to come up with a 1280x720 video file that I can use in SS's video viewer. I can't use a DV AVI, my standard approach heretofore, because the DV spec doesn't cover that high a resolution, so far as I can tell.

Taking Bob's advice, I tried several MP4 codecs, but seek time is not so good, as would be expected for such a compressed format, I suppose. Or maybe that's just as much as my venerable P4 box can muscle. I tried a few others codecs, too, but got similar results. BTW, Bob's idea was to use an ffdshow MP4 codec, but, for some reason, my system won't successfully do that. :( So, I tried other MP4 codecs that I saw in various convertor programs. Nothing seem to have the super-responsive scrub-ability that a DV AVI has.

So... question for you audio post guys (and gal?): are you using HD video in SAW, and, if so, how are you achieving it? :confused:

I just may have to settle for the lower rez DV AVI approach. So much for the nice 37" that I just hung in here. :o

[Bob L]

You most likely will never acheive the smooth scrubbing of the DV format with these HD file formats... they are mpeg compression schemes generally and this means each frame is not present so it has to create the frames by reconstructing from the last key frame back...

If your converter utility allows you to adjust the keyframe spacing when you convert, try a setting of 1... this would create a full keyframe for every frame and may improve your scrubbing.

Bob L

[sebastiandybing]

I am wondering if Saw will use Grassvaleys/Canopus HQ codecs
if intalled ?

I may try that tomorrow, this format will unpack a compress HD file to uncompress HD, it will need a fast harddrive for playback.

Sebastian

[Dave Labrecque]

I am wondering if Saw will use Grassvaleys/Canopus HQ codecs
if intalled ?

I may try that tomorrow, this format will unpack a compress HD file to uncompress HD, it will need a fast harddrive for playback.

Sebastian

Yikes. An uncompressed HD file would be huge! :eek:

[Dave Labrecque]

You most likely will never acheive the smooth scrubbing of the DV format with these HD file formats... they are mpeg compression schemes generally and this means each frame is not present so it has to create the frames by reconstructing from the last key frame back...

If your converter utility allows you to adjust the keyframe spacing when you convert, try a setting of 1... this would create a full keyframe for every frame and may improve your scrubbing.

Bob L

Good idea on the keyframe. Thanks. I'll try that.

[Bob L]

Sebastian,

Yes... The viewer will use the Canopus HQ codecs if they are on your system... their seek times are a little rough also... but very workable.

Bob L

[bcorkery]

Dave,

Good luck with this. When I saw the monitor it was on the floor ready to be hung on the wall!

As Rosanne Rosana Dana used to say, "It's always something!":p