Compressor times at DVinfo.net

Jason Bowers · July 2nd, 2008, 08:10 PM

Hi guys

I have sent a 1hr 50min movie to compressor to downconvert to sd and it is now on hour 12 of processing. Is this normal?

Thanks

Mike Williams · July 2nd, 2008, 08:17 PM

That was about right for my G5 dual 2ghz. Sometimes longer. The new one cuts that way down

Jason Bowers · July 2nd, 2008, 08:24 PM

I am running a 24" intel imac with 2gig of ram and fsc2. This is normal then.

Robert Bec · July 2nd, 2008, 11:30 PM

It should take about the same time as your video if not alittle more or alittle less

Make sure you convert your audio to ac3

Check out the artricle

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...ace_stone.html

Robert

Louis Maddalena · July 3rd, 2008, 08:29 AM

That sounds about right for your system. If you don't touch the computer (do it while you sleep or something) it might actually go a little faster. But if you use it while its encoding then it will go a little longer. But then again if you can get other work done at the same time It might be worth it taking a little longer.

Jason Bowers · July 3rd, 2008, 09:48 AM

Thanks guys. I took 17hrs to finish. Didn't expect it to take so long. Much faster to just export to quicktime self contained movie. Why even use compressor?

Mike Barber · July 5th, 2008, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Bowers

I have sent a 1hr 50min movie to compressor to downconvert to sd and it is now on hour 12 of processing. Is this normal?

That depends. What kind of sequence are you compressing? Did you export a QT clip and bring that clip into Compressor or did you export your sequence directly to Compressor?

Mike Barber · July 5th, 2008, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Bowers

Why even use compressor?

Depends on what format your deliverable will be, where it is going, etc.

Robert Lane · July 5th, 2008, 09:41 AM

Jason,

There's a couple things you need to understand about the compression process regardless if you're using Compressor or something else:

Compression/encoding times are very specific to the final output format you've selected. Downconverting from HD to SD takes much longer than same-format encoding. It's also highly processor/drive intensive, C3 takes full advantage of multi-threading (accessing all the CPU cores as available) especially for MPEG2. If you have an external array that would speed things up substantially but iMacs have no expansion capabilities for such things (no expansion cards slots for SCSI/Fibre/eSATA).

Typically when downconverting to MPEG2, H.264 and others from an HD source you can count on anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/8 ratio - for every minute of source material it takes 4-8 minutes to down-convert and encode it. Those times can be cut down substantially on a MacPro with an external array.

If you want to really take advantage of Compressor's capabilities you need to have a system that is designed to use it fully - a MacPro.

FCS2 can run on various combinations of Macs, both desktop and laptop and I've seen many use FCS2 on really old, slow machines but if you're serious about using the apps right and making money from them you need the right machine for the job.

iMacs were strictly designed for the consumer market which is why they have no capabilities for professional add-ons; you can't expect it to perform up to MacPro speeds.

Jason Bowers · July 5th, 2008, 10:01 AM

Hi Guys

I was exporting the sequence to compressor. I am not complaining, just didn't know how long to expect. I fully understand the difference between a Macpro and the imac but for my needs the extra $1500 in my pocket was worth it to me. Also I was taking HD and downconverting to SD so I am new to the time needed to do such. Thanks to everyone who responded it was great feedback and now I know the lengths to expect per product.

Mike Barber · July 5th, 2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

Typically when downconverting to MPEG2, H.264 and others from an HD source you can count on anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/8 ratio - for every minute of source material it takes 4-8 minutes to down-convert and encode it. Those times can be cut down substantially on a MacPro with an external array.

If you want to really take advantage of Compressor's capabilities you need to have a system that is designed to use it fully - a MacPro.

An example of performance on a Mac Pro (Octo-2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2, FCS2): my total time to output of a 35 minute DVCProHD (720p24) sequence to a QT ref clip and then Compress it for an SD DVD (which means down-rezing was involved) was just under 20 minutes (note: this was a single pass encode for a preview disc, not a two-pass for a deliverable which would take longer). That is darn fast. To do the same on my PowerMac dual-867MHz G4 would have taken at least the entire afternoon.

Chris Ficek · July 5th, 2008, 11:03 AM

Don't feel bad about a 12 hour encode Jason, it's a normal timeframe. I have similar performance from our Avid system using Sorenson Squeeze.

I have found that there is no substitute for horsepower when it comes to down rezing and encoding for SD DVD. We have two systems with the same software but one is a newer hotrod and it cuts the time almost in half.

I refer to rendertime as bedtime, waiting for it to finish is painful.

If you really want to have a renderfest try outputting a HDV sequence to BluRay---go on vacation. 2 hour sequence took 31 hours to encode, and of course I found an error in the edit afterwards that required a re-encode--my badddd.

Another option is to have outboard USB storage where you can move the project to a more powerful machine for rendering.

Anyways today is a nice day for a change-grab the kids and go outside and let the render brew, or shoot another wedding whatever comes first.

Robert Lane · July 5th, 2008, 11:54 AM

Jason,

Highly recommended reading - consider this a quick-and-dirty bible for C3:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Trai...5280429&sr=8-1

Jonathan Schwartz · July 5th, 2008, 12:13 PM

Jason,

Sounds like the reason you are having such long compressor times is because you are trying to go straight out of Final Cut. Don't do this!!! Export as a quicktime file then import that quicktime file into compressor. I run on a G5 dual 1.8 and find my times to be 2x-3x as long as the actual file. Hope this helps.

Jon Schwartz

Craig Parkes · July 6th, 2008, 04:56 PM

Jason - I personally don't think a 12+ Hour encode is anywhere near normal for an HD to SD encode on your setup, but that truly depends what your output media codec/format is and your input HD media codec/format is.

HD and SD mean nothing on their own, you always need to state what codec, what frame rate, and generally what resolution for people to give you reasonable advice.

Personally I suspect you are doing something unusual to get such long down convert times, even on an Imac, or are converting from/too a very processor intensive format in which case the time could be right but there may be ways to optimise it.

Giving us a little more information could save you a lot of compressing time - so rather than just sighing and baring with long compressor times - throw out the details of the Codec and what your delivery format/need is and maybe we can get you going faster.

July 2nd, 2008, 08:10 PM	#1
Jason Bowers Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Thunder Bay, ON. Canada Posts: 374	Compressor times Hi guys I have sent a 1hr 50min movie to compressor to downconvert to sd and it is now on hour 12 of processing. Is this normal? Thanks

July 2nd, 2008, 08:17 PM	#2
Mike Williams Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: USVI Posts: 232	System ? That was about right for my G5 dual 2ghz. Sometimes longer. The new one cuts that way down

July 5th, 2008, 11:03 AM	#12
Chris Ficek Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 113	Avid on PC similar Don't feel bad about a 12 hour encode Jason, it's a normal timeframe. I have similar performance from our Avid system using Sorenson Squeeze. I have found that there is no substitute for horsepower when it comes to down rezing and encoding for SD DVD. We have two systems with the same software but one is a newer hotrod and it cuts the time almost in half. I refer to rendertime as bedtime, waiting for it to finish is painful. If you really want to have a renderfest try outputting a HDV sequence to BluRay---go on vacation. 2 hour sequence took 31 hours to encode, and of course I found an error in the edit afterwards that required a re-encode--my badddd. Another option is to have outboard USB storage where you can move the project to a more powerful machine for rendering. Anyways today is a nice day for a change-grab the kids and go outside and let the render brew, or shoot another wedding whatever comes first.

July 5th, 2008, 12:13 PM	#14
Jonathan Schwartz Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ocean Springs, MS Posts: 211	Try THis Jason, Sounds like the reason you are having such long compressor times is because you are trying to go straight out of Final Cut. Don't do this!!! Export as a quicktime file then import that quicktime file into compressor. I run on a G5 dual 1.8 and find my times to be 2x-3x as long as the actual file. Hope this helps. Jon Schwartz

July 2nd, 2008, 08:24 PM	#3
Jason Bowers Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Thunder Bay, ON. Canada Posts: 374	I am running a 24" intel imac with 2gig of ram and fsc2. This is normal then.

July 2nd, 2008, 11:30 PM	#4
Robert Bec Major Player Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 358	It should take about the same time as your video if not alittle more or alittle less Make sure you convert your audio to ac3 Check out the artricle http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...ace_stone.html Robert

July 3rd, 2008, 08:29 AM	#5
Louis Maddalena Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NYC Area. Posts: 550	That sounds about right for your system. If you don't touch the computer (do it while you sleep or something) it might actually go a little faster. But if you use it while its encoding then it will go a little longer. But then again if you can get other work done at the same time It might be worth it taking a little longer.

July 3rd, 2008, 09:48 AM	#6
Jason Bowers Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Thunder Bay, ON. Canada Posts: 374	Thanks guys. I took 17hrs to finish. Didn't expect it to take so long. Much faster to just export to quicktime self contained movie. Why even use compressor?

July 5th, 2008, 09:41 AM	#9
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,825 Images: 15	Jason, There's a couple things you need to understand about the compression process regardless if you're using Compressor or something else: Compression/encoding times are very specific to the final output format you've selected. Downconverting from HD to SD takes much longer than same-format encoding. It's also highly processor/drive intensive, C3 takes full advantage of multi-threading (accessing all the CPU cores as available) especially for MPEG2. If you have an external array that would speed things up substantially but iMacs have no expansion capabilities for such things (no expansion cards slots for SCSI/Fibre/eSATA). Typically when downconverting to MPEG2, H.264 and others from an HD source you can count on anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/8 ratio - for every minute of source material it takes 4-8 minutes to down-convert and encode it. Those times can be cut down substantially on a MacPro with an external array. If you want to really take advantage of Compressor's capabilities you need to have a system that is designed to use it fully - a MacPro. FCS2 can run on various combinations of Macs, both desktop and laptop and I've seen many use FCS2 on really old, slow machines but if you're serious about using the apps right and making money from them you need the right machine for the job. iMacs were strictly designed for the consumer market which is why they have no capabilities for professional add-ons; you can't expect it to perform up to MacPro speeds.

July 5th, 2008, 10:01 AM	#10
Jason Bowers Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Thunder Bay, ON. Canada Posts: 374	Hi Guys I was exporting the sequence to compressor. I am not complaining, just didn't know how long to expect. I fully understand the difference between a Macpro and the imac but for my needs the extra $1500 in my pocket was worth it to me. Also I was taking HD and downconverting to SD so I am new to the time needed to do such. Thanks to everyone who responded it was great feedback and now I know the lengths to expect per product.

July 5th, 2008, 11:54 AM	#13
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,825 Images: 15	Jason, Highly recommended reading - consider this a quick-and-dirty bible for C3: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Trai...5280429&sr=8-1

July 6th, 2008, 04:56 PM	#15
Craig Parkes Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 444	Jason - I personally don't think a 12+ Hour encode is anywhere near normal for an HD to SD encode on your setup, but that truly depends what your output media codec/format is and your input HD media codec/format is. HD and SD mean nothing on their own, you always need to state what codec, what frame rate, and generally what resolution for people to give you reasonable advice. Personally I suspect you are doing something unusual to get such long down convert times, even on an Imac, or are converting from/too a very processor intensive format in which case the time could be right but there may be ways to optimise it. Giving us a little more information could save you a lot of compressing time - so rather than just sighing and baring with long compressor times - throw out the details of the Codec and what your delivery format/need is and maybe we can get you going faster.