• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Converting H.264. Is Cineform that great?

H

Hey Man!

I've scoured the forums for answers, but haven't really found what I am looking for.

As the title suggests, I've been trying to find a high quality solution for converting H.264 to an editable (edible mmmm) format of the highest quality with the least amount of degradation and color/gamma/whatever changes.

Background info: editing on a 32 bit Macbook with 2 GB RAM and a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor. I'll be cutting in FCP7. I have access to Compressor, and also have MPEG Streamclip

Now if I had a 64 bit system, it seems the highest quality route is going with 5DtoRGB, but that's out of the question.

From my own tests, I seem to get the truest footage out of ProRes 422 as compared to the h.264 original. Not LT obviously or even HQ. Both seem to have an adverse effect on the gamma, washing out the shot ever so slightly.

On this forum, it seems that many people are using Cineform products, particularly Neoscene.

Now is there a reason for this? Are people seeing a difference between footage converted with Neoscene compared to MPEG Streamclip, Compressor, or even 5DtoRGB? Why pay for NeoScene?

I figure I'll call Cineform tomorrow and ask them, but I can't expect an objective answer.

Thank you kindly for your input.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
422 is great and I personally don't see a need for Cineform if you own a Mac (PC, different story - mostly so you can encode sequences to cineform.MOV to collaborate with Mac users).

I wouldn't put much thought into it. You're already way ahead of the game not trying to edit H.264 like some folks insist on doing. ;)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks for your input. When I first started out with the format I thought my processor was just too slow and I was domed to update my computer. I couldn't even scrub through the footage.

Now I edit and master in ProRes, it's really the only way to go with H.264 on a mac. In the past I've converted to ProRes and ProRes Proxy, doing my work in the Proxy format and then reconnecting the media to ProRes, but it seems like my processor can handle the ProRes files just fine.

One thing I haven't experimented with is reconnecting the media back to the original H.264 files, considering the work will eventually be going up on the web. However I'm not sure how this will work with effects and transitions, or if it is just a waste of time. I'll post my findings after I run my test.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I can't answer your question (I use Cineform, but on a PC), but I can say the folks at Cineform would probably give you an objective answer. I've dealt with them on many occasions and they aren't car salesmen. They'll most likely give you honest answers.

Give them a call.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cineform is a base platform, there are other goodies that come along. Since then Iv heard of other FREE options.. avids encoder is free and 5DtoRGB is now on windows.. I dont know either as I use cineform. Lately with the new heptacore PC and 24GB of RAM If not bothered for small stuff.. but believe it or not, I still feel it..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey Man! said:
One thing I haven't experimented with is reconnecting the media back to the original H.264 files, considering the work will eventually be going up on the web. However I'm not sure how this will work with effects and transitions, or if it is just a waste of time. I'll post my findings after I run my test.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't have a problem because that's the workflow for web video if you're going to post it on a site.

H.264>intermediate>H.264
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
hey guys, is there any alternative to neoscene cz its a bit too expensive for me (right now)..
i have a amd quad core with 8gb ram and gtx 460 that supports CUDA..but avchd format still poses problems..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Im a PC user but i believe the most common thing to do when using a mac and dealing with h264 is what you already have in mind. Covert to prores422, edit, export back to h264 for online distribution.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
eraserhead_in_time said:
I use Adobe CS 5.5..
Click to expand...

CS5+ handles DSLR H.264 (way to many acronyms) natively. No need to convert, even if you can't run cuda.

OP, ProRes is a killer format. You can switch to 64bit though. Lion is like $30, Snow Leopard even cheaper (find a used copy). I noticed a great performance boost upgrading 10.5 to 10.6, they redid it from the ground up to use less resources. It's also like a 15gb install instead of a 22gb. That extra 7gb comes in handy in a MacBook.

CS5.5 is still half off (I think) and no need to convert, plus you get After Effects and Photoshop and more. $800, but well worth it if it's an option.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I would love to use 5DtoRGB, apparently it is worth the hype. However I have yet to purchase a 64 bit mac and don't see the benefit in installing bootcamp just to do conversions for now.

In reference to my tests, I didn't see a noticeable difference in bitrate, filesize, or quality after reconnecting my ProRes files back to H.264 for export. I got pretty much the same results by using QT conversion to go back to H.264, although the export did take a good chunk of time. Sadly it seems that I don't stand in numbers when it comes to using NLE's on a mac, but I hope this helps someone.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top