objective question about 7D codec

[Mauricio Copetti]

Any of you are playing WELL the 7D movie codec with a computer like mine:

MacBookPro3,1, OS 10.6.2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)

Is IT PLAYING WITHOUT SKIPPING FRAMES, normally???

[Michael Nistler]

While I'm not a Mac guy, I understand others have configurations similar to yours and are using ProRes.

Regards, Michael

[Ted Ramasola]

I convert my footage to TGV HQ before I edit on a PC same processor as yours.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Mauricio,

I can download and play 7D footage directly on my 15 inch mid 2008 MBP (which is only a slight spec bump up from yours) just fine - although I'm on the last version of Leopard (not gone to Snow L yet).

If I want to edit on that laptop in FCS it's best to convert to ProRes 422 but I think you're just asking about playing the 7D files, right?

[David Chapman]

Originally Posted by Mauricio Copetti

Is IT PLAYING WITHOUT SKIPPING FRAMES, normally???

Mauricio, I have the same model as you (configured to 2.6GHz) but made sure I upgraded two very important things: hard drive speed (7200rpm from 5400) and graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT).

Your graphics card does a lot of work with the h.264 codec. I have 512MB ram where you have the base 256MB model. My Quad-Core G5 has the same issue until I convert to ProRes—then both play fine.

[Mauricio Copetti]

Thank you all!

My case is that:

1)I tested the 7D files (h264) in another pc computer and it was playing perfectly. So, nothing wrong with my camera files. ufffa!

2) I try to convert the h264 files to ProRes but these converted files do the same kind of frame jumping, skipping... so, no results

3) I installed Snow Leopard expecting to fix it, but nothing changed

4) I wrote you here to check if it was my computer...nothing wrong with it...

ANYBODY HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR ME TO SORT IT OUT? I NEED TO EDIT A JOB for YESTERDAY (my god!)

again, thanks a lot!!!

[Chuck Spaulding]

If you know that you camera files are working [because you tested them on a different computer] then there are only really three things you need to check.

As David pointed out, the speed of your hard drive is critical, a 5400 RPM drive is not going to be fast enough, especially if that's your system disk and the same disk your content is stored on.

The second, again as David pointed out, your video card. This is much more important for playing back H.264 natively, a 256MB VRAM is plenty for playing back ProRes.

And lastly, this is especially important if you have a 5400 RPM System/media drive, which ProRes did you encode too? You should have encoded to ProRes LT. If you encoded to ProRes HQ I don't think there's anyway a 5400 RPM drive can contiguously stream that much data.

So I suggest taking a 30 second clip and use MPEG Streamclip to encode your H.264 source to a ProRes LT file and see if that plays back. It should play back just fine if you simply hit the space bar of the file in the Finder, or opening it in Quicktime or importing it into FCP.

Also, when you place the first clip into a FCP time line it should ask if you want to set the timeline to match the source clip, press yes. Then check to see what your sequence setting are. That will tell you if something weird is going on with your encoding.

Are you placing your source clips on your system disk or a separate media drive? If its on your system disk what is the model number of your system disk?

[Mauricio Copetti]

Thanks Chuck,

I put in my first question in this topic most details about my computer. It is a 7200rpm hard drive and the VRAM is 256.

I also tried 5DMKII files in my computer and does the same...

Still confusing and unsolved...

[Ted Ramasola]

How many physical drives do you have? Are you playing back from a dedicated storage drive or a partition?

[Mauricio Copetti]

HI,

The files are stored in a 5400rpm small hd for the moment, but the clips an troubles I'm mentioning are played directly from my MBP hard drive.

I made more tests today and using COMPRESSOR I converted one clip in a h.264 apple tv (1280x720 AT 5Mbps, progressive) and it was smoother, but still flicking too much. The original shutter speed was at 50/1 (24p 1080p).

For my edit I will use a Lacie 1.5TB fire wire (7200rpm), but again, just when I sort it out. It would much better to use original 7D h.264 rather than convertions ( I think...)

thanks

[Ted Ramasola]

if you play the files in that 5400 rpm drive, you'll have problems.
--use at least 7200 rpm dedicated drive, internal installed not through usb.

if you play the files from the same physical drive where you have your operating system, you'll also have problems.
--even if your drive is 7200 rpm, if you save your project and raw footage on a partition
that is on the same physical drive as your OS, you'll not have optimum performance.

if you do not convert to an intermediate codec and use the h.264 from the camera, you'll also have problems.
--just like m2t files of HDV codec, you'll be better off using an intermediate codec.
with my HDV cameras, i can use the native m2ts on my timeline and have realtime
playback, BUT only up to 720p, NOT 1080p. This is based on a CPU same as yours.
For better real time performance for transitions and color corrections, an intermediate
codec is normally used by most editors.

[Mauricio Copetti]

Thanks,

Difficult to follow you. I found here people saying that CAN play h.264 7D footage with a computer like mine.

Other codecs I play very well, including xdcam hd and the codecs you mentioned, even from a external 5400rpm usb HDD and they play very good, normally.

The only trouble is this h.264 from 7D files...

[Chuck Spaulding]

You will not be able to edit H.264 natively. You must encode it to a different codec for editing, ProRes LT is my suggestion.

Playing H.264 back smoothly and editing it are two completely different things. H.264 is not an editing codec.

Also when you say play are you talking about playing H264 inside FCP?

[Mauricio Copetti]

Thanks again!

When I say PLAY I mean checking the images before editing (with quicktime or simply using space bar to monitor)

When I convert to ProRes it doesn't seem smooth, even shot at 50/1, with FCP.