Creating QuickTime reference files out of Avid: Video + Audio in a single reference file possible?

[Stuart Baker]

To follow up on my initial post- the Quicktime reference files are failing on playback in the Quicktime player. The video+audio from Avid source is playing fine in Avid. Any suggestions on why the exported Quicktime reference files are producing an error when I try to playback in the Quicktime player would be helpful.

Thanks,

Stuart

[Shane Ross]

Why do you need this? Typically reference files are exported because the export is faster, so that you can then take the export into Compression software to make your various encodes. Save time and space when exporting so that it reference already existing media. Why would you then want to play that back in QT?

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Stuart Baker]

Thanks for your question.

I don’t need to play them back, but we are having encode failures out of the reference files. Hence, we went back to the reference files to try and trace the cause of the errors.

Encoding from the reference files to MP4 we are encountering three situations:

1. Corrupt files that won’t play back at all.

2. Files where the video failed to encode, and we wind up with an audio only file.

3. Files where the video and audio did transcode properly and we have a working file.

Shane, if you’re suggesting that by their very nature, QT reference files don’t necessarily play back in a player outside of Avid, then perhaps you can suggest a different way to assess why we are having these failures out of Sorenson Squeeze.

Thanks,

Stuart

[Bouke Vahl]

QT reference can have both video and audio.
Since all video is / will be rendered, it’s easy to make a simple ‘edl’ in the video part.
But, the audio must be mixed down (to a new .wav) and the QT ref will link to that.
Now, black in the timeline can be a problem. If you need black, make a mixdown from slug and use that.
Also, mixed codecs can cause trouble.

If you still have problems, export to XDcam MXF as an inbetween.
The beauty is, transcoding to MP4 can start when the export to XDcam is still working.
(So, if the export to XDcam is faster than the transcode to the final product, you can start the two right after each other.)

Bouke
http://www.videotoolshed.com

[Bouke Vahl]

Hmm.
I do this regular, as it saves time for an inbetween that only has to live for an hour or so.
As long as it works, I’m quite happy with it.

Bouke
http://www.videotoolshed.com

[Brent Marginet]

Sorry Dave but QT Reference Movies are a huge time saver in some cases and I disagree completely with your point of view on them. I do a lot of dailies for TV Shows, Docs, Movies etc. and when all my Video Clips are Synced to the Audio I export Ref Movies and let Media Encoder make the H.264 Daily Viewers while I continue making the Multicams in Avid. Can be a difference of getting home at 6-7AM instead of 9-10AM. There are of course places where they should never be used like exporting a Ref Movie of a Timeline. They were never meant to Reference dozens or hundreds of clips, cuts and effects.

To open Ref Movies properly QT 7 should be installed on your system, on Mac 7.6.6 for Snow Leopard works all the way up to Sierra. A lot of compression software doesn’t support them anymore but in the case of Media Encoder if I Export the Ref Movies with the “Mixdown Audio Tracks” option checked then they encode with the correct Audio that’s perfectly in sync.

\”MY MEDIA/PROJECT MOTTO: If you think three copies of your Media or Projects are enough. Take a moment to place a value on them and then maybe add two more. Hard Drives are now stupidly cheap. A RE-SHOOT AND YOUR TIME AREN\’T.\”

[Stuart Baker]

Thanks All.

One follow up question- is it possible to export a .MP4 out of Avid? It seems the only H.264 option is .MOV

SB