Question about apple intermediate codec

[javi79]

hi everybody!
I d like to know if anybody has any experience with apple intermediate codec.
the editor of a project told that is frame accurate like dv and it has better quality.
I m going to use it in a 2.0 ghz G5, using a lcd monitor connected to the dvi output.
Would you recomment it? will it put a lot of strain to my system?

thanks a lot!

[Sonsey]

1. Yes is is frame accurate. Of course this assumes the material coming to you was accurate in the first place...

2. A lot of strain? Well way more than DV or MJPEG... also a lot depends on the resolution, but I think you'll find your system fairly slow with it even at SD resolutions...

It was really developed as a way for Apple to get certain MPEG codecs (such as HDV) into FCP as a temporary measure till the program could support direct MPEG editing. As such it's a bit of a dinosaur... If you want better quality then DV I would recommend the new ProRes codec, which at SD res, seems to take less CPU and looks amazing... In either case be aware you are trading disk space for quality... these movies are on average about 50% larger than the equivalent DV...

[javi79]

thanks a lot for the reply.

since i m using the extra dvi output of the g5, and i m using 720x480 videos, dv don t look very good.

i m going to try the prores codec and see what happens.

if anyone have other recommendation would be great!

thanks!

[Tom Smith]

My results may not be typical, but last month I finished off a mix for a feature documentary that the video had been delivered to me encoded with the Apple Intermediate Codec.

Honestly, I didn't even notice until way in to the project. I just imported the video into Pro Tools and got to work. When the first post-lock picture change came around is when I noticed the codec. By that time I decided not to rock the boat and just went on with it.

It WAS half sized video though, so maybe that kept it from getting too nasty...

[javi79]

Thanks for the help Tom.
Do you have any experience with ProRes?

[Sonsey]

Again, depending on your system and resolution, the intermediate codec may work fine...or it may not... For example, my Quad G5 HD system has zero problems with it, but my dual gets sluggish. I recommended Pro-Res only because I have used it on systems ranging from a dual G4 to an Intel 8 Core with good results...

Also if you ARE using the second DVI to another monitor make SURE that monitor's resolution is set to the same as the movie... otherwise the QT scaling will make things look pretty bad regardless of codec...

[emilano]

Javi,

You said that "since i m using the extra dvi output it don't look very good". Is that true? Does using that output degrade the signal somehow? I ask because I use it sometimes and sometimes i do feel like the quality is less, but then other times it seems fine. Any insight?

[javi79]

Thanks to all for the help!
i m gonna stick with dv i think,my computer is not that fast, so i m not going to risk performance over image quality! thanks lot!

[minister]

Originally Posted by emilano

You said that "since i m using the extra dvi output it don't look very good". Is that true? Does using that output degrade the signal somehow? I ask because I use it sometimes and sometimes i do feel like the quality is less, but then other times it seems fine. Any insight?

My experience with the 2nd DVI out put is that it looks good in many circumstances, but not all. When I have a NTSC 720x486 video and I want to play it out my 42" Plasma, the scaling makes the reds look pixely and a wee bit artifacty. Yes, I even scaled my plasma to a 4:3 ratio, but the issue remains. I also have "high quality QT playback" selected. With HD, it looks very good, but you can clearly see the interlacing with movement. Again, this is with my NEC 42" plasma. I can't speak for other situations.