[Steve Gresser]

Well kids, it worked! My final encode, using the settings I said, plays at 16×9 on my PC, after error-free encode.

Now … sleeeeep.

[Steve Gresser]

Continuing saga …

Exporting to the Avid DV100 CODEC at 853×480 (square pixels) has produced a preview at 16×9. Now to let iDVD chew on that and (pray-pray-pray) make a master. So I can go to bed.

If you don’t hear from me, I’ve been taken away for assaulting a Mac Pro.

[Steve Gresser]

Without knowing a lot about the program he suggests, I’ll agree with Mr. Soyka on the reverse-engineering of your export. While prices do continue to drop and accessibility is improving, few clients have the means to project in 4K. My own plans for Ms. Scarlet-X (our recent acquisition) is to shoot in 4K with an eye on rendering down to 1080p, and not scaling-to-fit-the-timeline anything we think might need a push-in or whatever.

So think first about your end product. If it is, indeed, 4K, you’ll have to consider some other Windows-based options. If not, at least you know what you’ve shot is a heck of a lot more versatile, framing-wise, as something only shot in the resolution of your end product.

[Steve Gresser]

I’m reviewing the situation … sorry, “Oliver!” reference. Anyway, after fighting tooth and nail with Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Media Encoder (CS5.5) on OS X Lion on the Mac Pro with both the ATI 57XX and Quadro 4000, I’ve decided to do pitched battle with iDVD. I honestly would prefer to go with Encore as well, but it just doesn’t fit the finished product as well. The movie was shot and rendered in 16×9 and numerous attempts to “engage” the mode in iDVD have only ended up in a mild late night headache and some odd not-quite-the-aspect-ratio-I-paid-for video. I think the big problem is, the CODECs suggested in the various FCP-to-iDVD tutorials aren’t directly available to me in Media Encoder (unless I’m missing something), but the latest one is the h.264 encoding at 853×480 in square pixels – I’ll letcha know how it fleshes out, seeing how I’m not going to get any sleep until I have at least a master DVD burned.

[Steve Gresser]

So here is the deal – I broke down and purchased a power cable that was SATA 15 pin to PCI-E 6 pin (check ebay for them). I then re-installed the Radeon card and (after removing one small side clip that was in the way of full seating of the power) plugged that power cord into the ATI. The card acted under-powered, with occasional signal drop to the big 30″ Apple HD Cinema Display. I powered down and swapped the power from the PNY with the SATA power to the ATI. The display is stable and both cards are still actively listed. The Mercury Hardware Playback Engine is still in full force and CUDA has no complaints. This is several days now, including some 1/8th resolution scrubbing back-and-forth of 4K R3D, in both Redcine-X and Premiere Pro CS5.5.

I think I did it! (No magical blue smoke escaping from the computer.)

Steve

[Steve Gresser]

Not exclusively but yes, primarily we’ll be shooting R3D files. What suggestion would you have that might be more generally useable, or are those two things completely married (RED Rocket and R3D files)?

Steve

[Steve Gresser]

That does make sense, and if I follow the logic of it does that mean the render time for the current work sequence will be shorter if I have AE point to the proxy instead of the composition?

Honestly I am considering the advantages of a massively powerful processing card of some sort (though the Quadro 4000 is nice), like a Red Rocket. It’s a gigantic investment but we are going to be editing 4K footage. I’m unsure whether I should put pennies towards that first or a hot RAID array? I will need both in the end.

Thanks a bunch, once again.

Steve

[Steve Gresser]

Yes, the content is fine in AE. In the desperation of trying anything I thought might make a difference, I deleted the render files (the ones I’d done to ensure the AE comps actually ran and looked okay live in the timeline), and re-rendering the final timeline ran it okay.

I have to assume that was it, but if it wasn’t will the comp load as the rendered clip back in PP?

Thank you so much for your help.

Steve

[Steve Gresser]

Yes, I didn’t get in to edit fast enough – the CUDA/Mercury Playback are only supported on the Nvidia card. I’ve actually seen a rating where the Quadro 4000 is installed as a “slave” to the ATI card and there are further improvements to Adobe products (though beyond 4 cores seems to have only a slight improvement in PhotoShop, followed by a decrease in performance as you head north to 12 cores – odd).

So if someone else out there has installed both cards in a late 2010 Mac Pro, I’d love to hear about your experience?

Thank you again, everyone!

Steve

[Steve Gresser]

So you, too, are running with the Quadro 4000. Does it have major advantages over the 5870 for this purpose?

Thanks again!
Steve