Sorenson Squeeze 8.5 & Cineform: Issue & Fix (Preferences)

I installed Sorenson Squeeze 8.5 onto a [MacPro > BootCamp > Windows 7] machine.  I imported (by drag) one of my standard intermediate files, an AVI containing Cineform video and WAV audio for an HD 1920×1080 (square pixels) frame, progressive.  The image displayed in Squeeze looked squashed, reminiscent of an HDV 1440×1080 stretched-pixel image displayed using square pixels.  But as stated, the source pixels here were square.

The solution was to go in Squeeze’s Preferences and specify that the file-reader it should use for .avi files should be QuickTime, not DirectX etc.  Sounds like Squeeze has a long-standing affinity for QuickTime, which for me is reminiscent of my experiences with Boris RED etc.  Quelle nuisance!

Google: [sorenson squeeze cineform]

  • {I get the impression that Squeeze and Cineform have a long-standing history of issues…}
  • http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/cineform-software-showcase/98544-cineforms-compatibility-sorenson-squeeze.html (from 2007)
    • I thought I read on here before that Cineform was now fully compatible with the latest Sorenson Squeeze, but I just got off the phone with Sorenson and they said all Cineform files do not work with Squeeze.
    • Sorenson is a QuickTime based application so CineForm MOVs work well.
    • Using v4.5, I appear to be able to import an AVI and play it, but the tool then crashes when you attempt to encode into a final deliverable. CineForm MOVs are absolutely fine though.  This seems to indicate no change from the version discussed earlier.
  • http://www.designstudioschool.com/cineform-problem-t53588.html (from 2012)
    • Cineform Problem.  I am showing a 4:3 picture when it was shot 16 x 9 (in Vegas it is ok). I think this might have to do with square pixels vs rectangular ones; but whatever the case how do I fix this so the aspect ratio is correct? What am I doing wrong?
  • http://forum.sorensonmedia.com/forum/showthread.php?3447-Import-Cineform-AVI-files-Squeeze-8.5
    • http://forum.sorensonmedia.com/forum/content.php?229-New-Default-Reader
      • Creating a New Default File Reade
        • Sometimes you may want to add a new default reader to Squeeze to force Squeeze to use a specific reader for a specific file type.
      • You can add a new default reader in Squeeze by following these steps:
        • Go to Edit > Preferences > then the Advanced tab.
        • Under “Default Reader” click the Add button and type in the file extention you wish to use, such as “MOV” (without a period or quotes) under “Filename extension suffix”
        • Choose your Preferred reader, such as QuickTime, and then click OK.
          • {YES! Chosing QuickTime as reader for .AVI files fixed the problem}
        • Re-start Squeeze and re-import your source file.

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