Streamclip (AIC codec) import into FCP 6 ripples

[Naomi Stock]

Andy, thank you. For someone who doesn’t know what they are doing it’s sometimes hard to know what experts mean by their questions. They’re too smart for their own good sometimes forgetting some of us – ME – need instructions delivered like you would to a 6yr old. I appreciate your time and effort in helping me. It was very helpful especially about different MPG’s…camera info. I wrote up the ‘stat’s’ and will post them tomorrow.

[Naomi Stock]

Rafael….I’m posting the ‘stats’ of my footage tomorrow. I just wanted to say thank you so much for your truly educational advice. Also, “best codec for exporting would be 8b Unc.”…is that in Streamclip or FCP?

[Naomi Stock]

Shockingly my last feature which I shot – imported – edited – exported – burned…with one other person, won Best Feature Doc. at a film festival. I rarely had issues. But, I shot it with a SonyVX2000. Ahhh…tapes. I miss them. So, stupidly I sold it and decided to buy the Sony HDR-SR11. Somehow converting these MPG’s have become a PIMA.

My process and how I arrived at my Streamclip settings: (Andy, you’ll be sorry you asked)

Footage shot on a Sony HDR-SR11 in SD Mode.
Connected to MacBook Pro Laptop – Mac OS X 10.6. – downloaded to desktop folder.

I click once on one clip – FILE – GET INFO.
Kind: MPEG Movie
Size 31.5 MB
Dimensions: 720 x 404
Codecs: MPEG2 Muxed
Total bit rate: 5,277

I open same clip in Quicktime Pro.

QT MOVIE INSPECTOR:
Format: MPEG2 Muxed, 720 x 404 pixels
FPS: 29.97
Data Size: 31.50 MB
Data Rate 5277.89 kbits/s
Normal Size: 720 x 404 pixels
Current Size: 720 x 404 pixels (Actual)

Image plays – no audio.
Researched online How To Convert MPEG’s.
Answer = http://www.Squared5.com – downloaded MPEG Streamclip 1.9.2.
Drag/drop same clip into Streamclip.

STREAM INFO:
Stream: M2U00937.MPG
Path: ~/Desktop/untitled folder/M2U00937.MPG
Type: MPEG program stream

Data Size: 31.50 MB
Bit Rate: 5.28 Mbps
Video Tracks:
224 MPEG-2, 720 × 480, 16:9, 29.97 fps, 9.10 Mbps, upper field first
Audio Tracks:
128 AC3 3/2, 48 kHz, 448 kbps
Stream Files:
M2U00937.MPG (31.50 MB)

NOTE: Streamclip rounded up the Bit Rate. I’m not sure why it’s now x 480 instead of x 404.

Now to convert…
I go to File – ugh – 7 export choices in drop menu.
I email Squared5 and went thru their Help menu = all blase.
I research online – many folks in the same cloud – I call 2 editors.
Answer = choose Export to QT….or….Export to Other Formats, choose QT for Format.

I CHOSE EXPORT TO QUICKTIME first.
The MPEG Streamclip Movie Exporter window opens.
First selection needed is Compression.
Yikes – TONS of choices. I research. Again, many folks in the same cloud.
(Yes of course, based on my input and desired final output)
Answer = choose DVCPRO NTSC over PRO50. Apple Codec Intermediate (AIC) is also great.
H.264 is best for online showing only.
I’m told to experiment.

I begin testing different compressions, choosing 75% compression rate, 720, Upper Field First.
I uncheck everything else.

How I arrived at my settings….

My first discovery. Regardless of the Compression choice my Frame choice of 720 x 480 (16:9) smooshed my footage. Very confused. It’s the same size as the original?!
note: Rafael has since answered in this thread.

THEN….

For the other 2 popular researched Compressions…
DVCPRO50 ntsc – and PRO
(options button active – chose Progressive and 16:9)
THE INSPECTOR INFO WINDOW showed: Format 720 x 480 (853×480)….hmmm. Confused.
AIC matched skin tone identical to the original – all others I tried diluted.

So – I figured (yes, my mistake but exhausted with such a huge mess of controversial info on the web and still no solid answers)…
I’ll go with AIC for color,
854 x 480 didn’t smoosh my footage and the other Compressions recommended had 853×480 appear in the Info Window once exported anyway.
I chose to deinterlace due to testing two identical images when playing and there was a huge difference. The deinterlaced was MUCH clearer. It was a worse choice when the video was being panned. Since I don’t have a lot of panning – I chose clarity.

THERE YOU HAVE IT. EXHAUSTED? I AM!
I will be copying this post, as well as giving credit to those who have helped me, on other websites where I found the same mass confusion.

So, ready?
Now I need to re-export 650 .mov’s into 720 x 480. I guess I’ll go thru Streamclip.
And….my settings should be???
I will be burning the final edited films to a DVD and will be mailing them to job offers, friends and family to watch on the TV.

When you open Streamclip and pull a random clip in then go to File – Export to QT – you’ll see the window I need answers to. Then…after this is all done I’ll be posting about Importing into FCP 6.
I’m sure you will stay clear of answering me after this fiasco. You have all been wonderful and patiently kind! Cheers, Naomi

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Naomi,
You look really well today.
This situation is a bit messy first because you camera is not much standard, and second because you have chose a very peculiar codec.
AIC was a codec developed by Apple to make possible to edit with the first generations of HDV cameras. The truth is that this codec is not very well known by FC video editors. This codec have some peculiarities. For example it makes that a 720 x 480 Anamorphic QT movie be properly played as 16×9 (853×480) in QT player. With most par of the codec you would see the movie distorted in QT.
But let forget about that and let look at your file.
First, forget what QT says about your MPEG-2 file. QT still don’t know how to manage MPEG-2.
Look what MPEGStreamclip say. This information is extracted from the very file:

STREAM INFO:
Stream: M2U00937.MPG
Path: ~/Desktop/untitled folder/M2U00937.MPG
Type: MPEG program stream

Data Size: 31.50 MB
Bit Rate: 5.28 Mbps
Video Tracks:
224 MPEG-2, 720 × 480, 16:9, 29.97 fps, 9.10 Mbps, upper field first
Audio Tracks:
128 AC3 3/2, 48 kHz, 448 kbps
Stream Files:
M2U00937.MPG (31.50 MB)

NOTE: Streamclip rounded up the Bit Rate. I’m not sure why it’s now x 480 instead of x 404.”

All the information that you need is there.
Set MPEGStreamclip like this:

No de-interlacing, no resizing, no time-base change needed. just transcode pixel by pixel to 8b Unc.
You will extract the whole quality available in your MPEG-2.
You will get a 8b Unc Upper-first, but this is not a problem to deal with.
please have a look how it works and post back.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com