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Home: Video University Forums: Mac Video:
Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal?

David L
User

May 22, 2007, 10:38 AM

Post #1 of 5 (827 views)
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Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal?	Can't Post

I'm editing 1080i60 HDV footage in FCP 5.1.4 on a Macbook Pro 17" 2.16GHz. I've got a 4-minute sequence that I'd like to encode to a 40MB or so size file for the web.

I tried exporting to quicktime conversion, using H.264 and a frame size of 600x338 ... and it takes about two hours to encode.

I also tried exporting to compressor, using one of the H.264 presets, and that also takes two hours.

Two hours to encode 4 minutes -- is this normal, or excessive encoding time?

Should I be using a different method to create a clip for the web?

Thanks.

(This post was edited by David L on May 22, 2007, 11:17 AM)

Jordan O.
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May 22, 2007, 11:50 AM

Post #2 of 5 (819 views)
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Re: [David L] Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal? [In reply to]	Can't Post

David,

H.264 encoding is very CPU intensive and takes quite a long time to process. Add in the HDV downconversion, you're talking a significant amount of time,even for a 4 minute clip.

but 2 hours seems a bit long for an intel dual core chip...

David L
User

May 22, 2007, 3:49 PM

Post #3 of 5 (811 views)
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Re: [Jordan O.] Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks Jordan ... yeah it looks like this is the norm for my set up, I guess time to get a Mac Pro ...

Joel
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May 24, 2007, 3:28 AM

Post #4 of 5 (789 views)
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Re: [David L] Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi David,

In Reply To

Should I be using a different method to create a clip for the web?
.

If you want most people to be able to watch it without needing to download a player, yes. If you want the best possible quality, no. Flash is the most compatible. This is a great way to get started, and its free:

http://www.jakeludington.com/...on_for_mac_os_x.html

As a bonus its unbelievably fast to encode a clip.

Joel

"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."

starting | perfectionists

(This post was edited by Joel on May 24, 2007, 3:29 AM)

David L
User

May 24, 2007, 10:45 AM

Post #5 of 5 (781 views)
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Re: [Joel] Quicktime conversion/compressor very slow - normal? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Joel: many thanks, I will try that.

Someone else on another board recommended using the Sorenson Video 3 codec instead of H.264, so I tried that, and it cut the encode time in half with no drop in quality. The flash option looks promising but if you need to have a Quicktime file from HDV the Sorenson Video 3 codec is much faster than H.264.