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fabriziorizzo
Participating Frequently
December 22, 2008
Question

How to transcode Canon 5D mark II H.264 video into something editable?

  • December 22, 2008
  • 63 replies
  • 75919 views
QT Pro v7.5 plays my 5Dm2 native video files just fine. Premiere CS4 however... unusable. I've heard that transcoding the H.264 40Mbps videos to another format allows a better editing experience.

Hardware:
Dell Precision 690, 1 quad-core 3GHz processor, 12GB RAM, 15000 rpm SAS system drive, 1TB SATA video disk (non-RAID), 1TB SATA temp disk (non-RAID), Quadro FX 3500 graphics card (non-CUDA unfortunately)

Question is... what is the most efficient format to transcode into?

A tutorial on Vimeo for Final Cut Pro on a mac mentions HDCAM EX as a format to use. (http://www.vimeo.com/2373679)
I don't see that option as shown on the Mac from my Vista box using either Adobe Media Encoder CS4 or MPEG Streamclip v1.2.

If I start a project in Premiere CS4 using the HDCAM EX 1080p presets, what is the corresponding Media Encoder format to choose for converting my clips before importing to Premiere?

I'm currently testing the following output format in AME:
MPEG2 Blu-Ray: 1920x1080,23.976 fps, Progressive, Quality 5, no audio, VBR 2-pass, bitrate setings of 25 min 35 target 40 max.

Has anyone determined a transcoding process that provides full HD quality while maintaining any ability to scrub and edit Canon 5D mark II video in Premiere CS4?
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    63 replies

    Show previous replies
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    excited_Genie16B8
    Legend
    January 31, 2009
    The V210 codec is for use with the AJA add-in card. I don't know for sure it that'll cause any issues without the card, but it's something to be aware of.
    Harm_Millaard
    Harm_Millaard
    Inspiring
    January 31, 2009
    Look in the camera manual.
    F
    fabriziorizzoAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    January 31, 2009
    Hull, thanks for the rate info.

    Random sampling of my direct-from-camera MOV files using QT Player to view the properties seems to provide varying bit-rates sometimes as high as 41.5 mbps. Are we sure that the camera is recording CBR at 38.6?
    Harm_Millaard
    Harm_Millaard
    Inspiring
    January 31, 2009
    PAR: 1.0
    Audio: 48 KHz
    Timebase depends on what you shot. Well, everything depends on what you shot, but if you start with 1920x1080 (PAR 1.0) I assume that is what you shot and the rest follows from there. 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 depends on the ingest method and what you shot and when and how you transfer it. HD-SDI or firewire. I suggest you do some reading on these topics.
    _
    _Jim_Sundberg_
    Participant
    January 31, 2009
    I have some questions about setting up a pre-set for editing in CS4. My list is more of a "list of questions" than answers. After reading numerous posts in various forums I am trying to put together a pre-set that will be a starting point, so I can begin to understand how to solve the problems with playback. I have a quad core and I am going to add new graphics card, but not sure which one to get yet.

    -- Premiere CS4 settings --
    Editing mode: Desktop
    Timebase: 30fps (not 29.97?)
    Frame size: 1920 x 1080 pixels
    Pixel aspect ratio: 1.0 or 0.9 (?)
    Fields: Progressive scan (no fields)
    30 fps Non Drop Frame Timecode
    Audio sample rate: 44.1 (?)
    Codec for previews: V210 10-bit YUV (HD-SDI)
    Maximum bit depth
    Maximum render quality
    Set the master channel to Stereo, not mono or 5.1 surround

    I have some questions about setting up a pre-set for editing in CS4. My list is more of a "list of questions" than answers. After reading numerous posts in various forums I am trying to put together a pre-set that will be a starting point, so I can begin to understand how to solve the problems with playback. I have a quad core and I am going to add new graphics card, but not sure which one to get yet.
    B
    Bob Ramage
    Participating Frequently
    January 13, 2009
    Good to know Charles. Thanks for the info.
    C
    charleshull
    Participating Frequently
    January 13, 2009
    The Canon 5D Mark II records at 38.6 MB/s. I have been using poster Rizzo's mpeg-2 work flow with full success (thanks!). I transcode CBR at 38.6 and this works well, faster than VBR with slightly smaller files.
    B
    Bob Ramage
    Participating Frequently
    January 9, 2009
    My guess would be that the camera itself records to a CBR (40 MB/s?), so transcoding the same way might help maintain maximum quality. I could be wrong, though. Your idea to use VBR to reduce file sizes but maintain quality makes sense.
    F
    fabriziorizzoAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    January 9, 2009
    No, I admit I did not. It was a conscious decision, if not the most well-informed. I decided that if I was going to transcode, I'd allow the bitrate to vary if it could be less than the native data rate in order to minimize size where possible.

    This was on the assumption that a non-realtime encoder (AME) using my quad-core machine could do a more efficient job with better quality control while varying the bitrate than the DIGIC-IV processor in the camera which needs to be optimized for essentially real-time encoding. In-camera, CBR makes sense.

    Perhaps there is some level of loss in quality and certainly data using VBR encoding but I can say that it looks as good as the native file playback at 24-inches on my editing system and at 111-inches on a Sony VPL-VW60 projector in my screening theater.

    Bob, or anyone else, can you offer a reason to maintain CBR encoding instead of VBR?

    I'm always looking to learn and improve.
    B
    Bob Ramage
    Participating Frequently
    January 9, 2009
    Did you also try encoding with a CBR matching the MkII's data rate, Fabrizio? Just curious why you went with the VBR 2-pass.
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