Ken Machacek
Forum Replies Created
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I agree 100%. I’ve got Media Composer, Symphony, and Sorenson Lite up and activated. I’m totally stumped if NewBlue Titler Pro v2 is even installed/activated, and I have NO clue how to activate Dolby AC3.
I was actually pretty excited that Avid was doing an Application Manager like Adobe Creative Cloud… But clearly it’s limited in its functionality, buggy, and it doesn’t even allow you to install programs through the Application Manager itself (unlike Creative Cloud)… When you click on “Install,” it opens your web browser and takes you to a site to download the app.
Seriously, Avid. This kind of **** is why people are moving to Premiere.
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I also did the subscription, too… How’d you get the Dolby AC3 license to be activated? Also, despite installing the NewBlue Titler Pro v2″ application, it doesn’t appear in my “Avid Application Manager” as installed… It only gives me the option to download it. (I would think that the Application Manager should see it as installed and check for updates, just like Media Composer and Sorenson Squeeze – both of which appear as installed and up to date.) I should note that I’m running on Mac OS 10.9.3.
Thanks!
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I’m actually getting the exact same thing you are. “CompressorTranscoder” and all four of my “CompressorTranscoderX” (one for each instance, and I’m running 4 instances on my 8-core Mac Pro) show up in the Activity Monitor as “Not Responding”. This also goes for “CompressorJobController”, “ContentAgent”, and “ContentController”.
However, that said, during an encoding process to my virtual cluster, each “CompressorTranscoderX” is using the CPU as normal. So it seems to be running just fine otherwise. To confirm this, I did a test on my own… Encoding normally using “This Computer” in Compressor, and encoding using my virtual cluster. When using “This Computer” (not my virtual cluster), the encode took 3:29. Using the same settings with my virtual cluster, it took only 2:40. Obviously, my virtual cluster is running, and it is speeding up the encode process… But still, this issue that we both have is very weird.
Also, as a sidenote, I got another weird Qmaster issue earlier today. I tried encoding a movie with my virtual cluster in Compressor, and Compressor popped up with an error message saying it had an “internal error” and “Apple Qmaster File Agent not found”. It wouldn’t let me encode at all with my virtual cluster. So, I deleted my preference files, “Reset Services” in the Apple Qmaster preference pane, and restarted, and now everything works as I stated above.
It is an odd issue, though… Compressor is accepting job processes to my virtual cluster, yet those “Not Responding” messages pop up in the Activity Monitor. If anyone has advice and/or a solution, I’m sure we’d both appreciate it.
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I’m really curious about this myself. I wonder what’s taking them so long to help out Mac users like us.
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Tracy,
Sorry we haven’t chatted sooner over e-mail, man. Things have been a little busy.
In answer to your question, no… There are currently no capture cards (AJA, Blackmagic, or otherwise) that offer native 480p input and capture. And there are also no upgrades (official or user-created) that I know of that offer this option.
480p is really odd “consumer” format, originally created for “Enhanced Definition Televisions”… “EDTV’s” were basically a cheap way for people to buy better-looking TV’s, without dropping the cash for a high-def set. It was a stupid idea, really. Now, Nintendo didn’t want to bother with making the Wii a high-def system in an effort to keep the cost of making the machine down, so they went with 480p.
The solution, like you said, is to go with a converter. I mentioned in my previous post that got us chatting that I’m using the Gefen Home Theater Scaler to up/down-convert the signals from my game systems. In the case of the Wii, I have the 480p output of the Wii connected via component cables to the Home Theater Scaler, which is feeding into my Blackmagic Multibridge Pro via HDMI. While I’m with you… I’d rather capture the native 480p output of the Wii without futzing with the signal… It’s just not possible.
Still, the nice thing is that I’m cutting everything in 720p, so the Home Theater Scaler does the upconversion for me. (And it does a pretty good job at it, too.) Also, while I’m still converting the signal, I know that I’m outputting the best quality possible from the Wii… It still looks better than capturing the Wii’s basic 480i signal. Also, you don’t have to use the Gefen products, but I figure they might be useful for you, since the Home Theater Scaler will accept a 480p signal and upconvert it to whatever you want. (The Home Theater Scaler will also output at 480p, but since the Blackmagic doesn’t recognize that format, that ability is kind of useless to me.)
Anyway, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I hope that helps answer your question. (Not the answer you wanted to hear, I know.) Hope you’re doing well, and take care!
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One quick correction to my previous post… Blackmagic DOES sell the “DeckLink High-Definition” and “Intensity” cards, both of which offer HDMI input… The AJA IoHD and Multibridge series aren’t the only ones. Also, I forgot that recent updates to the Multibridge allow for hardware-based upconversion from SD and 720p to 1080 high-definition video.
So anyway, you have a variety of options. Mostly, I just like having a separate, external box for all of my SDI, analog, XLR, and HDMI inputs… It’s a lot easier than sneaking around to the back of my Mac Pro to a capture card, just to re-wire my A/V connections. But, you can probably save a few bucks by going for one of Blackmagic’s capture cards over the Multibridge Pro.
Oddly, the only AJA product that offers HDMI input/output is still the AJA IoHD… So I’d stick with one of the Blackmagic products.
If you go for a “DeckLink” or “Intensity” card, please let me know how it works out for you.
– Ken
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Tracy,
I’m the writer/producer/editor/director/graphic designer (basically, a one-man show) of “FOX News Gamers Weekly” for the FOX News Channel. “Gamers Weekly” covers the latest in videogame news, new releases, and reviews, and while it’s only appeared on the TV network a few times, it’s produced specifically for new media platforms – including cellphones, iPods, and the web. We’ve had it running since February 2007 with the release of “Crackdown” for the 360, and it’s actually FOX’s #1 most-watched online video podcast. I’m really proud of it, and I just recently re-vamped all the graphics in 720p (everything was originally done in 4:3 SD quality), which is why I was looking for a set-up that could capture in high-def. If you’d like to check it out, just visit:
https://www.foxnews.com/gamersweekly/
…or search “FOX News Gamers Weekly” in the Podcasts section of iTunes, and you can download the show straight to your iPod or iPhone.
So, even though the show doesn’t appear on the web in 720p, it definitely looks a lot crisper when I create everything in high-def. Plus, when it’s broadcast on TV on the FOX News Channel, I have a 720p version ready to go.
I do the show as a freelancer for FOX from here at home… My PS3 is my primary DVD/Blu-Ray player, and I’m on the Wii and 360 all the time… I wanted a set-up where I could capture all of the game footage, but I didn’t want to have to disconnect and reconnect tons of wires, and I wanted to be able to watch all of my Blu-Rays in glorious 1080p. The extra bonus with this set-up is that, when I’m capturing game footage for the show, I just set my Gefen Home Theater Scaler to output at 720p… But when I’m just watching a movie or playing for fun, I just set the Home Theater Scaler back to 1080p. (This is why I keep my consoles’ video output settings at 1080p, and let the Home Theater Scaler do all the work.) This configuration not only looks neat and tidy and does the job, but it’s also great for me, since I needed a set-up that had this kind of flexibility.
Anyway, the audio and video quality coming from the Gefen products and my Multibridge Pro is great… I wanted a capture device with an HDMI input to capture from the videogame systems, and to my knowledge, there’s only the Blackmagic Multibridge products and the AJA IoHD. My problem with the AJA IoHD is that it cost $1000 bucks more than the Multibridge Pro, and it only has hardware up/down-conversion when using the Apple ProRes codec. I’m a freelance editor, and I wanted the flexibility to use ANY codec, and the Blackmagic Multibridge Pro not only does the job, but it also lets me capture 2K film footage as well. Sure, the Multibridge Pro doesn’t have any hardware-based up-conversion built-in, but my Dual-3.2 Ghz Quad-Core Mac Pro is screaming fast, and doing any up-conversion within the software doesn’t take any time at all. (Obviously, I don’t have to do any up/down-conversion for my game footage, since it’s all coming in at 720p from the Home Theater Scaler.)
I’m sure that the AJA IoHD is a great product, but the Multibridge Pro seemed like the more economical and flexible solution. And while I hear that AJA’s technical support is better than Blackmagic’s, the Blackmagic support folks that I’ve spoken to have been extremely helpful. And hey, they even tested my set-up, saw that the “green” video was a bug, and said that they’ll fix it in a future update. I mean… what more can you ask for?
Overall, I think my configuration is great for any film/TV editor. But, especially since you’re working with videogame footage, the configuration I’ve got is perfect for you. Here’s a breakdown of the cost:
– Multibridge Pro – $1,459.95 from B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com)
– Gefen Home Theater Scaler – $449.00 from Gefen (www.gefen.com)
– Gefen 1:4 Splitter for HDMI 1.3 – $299.00 from Gefen (www.gefen.com)
– TOTAL COST: $2,207.95 (plus tax)
Excluding the cost of the computer, that’s pretty cheap for a system that allows me to switch and up/down-convert the signals from all three videogame systems, and capture up to 2K-quality footage into Final Cut Pro. I run both Avid and Final Cut Pro, though, so my only complaint with the Blackmagic Multibridge Pro is that it’s not compatible with Avid. (Although, I don’t believe that the AJA IoHD is compatible with Avid, either.)
Anyhoo, it’s relatively cheap, it works great, and it fit my needs as both a hardcore editor and casual consumer. I know you probably won’t be using your own configuration from home, but hey… it’s just an added bonus.
I’m really glad I helped you out, man. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail at persona1138@me.com. And if you’re ever online, my XBOX 360 and PS3 screenames are both “persona1138″… Add me as a friend sometime, if you’d like. (I don’t know my Wii’s “Friend Code” off-hand… I really hate those friend codes, they’re incredibly stupid.)
See you later!
– Ken
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Tracy,
No problem, man… I’m glad listing my setup helped you out. It’s been great for me so far, and the Gefen products I listed work together like a charm. (So does the Multibridge Pro, if it weren’t for the crappy 6.8.3 through 6.8.7 updates.)
In terms of your suggestion… yeah, I tried rebooting… No luck. Although, I finally got the Blackmagic folks to try it out, and they encountered the same “green” video when capturing from the XBOX 360 over HDMI and using the Multibridge Pro 6.8.3-6.8.7 software. So, they’ve officially listed the “green” video as a “bug,” and they said that they’ll address it in a future update.
But, like I said, if you decide to go for the configuration I have, simply use the Multibridge 6.8.2 software (or earlier) in the meantime and you’ll be fine. You can download older versions from the following link:
https://www.blackmagic-design.com/support/software/archive/?s=Multibridge&p=Mac
I saw from your website that you guys do a lot of material for Gamespot. The configuration I’ve got definitely works for gaming folks like us. Now, the Multibridge Pro won’t capture 1080p video at anything but 24p (which the Gefen products won’t up/down-scale to… They’ll only upscale to 1080p at 60 Hz)… But, the Gefen Home Theater Scaler will up/down-scale to 720p at 59.94/60 Hz or 1080i at 59.94/60 Hz, which the Multibridge Pro will capture over HDMI.
Also, the other nice thing about this setup is that I don’t have to adjust the resolutions of the XBOX 360, PS3, or the Wii. The Home Theater Scaler does it all for me… In fact, it even captures the 480p component signal from the Wii and upconverts it to 720p/59.94 Hz. The HDMI signal is then “split” between my HDTV and my Multibridge with the Gefen 1:4 Splitter for HDMI… Without any delay. This is important for gaming, since you don’t want any “lag” between the output of the console and what you’re seeing on your television. So, the great thing is that I get to switch between all three consoles, the Home Theater Scaler automatically up/down-converts the signal, and I can play all the games on my HDTV without any delay, while simultaneously capturing into my Multibridge Pro.
Since the network I work for broadcasts at 720p, I capture everything into Final Cut Pro using the Apple ProRes (HQ) codec at 720p 59.94/60 Hz. The quality is great, and the file sizes are really small – especially compared to other uncompressed high-def codecs. I’m really impressed with ProRes. One word of warning, though… Unless you have an audio mixing board that can adjust a digital audio signal over HDMI (I’m not even sure if there IS one), you MAY have audio from the games that over-modulates when capturing into Final Cut Pro… The solution to this is that 99% of all videogames allow you to adjust the audio levels within the game. Simply adjust the audio levels within the game settings, while using your audio meters in Final Cut as a reference, and you’ll be good to go.
A couple other pieces of advice… When using my setup and connecting your consoles to the Gefen Home Theater Scaler:
– Use the component cables for the Wii, and set the console to 480p for the best quality. On my setup, this captures into Final Cut Pro as ProRes (HQ) 720p/59.94 Hz video.
– Secondly, use component cables for the PS3… For some reason, recent updates to the PS3 have prevented A/V capture over HDMI due to copyright issues. Now, I understand that developer versions of the PS3 allow you to turn off this HDMI copyright protection… But regular, consumer versions of the PS3 don’t. The workaround for this is – instead of outputting the PS3’s audio and video over HDMI – use component and analog stereo cables, and connect them to the Gefen Home Theater Scaler. In the PS3’s settings, output the video to whatever resolution you’d like (I just keep it at 1080p, and have the Gefen Home Theater Scaler down-convert the signal to 720p.) On my setup, this captures into Final Cut Pro as ProRes (HQ) 720p/59.94 Hz video.
– Finally, use HDMI output for the XBOX 360, set it to whatever video resolution you want (I just keep it at 1080p), and be sure to set the audio output of the console to “Digital Stereo”… NOT “Dolby Digital”. The Multibridge Pro won’t capture Dolby Digital audio, and you’ll get some really annoying “RAT-TAT-TAT” sound coming into Final Cut Pro. So, just be sure to set the audio output over HDMI to “Digital Stereo” within your XBOX 360’s settings. One little oddity… While the PS3 and Wii capture into Final Cut Pro at ProRes (HQ) 720p/59.94 Hz, the XBOX 360 will only capture at ProRes (HQ) 720p/60 Hz. When capturing from your XBOX 360, go into Final Cut Pro’s capture settings, and switch the settings from 720p/59.94 Hz to 720p/60 Hz, and your XBOX 360’s video will appear. It’s weird, I know. You’d think that the Gefen Home Theater Scaler would do the same up/down-conversion to all three consoles, but the XBOX 360 only outputs at 60Hz, and you’ll get a black capture screen in Final Cut if the capture settings are set to 59.94 Hz.
Anyway, using the settings I’ve listed above, everything works like a charm. The Home Theater Scaler will up/down-convert all of the incoming audio and video signals to 720p 59.94/60 Hz, and output them all through a single HDMI cable. The Gefen 1:4 Splitter for HDMI then splits this signal to my HDTV and my Multibridge Pro. And the Multibridge Pro goes straight into Final Cut on my Mac Pro. Just remember to adjust the audio levels within the videogame settings, and you’ll be good to go.
I know I’ve written a lot here, but this is all the result of MONTHS of testing, and I figured I should let you know all of the quirks so that you can hit the ground running. Overall, I’m super-happy with this setup, and while it’s got a few little oddities, it allows me to capture instantly into Final Cut Pro, without recording to tape and without any delay to my HDTV. It saves a lot of time, and A LOT of work… And, like I said earlier, I highly recommend using Apple’s ProRes (HQ) codec… It’s super-efficient, and really high quality (as good as other uncompressed codecs, as far as I’m concerned). I’m able to capture about 10 hours of gameplay before filling up my 1-terabyte internal hard drive… So, roughly, 1 hour of ProRes (HQ) video at 720p equals 100 gigabytes.
Anyway, I hope that helps, man. And Blackmagic told me that they’ll address the “green” video in a future update, since this problem IS a bug in the Multibridge software. So, hopefully the 6.8.8 update (or whatever they call it) will fix the issue… Even if you upgrade your Multibridge software, you can always downgrade to a previous version. I’ll be sure to try it, once the next update is released, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Take care!
– Ken