Communigate Pro AE-List@media-motion.tv Message 63905

Mailing List AE-List@media-motion.tv � Message #63905

From:	Steve Oakley <AE-List@media-motion.tv>
Subject:	Re: [AE] Mac QuickTime codecs in latest update
Date:	Fri, 6 Apr 2018 13:44:58 -0500
To:	After Effects Mail List <AE-List@media-motion.tv>

@Victoria : we’ve had this conversation on this list a few times. its not a huge list, but there are probably 4 or 5 that constantly come up like PhotoJpeg, Mjpeg A/B, and a couple others. Also on the public page addressing this, the supported codecs list is very incomplete, for example you just list “DV” which really means DV25, DV50 and DV100. please update this page to be as complete as possible.

The problem with “trying something new” may well mean that the person or company getting your deliverables would need to do a hardware upgrade like on their playout server, or at least a ( likely paid $$$$ ) softrware update. Good luck with getting a TVS to update their airplay server unless its automatic and in the BG. Good luck with getting some corp client with a 10 year old playout system in their presentation theater to change it , or a large AV company handling LED walls.

At one point, we were doing 2k to 5K projects that got tiled up into 720X480 grids, laid off to digitbeta, then loaded into the AV companies playout boxes which ran 6-8 streams of SD, then DVE’d into position on the walls. Ya thats pretty screwed up, but thats how it worked at the time.

The last 2 weeks I’ve been digitizing audio cassttes @ 96K/24 mostly for better noise processing. Problem is I had to buy a working tape deck which lasted for about 20 tapes before failing. Similar problem loading a few VHS tapes too this week. Its not the media which seems to be doing ok, its keeping a working playback machine. Thankfully I did all my BetaSP stuff almost 10 years ago. When I did, I choose ProRes LT after testing - regular 422 didn’t make a difference except for bigger file sizes. DV50 which I also like(d) as a SD codec was about the same size as 422 and its future support was questionable. I still don’t trust apple with ProRes. Having a working tape machine is an understandable problem, having software codecs to playback old media isn’t.

On Apr 6, 2018, at 9:38 AM, Stephen van Vuuren <AE-List@media-motion.tv> wrote:

> Sometimes things are “critical to people’s workflow” only because they can’t be bothered trying something new.

Some people criticize without bothering to understand another person’s point of view. I sincerely doubt anyone who uses AE is a person who “can’t be bothered to try something new”. That would be the people still using the COSA version…😊

Seriously – legacy support of older codecs is major issue in digital media to the point of arguably the #1 long-term problem in the field. Given that major efforts by major institutions are underway to figure out long-term access to digital media created. It can be argued the “try something new” contributes to this problem.

You’ve got everyone from families with old cellphone videos to major works of arts in formats that have been idled. And it’s just video – everything from old screenplay formats, Word docs from the 1990s, audio formats from the 80s/90s.

So maybe vote for legacy formats even if they don’t help you personally.

Let us know if others are critical to your workflow. You can vote for us to add native PhotoJPEG support here: https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/forums/911311-after-effects/suggestions/33841261-photojpeg-quicktime-support

No, but thanks for the explanation. Makes sense. I’ve never bothered with any of the lower quality Pro Res codecs before but 422 LT seems to give good results initially and is about half the size of my PhotoJpeg files. Sometimes things are “critical to people’s workflow” only because they can’t be bothered trying something new.