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Bugs of the Week - 9-15-13

After a long break, our list of NLE bugs you should know about is back.


Premiere


Adobe announces new features in upcoming October release

In and out points change when relinking EDL

The thread for bad things about Premiere CC (created prior to the update announcement)

Software update causes video to be obscured (Windows)

OS X 10.8.5 causing color profile issues

Disabling then re-enabling the dedicated GPU can fix some launch crashes (Windows)


Avid


Overview of the changes in Media Composer 7.0.2

DMF service not working in non-admin user accounts


FCPX


FCPX ignores timecode on certain Canon 5D Mk III clips

Various issues with media stored on NFS mounts

Share progress bar is inaccurate

Plugin effects can disappear upon export

Sony XDCAM plugin can conflicts with other plugins

Sapphire 7950 cards can cause rendering issues in FCPX

Putting a blur filter on interlaced footage softens it, even if the blur is set to 0%. Softening also occurs in progressive but it's much less noticeable (thanks Andy).


FCP 7


When cutting multicam, switching angles after adding a 3rd party transition will cause a cut at the end of the transition and the rest of the clip will revert to a normal clip type. (from Strypes)

Posted by Jon Chappell on Sep 16 2013 to Bugs of the Week, Video Editing
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Pro Media Tools 1.1.11 released with new Quick Tasks

Earlier today we released Pro Media Tools 1.1.11, a minor update to our suite of media management tools.

New QT Edit Quick Tasks

We've added some additional Quick Tasks to QT Edit based on user feedback. You can flag an ARRI ProRes file as Log-C or remove all audio tracks from a movie with a single button press. These tasks can also be performed in a batch.

Go to Timecode in QT Edit

We've added a new function to jump to a specific timecode position in QT Edit. This can make it easier to insert additional media at specific timecode positions.

This is a small subset of the changes and bug fixes in the version. The entire changelog is available here.

Pro Media Tools is an essential timesaving tool for working with media. To find out more view the feature list, read the user manual, watch the overview video or download the free trial.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Sep 3 2013 to DR News, Front Page News, Utilities
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Cut Notes 2.1 released with Comment Streams, banner alerts and more

Cut Notes 2.1 for iPad is now out, offering new collaboration features and a significant architecture overhaul.

Kollaborate comment streams


Comment streams are a new feature of Kollaborate, allowing you to make comments without needing to upload a file. This allows you to have collaborative note-taking sessions with others where uploading a file might be impractical, such as when viewing a live broadcast.

Banner alerts


If someone else makes a comment on a file or comment stream that you are currently viewing, you will now see a banner alert at the top of the screen.

(Note: alerts are only shown when you are viewing a file and are not shown when Cut Notes is closed.)

This is really useful in conjunction with comment streams because it allows for a scenario we've wanted directly from the start - the ability to sit in a screening room and have a live note-taking session synced to a source such as FCP or Pro Tools with minimal advance preparation. Being able to see the notes of others as they make them is helpful to make sure you don't end up with lots of duplicate notes.

Cloud backups


If you're signed in and are a Kollaborate subscriber or Kollaborate Server user, your local projects will be automatically backed up to Kollaborate on a daily basis. You can restore old backups from the Settings menu within the app.

Architecture overhaul


We've made significant architectural improvements to the app, resulting in significantly improved performance and stability, particularly on older devices.

We have a new project file format and your existing projects will be converted the first time you launch the new app, so if you have a large number of projects it might take several seconds before your projects appear on the first launch.

Cut Notes is an essential tool for taking notes during a screening and collaborating with others. To find out more, visit the features page or watch the overview video.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Aug 20 2013 to DR News, Front Page News, Utilities
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Kollaborate 1.0.2 released with Folder Sharing, Receipts, Comment Streams and more

We've just released a major new 1.0.2 update to Kollaborate and Kollaborate Server. This incorporates some great new features and takes into account many of the requests we've received from users.

Folder Sharing

You can now share an entire folder with people outside of the project instead of needing a link for each individual file. Passwords are no longer needed and you can also choose whether or not to allow comments.

Receipts

Sign up to be alerted when a particular user views a particular file. You'll receive an email and Dashboard alert the first time they view it but not for subsequent views.

Comment Streams

Comment Streams are a powerful new feature that allow you to take notes on a file without needing to upload it. This is useful for situations where you want to have a collaborative note-taking session with other people but it is impractical to upload a file to Kollaborate (e.g. if it's a live broadcast).

This feature is primarily designed for Cut Notes users. Cut Notes 2.1 can create comment streams directly within the app and will show a banner alert when another user creates a note on the same file.

Unviewed files

Kollaborate will now highlight unviewed files with a blue dot next to them, allowing you to easily keep track of files in your project.

The full list of changes is as follows:

  • Folder Links - Share an entire folder with multiple people
  • Receipts - Be alerted when a particular user views a file
  • Comment Streams - Collaborate with others on a note-taking session without needing to upload a file
  • Kollaborate now shows a blue dot next to files you haven't viewed
  • Link sharing has been moved to the Actions menu on the player page
  • Link recipients will no longer be asked for a password
  • Admins can now assign passwords for users
  • Kollaborate Server updates are shown on the Tools page of the Admin console
  • Added a troubleshooter that will highlight configuration issues to the Tools page of the Admin console
  • Support for Cut Notes app storage
  • Custom Dashboard alerts can now be deleted
  • Uploading a file now alerts everyone on the project every time (as opposed to being filtered if too many occur in a certain timeframe)
  • Fixed an issue where files could not be batch-deleted in the App Storage section
  • Fixed an issue where inter-department file move alerts could be erroneously sent
  • Various UI tweaks

Kollaborate is a cloud workflow system for video professionals, allowing you to share files and work with colleagues in-house or in the cloud. To find out more, view the features page or sign up for the free 15-day trial.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Aug 20 2013 to Kollaborate, DR News, Front Page News
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How to locate corrupt clips in your timeline

Does your editing application crash when you scrub to a particular point in the timeline? Does it crash or fail at the same point each time you export or render? It's likely that you have a corrupt clip or render file in your timeline.

Corrupt render files are easy to resolve. Most NLEs offer a way to clear out render files, so it's best to try this first to see if it fixes the problem.

If that fails, you'll need to figure out the exact clip that is corrupt. The manual method is to divide and conquer - split the timeline in half, then half again, and so on until you narrow down the offending clip. This can be very time consuming so an easier way is to use Corrupt Clip Finder to scan the project and test each file it finds.

It will scan the project files from most NLEs (FCP 7, FCPX, Adobe Premiere and other apps) but you can scan an entire media directory for applications not supported. In fact, for large projects it can be quicker to scan the media directory than the project file.

Not every file it flags up will be corrupt, as it will also flag up files that could potentially cause problems, such as CMYK image files or video larger than 4K in FCP 7. You can see the reason it flagged up a file by hovering over the filename in the list.

Once the files are identified, you can choose to quarantine them by moving them to another folder, delete them or attempt a repair. You can also color code them in Finder, which can be useful for highlighting files that appear to work fine but may potentially cause an issue for future reference.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Aug 19 2013 to Software, Tutorials, DR News
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Pro Versioner 2.0.11 released with improved FCPX support

We've just released Pro Versioner 2.0.11, a minor update to our backup and versioning tool for your project files.

In this version we've made significant architecture changes to the background helper app. We've significantly improved performance, reduced resource usage and fixed several bugs.

The biggest user-facing change is that we now treat Final Cut Pro X projects and events differently to other files. FCPX backups now occur on a timer, the duration of which can be adjusted in preferences. Because FCPX frequently writes to projects other than the one you're currently working on, in addition to storing caches in the same folder as the project file, this helps to prevent over-triggering if you have a significant number of projects on your system. Pro Versioner backs up instantly for all other types of projects, as in previous versions.

You can find a full list of changes here.

Pro Versioner gives you peace of mind with extensive backup management and redundancy. To find out more, visit our overview page, read the user manual or download the free trial.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Jul 30 2013 to DR News, Front Page News, Utilities
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Kollaborate Server 1.0.1 released - Post Haste integration, team privacy and more

In conjunction with our earlier Post Haste 2.5 launch, we also released Kollaborate Server 1.0.1. Kollaborate Server is our workflow platform that companies can run in-house, but the same changes have also been made to the cloud version of Kollaborate too.

Post Haste unique project ID support


Kollaborate Server can now maintain a database of project IDs and prevent Post Haste users from creating duplicate projects.

Team privacy


You can now specify privacy options when creating a project that limit what non-admins are able to see. You can choose to show all users in the project on the Team page, just users in the same department or no other people. You can also prevent email addresses and phone numbers from being visible. These features do not affect admins, who can always see everything.

UI Improvements


We've made various UI tweaks and improvements to the site including new icons, overhauled download pages and overhauled notification emails.

Other changes

  • Added view and download counts
  • Users no longer need to enter a password if link comments are disabled
  • My Files link added to user dropdown
  • Auto-pause option removed if it's a video or audio file
  • Kollaborate Server: Several bug fixes that could cause failed uploads or downloads in certain instances

Kollaborate is a cloud workflow platform for video professionals that tightly integrates and extends Digital Rebellion applications. To find out more, view the features page or sign up for the free trial.

Kollaborate Server is a version of Kollaborate you can run in-house on your own servers and storage. To install the newest update, login and visit the Kollaborate Server page. We've also now got an RSS feed you can subscribe to for notification of future updates.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Jul 22 2013 to Front Page News, DR News, Kollaborate
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Post Haste 2.5 released with Kollaborate integration

Earlier today we released Post Haste 2.5 for Mac, a significant update for our free project organization and templating tool.

Cloud projects


We've integrated the app with our Kollaborate cloud workflow platform, allowing you to create cloud projects directly within Post Haste and recreate your project structures in the cloud. This ensures that your Kollaborate projects have a consistent and organized folder structure, which is very useful when collaborating with lots of people on the same project.

Synced templates and settings


Kollaborate integration allows us to offer automatic syncing of templates and manual syncing of settings, making it easy to access your parameters and templates on other computers.

Unique project IDs


Post Haste can now ensure that multiple users don't cause confusion by inadvertently using the same project ID for different projects. This feature requires Kollaborate Server.

We've also added some new project templates that were requested by users, fixed several bugs and added some extra polish here and there. The full list of changes is available here.

As mentioned earlier, version 2.5 is currently Mac-only. Our Windows apps need significant changes in order to be ready for cloud features, so this work is currently underway. We will still be releasing bug fixes for the current Windows version while this work is taking place.

Post Haste is a free and essential templating and project organization tool. To find out more, watch the overview video, read the user manual or download the app free of charge.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Jul 22 2013 to Front Page News, DR News, Utilities
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Post Haste 2.5 B3 released with unique project ID support

We've just released a new beta of Post Haste 2.5, our free Mac project organization tool with Kollaborate cloud workflow support.

In this version we've added support for unique project IDs. This allows multiple people to use Post Haste at the same time without fear of creating duplicate project IDs. This is a feature request we've had from the very beginning so we're glad to be able to offer it.

This feature requires Kollaborate Server. To set it up, go to the Kollaborate pane of preferences, enter the URL to your local Kollaborate installation on the Local Server tab, then login on the Authorize tab. Make sure Ensure project IDs are unique is ticked.

New users won't need to do this but if you've used Post Haste before you'll need to tell the app which parameter is the project ID. To do this, go to the Parameters tab, scroll the list to the right and tick Unique Project ID.

Now if you try to create a project with an ID that's already taken, you'll receive the following message:

Note: this only works for projects created from now on.

We've also released a beta of Kollaborate Server 1.0.1 with support for this feature, which you can download from the Kollaborate Server page. After installing you'll need to visit yoursite/upgrade to upgrade the database. We've also added a Tools page to the admin section that allows you to reset the project ID cache.

When we launched Kollaborate earlier this year we made a point of stressing that it is not just a video review site, it's a platform that we can build upon. Kollaborate allows us to improve our tools in ways that we would not be able to with third-party solutions, and this is just one example of many to come. Additionally, Kollaborate Server allows us to create features that would not be feasible in the cloud, so expect lots of extra functionality soon.

Post Haste 2.5 B3 is available here.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Jul 16 2013 to DR News, Front Page News, Utilities
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Avid Codec Guide

Avid Media Composer and Symphony ship with a wide range of old and modern codecs. They can also be downloaded free of charge for systems without Avid products installed.

SD codecs

Avid DV - SD codec used when exporting DV material
Avid MPEG2 50 - SD codec for MPEG 30, 40 or 50 material
Avid Meridien Compressed - SD codec for compressed material
Avid Meridien Uncompressed - SD codec used for 1:1 OMF outputs

Meridien Compressed has various compression ratios ranging from 2:1 (36 Mbps) to 35:1 (12 Mbps).

SD / HD codecs

Avid 1:1x * - 8-bit lossless 4:2:2 codec that produces very large file sizes
Avid Packed - Essentially the same as 1:1x except it supports 10-bit media
Avid RGBPacked - RGB version of the Packed codec
Avid DV100 - HD codec used for exporting DV100 media

* x normally refers to 10-bit codecs but in the case of Avid 1:1x it was used to designate MXF during the transition away from OMF

DNxHD Codecs

DNxHD is the most likely codec to be used in Media Composer. Each variant is named according to bitrate and bit depth, so for example DNxHD 120 means it's a 120 Mb/s 8-bit codec and DNxHD 185x means it's a 185 Mb/s 10-bit codec (the x indicates 10-bit).

Offline Codecs

DNxHD 36
DNxHD 60
DNxHD 80
DNxHD 90

Medium Quality Codecs

DNxHD 100
DNxHD 115
DNxHD 120

Mastering Codecs

DNxHD 145
DNxHD 175
DNxHD 185
DNxHD 185x
DNxHD 220
DNxHD 220x
DNxHD 440
DNxHD 440x

Similar Bitrate Codecs

Try to choose a codec that matches the bitrate of your acquisition format. All codec bitrates are calculated at 23.98 fps.

DNxHD 36 - DV, IMX40, XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD
DNxHD 60 - DV50, IMX50, Apple Intermediate @ 1080, XDCAM HD422
DNxHD 100 - AVC Intra 100, Cineform 444 @ 720, Digibeta
DNxHD 115 - Cineform 422 @ 1080
DNxHD 120 - DVCPRO HD, Motion JPEG @ 1080
DNxHD 145 - HDCAM
DNxHD 220 - Sony SR Lite
DNxHD 440 - Uncompressed 422 10-bit @ 720, Sony SR SQ, HDCAM SR

Approximate ProRes equivalents

All codec bitrates are calculated at 1080p 23.98 fps.

ProRes Proxy - DNxHD 36
ProRes LT - DNxHD 80
ProRes 422 - DNxHD 115
ProRes HQ - DNxHD 175x
ProRes 4444 - DNxHD 440x (444) (although ProRes 444 is actually closer in bandwidth to DNxHD 220)

Other variants

Avid Media Composer 6 and higher can also wrap ProRes in an MXF wrapper. This is only available on the Mac version of Media Composer.

Calculating storage space

Our online calculator will calculate storage space for some of these but our Mac and iOS calculators have more options and codecs.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Jul 15 2013 to Avid, Tutorials, Video Editing
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