CreativeThirst Productions

Quicktime encoding problems . . . macroblocking

Kjell — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:24:13 +0000

Yup, I’m getting frustrated. I don’t get why this is happening. It takes about 30min to encode a 4 minute video from 1080i60 HDV to 720p h.264. I’ve now done this export 3 times with absolutely no luck. Check out the screen shot from Quicktime: So in the picture above you can see very clearly that 2 frames of video are merged in a macro-blockish sort of fashion. This is an encoding glitch. My intention is to upload this client video to www.vimeo.com to be shared with the world. But these flashes happen about every 10-15 seconds (randomly) making the video look absolutely amateurish. The 2 frames are nowhere near each other in the timeline and the “glitch” is approximately 3 frames long.My conversion process goes like this:

Export video from FCP timeline to HDV QT file.
Open said QT file in QT Pro and choose export.
Choose QT options as follows (key frame rate= 30, bitrate=3000, codec=h.264, size=1280×720, letterbox if necessary).
Let it export . . .
Watch the glitchiness

I am on the latest version of quicktime and can’t for the life of me figure out why this is happening. It’s never happened on any video that I’ve ever exported using these exact same settings. Here are my next steps to see if I can find resolution. If anyone reading this can think of some suggestion - please let me know.1.) Try using compressor. I’ve had bad luck with compressor and vimeo, but I’ll gladly try it again.2.) Try a different video and see if the same settings have problems3.) Try a different key frame rate. I know sometime the keyframe rate can sometime cause macro-blocking weirdness, but it usually lasts longer than 3 frames. If any of these work, I’ll update this post. ——————Sweet. So it’s done, what I did is used compressor which took significantly longer most likely due to superior deinterlacing. The weird macroblocking disappeared. I still wish I knew why it was happening in the first place. But here is the video:

http://www.vimeo.com/1358882

Creative Photography . . . why reinvent the wheel

Kjell — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:17:32 +0000

It’s really great to admire photographers. Even better when they are super creative. Even better when it’s all about Lego’s. See the entire set on flickr.

I used to like music

Kjell — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:24:54 +0000

I used to like music. I used to like going to concerts. I’m far from being old. Seriously, I’m into rock and roll. I’m a TD. I’m a musician. But this sucks.
What am I talking about? I’m at a newsboys concert right this moment. And its miserable. I try to keep this blog about tech. So what does this have to do with tech and worship? Plenty!
Concerts are about music and enjoying the art of melody in a live setting. But when it’s mixed poorly its just not music anymore. Or when its 120db+ and you HAVE to wear earplugs it’s not enjoyable. Why do techs do this? Its not healthy. In my TD job I press my foh techs to walk the house and tell me what they hear. Its a discipline to evaluate audio quality the current SPL. It seems like todays engineers (if you can call them that) think if its loud we can get away with a poorly setup system. Or maybe its just cause todays performers aren’t really musicians anymore. The performance is no longer about the music or the message but its about the image. The performance and music become irrelevant to the overall show. The best concert I’ve been to was loud, but intelligible. It was lit creatively with intelligent lights. It had crazy 8 camera video going on. Lots of graphics. But all of the elements fit. The people coordinating were truly engineers. The music industry is so messed up. When Ashley Simpson is given a tour and called a vocalist. Or how stars are born through American idol. These shifts are wrecking music. They are taking away from the heart of music. The power of music.
I really believe that the music industry is on the virge of change.

And don’t get me started on musicians who preach. Seriously, I paid to hear your music. Not your thoughts on life.

Comments?

Good Friday 2008 - Video #1

Kjell — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:50:26 +0000

I’m currently working on videos for FBC’s good friday service coming up. It should be pretty interesting. This is the first of 2 videos like it. Jesus Carrying the Cross. Please post comments and let me know what you think of it.

http://www.vimeo.com/762973

4×3 Pan Scan HD Guides

Kjell — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:08:53 +0000

I was working on some motion graphics for a DVD menu in Final Cut Studio and ran into this problem. I’ve encountered it before but played by chance. Not this time. Here’s the flaw with Apple Motion. When working with HD media that will eventually be dumped to a 16×9 Pan Scan menu the guides don’t give you an accurate representation of what it will look like on a 4×3 TV screen. If you don’t know this, DVD Studio Pro allows you to set your menu to “16×9 Pan Scan” mode which will automatically crop the image to 4×3 framing on 4×3 TV’s. On 16×9 TV’s the image is displayed in it’s entirety. It’s a great feature when working in High Def. But since 100% of my current deliverables are in SD letterbox - and most of my customers will be viewing on a standard TV, I need to make sure that my composition fits in a 4×3 frame. To do this, I need guides in motion that match 4×3 aspect ration at the resolution of 1920×1080.

Here’s the solution.

It only took a couple of minutes in Photoshop and was not difficult to do at all. In CS2 I created a new document with the HD 1920×1080 preset with guides. I drew a few boxes using the guides and aligned the layers using the background layer, the box layer and the “align by horizontal centers.” I Added some text to show “action safe” and “title safe” areas. Saved as a flattened PSD and imported it into a motion layer. Once it’s in motion you need to change the layer’s overlay mode to “screen” which will remove all of the black and BOOM! you have 4×3 guides for a 16×9 HD document with 1920×1080 resolution.Once you make your composition you can send it to DVD Studio Pro, set the Menu to 16×9 Pan Scan, and marvel at the beauty of thoughtful design. This is also helpful if you’re working with HD content such as an interview that will be showed on SD projector screens, TV’s, etc.

4×3 HD Guides at 1920×1080 Screened so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

Comment if you’ve found this useful!

Wrestling With Time

Kjell — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:49:48 +0000

Since taking my new job at First Baptist Church as technical coordinator, I’ve found myself being stretched. I’m no stranger to large demands and short deadlines. Nor am I a stranger to jobs where everything is a big important deal. I’ve been learning lately though how quickly a backup in work can turn to discouragement. I’ve also come to realize that there is a point where even though all of the projects can be completed in a timely manner, doing so puts off other important things.

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Jumper = Flat

Kjell — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:57:27 +0000

Who says white guys can’t jump . . . me. So the premise of this movie is ok. It had all of the right things needed for potentials sake. Strong actors, attractive supporting actress, Samuel L, and a cool sci-fi concept. But the execution fell sadly flat. Don’t get me wrong it was entertaining.

*warning possible spoiler - but who cares with this movie anyway*

Overall rating: pirate it - not worth renting.

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Oh, Cassandra

Kjell — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:11:52 +0000

I was sitting in the Worship Center today trying to gather my thoughts and get some steam for all of the stuff I have to do. It’s tough . . . I have way too much to do and it has been a bit overwhelming. I’m trodding through it all though. As best I can.

My brother comes into the WC and basically says . . . hey get your camera, lets go take some pictures. But by us, he ended up really meaning me. Once again, thanks Matt for holding the reflectors and flash. Couldn’t have done it without you.

And a HUGE thank you to Cassandra . . . I love your smile, lets take more pictures - anytime you want. More pictures in Flickr.

Response to Developing Worship

Kjell — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:07:16 +0000

I got an email this morning that amazed me. Someone had posted a video response to Sam’s Developing Worship video. Pretty cool how fast that community of worship leaders has grown. I’m glad I’ve been able to be a part of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDINA9Qxsc0

Developing Worship Thank You

Kjell — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:39:00 +0000

I love Sam Middlebrook. He takes me out to dinner and has an amazing point of view. I ask him lots of questions. He sang at my wedding. He’s just simply an amazing guy. He has this new website called Developing Worship for which I’m doing video work. It’s been an enlightening process to say the least. Anyway, I just finished his latest video and uploaded it to my favorite video service Vimeo.

http://www.vimeo.com/683590