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Compressor frame accurate?
The problem: The TC numbers (Media Start Media End) does not stay the same before and after adding a watermark in Compressor.
Observations: the length of the clip stays the same and the frame rate stays the same.My workflow: capturing HD-CAM source 23.976 on a JH-3 deck into FCP 6.02 with a DV 23.98 setup. The offline clip comes from an ALE file. I capture the file fine, all TC numbers check out and match the ALE file. I check the movie file in After Effects and it reads TC 23.976. I check the file in Compressor and it reads 23.976. So far so good. Now I have built a custom Compressor setting that I’m using to add a watermark on the clip. Quicktime Movie, DV, framerate 23.976 (custom, I have also tried “Source frame rate but with no different result) PCM audio, framesize 100% of source, add watermark (a PNG file).
After the new file is created I test it in FCP by making the original offline and attempting to connect to the new watermarked media. It gives me an error that the Start and End time are different. When I connect anyway, the clip has shifted its TC numbers by 18 to 29 seconds and a few frames. I also just imported the clip into FCP and put it next to the original for comparison and the TC numbers are indeed off.Further tests: I tested to do the same workflow but using DV-CAM 29.97 all around and it checks out fine, no TC shifts.
Conclusion: Either I’m missing something or Compressor doesn’t know how to handle 23.976 properly.
Any ideas are highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Erik Lundmark -
20 Replies
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Are you using Compressor to generate the tc or do you have a tc reader on the footage from FCP?
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I have both a burn-in window on the source material and I’m also looking at the Media Start Media End fields in the FCP Browser.
the burn-in window doesn’t change of course since it’s embedded, but the Media Start and Media End fields change. The problem is that we can’t rely on those new numbers for frame accuracy relating to the original high-res material. -
Hmm, sounds like a problem. Unless there’s something you are missing from within compressor.
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YOu know, this reminds of something that was brought up a while ago about 23.98 combustion renders that weren’t showing up as 23.98. The fix?
Take the 23.98 combustion movie and bring it to Cinema Tools and then conform to 23.98. That seemed to rewrite all the header information correctly for quicktime.
Maybe you can duplicate one of your movies and give it a shot?
Jeremy
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Here’s the next test I did.
I set the deck to true 24 frames, set up my capture settings to trues 24 frames, created a new compressor setup all in true 24 f/s with a watermark.
Now it works. the Media Start and End stay consistent.
So Compressor doesn’t know how to deal with 23.976 is my only conclusion.
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Did you try to conform to 23.98 through Cinema Tools?
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Yes I did and it didn’t make any difference. I conformed it back and forth between 24 and 23.98. The frame rate did reflect the changes but not the Media Start and End.
Erik -
Sorry man, just grasping at anything and that popped in my head.
I guess you could avoid compressor all together and add the watermark in FCP, no?
Jeremy
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Yes true, but we have 5000 clips to do in each batch. Too much manual labor I’m afraid. I’ll try to experiment with some kind of automation. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for your input.
Erik -
You can apply the tc reader to each clip by selecting all. Then nest the clip and place the water mark. Or am I not understanding what you need to do?
Jeremy
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