Hey Guys, any suggestions for the Mac people on what encoder to use to turn .MOV(i.e. Catalyst Content) into MPEG2(i.e. DL.2 Content) codec. You only have a recommended Windows utility on the HES site.
Right now we only have a Windows recomended utility because we really haven't found a Mac program that we like yet. I talked with our video guy this morning, and he said that he used to use Mac Cleaner but had some issues with interlaced video and other things. He's found some other programs for the Mac that can work, but they are apparently very finiky to get working correctly.
After talking with him, he really recommends the PC utility that's on our website. Probably not what you want to hear, but that nice dual boot Mac Book Pro gives you some options :headbang: I looked through our tutorials and talked with Steve (our video guy) and it all seems really simple. Everything on there is geared toward creating content that will work very well with the DL2 system. There is a link on our support page for a free demo of the encoder that is water mark free, so it gives you a chance to really use it. The program is only $60 for a license.
Steve constantly looks for encoding programs and does a good job evaulating them for use with the DL2. We can keep you updated whenever we find a program that we recommend for Mac use.
One of the best investments that I have personally made is purchasing the Sorenson Squeeze v4 Compression Suite. I've only used the Windows version and I haven't actually transcoded any content for DL-2 yet, but I've been using it for a few years with Catalyst content and I have never been let down. I know that they have a Mac version and I would definitely check it out.
as for changing over Mac video content, we used Cleaner. All our content this year came from the Mac world of useage. Used Cleaner and batch converted our files then uploaded them from a PC to the DL2 units. As for now, it seems as if things are running great.
Our LD, Steve Fallon, has figured out several ways of converting Quicktime & AVI to Mpeg2 files. Files run great and look awesome on the screens.
Have had the DL2 units out in an outdoor festival to casino across the west coast. running so far great.
Hi Scott, I freelance custom content for production companies that use DL.2 collages. I am currently using PixelTools HDPro plug-in on my G5. There are a few bugs and the UI isn't as user friendly as some of the PC versions; however, it works.
The customer support is crap, too. I had a glitch upon installing where it wouldn't allow me to open the options pane before exporting. I called PixelTools and their tech said, "If you have Quicktime Pro, it should work..." That's when I knew I was on my own.
I've been talking with Steve (HES's video guy) and, as far as mac encoders go, it seems we're HES's guinea pigs. At this moment, we're having some complications with longer files (10 minutes) playing in a 4x1 collage. DL.2's can be very pickey when it comes to encoder settings.
PixelTools HDProQT is the way (for now).
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Just a quick update, almost a year later...
Since then, I recieved in-depth customer support. PixelTools HDProQT works great for the custom content we create. After 4 months of shows & events I believe this is the way to go if you need crisp video/animation to fit your 4x1 array. Thanks to HES for all of the help!
On the show I am currently working on, I used Compressor 2 from Apple for all of my encoding to MPEG2. Everything has performed beautifully. I took a lot of my old Catalyst content and just did a giant batch overnight....
I use Apple Compressor, Visual Hub, and MPEG Streamclip. Compressor is by far the slowest, but it will process as a batch ie. you can give it 20 videos all to convert, and when you come back a day later, they will all be done. MPEG Streamclip is fast and ALWAYS works. Visual Hub will convert from flv and wmv so thats all I use it for.
Hello, Would saving an .mov file as .avi in quicktime pro be an effective conversion for the DL3, or would there be too much quality loss? I'm just switching over, and would like to convert all my mov's I used in catalyst with minimal speedbumps. Thanks, Brian
