MetaCheater Utility

[Arnaud Paris]

Yes, a paypal donation system would make sense. Can you look into this.

Arno

[Jabez Olssen]

Thanks for the talk of donations. I don't really know how I'd go about setting anything up though, but I'll look into it.

In the mean time here is a new version:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d7wzjjemz7x

Version 1.0
It has the ability to add Prefixes and Suffixes.
Also it allows for the use of each clip's filename as its Tape name. Actual it is the Reel, Clip and Date parts of the R3d filename, limited to the first 16 characters (in order to work with Avid's EDL template for Red)

cheers

-Jabez

[sbaechler]

Hi

Your tool is great.

Is it possible to use Quicktime Pro (or Cleaner XL which uses QT) to convert the Red Proxies to an Avid QT like Avid DV so you don't need the actual Avid software to do this? Are the metadatas stored in the proxies as well?

Or is there a way to make Avid Fast-Importable files without having to buy an avid suite?

Regards
Simon

[MichaelP]

As long as the Avid QuickTime codecs are loaded on the system, available free form Avid.com, QuickTime Pro can make the proxies as needed. No Avid needed on the system.

[Dylan Reeve]

As long as you can read the RED Proxies (so have the QT codec) and can write Avid QT files (have the Avid codecs) then you should be able to do the conversion in any QT-capable product.

I've done it with Compressor on the Mac. It took about 2x realtime for a 2-minute clip from 1k Proxy to DV50 Avid QT (so around 4 minutes) on our 8-core MacPro. And then the fast import to Avid still takes around 30 seconds.

It would be better to import directly to Avid from the QT proxies, I think, as that way you're getting Avid-ready mediafiles and a nice Bin.

[sbaechler]

Yes. The best would be if there was an mxf tool that would make the media files directly. The bin file would be a plus but not necessary.

On the p2 system you just copy the mxfs in the AvidMediaFiles folder and the import into the project is very fast.

Is there a software that makes MXFs out of Quicktime? It doesn't have to be an Avid software since MXF is an open format.

What would be the best setting for Avid QT? For me this is always a long trial and error procedure...

For PAL DV I would set it to DV 4:2:0, lower field first, RGB color space. Is this correct?

-Simon

[MichaelP]

You don't want to go the extra step of an already created DNxHD encoded QuickTime to MXF since the lengthy part of the process is the essence encoding, not the metadata wrapping.

Michael

[Jeff Brue]

Also just from practical experiance, if you use the quicktime methodology, it prevents a lot of the problems of transferring avid media to multiple different stations that arn't on some kind of shared storage. It continuosly suprises me some of the ass backwards editorial workflows that exist, ie but I can just have my editor log and capture to both avid meridien's and save the cost of getting a lanshare.

[sbaechler]

You don't want to go the extra step of an already created DNxHD encoded QuickTime to MXF since the lengthy part of the process is the essence encoding, not the metadata wrapping.

Michael

Yes, the MXF would be in an native Avid format. Even Fast-Importing Quicktimes takes a while if there are a lot of clips. Especially if audio is involved.

I noticed that Avid is not a multi-core application. If I encode to an Avid codec in Quicktime pro, are all available cores used?

-Simon

[MichaelP]

I have been focusing more on RedCine of late which does have multicore support.

Michael