1) download this free program
http://ffmpegx.com/index.html
2) Drop the XDCAM EX MP4 on input and select output codec, bit rate, frame size, frame rate, etc like any compression app. It has choices such as H264 or MPEG2 Transport Stream. While it's a round of compression I had no problem using MPEG2 Transport Stream at 35000kbits/sec.
3) Drop File in Episode Pro 5 and encode to XDCAM EX (1080p30 in my case).

The resultant file was full XDCAM EX 1080p30 file (both video and audio) that worked just fine in Final Cut Pro 6.0.3

If you don't have Episode Pro 5 you may need to use the ffmpegz output file in FCP and render but in any case the free ffmpegz will get you there. It's a round of compression but for many, that's better than a reshoot.

Nice. Good job, Craig. You're the codec king. I see you also let the "other guy" know :)

- Don

"Have codec will travel" as they used to say.

Somewhere the are folks reading this and saying "why didn't you figure this out x weeks ago"

We can be free from the chains of corrupt or lost metadata on the Mac!

We can be free from the chains of corrupt or lost metadata on the Mac!

I know! Your discovery is quite huge actually, and wasn't lost on me.

- Don

This is one program I use extensively! It's one of the best kept secrets on codec manipulation around! Glad to hear it'll handle EX files.

Hi Craig,
Would this app allow me to get files into Avid Xpress Pro or Media Composer on my Mac? I just went to the bother of getting XP and VMWare, so I can use the PC version of the Clip Browser to give me Avid-friendly files.
Would this program do it better than, or instead of, the XP/VMWare/Clip Br. solution?
Malcolm

someone has to have referenced this before, but if not, or you missed it...
http://www.bolanski.com/ex/home/ffmpeg-is-your-friend/

here is another link on the same site for all you Avid people.
http://www.bolanski.com/ex/home/ex1-to-avid-fast-import/#Comment1

actually ffmpegx, although based on ffmpeg is different since it's specific to Mac and includes a GUI rather than command line.

from ffmpegx site I linked to above:
"Please note: the ffmpegX project is not associated with the ffmpeg project,"

and

"ffmpegX is a Mac OS X graphic user interface designed to easily operate more than 20 powerful Unix open-source video and audio processing tools including ffmpeg"

2) Drop the XDCAM EX MP4 on input and select output codec [...]
3) Drop File in Episode Pro 5 and encode to XDCAM EX (1080p30 in my case).


Hi Craig,

Why do a second transcode (in Episode) and not just go with the result out of ffmpegX?
Or does Episode just rewrap? (I don't have it, but even then, why rewrap?)

George/

P.S. Maybe I'm missing something here, please point it out; always keen to learn.

ffmpegz doesn't encode to XDCAM EX. You'll be faced with another render in your timeline. You can certainly go that route but that render to XDCAM EX (unless you want to work in another codec) is inevitable.

BTW, I contacted the folks at Telestream Episode and said it would be good if Episode Pro could actually take the EX MP4 and do a rewrap. It is interesting that the do have the ability to encode to EX but can't take the EX MP4 as input.