very slow export to QT from XDCAM EX timeline

[Rafael Amador]

hi Jim,
Which codec are you using on exporting?
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

(and here some clips for the friends: https://www.vimeo.com/2694745 )

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[Andy Mees]

Jim

XDCAM EX is one of Sony’s MPEG HD formats, similar to HDV. Dealing with that codec is VERY processor intensive.

Judging from your post, you are cutting this footage in a native timeline and then exporting it in the same native format. So your source format is processor intensive AND your target format is processor intensive. So you are doubling your pain!

Is there any specific reason you are mastering back to XDCAM EX? Frankly speaking, whilst its an awesome acquisition format it is not a good delivery format. Try this. 1) Set your sequence settings render control to use ProRes as the render codec. That will speed up your interim edit workflow if and when you want or need to render in the timeline. 2) When you have finalised your cut, choose Export > Quicktime Movie as usual but do NOT choose “Current Settings”, instead select Apple ProRes 422 as the target mastering codec. Things should happen a lot quicker once you stop trying to conform your edit back to XDCAM EX’s Long GOP structure.

I also noted that you say your RAID is “a little full” … more than 80% is too full really, more than 90% and you’ll definitely be struggling. Free up some space on your media drive.

Hope it helps
Andy

[Jim Watt]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your comments. It makes sense to make the movie Pro res instead of staying in the same format. I’m trying that now and it’s now only taking or estimated to take a couple of hours.

I think the other issue is that every clip has a 3 way color corrector on it and there are about 18 custom gradients, oval mask and mask feather combinations with CC on both the clips in each.

thx…jw

Producer/DP, HD series, “Discoveries…America”, “Discoveries…Ireland”, “Discoveries…Spain”,
“Discoveries…Argentina”

[Jim Watt]

I’m just doing a straight export to QT with the same settings. I’m also trying one to proRes HQ and it seems to be going a little faster. As I mentioned in another post, it could be because I have 3 way CC on all the clips and about 18 custom gradient/mask shape and mask feather combinations with cc on both clips. It seems a little odd that all this would slow things since they’re already rendered,but????

thx…jw

[Rafael Chinchilla]

Hello Andy:

I strongly encourage you to color correct in Color, rather than in FCP. The difference is from heaven to earth. the way Color process the material is very different. And there, you can set Apple ProRes 422 as your rendering codec. So once you do your color timing, you end up with a new sequence in this much lighter CODEC.

Regards

[David Salomon]

I had similar problems exporting from the XDCam EX CODEC sequence to QuickTime movie. I needed to do this for a multiclip edit. UntilI filled the gaps in the sequence with colourbars the export would hang at the beginning and end of clips. The export for a very ling sequence was taking over 3o hours on MBP. Once the gaps in the timeline was filled, export took less than 30 minutes. Cheers David Salomon.