Best format to transcode A6300 XAVC-S 4k footage to?

[Gershy13]

I want to edit some A6300 test videos, but they lag so much when scrubbing through them in premiere... even at 1/8th res...

What is the best format to transcode to?

Cineform? ProRes? DNxHR?

Im using Adobe Premiere...

i5 4670k

750 ti

 

I transcoded to DNxHR LB (144mbps) (Original XAVC-S footage is 100mbps)

but the quality is really low!

 

Help Please?

 

Thanks

Gershy13

[HPWebcamAble]

First, make sure you have your video files on an SSD

 

Can't say I'm an expert with format so I'll let someone else tackle that

[Gershy13]

Just now, HPWebcamAble said:

First, make sure you have your video files on an SSD

 

Can't say I'm an expert with format so I'll let someone else tackle that

Ahh.. i guess i need an ssd to edit a6300 files? I dont have them on that... i have them on a WD Blue 1tb...

[Electronics Wizardy]

Try cineform or not using the low quality dnxhr. The birtrate will be around 300mbps.

[ALwin]

You most likely will not be able to transcode to ProRes on Windows.  So try either of the other two.

 

One method you can use is to work with proxy files.  Make lower quality/resolution versions for editing, and before the final rendering replace the proxy versions with the original versions.

[Gershy13]

4 minutes ago, ALwin said:

You most likely will not be able to transcode to ProRes on Windows.  So try either of the other two.

 

One method you can use is to work with proxy files.  Make lower quality/resolution versions for editing, and before the final rendering replace the proxy versions with the original versions.

ok so which version of DNxHR should i use? There are lots of options...

[Gershy13]

I am using Adobe Media Encoder by the way...

[ALwin]

4 minutes ago, Gershy13 said:

ok so which version of DNxHR should i use? There are lots of options...

I have a Mac, I transcode to ProRes.  For DNxHR you can try Googling for some guidelines.

 

EDIT:

Maybe this can help you decide what to use.  What is the 4K footage from the A6300? Is it 10-bit 4:2:2?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNxHR_codec

DNxHR is available in the following flavors:^[2][3]

• DNxHR LB - Low Bandwidth (8-bit 4:2:2) Offline Quality
• DNxHR SQ - Standard Quality (8-bit 4:2:2) (suitable for delivery format)
• DNxHR HQ - High Quality (8-bit 4:2:2)
• DNxHR HQX - High Quality (12-bit 4:2:2) (UHD/4K Broadcast-quality delivery)
• DNxHR 444 - Finishing Quality (12-bit 4:4:4) (Cinema-quality delivery)

[.spider.]

I'd generate 1/4res DNxHR SQ proxies 

[.spider.]

4 hours ago, HPWebcamAble said:

First, make sure you have your video files on an SSD

 

There is nearly no benefit while working with compressed footage.

[Gershy13]

3 hours ago, ALwin said:

I have a Mac, I transcode to ProRes.  For DNxHR you can try Googling for some guidelines.

 

EDIT:

Maybe this can help you decide what to use.  What is the 4K footage from the A6300? Is it 10-bit 4:2:2?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNxHR_codec

DNxHR is available in the following flavors:^[2][3]

• DNxHR LB - Low Bandwidth (8-bit 4:2:2) Offline Quality
• DNxHR SQ - Standard Quality (8-bit 4:2:2) (suitable for delivery format)
• DNxHR HQ - High Quality (8-bit 4:2:2)
• DNxHR HQX - High Quality (12-bit 4:2:2) (UHD/4K Broadcast-quality delivery)
• DNxHR 444 - Finishing Quality (12-bit 4:4:4) (Cinema-quality delivery)

Its 4:2:0 8 bit...

Which one should i use if im editing in Premiere? Its going to be what i use to edit then export to h264...

[ALwin]

3 minutes ago, Gershy13 said:

Its 4:2:0 8 bit...

Which one should i use if im editing in Premiere? Its going to be what i use to edit then export to h264...

Ok in Media Encoder, the first thing I'd do is look for the preset that matches the resolution of the footage.

 

Since the A6300 records UHD (not DCI 4K) I'd go for the UHD preset group that matches the frame rate of the footage from the camera. For example, UHD 30 (or 29.97).  Then I might select the SQ or HQ version.  Don't use the HQX or 444 version, it's pointless.

[Gershy13]

1 minute ago, ALwin said:

Ok in Media Encoder, the first thing I'd do is look for the preset that matches the resolution of the footage.

 

Since the A6300 records UHD (not DCI 4K) I'd go for the UHD preset group that matches the frame rate of the footage from the camera. For example, UHD 30 (or 29.97).  Then I might select the SQ or HQ version.  Don't use the HQX or 444 version, it's pointless.

ok thanks... Should i Use HQ or SQ? What will the difference be? Im going to be grading with it... also... is cineform better than this? LTT uses it...

 

A6300 footage is UHD 23.976fps 8-bit 4:2:0 100mbps

[ALwin]

3 minutes ago, Gershy13 said:

ok thanks... Should i Use HQ or SQ? What will the difference be? Im going to be grading with it... also... is cineform better than this? LTT uses it...

 

A6300 footage is UHD 23.976fps 8-bit 4:2:0 100mbps

Well then select the UHD 23.97 group and check whether the HQ or SQ version is better for grading.

 

As for CineForm, I'm not sure.  I haven't really used CineForm or DNxHR before.  I stay with XAVC right out of my camera or ProRes.

EDIT: perhaps this might interest you

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/White_Paper/DNxHR-Codec-Bandwidth-Specifications

[Gershy13]

Just now, ALwin said:

Well then select the UHD 23.97 group and check whether the HQ or SQ version is better for grading.

 

As for CineForm, I'm not sure.  I haven't really used CineForm or DNxHR before.  I stay with XAVC right out of my camera or ProRes.

ok thanks.. also i have the option of MXF or Quicktime...

[ALwin]

4 minutes ago, Gershy13 said:

ok thanks.. also i have the option of MXF or Quicktime...

Perhaps this may also interest you:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DNxHD_codec_resolutions

 

(Also I added a link to my previous comment, not sure if they will help you or not.)

 

I don't think you should really look at the presets available under the heading of MXF and Quicktime.  Under the MXF OP1a group, the only presets that support 4K are under XAVC, which is what you are getting from the camera.

[ALwin]

I noticed your signature mentions "Hackintosh", if you have OSX installed somehow and you don't want to spend $300 on FCPX, you can always install Compressor ($50) to transcode to ProRes.  But I hear a lot of claims that Compressor's speed in transcoding to ProRes is slower than FCPX.

 

I don't have FCPX on my MacBook to really do a comparison to test it for myself.

[Gershy13]

1 minute ago, ALwin said:

I noticed your signature mentions "Hackintosh", if you have OSX installed somehow and you don't want to spend $300 on FCPX, you can always install Compressor ($50) to transcode to ProRes.  But I hear a lot of claims that Compressor's speed in transcoding to ProRes is slower than FCPX.

 

I don't have FCPX on my MacBook to really do a comparison to test it for myself.

yeah, i dont have FCPX or Compressor.. and dont really want to spend on them... 

 

12 minutes ago, ALwin said:

Perhaps this may also interest you:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DNxHD_codec_resolutions

 

(Also I added a link to my previous comment, not sure if they will help you or not.)

 

I don't think you should really look at the presets available under the heading of MXF and Quicktime.  Under the MXF OP1a group, the only presets that support 4K are under XAVC, which is what you are getting from the camera.

I meant, for DNxHR, i have the option of using MXF or quicktime as a container...

[ALwin]

19 minutes ago, Gershy13 said:

yeah, i dont have FCPX or Compressor.. and dont really want to spend on them... 

 

I meant, for DNxHR, i have the option of using MXF or quicktime as a container...

Does the container really matter?  Anyway, if I type DNxHR into the search bar above the presets listing in Media Encoder, all the containers I get are MXF, so go with that.

 

EDIT: I could be mistaken, but I think installing DaVinci Resolve 12 in OSX you can use it to encode to ProRes as a media output.  Again, this is something I haven't done personally so not 100% certain.  I have Compressor.

[Gershy13]

8 minutes ago, ALwin said:

Does the container really matter?  Anyway, if I type DNxHR into the search bar above the presets listing in Media Encoder, all the containers I get are MXF, so go with that.

 

EDIT: I could be mistaken, but I think installing DaVinci Resolve 12 in OSX allows you to encode to ProRes.  Again, this is something I haven't done personally so not 100% certain.  I have Compressor.

ok thanks... ill use mxf...