Exporting and troubling codecs

I have a 19.5 GB rough cut full export of my latest short film (DVCPRO HD). Since this is my first cut, I would like to keep it as a milestone of where the project has come from. However, I need disk space. So I've been making some attempts to compress it.

I have tried using both MPEG 4 and H.264 - both result in the same file sizes and in a side by side comparison (to my eye) look to be the same quality. The problem I'm having is they both make my QuickTime crash constantly, especially if I try to fast forward or jump to a specific time in the movie. Is there a better compressor I should be using? I shouldn't have to go back to the Sorenson Video days, right? What is Pixlet and is it worth a shot?

Thanks all

try the sheervideo codec:

[www.bitjazz.com]

A short film within 60 minutes long in MPEG-4 or H.264 codec making your QuickTime crash? I sense more of a problem here than codecs. Are you reducing the frame size? Data rate? Both of those really should work fine. Exactly how long is your film?


www.derekmok.com

<<< MPEG-4 or H.264 codec making your QuickTime crash?>>>

I sense [pushing fingers to forehead] hard drive problems. Do all your drives including the System Drive have at least 10% or more free space?

I'm betting not. This is the magic place where you finish your major project and all the drives are smashed full of clips and effects and odd segments and you discover there isn't room to produce the whole show as one single file.

Will your show fit on the System Drive?

Koz

This has happened to me on occasion and trashing the QT plist files usually cured the problem.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Sorry for the delay and thanks for all the responses.

I have a G5 Dual 2.5, 2.5GB RAM, and 35 GB of 148 GB available - running the latest version of QT pro. The file is a 23 minute DVCPRO HD file totaling 19.5 GB.

I've noticed this problem with MPEG-4 and H.264 for a while now, where the files, no matter what the compression settings, will crash my QT when scrubbed or even when skipping to a new section. It may be an available space issue, but I've noticed it on many different systems. (I'm going to try reinstalling QT with a fresh download)

So, I guess my question becomes this. Since I only want this for archiving progress yet still retain some quality, what codec/general settings should I use to get the file somewhere under 1 GB total? I don't want/need huge compression for web or CD-ROM streaming, just a nice archive size that is playable without extra software/hardware. I'll look into the sheervideo codec.

Thanks again all

<<<I've noticed it on many different systems.>>>

Such as:

Koz

my friends 1Ghz Powerbook, My 12inch 1.25 GHz powerbook with 1GB RAM, and 2 identical twin G5's of my own only with 1 GB more ram - these being the ones I've seen it on lately.

The plist seemed to be causing the crashing on my G5 - thanks Michael. I've done a few tests and using the h.264 codec seems to be my best option - using 2900Kbps, auto keyframing, and apple lossless aduio. The resulting file still chugs on my 1.25ghz laptop, but I think this is normal for this little guy; I'll have to make another version for my slower counterparts. Thanks again for all the responses and if anyone knows of better encoding settings, let me know. Thanks all

QuickTime 7.1.2 had a serious bug due to a hard limit of 64 codecs, as did Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, causing crashes and other seemingly random problems. This had nothing to do with which particular codecs (H.264, MPEG-4) you were using, just with how many were installed. SheerVideo, for example, currently includes 8 encoders+decoders and 5 transcoders, so it's easy to exceed the limit of 64. This bug may have been causing the instability you saw. Fortunately, this has now been fixed in QT 7.1.5 and FCP 5.1.4. So if you're still seeing any problems, try updating to the latest releases.

Andreas Wittenstein
BitJazz Inc.
[www.bitjazz.com]

I have been having a problem with artifacts when exporting video from FCP 4.5 on my Dual Gig G4 through quicktime converter to any mpeg 4 codec. I've tried h.264, mpeg 4 basic, and improved, but I keep getting very poor quality video. I am supposed to turn in a project in mpeg 4 format but cannot seem to export in the format. What am I doing wrong? It's regular dv footage, captured into FCP 4.5, are there any specific settings to get good quality video when exported in that format?
---Thanks,
-------Donovon

You didn't tell us anything about the settings you used, so it's impossible to tell you what to do. That said, you said you used the H.264 codec. Does this mean you have QuickTime 7? Did you enable "High Quality" in the resulting file? What file size are you targeting, and how much material (running time) are you trying to export? What frame size did you choose? Frame rate? Data rate?


www.derekmok.com

There's a guide to H.264 export here : Exporting H.264

If you follow these instructions, how is the quality?