[Craig Seeman]

I’m confused by what you’re trying to do and why.
If you’re in Premiere you’re already editing.

Generally I’d recommend either using the camera native codec if the NLE and Mac can handle it. Otherwise encode to Apple ProRes. Depending on the source and goal that might range from ProRes LT to ProRes XQ.

Perian is legacy since it’s based on Quicktime Frameworks which is deprecated. Apple now uses AVFoundation. Perian will handle playback of some odd codecs but that generally wouldn’t help an NLE as modern Mac NLEs are using AVFoundation.

If you want detailed help you may want to read the sticky at the top of this forum and explain in detailed including software version and objectives. The more detail the faster and more accurate response you’ll get.

[Craig Seeman]

So at NAB does Blackmagic announce the Cintel Mini for Resolve and FCPX?

[Craig Seeman]

Probably not. the 5 pin must break into two three pin connectors for left and right channel each.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768917-REG/Sony_EC05X5F3M_5_Pin_to_Dual_3_pin.html

[Craig Seeman]

This ECM680S? Yes I also used it with my EX1 and now with my X70
https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-ECM680S/
Note at the bottom of the description
The optional EC05X5F3M (formally known as K-1504) cable should be used when connecting the ECM-680S stereo shotgun with camcorders having two 3-pin XLR inputs
Which is what I also bought.

[Craig Seeman]

Interesting that he points out Intel QuickSync. This is one of the FCPX/Compressor additions awhile back. Some people were confused in their testing because they found iMacs faster than MacPros. That’s because (last I checked) i7 processors support it but not the Xeon family. My understanding is that initially QuickSync encodes didn’t quite look as good as non QuickSync encodes but that too has changed over time so there’s no concern using it.

The article is a year and half old but note the difference between their MacPro and MBP (both 15″ and 13″) when exporting H.264. Whereas, on other encodes the MacPro is faster.
https://www.macprovideo.com/hub/final-cut/final-cut-pro-x-performance-test

So a single pass H.264 encode for YouTube might be very fast on a MBP but not so much for ProRes. Just pointing that “faster” when it comes to export and FCPX depends on both CPU and codec.

[Craig Seeman]

[Aaron Zomback] “could provide some more explanation on the player software possibly having an impact?”

Players often decode files with different impact. Playing in VLC, Quicktime X, Windows Media Player, Telestream Switch may show different results. My preference would be to use the free version of Switch since it’s designed for professional video use specifically.
https://www.telestream.net/switch/overview.htm

[Craig Seeman]

For computer monitor calibration you can use the X-Rite i1 Display Pro.It can calibrate to Rec709 but for various reasons it won’t be the same as a calibrated broadcast monitor. This would be the important first step so you have some confidence in what you’re seeing relative to Rec709.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/798930-REG/X_Rite_EODIS3_i1Display_Pro.html

There are calibration kits for HDTVs
One method involves using “Expert” mode on your HDTV
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1975752,00.asp

This involves using a calibration disc.
https://lifehacker.com/5858625/how-to-calibrate-your-hdtv-and-boost-your-video-quality-in-30-minutes-or-less

Either way, it still may not be the same as your calibrated computer monitor but at least you may be a bit closer.

[Craig Seeman]

All your monitors need to be calibrated.
The player software itself can also have an impact.
Calibration must be done with professional calibration equipment.
Your grading should be done with calibrated monitor and scopes.
TV and Theater viewing environments may be different and some colorists take that into account when setting up their grading environment.

[Craig Seeman]

Mine crashed. Trying to reboot. I may need to reformat.

[Craig Seeman]

[Leo Kann] “MPEG-Streamclip does have a x.264 plug-in,”

Yes there’s an old (deprecated since it was Quicktime Frameworks based) version of x264 that should still work. It was developed by MyCometG3 (development ended in 2011. development ended for MPEGStreamclip in 2008)

This article shows the same codec (accessible by most old Quicktime based compressors) in Compressor. Next to” codeer_type” you can chose CABAC. Next to” b_frame_type” you can chose High Profile.

https://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/articles/encoding-with-the-x264-codec-with-compressor-4.html