FCP converted P2 and PC can´t read it

alpi69

alpi69

Veteran
I got P2 material that got converted via FCP to Quicktime movs. Unfortunately my PC can´t read this stuff now. The editor didn´t copy/save the P2 content but converted straight away.
I updated Quicktime to 7.4 on my PC and I hear audio but black picture. Edius doesn´t even import the file.
Is there a way to read these files on a PC and work with them?
Or can I export any other format from Apple that will be HD and work in my PC environment?
 
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This is Apple's own incompatibility, their Mac DVCPRO-HD quicktimes won't play on the Windows version of Quicktime. EDIUS has always been able to use them though, so I don't know why you're having the problem.

Try the Raylight Quicktime Decoder, it's designed specifically to overcome this problem.
 
Wow, Barry, you never sleep , huh!?

hmm....well Edius on my laptop doesn´t like it. Didn´t get to my real edit-suite yet. But to hear it "ought to" work helps ;-)
I will let you know my findings. In the meantime we probably export them uncompressed. They are beautiful helicopter shots of skiing action that can´t be re-shot easily.
 
I have to disagree with Barry here. (respectfully)

There isn't an incompatibility in the Windows version of QT. It's that there isn't a QT DVCProHD codec for use in Windows QT.
 
ulisses said:
Try to export from FCP as QT PNG or Photo JPEG codecs.
Click to expand...

We exported to Mition JPEG 2 in 100% quality. I am just on the way back from the location and will check it in the morning on the big Edius machine. Either the QT-DVCProHD or the Motion JPEG should work I guess.
 
Ok, motion JPEG was read in the PC. Edius didn´t have it in the correct aspect ratio. it had a 30% blackbar on the right side. weird. But AfterEffects took it without problems. I then converted it to Canopus HQ and Edius is happy with it.
 
David S. said:
It's that there isn't a QT DVCProHD codec for use in Windows QT.
Click to expand...

Not true, Raylight Encoder Pro is a complete DVCProHD codec for Windows QT. It also handles DVCPro50. You can play back as well as author QT from any Windows app that uses quicktime.

Raylight Decoder the same but for playback only.

In the case of this user if he used Raylight Decoder he would avoid 2 steps of recompression and avoid a lot of added noise in his expensive shot. Seems like for $95 it would be worth it.
 
Why not complain to Microsoft for not licensing DVCPROHD from Panasonic on an OS level? Apple works to make sure the footage works on their OS. How it's their responsibility to also make sure it also plays on PC I don't get. That said if you want to work cross-platform in P2 from FCP, you need Raylight or as Barry says Edius.
 
alpi69 said:
Ok, motion JPEG was read in the PC. Edius didn´t have it in the correct aspect ratio. it had a 30% blackbar on the right side. weird. But AfterEffects took it without problems. I then converted it to Canopus HQ and Edius is happy with it.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, I use PHOTO JPEG and not Motion JPEG, motion has some compression, PHOTO JPEG at Highest quality is very nice and I have no problems with aspect ratio.

Ulisses
 
If Apple makes Quicktime files, and they make Quicktime for both platforms, is it not reasonable to expect that Quicktime files will play on both platforms?

And, Microsoft doesn't need to license anything. THE CODEC'S ALREADY THERE! Anyone who's installed P2 Viewer or P2CMS already has a free DVCPRO-HD codec. ALL APPLE HAS TO DO IS USE IT. They don't, they refuse to, it would be probably a half-hour's coding exercise at most. There is no licensing involved. There is no hassle involved. It's free for the taking. All they have to do is use it.

Yet they won't.

So yes, I do lay the blame squarely at Apple's feet for this one. They could fix it if they felt like spending half an hour's time to just put in a hook to call the existing codec. (and yes, that half-hour guess is being quite a bit presumptive, but as an ex-programmer I'd bet that my guess is right.)
 
Barry, I'm sympathetic, but in this case, I think Apple has a leg to stand on re: its Quicktime player. Quicktime is just a wrapper; the QT player will work with the wrapper, so it can certainly make a case that it's done its job.

I can easily be persuaded that it's not a super-strong case, but it's not nothing.

And, like I said, if FCP edited MXFs natively, like (almost) everyone else . . . THAT'S the support there's really no excuse for not having.
 
Barry_Green said:
They could fix it if they felt like spending half an hour's time to just put in a hook to call the existing codec.
Click to expand...

The Apple DVCPROHD codec uses an advanced interface which is afaik not available in quicktime for windows.
 
Point is, they could do it if they wanted. They'd implement the Quicktime intelligence for knowing what the codec is, and then make a quick function call into the VFW architecture to uncompress each frame.

Noah, just ask 'em if they can do this, and if not, why not. It should be something they can implement quickly and freely.
 
lol- sorry Barry didn't mean to spark another religious discussion. You have your POV and I have mine and I respect that. :thumbsup:
Noah
 
Barry_Green said:
Point is, they could do it if they wanted. They'd implement the Quicktime intelligence for knowing what the codec is, and then make a quick function call into the VFW architecture to uncompress each frame.

Noah, just ask 'em if they can do this, and if not, why not. It should be something they can implement quickly and freely.
Click to expand...

You mean use the Panasonic decoder in quicktime? Raylight Decoder does this right now in the "Green" mode and it's not trivial. The Panasonic decoder is not a VFW component but a DirectX filter, and you have to set up a filter graph with a custom source filter, the Pan. decoder and a custom sample grabber, and run it as an independent process. And by the way it works completely different in Vista. Having gone through the experience I would actually feel sorry for the Apple programmer that is given that task.
 
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Well, I don´t care if it is MSoft´s or Apples´ fault. In fact it was the fault of the assistant on set who didn´t copy the P2 stucture, but imported the P2 content in FCP straight away. So in fact it was my fault for not telling him to do teh obvious.
Anyway, I thought MotionJPEG was better than PhotoJPEG, but never really tried them. I will have the shots encoded uncompressed and stick to that. They are only 8 minutes....
 
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