Neoscene or mpeg streamclip
 

When importing the footage from the camera, do you use neoscene or the free program mpeg streamclip to convert it to editable avi-files ?
I work on windows.
I thought the time of realtime capturing from tapes was over, but now it seems maybe it's going to take as long or even longer. First copying the footage on your HDD and then converting it. :(

Well, as long as folks keep buying cameras that make more demands on their PCs than the PCs can handle, we'll keep having to transcode footage.

I had been doing conversions inside my NLE, but just recently got into Mpeg Streamclip and it seems to work very nicely for converting raw footage. And unlike Cineform, I get to pick the codec I want for conversions.

Also unlike ingesting tape, I can do a batch render overnight for all the footage. This is significant if you come back with 4-24 hours of footage like I do. Tape requires intervention.

I was checking the Cineform Neoscene website yesterday and it looks like that it works great for the 5D in that it converts the files to 29.97 from 30P. It also stated that you could use either ProRes or the Cineform codec.

For the 7D, I would think that MPEG Streamclip would be the better and cheaper option.

Daniel Weber

Yes you're right Perrone,
Tapes require intervention.
What codec do you choose for converting ?
Do you work windows or mac based ?

Mpeg Streamclip offers little support for AVI files on the PC. So I typically use the Avid DNxHD codec as my target codec.

If I am making Proxies, I use MJpegA. I also find that trying to use my Jpeg200 codec inside Mpeg Streamclip causes it to crash, so I have to do that archive render inside my NLE

I am Windows Based.

So this Avid codec is in Streamclip? And this Avid codec works in Vegas?

Does the Avid codec work in Premiere?

If you install the codec (free) yes it works in Premiere and Mpeg Streamclip. It works in Vegas but is subject to Vegas' poor handling of all .mov files. I use it anyway.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong,
But when I try to convert a file in mpeg streamclip, then the program freezes.
I tried to convert it with TMPGenc 4.0 xpress and then it worked, but I don't
know if that program is good for converting those files.

TMPGenc 4.0 xpress is exellent. If that's working for you, and you don't mind paying the money, then stay with it.

I use Mpeg Streamclip because it's free, effective, and does what I need for the most part. I use other programs to do the things it won't do.

yeah, I had to use it some months ago, so I already purchased it. ;)
But when I want to convert it into a quicktime file, I don't know which codec or compression I should use.
(Animation, no compression, photo-jpeg, ...)
Any advice ?

Well, like anything, the codec you choose depends greatly on what you plan to do with it. Is this for archiving? Are you going to be using it to edit? Is this for putting on a webserver for people to download?

If you tell me what you're going to do with the converted .mov file, I can help you select a codec.

Generally I think that he (and me) mainly wants good codec settings for:
lossless quality and easy to edit

In my case I'd prefer the best suitable format and codec for editing in Premiere CS4.

Thanks guys!

DNxHD, the cineform killer
 

So far this system works pretty good.
Here's what I did for my Dell Quad i7 920.
Download mpeg streamclip and the Avid DNxHD codec. Both FREE! intall both. MPEG Streamclip will recognize the DNxHD when you go to File>Export to Quicktime. Go ahead and convert the file. a 200 megabyte native 7d file took about 20 seconds to render and created a 700 megabyte DNxHD intermediate codec. I don't have Cineform so cannot say if it would do it faster.

Native 7d files do NOT play smoothly on my Vegas 9 timeline. The DNxHD does and should be more robust for color correcting etc.

I wish there was way to do these intermediary conversiosn on the Vegas timeline itself. My Vegas 6 *can* do that, but only with 720p footage.

Brian,

I have heard along with limited personal experience that anything encoded in an .mov format on the Vegas timeline typically suffers when it comes to performance.

Is this not the case with your DNxHD encoded .mov files that are you are bringing in from the 7D to Vegas?

Also, can you give some comparative performance analysis of say, HDV on the vegas timeline versus DNxHD encoded .mov files?

Jon