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Calling all Mac/Final Cut Pro X users

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If you have been suffering with video stuttering during playback in Quicktime and Final Cut even after creating optimised media and having a Mac fast enough to cope with other 4K footage, then I may have a solution for you.

There seems to be some problem in the way that Apple video playback is handling the Typhoon H codec, so even if you transcode (using an apple product) to optimised media you still end up with the stuttering.

I remembered some people used to have this problem with the GoPro codec so googled the solution to that. I used a free app called Mpeg stream clip Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac OS X to convert my 4k 30fps footage to Apple ProRes 422 and while the files are HUGE the stuttering seems in the most part to disappear.


Hope this helps someone.
 
If you have been suffering with video stuttering during playback in Quicktime and Final Cut even after creating optimised media and having a Mac fast enough to cope with other 4K footage, then I may have a solution for you.

There seems to be some problem in the way that Apple video playback is handling the Typhoon H codec, so even if you transcode (using an apple product) to optimised media you still end up with the stuttering.

I remembered some people used to have this problem with the GoPro codec so googled the solution to that. I used a free app called Mpeg stream clip Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac OS X to convert my 4k 30fps footage to Apple ProRes 422 and while the files are HUGE the stuttering seems in the most part to disappear.


Hope this helps someone.
Thanks for the heads up! Didn't know MPEG Streamclip was still around. Haven't used it since the DVD days (480p). Looks like it hasn't been updated since 2012 :eek:
Good to know it still works.
 
Thanks for the heads up! Didn't know MPEG Streamclip was still around. Haven't used it since the DVD days (480p). Looks like it hasn't been updated since 2012 :eek:
Good to know it still works.

No worries, have you noticed any issues or have an alternative converter?
 
Just a quick addition here as I had the same experience with footage from my first flight on my TH. In addition to MPEG Streamclip I ran my footage through Apple Compressor Ver 4.2.2 with the default ProRes 422 setting and that fixed the stuttering. Why that works, and optimizing in FCPX doesn't is beyond me. You would think they would be using the same process. The footage was shot at 3840x2140 30p (29.97p) My next experiment will be with footage shot at 24p to make sire that converts correctly. 24p (23.98p) is the format I most work in so I hope it converts fine.

Mike
 
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Thanks Mike. I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering.I havent got compressor but wondering if it might be quicker than Mpeg Streamclip as that is a very old app. Did it seem quite quick to convert your footage?
 
Thanks Mike. I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering.I havent got compressor but wondering if it might be quicker than Mpeg Streamclip as that is a very old app. Did it seem quite quick to convert your footage?

Actually it was about the same time to do it in both apps. Output looked similar but I didn't put the over analytical goggles on before looking. I can say nothing stood out as this one was better than the other. If you have a need to create custom output settings in FCPX then I would say grab a copy of Compressor. If not then keep using MPEG Streamclip. I am still amazed that is a free app. I don't use it as much as I did in the FCP 7 days, but back then would have gladly payed a 100 clams for that free app.
 
Actually it was about the same time to do it in both apps. Output looked similar but I didn't put the over analytical goggles on before looking. I can say nothing stood out as this one was better than the other. If you have a need to create custom output settings in FCPX then I would say grab a copy of Compressor. If not then keep using MPEG Streamclip. I am still amazed that is a free app. I don't use it as much as I did in the FCP 7 days, but back then would have gladly payed a 100 clams for that free app.

Ahhh I'll probably stick with that then. I wish I knew more about codecs etc. to work out what could be causing this problem.
 
Just a quick addition here as I had the same experience with footage from my first flight on my TH. In addition to MPEG Streamclip I ran my footage through Apple Compressor Ver 4.2.2 with the default ProRes 422 setting and that fixed the stuttering. Why that works, and optimizing in FCPX doesn't is beyond me. You would think they would be using the same process. The footage was shot at 3840x2140 30p (29.97p) My next experiment will be with footage shot at 24p to make sire that converts correctly. 24p (23.98p) is the format I most work in so I hope it converts fine.

Mike

You said the default prores 422. There are many 422 profiles in that version of compressor. Can you please be more specific? There is 422, 422HQ, 422LT, 422Proxy, and a bunch of 4444's. Sorry but I am new at this and any assistance you can throw some light on would be really helpful.

Thanks
 
You said the default prores 422. There are many 422 profiles in that version of compressor. Can you please be more specific? There is 422, 422HQ, 422LT, 422Proxy, and a bunch of 4444's. Sorry but I am new at this and any assistance you can throw some light on would be really helpful.

Thanks

Hey Sam,

I did straight ProRes 422. The difference in the flavors are bit rate. With the TH camera shooting at 60Mbps there is really no reason to go to HQ, 4444 or XQ. Good old ProRes 422 will be fine.

Mike
 
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Hey Sam,

I did straight ProRes 422. The difference in the flavors are bit rate. With the TH camera shooting at 60Mbps there is really no reason to go to HQ, 4444 or XQ. Good old ProRes 422 will be fine.

Mike


Thank you Mike, you rock!! I will use ProRes 422. Its pretty overwhelming when you have to pick the output and all those options of output are displayed...I am like WTH??? HUH.....:eek:

Have a great evening.
Sam
 
What sort of Mac are you referring to...I have no problems...12 Core Mac Pro 64 gigs ram...34 terabytes storage...twin 30 inch monitors...I do everything in ProRes 422HQ...
 
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What sort of Mac are you referring to...I have no problems...12 Core Mac Pro 64 gigs ram...34 terabytes storage...twin 30 inch monitors...I do everything in ProRes 422HQ...

Hey Mickey,

It's not the Mac that's introducing the issue, it's Final Cut Pro X (FCPX). I can playback the native MP4 files in quicktime player just fine. My guess is that FCPX doesn't like the way that the version of H.264 codec that Yuneec is using is flagging frames in an oddball way that FCPX doesn't like. Running it through compressor and turning it into a ProRes file is fixing that. For mr this isn't really that big of a deal as I tend to transcode all drone footage to ProRes anyway. Doing that allows me to skim through it much faster in FCPX so I can pick selects.

As for codec you can certainly do ProRes HQ but if you do a side by side my guess is you won't be able to tell the difference between the vanilla 422 and the HQ. This is due to the bit rate the footage was originally encoded in by the camera.

Oh and to answer your question I am running on the following Mac
Mac Pro Late 2013 (Coffee Can Mac)
3 GHz 8-Core Xeon E5
32 GB Ram
Dual FirePro 700's
Attached storage is a 4 Bay G-Technologies G-SPEED Studio R (Raid-5)
 
Thank you Mike, you rock!! I will use ProRes 422. Its pretty overwhelming when you have to pick the output and all those options of output are displayed...I am like WTH??? HUH.....:eek:

Have a great evening.
Sam

Sometimes I long for the good old days of Betacam SP tape. I always knew what would be coming into my edit bays. Now a days there are multiple formats, frame rates, wrappers, codecs etc... And in post I have to support them all!! Of course then I go look at some of that BetaCam SP footage and think "We used to watch this crappy picture and think it was good???"

Mike
 
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Quick update on this...

I just went out this evening and shot some additional footage, but this time I shot at 3840x2160 24fps. I just assumed I would have to run it through Compressor as well but when I did Compressor failed on the encode. I thought "Well, what happens if I just bring it straight into FCPX?" The answer is it works fine in a 23.98 timeline. I "Optimized" to ProRes in FCPX as well with no problems. So at this point it looks like it may just be a 30fps issue. I'll shoot some higher frame rates tomorrow, if I have time, and see how that turns out.

Certainly odd that the issue happens with 30p and not 24p. It makes me wonder what the base frame rate of the CGO3+ is shooting. Normally these type of cameras will shoot at 60fps and flag frames for other frame rates. since the math to 30fps is easier than the math to 24fps... the 24fps usually has the issue. In this case it's the exact opposite, which is odd indeed.

TL/DL Shoot in 24fps and put it in a 23.98fps timeline in FCPX and you can avoid all the ProRes converting shenanigans. PRO TIP - Your footage will look more cinematic at 24 anyways!!

Mike
 
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Hey Mickey,

It's not the Mac that's introducing the issue, it's Final Cut Pro X (FCPX). I can playback the native MP4 files in quicktime player just fine. My guess is that FCPX doesn't like the way that the version of H.264 codec that Yuneec is using is flagging frames in an oddball way that FCPX doesn't like. Running it through compressor and turning it into a ProRes file is fixing that. For mr this isn't really that big of a deal as I tend to transcode all drone footage to ProRes anyway. Doing that allows me to skim through it much faster in FCPX so I can pick selects.

As for codec you can certainly do ProRes HQ but if you do a side by side my guess is you won't be able to tell the difference between the vanilla 422 and the HQ. This is due to the bit rate the footage was originally encoded in by the camera.

Oh and to answer your question I am running on the following Mac
Mac Pro Late 2013 (Coffee Can Mac)
3 GHz 8-Core Xeon E5
32 GB Ram
Dual FirePro 700's
Attached storage is a 4 Bay G-Technologies G-SPEED Studio R (Raid-5)
 
Well, I've never had any of the issues you're describing in FCP-X...I get no stutter..when is the last time you removed preferences or reloaded FCP-X...? I do get crashes particularly when I use it for doing titles which has nothing to do with topic at hand since by then everything is rendered but most of the time I use After Effects for those...it also never happened with anything out of a GoPro....can't understand why you're going thru compressor...even at 240 FPS on my Sony's no issues....as for Pro Res VS Pro Res HQ I see differences in highly animated stills and when I use optical flow for super slo-mo for horses etc. and other motion studies...if you long for BetaCam SP why don't you just long for non linear editing and Steenbecks perhaps you don't go back that far but I do when Spike Lee was one of our film cleaners. Please explain why you're using Compressor seems to me it's an unneeded step which you've just discovered apparently. Perhaps you should test your ram or figure out where else the bottle neck could be...By the way I use Raid 0 for performance which could also be a factor in the difference.
 
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Well, I've never had any of the issues you're describing in FCP-X...I get no stutter..when is the last time you removed preferences or reloaded FCP-X...? I do get crashes particularly when I use it for doing titles which has nothing to do with topic at hand since by then everything is rendered but most of the time I use After Effects for those...it also never happened with anything out of a GoPro....can't understand why you're going thru compressor...even at 240 FPS on my Sony's no issues....as for Pro Res VS Pro Res HQ I see differences in highly animated stills and when I use optical flow for super slo-mo for horses etc. and other motion studies...if you long for BetaCam SP why don't you just long for non linear editing and Steenbecks perhaps you don't go back that far but I do when Spike Lee was one of our film cleaners. Please explain why you're using Compressor seems to me it's an unneeded step which you've just discovered apparently.

We are going thru compressor or other apps because the stuttering is still there when using fcpx to transcode
 
I can't fathom what the problems are, while in Iceland I was editing on a MacBook Pro old 17in. with 16 gigs ram and a 1 terabyte SSD and 4 terabyte SSD external....no stuttering even on that low end machine...I've not had stuttering using FCP-X. What frame rates are you capturing with?
 

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