Mike Cohen
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COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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set the viewer to Draft playback – that is the closest you can get. If using the Multi-cam mode, you are playing up to 4 streams of video simultaneously – that will make your computer crawl unless you are running video off a RAID or really fast drives.
Mike
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in Media Encoder, under h.264 or mpeg-4, there is actually a YouTube setting – although you may want to experiment. If you can upload a f4v (flash-ready mpeg-4) to YouTube, then do that, so YouTube doesn’t ruin your video with re-encoding.
Mike Cohen
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The reason to try the other formats is to see if any of the other formats gives you an acceptable result. Trial and error – divide and conquer.
In other words, if you can get from your source AVI to a delivery format or other intermediate format that looks good, then you know your source file has the information you need.If you can go to DivX successfully – while you will lose a generation – could you then import the DivX into Media Encoder and export your MPEG-2. It is an indirect way to go and possibly degrading to your image, however compare that to the time spent banging your head against the wall and anxiety of a looming deadline.
Sometimes a compromise is the best solution, given that TIME cannot be altered, something else has to give.
Note for your DVD for a film festival – make it an autoplay – no menu, no need to do anything except insert the disc. I went to two local festivals this year, and 80% of the videos had iDVD style menus, and the AV techs were working in the dark without flashlights, and cheap DVD players. Test your DVD on a DVD player, not just on a computer.
Mike Cohen
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Have you tried exporting say a 1 minute file – try mpeg2 with the maximum bit rate set to 7mbit/s. Also try various other formats, such as DV AVI, Apple animation, h.264 – do 1 minute clips of the same content in various formats and see if you can get any of them to look better.
What is the total length of the movie? DivX is amazing in its ability to reduce file sizes and maintain image quality, but alas few people have DivX playback in the non-pirated movie world.
And please watch your language – I know you are frustrated but this is a family show!
Report back with your findings.
Mike Cohen
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[Nick Griffin] “If they can be convinced that a professional image and sound has a positive impact on their business then they buy. If not, they don’t.”
I think that summarizes many of the recent threads Nick.
There is a market for all levels of production quality. A local car dealer ad shot on a Red Camera will still be a $200 local car dealer ad, it will just look really really bad, instead of just simply bad. In other words, someone accustomed to the $200 local ad is never going to be the customer for higher-end productions.
This is why we all need to be salespeople – to find the prospects and convince them [Nick Griffin] “that a professional image and sound has a positive impact on their business then they buy. If not, they don’t.”
Mike Cohen
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Rob,
Chances are your employer already knows about this. Google yourself.You may be in a situation where the employer knows they have given you a complicated project in order to test you. To test your ability to overcome adversity, and your ability to be honest with them.
Getting the job done sometimes involves asking for help.
Mike Cohen
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What is a Dream Client?
1. A dream client understands value vs price alone.
2. A dream client hears about your services from a colleague and calls you up to get some of your magic for themselves.
3. A dream client first explains their problem, then lets you, the expert, come up with a solution. In other words, a dream client does not try to do your job for you.
4. A dream client likes what you have done for them so much that they come back for more.
We have numerous dream clients. Some start-ups, some ginormous, most somewhere in between. They understand that we offer valuable services and experience within our industry, and they believe our prices are fair. Note to those just starting out – a fair price is one that is a good value, not just cheap. Cheap does not pay the bills.
Mike Cohen
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Thanks to my flux capacitor, I went back in time on the CalDigit forum, encountered a helpful mad scientist named Bob Zelin, and got what seems like the definitive manifesto on why CalDigit HD Element is the right product for me, and why G-Tech ain’t. In fact looking at the G-Tech forum it seems to be chock full of failures and problems – more so proportionally than most other forums. I’m sold.
https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/228/686
Mike Cohen
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If you convert from XDCAM to a HDV export to tape, you are downgrading slightly, but then to recapture the HDV to a file is lossless, if you will.
I read today that MPEG Streamclip may be able to convert to ProRes
Mike Cohen
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Re: Music – Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow – perfect mix of Rock, Blues, Funk and the 1970’s. Lava lamp, disco ball or smoke machine optional. Just be careful listening in the car, you may find yourself going 90 without noticing (full disclosure, me driving 90 is about as likely as the Star Wars Holiday Special coming out on Blu-Ray)
Re: Holiday Music – Hate it with a capital H – only because it is in such heavy rotation this time of year. If I have to spend more than 10 minutes at the mall I have a problem. In small doses, however, Burl Ives’s Christmas album is awesome.
Back in 5th grade, as one of two Jewish kids in the whole grade, I remember kids asking me why I knew the words to Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Not “how” but “why” as if it were somehow illegal. Granted this was the same group of kids who did not know New York was both a city and a state. No offense to the fine people of Iowa – I’m sure it was a fluke.
Re: Star Wars Holiday Special – I remember watching this when it originally aired – it is pretty awful if you can find it online. Worth watching for the pure insanity.
Ok, I’ll save you the trouble:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNGjKnTzaQ
Happy Life Day.
Mike Cohen