Average time US adults spent daily with media. (Courtesy: eMarketer/Axios)
As reported by Axios, the COVID-19 crisis drove digital media consumption to new heights, while traditional media stagnated, according to data from eMarketer.
What’s happening: Even before the pandemic, but especially after, time American adults spent on smartphones and smart TVs skyrocketed while time spent on devices like radio and linear television continued to decline.
Why it matters: Media companies that hadn’t already begun to realign their businesses around streaming and mobile were caught flat-footed by the pandemic’s digital boom. Those that did have been rewarded.
Driving the news: Disney said Tuesday that its streaming service Disney+ surpassed 100 million subscribers in just 16 months.
What to watch: eMarketer predicts that that these formats will claim even more daily media time going forward. Traditional TV, social media, tablets, and desktops/laptops will likely decrease in usage this year compared to 2020.
https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-16 01:30:002021-03-12 16:55:39Tip #1492: Shift to Digital Media Accelerating
I am running macOS Big Sur and the latest version of FCP.
I had a problem with importing an mp4 Teams (Microsoft) video into my timeline. Intermittently, I would see only part of the audio wave form but could see/hear the whole video/audio playback.
When I exported the gaps in the audio waveform were silenced on play back – this got my head scratching!
If I played the video before import in QT or dropped it into Premiere then all seemed good – full audio waveform seen in Premiere for example.
So with a combination of these I was able to use FCP to get through my edit.
Today the dropped audio waveform happened again but, then, I stumbled on a ridiculously easy fix!
Before you import the file into FCP, rename your .mp4 video to .mov . Bingo! Audio is back on the timeline
There are only a few tools that create WebM files on a Mac.
The WebM logo.
Last week, Tip #1436 reported that support for WebM video playback was in current beta builds of Apple Safari. However, as several readers pointed out, that didn’t answer the question of how to create WebM files on a Mac. Here’s what I learned.
While there are LOTS of ways to convert WebM into MP4, there are only a very limited number of ways to convert anything into WebM.
NOTE: ffMPEG supports WebM creation. However, that’s accessed using the command line in Terminal; hardly easy for non-developers to use.
I’m a big fan, and regular user, of ffWorks, however, I haven’t used any of the rest of these. The good news is that, so far, no one has asked me for a WebM file. If you know of other conversion software, please let us know in the comments.
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https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-09 01:30:002021-03-05 11:42:23Tip #1467: Create WebM Files on a Mac
While royalty-free is compelling for some, most of the time, MP4 is a better choice.
The WebM logo.
There are a gazillion codecs out there. WebM is one of the newer ones. Is it better than MP4?
First, as we all know, “better” is a very squishy term.
MP4 is based on the 2001 QuickTime File Format and supports a vareity of codecs: AVC, HEVC/H.264, and H.264. It is essentially ubiquitous – and plays on everything from computers to Bic pens. (OK, maybe not Bic pens, but just about everything else.)
WebM is much newer, released in 2010. Both create files about the same size – assuming the compression software supports tweaking the settings. WebM file sizes can be smaller than MP4, depending upon compression settings.
While the image quality of WebM is reported as “better,” but most consumers probably wouldn’t notice. Essentially, image quality is a wash.
SO, WHICH TO CHOOSE?
The big benefits to WebM are that it is royalty-free and newer. The big benefits to MP4 are virtually universal playback and full support in a wide variety of software.
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https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-09 01:30:002021-03-09 01:30:00Tip #1468: Which is Better: WebM or MP4?
WebM is supported by Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome and, soon, Safari.
The WEbM logo
Developed and owned by Google, WebM is, according to the WebM website: “an open, royalty-free, media file format designed for the web. WebM defines the file container structure, video and audio formats. WebM files consist of video streams compressed with the VP8 or VP9 video codecs and audio streams compressed with the Vorbis or Opus audio codecs.”
Serving video on the web is different from traditional broadcast and offline mediums. Existing video formats were designed to serve the needs of these mediums and do it very well. WebM is focused on addressing the unique needs of serving video on the web.
Low computational footprint to enable playback on any device, including low-power netbooks, handhelds, tablets, etc.
Simple container format
Highest quality real-time video delivery
Click and encode. Minimal codec profiles and sub-options. When possible, let the encoder make the tough choices.
WebM has a sister project WebP for images. The development of the format is sponsored by Google, and the corresponding software is distributed under a BSD license. There is some dispute, however, if WebM is truly royalty-free.
According to Wikipedia, native WebM support by Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome was announced at the 2010 Google I/O conference. Internet Explorer 9 requires third-party WebM software. Safari for macOS, which relied on QuickTime to play web media until Safari 12. However, Safari in Big Sur 11.3 beta 2 has native support for WebM. While iOS does not natively play WebM, Android does.
VLC media player, MPlayer, K-Multimedia Player, JRiver Media Center and ffMPEG also support playing WebM files .
https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-02 01:30:002021-02-26 17:02:48Tip #1435: What Is WebM
According to reports on MacRumors and other sites, beta versions of macOS Big Sur 11.3 support playing WebM videos in Safari.
MacRumors reports: “In Safari, there’s support for WebM video playback, allowing users to play WebM videos using Apple’s browser. WebM is a niche video format designed to be a royalty-free alternative to the H.264 codec used in the MP4 format. WebM allows video files to remain small without sacrificing quality and can be played with little processing power, making it ideal for webpages and browsers.”
WebM was first released in 2010. Apple Safari was the lone holdout among major browsers in supporting this format. There’s no announced date for when macOS 11.3 will be released, nor any indication if WebM will be supported by Apple’s media applications.
https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-02 01:30:002021-02-26 17:01:05Tip #1436: Safari to Support WebM on Macs
WebM is a container format that uses VP8 or VP9 codecs for video and Vorbis or Opus codecs for audio. So, what are these audio codecs?
VORBIS
Developed by Xiph.org, Ogg Vorbis is a fully open, non-proprietary, patent-and-royalty-free, general-purpose compressed audio format for mid to high quality (8kHz-48.0kHz, 16+ bit, polyphonic) audio and music at fixed and variable bitrates from 16 to 128 kbps/channel. This places Vorbis in the same competitive class as audio representations such as MPEG-4 (AAC), and similar to, but higher performance than MPEG-1/2 audio layer 3, MPEG-4 audio (TwinVQ), WMA and PAC.
The bitstream format for Vorbis I was frozen Monday, May 8th 2000. All bitstreams encoded since will remain compatible with all future releases of Vorbis.
Developed by opus-codec.org, Opus is a totally open, royalty-free, highly versatile audio codec. Opus is unmatched for interactive speech and music transmission over the Internet, but is also intended for storage and streaming applications. It is standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as RFC 6716 which incorporated technology from Skype’s SILK codec and Xiph.Org’s CELT codec.
https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-03-02 01:30:002021-03-02 01:30:00Tip #1437: What are Vorbis or Opus Codecs?
BMD RAW files are now supported by Resolve, Premiere and Media Composer.
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
Last week, Blackmagic Design released the latest iteration of their smallest camera: The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. The camera supports only two codecs: Blackmagic RAW and ProRes. Who else supports BMD RAW?
Blackmagic describes the BMD RAW codec this way: “Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary new and very modern codec that’s easier to use and much better quality than popular video formats, but with all the benefits of RAW recording. Featuring multiple new technologies, such as a new advanced de-mosaic algorithm, Blackmagic RAW gives you visually lossless images that are ideal for high resolution, high frame rate and high dynamic range workflows. Incredible image quality, extensive metadata support and highly optimized GPU and CPU accelerated processing make Blackmagic RAW the world’s first codec that can be used for acquisition, post production and finishing. Blackmagic RAW is a totally new design, plus it’s cross platform, freely available and includes a developer SDK so anyone can add support for Blackmagic RAW to their own software.”
So, which software supports Blackmagic RAW?
Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve
Avid Media Composer
Adobe Premiere Pro
So far, though, the only cameras that shoot Blackmagic RAW are from Blackmagic Design.
NOTE: If other NLEs have announced support, please add a mention in the Comments.
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https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-02-23 01:30:002021-02-23 15:44:45Tip #1430: Who Supports Blackmagic RAW
Converting ProRes RAW to ProRes 4444 allows Resolve to edit the media.
The ProRes RAW logo.
ProRes RAW is a very popular codec that provides the highest-possible image quality in the smallest possible (but not actually very small) file size.
ProRes RAW can be edited in:
Final Cut Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Avid Media Composer
But not DaVinci Resolve. However, there’s a workaround, as reported by Charles Hull on the BMD forum:
“I’m sure this has been discussed here, but there is a very simple work-around for running ProRes RAW in Resolve. When I first heard about it I thought it was too much hassle, and might not work well anyway, so I continued with FCPX for ProRes RAW. So the work-around is to transcode ProRes RAW to ProRes 4444. ProRes RAW is 12 bits, and ProRes 4444 is 12 image bits, so it is a good fit, and it runs well in Resolve. The simple and painless way to do this is to import all the clips into Compressor and bulk export them to ProRes 4444.
“I’ve been shooting ProRes RAW since it first came out. I do mostly HDR, and get very good results with ProRes RAW and Resolve. Coincidently just ordered the Panasonic S1H and was happy to see it will have ProRes RAW via the Atomos NinjaV. I know how to handle this.”
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https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-02-23 01:30:002021-02-23 01:30:00Tip #1431: Editing ProRes RAW in DaVinci Resolve
Not all cameras shoot all formats. Here’s how to choose.
Image courtesy of Bruno Massao from Pexels.com
This article, written by Andy Shipsides, first appeared in HDVideoPro.com. This is a summary.
NOTE: Andy is the Chief Technology Officer for video rental house: AbleCine.
With so many cameras these days offering different recording options, combined with the popularity of external recorders, it’s no wonder there are a lot of questions about this topic.
To really answer the question, and to understand the difference between all of these formats, we need a little bit of background. ARRI’s ALEXA camera is unique in that it can output raw, uncompressed and record in a Log format, so I’ll use that camera as an example throughout this discussion. Let’s start with raw, which comes first for many reasons.
So what is raw anyway? Simply put, it’s just sensor data before any image processing. In a single-sensor camera, like the ALEXA, color is produced by filtering each photosite (or pixel) to produce either red, green or blue values. The color pattern of the photosites most often used is the Bayer pattern, invented by Dr. Bryce E. Bayer at Kodak. The raw data in a camera like this represents the value of each photosite. Because each pixel contains only one color value, raw isn’t viewable on a monitor in any discernible way. In a video signal that we can see on a monitor, each pixel contains full color and brightness information; video can tell each pixel on a monitor how bright to be and what color. This means that raw isn’t video. Raw has to be converted to video for viewing and use.
NOTE: The “Debayering process” converts image data into video for viewing.
Raw data isn’t necessarily uncompressed. In fact, it’s usually compressed. The RED cameras shoot in REDCODE, which has compression options from 3:1 to 18:1. Likewise, Sony’s F65 has 3:1 and 6:1 compression options in F65RAW mode. The raw data is compressed in much the same ways that traditional video is compressed, and the process does have some effect on image quality.
Raw data is usually at high bit depth, between 12- and 16-bit, but video is usually around 8- or 10-bit. In RGB (4:4:4) video, each pixel contains color and brightness information, which would be rather large with 16-bit depth. So, video is generally reduced in bit depth. Additionally, color information is generally reduced as well, from 4:4:4 to 4:2:2. These are both forms of compression that happen in the camera, even before recording. A standard for HD-SDI output on a professional camera is considered to be uncompressed; however, the specification for a single HD-SDI output in a 1920×1080 resolution is 10-bit 4:2:2.
Many cameras, including those from Sony, Canon, RED and ARRI cameras have a Log recording mode. When the Log modes are activated, the image becomes flat and desaturated, but you can still see it on a monitor. This should clue you in that Log recording is just standard video recording in the sense that all pixels display color and brightness information. Log isn’t raw; it’s video. However, it’s a special way of capturing that maximizes the tonal range of a sensor.
Raw is not Log because Log is in a video format, and raw is not video. Raw data has no video processing baked in and has to be converted into video for viewing. Log is video and has things like white balance baked into it. They’re very much not the same; however, they’re both designed to get the most information out of the sensor. Raw is getting everything the sensor has to offer; likewise, Log curves are designed to get the most tonal range out of the sensor. While they’re very different formats, they have the same general application. Both raw and Log can be uncompressed, but that depends on the recording device.
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https://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpg00Larry Jordanhttps://www.theinsidetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tips-Logo-700x150.jpgLarry Jordan2021-02-23 01:30:002021-02-23 01:30:00Tip #1433: Uncompressed vs. Raw vs. Log Video
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