Converting HDV QT files to m2t?

Anyone know of a simple program that will convert this way? I have 4 hrs of HDV footage in Quicktime format that I recorded on a DTE compact flash recorder attached to my camera. The files open fine in FC-7 but I sent the QT files over to another editor and he cannot open them using Adobe CS4 (on a PC system). There seems to be QT plug-in components missing. I believe the best solution to this is to convert the QT files to .m2t files which are more native to the PC world. Lots of programs out there to go from .m2t to quicktime but not the other way around.

I don't want to use streamclip. Sorry but I find it way too difficult to understand (and I'm a tech guy) so I'll just chalk that up to personal preference.

thx in advance.

FC -3 Suite
Mac Pro

This seems to come up every couple weeks on the forum. A number of video codecs ? mostly MPEG-2-based ones, for licensing reasons ? are included with Final Cut Pro but not with the regular Quicktime software package.

What you've identified as the best solution is actually, to my mind, the worst of all possible solutions ? assuming it's even possible at all.

What you need to do is batch-convert all your media to an appropriate ProRes codec; ProRes LT would be a good starting point. The ProRes decoder is included with Quicktime, so everybody can play back ProRes files.

thx for the reply.
I wonder if QT Pro might be a solution- if it's available for PC?

Don't get why the convert seems to be a bad idea in this case unless your referring to any manipulation of mpeg 2 files being a risk due to the missing I frames.

None of this has anything to do with Quicktime Pro. As I said, the ProRes decoders are included with Quicktime itself. Built right in.

As for your other question, I'll just put it this way, 'cause it's late here: You wouldn't be converting. You'd be re-encoding. Poison!

thx for your input.

Anyone else have any input?

ProRes. You can't believe what a bad intermediate codec HDV is.



www.strypesinpost.com

For PC's as long as you have Windows XP SP2 and higher and have the most recent
QT Player...I know one of my machines has Windows 2000 and cannot play QT ProRes


Jeff Harrell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> None of this has anything to do with Quicktime
> Pro. As I said, the ProRes decoders are included
> with Quicktime itself. Built right in.
>
> As for your other question, I'll just put it this
> way, 'cause it's late here: You wouldn't be
> converting. You'd be re-encoding. Poison!

>I know one of my machines has Windows 2000

Eh. That's 2000. The video standard of that day was DV.



www.strypesinpost.com

seems like Pro Rez is a clear path. However, the end product will be Blu-Ray disc. So it looks like the Pro Rez timeline will be re-converted to mpeg2......... (staying away from mp4 at this point).

> However, the end product will be Blu-Ray disc. So it looks like the Pro Rez timeline will be re-
> converted to mpeg2

A DVD or Blu-Ray end product has next to no bearing on your editing workflow. Nobody sane edits in DVD-ready MPEG-2, and nobody sane edits in H.264 (the format for Blu-Ray).

You choose the best intermediate codec for smooth editing and maximum video quality. Then you worry about encoding for DVD or BD. And the advantage of ProRes is that it works well for SD, HD, 1080, 2K...

Likewise, if you really have to produce a movie file for a 10-year-old PC down the line, you worry about it only when you have a cut. You don't make that into a factor in your editing.


www.derekmok.com

point taken, thanks. One note, recall that mpeg2 is part of the blu-ray spec. Produces excellent results in my experience. I've had good results capturing, editing and exporting a self-contained QT movie all while staying in HDV. Drop the QT movie into Toast 10 and it looks great. This is good for simple authoring, however, sort of a separate subject, I want to author BR in much the same way as SD disc's are authored now in DVDSP. (It's appears that Encore is the leading option so far). No support from Apple on this front.

so looks like I'll convert from mpeg2 to Pro R and back to mpeg 2. Thx for the input.

I did a blueray easy peasy by taking my XDCAM movie timeline and exporting to
proRes 422. I brought the proRes 422 into Adobe Premeire on an i7 PC, and then burnt a
disk image/blueray. Then using imageburn I burnt the image to a DVD5 standard disk
for a great looking 720p standard disk.



DM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> point taken, thanks. One note, recall that mpeg2
> is part of the blu-ray spec. Produces excellent
> results in my experience. I've had good results
> capturing, editing and exporting a self-contained
> QT movie all while staying in HDV. Drop the QT
> movie into Toast 10 and it looks great. This is
> good for simple authoring, however, sort of a
> separate subject, I want to author BR in much the
> same way as SD disc's are authored now in DVDSP.
> (It's appears that Encore is the leading option so
> far). No support from Apple on this front.
>
> so looks like I'll convert from mpeg2 to Pro R and
> back to mpeg 2. Thx for the input.

>I've had good results capturing, editing and exporting a self-contained QT movie all while staying
>in HDV.

Just the other day, I saw an image pixelate when rendering in XDCAM EX. Given a choice, I totally won't finish in XDCAM EX.



www.strypesinpost.com

I'll report back after a couple of trials. It took about an hour to render each HDV to a ProRes LT format. I'll be sending them across to see how and if they drop into Premiere. In addition, I'm going to shoot some .m2t footage and see if it's more compatible with Premiere.

If this is (or is going to be) a typical workflow between you and this PC guy then you could get him to buy (or buy for him) an HDV Quicktime Decode component for his Windows system :

[www.calibratedsoftware.com]