720p DVCPro HD FCP 5.1 to Windows Media Encoder on PC

saneproductions

saneproductions

Veteran
I am hoping for a work around that will let me export a quicktime movie from FCP 5.1.2 and move the file over to my PC to encode for windows media using the free windows media encoder. I have trid exporting using the amimation codec but it errored out (though it played in quicktime). This is the same workflow I use for SD encoding stuff. Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:
saneproductions said:
I have trid exporting using the amimation codec but it errored out (though it played in quicktime).
Click to expand...

How does that work exactly? If it errored out how did it play in Quicktime? Did only part of the movie show up (like only half the film, or only the video but no audio, what precisely are you actually getting)?

And why are you using the animation codec? Have you done a lot of VFX work within FCP? I think you'd be perfectly fine using one of the uncompressed formats. They are certainly easier to work with/play back than an animation sequence. And I don't know that you'll get that huge a bump up with the animation, simply for going to WMV.

cheers
 
There is no free WMV encoder I'm aware of. There is the demo of Flip4Mac that only allows for about 10 seconds of encoding until you regester it. I use Flip4Mac to make WMVs a lot and love it. Very worth the price.

What is the compressor used in your Sequence?
 
VaricamLife said:
Ben his free encoder is on Windows though, not Apple.
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Windows? What the hell is he doing on Windows? This is an FCP forum!

Just kidding, read to fast, was up too late in the French Quarter the night before. sorry...
 
Well sounds like an enjoyable reason to be a bit tired this morning. And yes, I too don't understand why anyone would go back to Windows to process anything. I tend to get a nervous tick when I have to go back onto a Windows box these days. That and I get really frustrated when I try to use Apple + Q and well there is no Apple button.

cheers.
 
On Windows built PCs, the "Apple" button is called the Command button, FYI.

I used to switch back and forth when I did IT managment, but now, all that is gone from my brain. I can see the world in bright colors again.
 
Thanks for the response! I was trying to use a codec that would be lossless for my media encoding session. I am using the free Windows Media Encoder 9 from Microsoft. I don't want to spring for the $200 flip 4 mac encoder since I have a gigabit network and a gaming rig that is plenty powerful enough for encoding. I will try exporting an uncompressed 720p QT from FCP and take it into the encoder. What it did when I selected the file in the MW Encoder was error:codec not found. The weird thing is it played in the quicktime player on the same pc.. I was hoping to just choose another codec or download a codec for free for pc.
 
So this is what you do.
1-Export an uncompressed QT file from the timeline with the proper settings as a self contained movie.
2-Open the file in QT and tell it to export as an avi with the same settings (if you just export an avi from the timeline it is distorted badly and there are no frame size options)
3-Move it across your network to you PC
4-Open with micosoft Windows Media Encoder (free download)
5-Use the HD settings option and tweak the settings for framerate [if you are using 24p (23.98)], bitrate, etc
6- Get the popcorn @ 400kbps it is just under 30mb for 1 min, but it looks great 1280x720

Thanks for the help

I wish there was a way to avaid the large uncompressed file step though (almost 4GB/min). As other people have noted, why not just release DVCPro HD codec for PC?

Nice way to save $200 not buying flip4macHD though if you have a PC as well as a mac.
 
Man that's a lot of work just to author a movie file. I'd rather just keep it as a Quicktime and tell people to buy a Mac. Boot Camp is here, the age of the PC is no more!

If you're doing this as a pure hobbyist thing, I can understand transfering to the PC to save the $. However, if you're an industry professional, to any degree, $200 for Flip4Mac isn't that much. Especially if you plan on doing it on a regular basis.

As for not using the uncompressed codec, well really the only response there is do some trial and error. Run through various codecs in FCP, do your whole process, and then do a quality comparison. If its your product, or your expertise that is being called upon to make that quality decision then you need to do the trial and error to find the setting that you consider "good enough." At the cost of storage space in today's day and age though I prefer to just stay uncompressed and buy a bigger hard drive.

Anyway, you found a way to get done what you wanted to, so congrats on that.

cheers.
 
VaricamLife said:
Man that's a lot of work just to author a movie file... However, if you're an industry professional, to any degree, $200 for Flip4Mac isn't that much. Especially if you plan on doing it on a regular basis.
Click to expand...

I was trying to avoid the usual backlash, but yes, I totally agree. That is a LOT of work for a single file. And $200 is nothing for a professional editor who's getting a paycheck off this.

A master wood carver can make a great duck out of a hunk of pine and a butter knife. But give him some Cypress and a set of professional carving tools, and that same duck becomes a work of art.
 
mike - thanks for these simple instructions. i've been searching for a way to do just this w/out using flip4mac.

all my attempts to export as uncompressed qt have the resultant qt movie being squeezed (losing the 16:9 aspect ratio). ingested dvcpro 720p30 - playback from the timeline looks fine.

could you or anyone else help me get the export to look as it does when played back from the timeline? i've tried export as qt, qt conversion and compressor - all with the same result!

any help is much appreciated - thanks in advance!


saneproductions said:
So this is what you do.
1-Export an uncompressed QT file from the timeline with the proper settings as a self contained movie.
2-Open the file in QT and tell it to export as an avi with the same settings (if you just export an avi from the timeline it is distorted badly and there are no frame size options)
3-Move it across your network to you PC
4-Open with micosoft Windows Media Encoder (free download)
5-Use the HD settings option and tweak the settings for framerate [if you are using 24p (23.98)], bitrate, etc
6- Get the popcorn @ 400kbps it is just under 30mb for 1 min, but it looks great 1280x720

Thanks for the help

I wish there was a way to avaid the large uncompressed file step though (almost 4GB/min). As other people have noted, why not just release DVCPro HD codec for PC?

Nice way to save $200 not buying flip4macHD though if you have a PC as well as a mac.
Click to expand...
 
My method for making a .wmvHD file for free works for short clips (say :30) but when I tried it for longer videos (3:00) it wouldn't work.

I broke down and bought Flip4Mac.

I think the encoding is much poorer quality than my own method (and if you check the windows media 9 advanced tab it will not play back on a mac). Things pixelate and get worse as the video plays too (using their 720p 4000k template). Even if you bump up the bit rate to 4800k it looks much much worse than h264 and it is a bigger file!

Has anyone had any luck (settings) they got to look nice for 720p24?
 
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