,

Tip #1720: New! Framing Options in Compressor

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1720: New! Framing Options in Compressor

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

New compression options support more social media platforms.

New frame size options support vertical and square sizes.

Topic $TipTopic

New with the 4.5.3 update to Compressor are new compression settings which simplify cropping and compressing square and vertical media. Here’s how.

  • Import a video clip for compression and apply a compression setting, for example, Apple Devices > Apple Devices HD (Best Quality).
  • Go to Video > Frame Size and choose one of the new vertical or square size options (red arrow and bracket).
  • In the Viewer, drag one of the small cropping squares along the edge and watch the frame size numbers in the Inspector until you get to the frame size you want.
  • By default, Compressor tries to preserve the entire frame. Dragging one of the cropping squares allows you to determine which part of the image to crop.
  • Click in the middle of the selection square in the Viewer and drag to reposition which part of the image will be cropped.

EXTRA CREDIT

You can use this technique with other codecs, for example, ProRes 422. Compression options will vary by codec and source clip.

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Tip #1721: New! Change Starting Timecode in Compressor

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1721: New! Change Starting Timecode in Compressor

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

New! Modify source clip timecode for compressed files.

The new “Change Timecode” options in Apple Compressor.

Topic $TipTopic

New with the 4.5.3 update to Compressor is a setting to modify a job’s starting timecode in the timing area of the Job Inspector. Here’s how.

NOTE: Modifying the starting timecode automatically adjusts the job’s In point to match the new start time.

  • Import a clip into Compressor.
  • Assign a compression setting.
  • Select the job (file name) in the Compressor batch area.
  • Go to Inspector > Job.
  • Look about 1/4 the way down to see the new timecode entries (see screen shot).
  • Enter the new starting timecode and, if necessary, click Drop Frame to enable drop frame timecode.

The new timecode will be used when compressing this file.

EXTRA CREDIT

You can enter numbers or click the Up/Down arrows in the timecode pane.

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Tip #1705: Atmos, Panasonic Offer Apple ProRes RAW Recording

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1705: Atmos, Panasonic Offer Apple ProRes RAW Recording

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Apple ProRes RAW continues to gain support.

Ninja image courtesy: Atmos.

Topic $TipTopic

TVTech reports that Atmos and Panasonic have released Apple ProRes RAW recording from the Panasonic LUMIX GH5S camera when used with the Atmos Ninja V or Ninja V+, the companies said today.

Both products now can record up to 4K DCI p60 ProRes RAW and 3.7Kp60 anamorphic RAW from the GH5S with an update to AtomOS Firmware 10.66.
The small, compact size of the GH5S makes it well suited for gimbal and drone shooting, vlogging and cinema production. Its Micro Four Thirds image sensor provides flexible lens options, affordable anamorphic capture and dual native ISO, the companies said.

The ProRes RAW files captured when using the camera with the Ninja V or Ninja V+ will offer full metadata support in Final Cut Pro for White Balance and ISO slider adjustments, they said.

Here’s the link.

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Tip #1706: Olympics To Use Signiant File Transfer Software

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1706: Olympics To Use Signiant File Transfer Software

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Signiant offers faster, more secure file transfers.

Image courtesy of Signiant.com.

Topic $TipTopic

TVTech reports that the NBC Olympics will use Signiant’s File Transfer software for the Tokyo Olympics to enable remote productions. (Here’s an excerpt.)

NBC Olympics is deploying Signiant intelligent file transfer software for its production of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, reported Darryl Jefferson, vice president of post production and digital workflow, at NBC Sports and Olympics, and Margaret Craig, CEO of Signiant.

Signiant’s software will allow NBC Olympics to leverage their talent and equipment back home in Stamford with remote production techniques, enabling them to provide enhanced viewing experiences to their audience much more efficiently, the companies reported.

NBC will use Signiant’s software to move petabytes of footage from Tokyo back to its International Broadcast Center in Stamford immediately after it is captured.

In addition, the software will be used to transfer content, including advanced graphics work and pre-recorded footage, quickly and securely back to the broadcast center in Tokyo.

Here’s the link to the Signiant press release.

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Tip #1707: NDI Tools 5: NDI Output from FCP & Premiere

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1707: NDI Tools 5: NDI Output from FCP & Premiere

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

NDI Tools 5 also supports WAN bridging.

Image courtesy of NDI.tv

Topic $TipTopic

NDI Tools announced support to enable NDI output from Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects in their upcoming NDI Tools 5. The upcoming utility is free.

Shipping later in June, “NDI 5 makes it possible, for the first time in history, to connect to any device, in any location, anywhere in the world – allowing it to work with almost any video application in the world. Physical studios can connect to ones in the cloud and remote video production effectively becomes local. Tools is a free suite of applications designed to introduce you to the world of IP. NDI makes it possible to connect to any device, in any location, anywhere in the world – and transmit live video to wherever you are.” (NDI Tools website)

NDI 5 makes it possible, for the first time in history, to connect to any device, in any location, anywhere in the world – allowing it to work with almost any video application in the world. Physical studios can connect to ones in the cloud and remote video production effectively becomes local.

NDI Tools fully supports all M1 Macs, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut Pro, as well as all macOS, iOS, tvOS and iPadOS devices.

Here’s the link to the NDI announcement.

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Tip #1685: The Future of Production

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1685: The Future of Production

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Software-defined workflows support creative task through connected automation.

Graphic courtesy of Tedial, Inc.

Topic $TipTopic

In August 2019, Movielabs and Hollywood Studios published a white paper envisioning “The Evolution of Media Creation”, which provided a ten-year vision for the future of media production, post and creative technologies. Since then, the world has changed considerably however, many of the aspects within the white paper are still extremely important for global media production.

Key to this are Software-Defined Workflows, which abandon the notion that interoperability is limited to applications that are designed specifically to work together. Instead, it adopts the model that applications can interoperate with any other as long as they follow a set of interoperability rules and security policies, either natively or with adapters.

Tedial CTO, Julian Fernandez Campon, explores this idea of software-defined workflows and how they support creatives.

There are a number of important elements that together lead to success including: workflows that are automated (as much as possible); workflows that are simple and easy to design, maintain and evolve; practicality – software-defined workflows make it practical to develop reusable components and to automate aspects of the workflow that are currently manual.

Here’s the link to their free white paper.

EXTRA CREDIT

The text above was taken from a promotional email written by Tedial.

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Tip #1687: A Compressed Guide to Codec Costs

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1687: A Compressed Guide to Codec Costs

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

In today’s world, a multi-codec approach is best.

Report logo courtesy of Bitmovin.com.

Topic $TipTopic

This article, written by Adrian Pennington, first appeared in NABAmplify.com. This is a summary.

Transmitting data has a cost — in terms of bitrate and budget which CTOs of streaming media services need to carefully weigh.

Bitmovin has crunched the numbers and concludes that a multi-codec approach is best. That’s important given the codec race that has developed over the past few years. It’s a race that has no clear winner.

“At this point in time, if any OTT or streaming provider is seeking to reach the maximum number of devices at the highest possible quality, adopting a multi-codec approach is your best bet to success,” states The Definitive Guide to Video Codecs.

“Adopting just two (VP9 and HEVC) will enable an organization to reach roughly 98% of browsers and devices in the US alone.”

Codecs have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of video streaming workflows and operations. This cost is often measured based on file size, storage usage, and bandwidth consumption. Applying codecs is how content distributors can reduce their bitrate expenditure while maintaining a sliding scale of quality.

Bitmovin analyzed the numbers and shares their data on H.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1, VVC (H.266), and LCEVC.

EXTRA CREDIT

Here’s a link to get the Bitmovin report. The report is free, but requires your email address.

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Tip #1688: intoPIX Offers JPEG XS Codecs for NVIDIA

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1688: intoPIX Offers JPEG XS Codecs for NVIDIA

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

JPEG XS is designed for production and post in the Cloud, not distribution.

intoPIX logo, courtesy of intoPIX.

Topic $TipTopic

intoPIX, a provider of video compression tools, has integrated solutions for JPEG XS & SMPTE 2110-22 for NVIDIA Rivermax-enabled Ethernet NICs. The combination of intoPIX FastTICO-XS GPU SDK with Rivermax provides developers a turnkey solution supporting the new JPEG XS standard. Moreover, the new integration of Rivermax into the NVIDIA DeepStream SDK  gives developers all the right tools to create the most exciting video streaming products for any application.

Just as we need codecs for distribution, we also need codecs for moving media assets to the cloud for post-production.

Using JPEG XS safeguards all advantages of an uncompressed stream such as ultra-low latency, high quality – and offers a significant bandwidth reduction with real-time GPU encoding /decoding in HD, 4K or 8K. It can be used in any LAN, WAN or cloud-based application which is sensitive to low latency and high quality

This integration unlocks innovation for a wide range of applications in media and entertainment, broadcast, healthcare, and more. It was presented by intoPIX during GTC21 with 4K 60fps JPEG XS streaming using the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier System On Module (SOM) and NVIDIA ConnectX-5 NICs.

EXTRA CREDIT

Read the press release here.

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Tip #1667: Behind the Scenes: Codec Central

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1667: Behind the Scenes: Codec Central

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

These codecs work on Mac & Windows, including the M1 Mac.

The illustrate logo.

Topic $TipTopic

illustrate makes products focused on audio codecs, audio conversion and metadata. Providing products for both consumers and professionals, their key conversion utility is dBPowerAmp.

What caught my eye was their “Codec Central” – a list
of the audio codecs they support.

For those interested in converting media from one format to another, their products might also be of interest.

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Tip #1668: Planning for Future File Sizes

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1668: Planning for Future File Sizes

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Storage requirements double with every 2K increase in frame size.

File storage requirements (in MB / hour) as frame size increases.

Topic $TipTopic

Camera makers are rushing to support ever larger frame sizes. But, I wondered, what impact does increasing frame size have on storage requirements? The answer is: a LOT!

Apple has done an excellent job documenting the storage and bandwidth requirements for different frame sizes and frame rates of ProRes. For this chart, I took the numbers for ProRes 422 at 30 frames per second. Though this uses ProRes, the ratio between frame sizes will be the pretty much the same, even as you change codecs or frame rates; though the specific numbers will be different.

This screen shot illustrates the storage challenge editors face as frame size increases. Files which are manageable in smaller frame sizes become overwhelming as frame sizes grow.

  • 1080p HD = 66 GB / hour
  • 8K = 1,131 GB / hour
  • 10K = 2012 GB / hour (estimated)

NOTE: That is not a typo. When frame sizes hit 8K, storage is measured in TERABYTES per hour!

Bandwidth, the speed storage needs to transfer data to your computer, is equally challenging.

  • 1080p HD = 18 MB/sec
  • 8K = 314 MB/sec
  • 10K = 558 MB/sec (estimated)

Clearly, as we move into larger frame sizes, our storage needs to shift into RAIDs filled with SSDs or NVMe SSDs.

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