Blog

I bought a discount copy of Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium, because (after much discussion with others) its feature-set seems to match my typical and forseeable production requirements more than those of other NLEs, including my current mainstay, Sony Vegas 9 (which I am still trying to wean myself off, but when any proper job comes along, I tend to fall back on the familiar and trusted, for low risk including avoidance of learning-delay).

Being (so far) a one-man-band who is traditional Windows user, I purchased the Windows version.  But, confirming what I had heard, it does seem that most media people I have met use Macs.  So should I have purchased the Mac version?  Are the versions exactly the same or have they different functionalities?  Is there an option for the license to cover installing the same product on both Windows and Mac OS provided only one of them is run at a time? (e.g. when on the same physical machine).  Ideally at zero or negligible cost of course.  For example Avid Media Composer does have this flexibility.  While the uncertainty remains, I will not open the box (in case it turns out that I need to exchange it).

Here is what I have learnt so far (mainly from web-searching, unverified information):

Differences between the OS-Specific variants:

• It appears that for CS5.5 Production Premium (at least), the Windows variant has slightly greater functionality.
• However it remains to be seen what will be the case for CS6, when it becomes available.

Some options are:

• Volume licensing.
  • Intended not only for businesses but also for individuals.  If the “volume”is for two licenses, they can be for each of the OS’s.
• Crossgrade.
  • But as far as I can tell it’s intended only for one-off (or infrequent) crossgrades, requiring “destruction of the software” on the old machine each time.  Shame it isn’t simply happy with repeatable deactivation/reactivation on each machine / OS.

(more…)

Video-editing on-the-move (e.g. on a train) using a MacBook Pro (laptop) with Sony Vegas 9 (64-bit) as NLE (under Boot Camp / Windows 7), my practical experience was that a GRaid Mini external drive was far, far better than a 5400 rpm Western Digital “Passport” drive.   Consistent with the dual use of the MacBook, I partitioned the drive for both NFTS (Windows) and HFS+ (Mac OS), 50-50%.  Due to Boot Camp limitations (explained below), up till now I only ever used it “tethered” to its own mains-based power supply.  But now I see it can also be used mobile, powered from the MacBook - something that up till now I could only achieve under Mac OS, not under Windows.

When using Boot Camp / Windows on the MacBook, I initially tried the shirtpocket-sized Passport drive because it was small, light and powered from the laptop’s USB port.  While its data throughput wasn’t too bad, at least for single-channel HD editing (especially when only 1280720), when it came to cuts from one video clip (hence, in my case, video file) to another, there was a frustrating delay every time.

I also have a GRaid Mini drive, but it wasn’t obvious at first how to use it mobile when using Windows (on a MacBook).  That drive consists of two 7200  drives in RAID-0 configuation (striped, giving speed but no redundancy), and appears just like any single drive to the computer (no RAID management etc. needed).  The drive has not only a USB (2) port but also FireWire 800 (FW800) and eSATA ports.  While the latter two options work fine with the MacBook under Mac OS, they don’t work under Boot Camp / Windows.  I have tried many times and trawled many forums, no solution is apparent.  Under Mac OS the eSATA drive would ordinarily plug into an ExpressCard adaptor plugged into the laptop’s ExpressCard slot, but under Boot Camp / Windows, the ExpressCard slot doesn’t work, while for the FW800 port under Boot Camp / Windows, it appears to work at first but eventually crashes as a device when it attempts to communicate data (e.g. when copying files).

When connected only by USB to the MacBook under BootCamp / Windows, the GRaid Mini is not powered from that port, hence up till now I have relied on a mains power supply to that drive.  However, I discovered if, after first connecting by USB, you subsequently connect also by the FW800 lead, then the drive takes power from the FW800 yet communicates data via the USB lead.   Hooray!  I can use it on-the-move then!

The order in which the leads are connected is vital.  If by mistake the FW lead was connected first, then the drive would sense that as the data communications route, and subsequently fail in use.  It is vital that the USB connection is made first.  Likewise, on disconnecting the drive (following “ejection” by the computer’s file-system), disconnect the FW drive first.  The rule is FW lead: connect last disconnect first.

My experience of editing with the GRaid Mini is far more fluid hence more pleasurable and efficient.  Totally worth it.  None of the per-cut delay effects of the 5400 rpm Passport drive.  And now it can be used on-the-move, even with Boot Camp / Windows on a MacBook.  I just wish Apple would fix that Boot Camp isue with FireWire and ExpressCard ports!

One thing that might help when in W7, re-building the set of apps previously installed under XP, would be to migrate the whole XP instance to a virtual machine elsewhere, in practice my MacBook Pro, which has Parallels 6 under Mac OS.

Then, while installing apps to the new W7 instance, can do a side-by-side comparison with the virtual XP instance.  The only unknown is the Microsoft activation/licensing issue - could it “clog the gears” of this proposed process?  Presumably I need to transfer the activation(s) to the XP virtual machine.  But could the W7 Upgrade process itself absorb the XP activation, crippling the XP virtual machine?

Only one way to find out, and that time is not now…

I have a Mac Pro with Boot Camp running Windows XP (SP2), and want to upgrade it to Windows 7.  Not as simple as I had hoped.  It sounds like it will take maybe a week rather than an afternoon…

• I had purchased an upgrade version of Windows 7, assuming (very naively…) that this would save me from having to reinstall all of my apps currently installed under XP.  In practice, the “Upgrade” only works as such from Windows Vista; in the case of XP it essentially does a fresh install, meaning one does have to reinstall any required applications.
• Also, Windows 7 can’t use XP drivers.
• In consequence, the upgrade is likely to take a few days…
  • I have many apps, some of which take half a day individually to install.
  • There are also obscure things like device drivers.

1. My initial step was to backup and defrag
2. Next I will run [Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor]
   1. This requires all interesting USB devices to be live-connected during the advisor’s scan.
3. I ran it
   1. It made no major complaints about my system, which it says can also run XP mode (virtual machine).
   2. It does not return an inventory of applications automaticaly, so I’ll just have to make one manually.
4. ..to be continued…

(more…)

Made a simple AviSynth script to get an existing real HDV video (in Cineform format) and apply TDeint (motion-compensated deinterlace filter) to it.  Opened it in AvsPmod and it displayed OK.  Exported the result of that processing from AvsPmod via [Tools > Save to AVI].  This called up avs2avi.exe.  That executable’s menu of codec formats was as below.  NOTE the Cineform codec (following that company’s takeover) now comes under the name GoPro - I missed it the first time I scanned!  The test worked fine - deinterlaced video successfully exported to Cineform and subsequently played in Windows Media Player.

•  Microsoft Video 1 (an ancient format - as explained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Video_1)
• Intel IYUV Codec (a very old format http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?178685-What-is-Intel-IYUV)
• Intel IYUV Codec (again)
• Cinepak Codec by Radius
• proDAD Saver for Mercalli (not sure it’s a real codec, maybe a “virtual” one, associated with the proDAD video stabilization plugin for Sony Vegas)
• GoPro-Cineform Codec v7.3.2 (CINEFORM)
• ffdshow Video Codec (several choices, shown when you hit Config button)
• Intel Indeo Video 4.5 (From the “good old days”, I used it back then to compress PAL standard definition video from analog capture)
• Full Frames (Uncompressed)

• Not sure why, but suddenly avs2avi.exe works fine on my W7 system.
  • Didn’t knowingly alter anything.
  • The only change I’m aware of is I uninstalled AviSynth 2.5.8 and installed AViSynth 2.5.7.
• I’m using avs2avi as part of AvsPmod 2.2.0.
  • AvsPmod is itself in Compatibility Mode for WIndows XP-SP3 (otherwise it doesn’t work)
  • However I have not put avs2avi in compatibility mode.
• It (avs2avi) works fine, both from AvsPmod and as standalone.
  • Just ensure it has write permission to its destination of course (no that wasn’t the problem before).

Context & Problem:

• I want a way to serve an AviSynth media stream into NLEs etc., e.g. Sony Vegas.  I have done this for years under Windows XP-SP3 (32-bit).
  • Partly just for the flexibility of having this option.
  • Partly (as explained at http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/388), as a workaround to another problem with old software under Windows 7.
• However an attempt at installation in Windows 7 failed - because (I now know) the installer is obsolete (and hence incompatible) with respect to Windows 7.
  • VFAPI requires to be installed, via .bat/.inf files, so that for example it appears in the Registry.
  • But the installer fails under Windows 7.  It is compatible with XP but not Windows 7 (or Vista).
  • It is possible to manually “hack-install” VFAPI into Windows 7, but that causes me anxiety…

Possible Solutions:

• Possibly the tricks reported at  http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=750967 (which in any case is a great article about motion-estimation-based slow-motion in AviSynth) might get VFAPI working on my W7 system.
• Or there may be a better way…AVSP
  • Instead, use AVFS - AviSynth Virtual File System: http://avf.sourceforge.net/
  • To simplify life, there is a single download (zip file) of a suite of apps & plugins associated with AViSynth at http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech3/amvapp.html.  This suite used to include VFAPI and now instead includes AVFS.

(more…)

The context (AviSynth>AvsP>avs2avi):

• The AviSynth greater community has developed a number of applications to simplify the development and use of AviSynth command-scripts.  One of these is AvsP, an AviSynth-script editor, has an option [Tools > Save using avs2avi].
• Under Windows XP, this prompts for a location then prompts (in a separate popup) for codec details, then AviSynth renders (via avs2avi) to the required output-file.
• There is a step-by-step tutorial at http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech3/amvapp-avisynth.html

A problem (works under XP but not W7):

• Under Windows 7 Pro 64-bit (which can also run 32-bit apps), avs2avi merely produces an error message: <<AVIFileOpen failed, unable to open “f:\tmp.avs” : The operation completed successfully.>>  The last bit (”successfully”) merely indicates that the application (avs2avi) does not make a very thorough successfulness-check!
• This issue was previously encountered & investigated back in March 2011: http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/247

Searching for a solution:

• Experiments, unsuccessful:
  • After much web-trawling, I discovered a new version of AvsP, called AvsP(mod).  But it made no difference - same problem.
  • Next I tried running avs2.exe on its own, both with and without Compatibility mode enabled.  As well as XP-SP3 (which caused a further problem), I tried even older modes (that didn’t).  But no joy, the same error message was obtained.
  • I downloaded the latest version of avs2avi and also I tried the one that comes bundled with AvsP(mod), in its Tools folder,but again, no difference.
• Asking for advice:
  • Finally I sent an email to avs2avi’s main author, Moitah
  • Also I posted a question to the Sony Vegas forum: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=775793

(more…)

To see the effects of interlacing/combing and compare the results of different deinterlacing methods:

1. Insert a clip (e.g. 1080p50) to the timelineLeave clip’s properties unchanged (eg UFF).
2. Set Project Properties to same as the clip - except make the project Progressive.
3. Set Project Deinterlace method to None.
4. Set Preview to Good/Full.
5. Find a moment on the timeline where there is a good degree of motion (fast but remaining in-frame and not too blurred).

If Preview Scaling is Off then combing should be revealed in principle but may be hard to make out in practice - too fine a detail (1 pixel wide).Easiest workaround:

1. Set Preview Scaling to On then reduce the Preview pane size to not-quite half-size.
2. The “not-quiteness” (difference from exactly half-size) then generates a “Moire pattern” magnification of the combing - much easier to spot.

Now you can experiment with different types of deinterlacing - bearing in mind you are looking at something derived from the combing as opposed to the combing itself.  To clarify the -actual- combing, one can deploy Windows’ Accessibility-Magnifier - more realistic than the above though less convenient - as follows:

1. In Windows 7, do Control Panel > Ease of Access Center > Start Magnifier.
2. Best magnifier view-mode is a (rectangular) “Lens” (only available if Aero is enabled).  Default zoom level is (1:1) i.e no zoom.
3. The easiest way to change zoom level is Cmd+ and Cmd-, where Cmd is the Windows button on a PC or Command/Apple/CurlySquare button on a Mac (accessing Windows e.g. locally via Boot Camp or Virtual Machine).
4. Can change lens size via Ctrl-Alt-R then (with -no- mouse-buttons held) drag it.
5. Exit magnifier by Cmd-Esc.
6. Sadly no way to simply toggle On/Off, but in W7 you can pin it to the task-bar.
7. If magnifier control window gets buried by another window then it is still accessible as a permanently-on-top magnifying-glass icon.

http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=390339