The magic box for viewing EX footage!

Erik Phairas · December 7th, 2008, 12:45 PM

B&H explains the player. I already have my computer hooked up to my TV so this is a non issue. But it would be nice to transport this to another TV and watch the files there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mXZazm6Zw&fmt=22

Paul Frederick · December 8th, 2008, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Cronin

Took the WD TV to a local HDTV store yesterday and played off a 2GB thumb drive. It would only play the Apple TV encoded footage which looked great since the footage is 720P. It would not play the .mov, H264, and MPEG4. Need to re-render and see what the problem is since the store would like to run my footage as part of their daily HDTV demo's and I want to give them 1080p.

Maybe it's your audio encode? The WD doesn't like anything with 48k audio.

Paul Cronin · December 8th, 2008, 07:58 AM

I will double check the audio settings.

Sean Seah · December 9th, 2008, 04:11 AM

Home > Products > TVIX HD M-6500A

This is another alternative which I find pretty cool. It can do m2ts or m2t directly as well. Has many inteface options and the HDD goes rite into it with expansion capability. Only thing there seems to be heat issues with the non alum case.

Steve Gibbons · December 18th, 2008, 04:08 PM

Folks - not sure if this has been reported already but...

If you copy the .MP4 files off the SxS cards to a USB drive (flash, hard drive, etc) and then just RENAME them to a .M2TS extension, you can play the video NATIVELY on this Western Digital media player.

Still working on sound.

SG

UPDATE: Just did another experiment - connecting this WD media player to an HDCAM VTR via a NanoConnect HDMI->HD-SDI box. It worked! Video passed through fine.

Mitchell Lewis · December 18th, 2008, 06:02 PM

We're definitely getting one of these. Thanks to those who did all the research. Great solution.

Robert Petersen · December 18th, 2008, 06:48 PM

I don't have an EX1 (yet) but have an HV30. I can edit in Media Composer and then "output 1080i to device" which creates an HDV transport stream (m2t). The m2t files play perfectly with the WD TV unit. I love it.

Gints Klimanis · December 18th, 2008, 07:25 PM

If you have a TV that doesn't have HDMI input, there is also the Roku HD-1000 photo viewer and media player. It will loop movies or photos while playing an MP3 in the background. This device has an Ethernet connection and supports wireless media streaming. I always thought the Roku was easier to use with its chubby remote buttons and various compact flash slots.

Joachim Hoge · December 19th, 2008, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Gibbons

Folks - not sure if this has been reported already but...

If you copy the .MP4 files off the SxS cards to a USB drive (flash, hard drive, etc) and then just RENAME them to a .M2TS extension, you can play the video NATIVELY on this Western Digital media player.

Still working on sound.

SG

UPDATE: Just did another experiment - connecting this WD media player to an HDCAM VTR via a NanoConnect HDMI->HD-SDI box. It worked! Video passed through fine.

Exactly how do you rename them?
Do you just write M2TS instead of MP4?

EDIT: Figured it out, just open the properties window (Mac).
Anyway, I did this to an overcranked shot, 720 50P and it didn´t play smooth at all. Very jerky

Arthur Hancock · December 19th, 2008, 05:17 PM

What am I missing?

Our EX-1 file names are all .mov but the media player (just got it today) isn't recognizing them (no thumbnails, but it shows the file and folder names correctly). The box displays photos fine but not video. I'm using Final Cut. What should I do to convert my files into a readable format?

Thanks for any help!

Arthur Hancock · December 19th, 2008, 07:20 PM

Paul began this thread by saying, "You need to make your files in a format it can read, but H.264 or MPEGs look GREAT! It can read MANY, MANY file formats. "

Could someone please tell me how to do this?

All I've ever done is download my EX-1 footage to Final Cut via Sony's File Transfer software. All my files are 1080i 60 .mov. and the media player won't recognize them. What do I need to do in order to enjoy my magic box???

Rob Collins · December 19th, 2008, 07:34 PM

I don't have the box, but I'm guessing that it won't accept QT files in the EX codec (would be shocked if it did). QT .mov files can have any number of compressors. Apparently this device likes H264 and MPEG. So just use QT Pro or Compressor to convert your EX QT's to H264.

Arthur Hancock · December 19th, 2008, 10:25 PM

"So just use QT Pro or Compressor to convert your EX QT's to H264."

Thanks, Rob, could you tell me the simplest way to do this?

Mitchell Lewis · December 20th, 2008, 09:52 AM

OPTION #1 (straight from your FCP timeline)
Build your timeline up the way you want in FCP. Go to File>Export with Quicktime Conversion. Choose Quicktime. Then at the bottom you can choose a preset setting. I'd start with LAN/Intranet (that would be a good guess). If that doesn't work, try some of the other "presets" from that list.

OPTION #2 (from a finished Quicktime movie)
Build your timeline up the way you want in FCP. Go to File>Export Quicktime (not Quicktime Conversion this time). Choose a location where to store your Quicktime file. Exit Final Cut Pro, find your saved movie file, right click on it (Control Click) and choose Open with Quicktime Player. Your movie will open in Quicktime Player. Then choose File>Export (or type command E) and you can choose from the same list of file types as Option #1.

Hope that makes sense. I'm at home now and I'm doing all this from memory. :)

Arthur Hancock · December 21st, 2008, 10:13 AM

Thank you, Mitchell.

I've got it working now (thanks Paul!)and it looks great except for the horizonal lines that erupt during any motion.

I'm shooting everything in 1080i60 HQ.

In the video settings (Standard Video Compression Settings) window I have these settings:

Compression Type: H.264
Frame Rate: 30
Key Frames: Automatic
Frame Reordering: Checked
Data Rate: 8000
Encoding is Best Quality (multi-pass)

Dimensions: 1920X1080 (current)

Any idea why I'm having the line problem? Is there another file type that would give me a better picture (I don't care about file size)?

Thanks for any help!

Arthur

December 8th, 2008, 07:58 AM	#33
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	I will double check the audio settings. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

December 18th, 2008, 06:02 PM	#36
Mitchell Lewis Trustee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kennewick, WA Posts: 1,124	We're definitely getting one of these. Thanks to those who did all the research. Great solution. __________________ Sony EX3, Canon 5D MkII, Chrosziel Matte Box, Sachtler tripod, Steadicam Flyer, Mac Pro, Apple/Adobe software - 20 years as a local videographer/editor

December 18th, 2008, 06:48 PM	#37
Robert Petersen Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Girard, Ohio Posts: 103	Plays Transport Stream I don't have an EX1 (yet) but have an HV30. I can edit in Media Composer and then "output 1080i to device" which creates an HDV transport stream (m2t). The m2t files play perfectly with the WD TV unit. I love it.

December 20th, 2008, 09:52 AM	#44
Mitchell Lewis Trustee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kennewick, WA Posts: 1,124	OPTION #1 (straight from your FCP timeline) Build your timeline up the way you want in FCP. Go to File>Export with Quicktime Conversion. Choose Quicktime. Then at the bottom you can choose a preset setting. I'd start with LAN/Intranet (that would be a good guess). If that doesn't work, try some of the other "presets" from that list. OPTION #2 (from a finished Quicktime movie) Build your timeline up the way you want in FCP. Go to File>Export Quicktime (not Quicktime Conversion this time). Choose a location where to store your Quicktime file. Exit Final Cut Pro, find your saved movie file, right click on it (Control Click) and choose Open with Quicktime Player. Your movie will open in Quicktime Player. Then choose File>Export (or type command E) and you can choose from the same list of file types as Option #1. Hope that makes sense. I'm at home now and I'm doing all this from memory. :) __________________ Sony EX3, Canon 5D MkII, Chrosziel Matte Box, Sachtler tripod, Steadicam Flyer, Mac Pro, Apple/Adobe software - 20 years as a local videographer/editor

December 7th, 2008, 12:45 PM	#31
Erik Phairas Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 628	B&H explains the player. I already have my computer hooked up to my TV so this is a non issue. But it would be nice to transport this to another TV and watch the files there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mXZazm6Zw&fmt=22

December 9th, 2008, 04:11 AM	#34
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Home > Products > TVIX HD M-6500A This is another alternative which I find pretty cool. It can do m2ts or m2t directly as well. Has many inteface options and the HDD goes rite into it with expansion capability. Only thing there seems to be heat issues with the non alum case.

December 18th, 2008, 04:08 PM	#35
Steve Gibbons Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bridgenorth Posts: 116	Folks - not sure if this has been reported already but... If you copy the .MP4 files off the SxS cards to a USB drive (flash, hard drive, etc) and then just RENAME them to a .M2TS extension, you can play the video NATIVELY on this Western Digital media player. Still working on sound. SG UPDATE: Just did another experiment - connecting this WD media player to an HDCAM VTR via a NanoConnect HDMI->HD-SDI box. It worked! Video passed through fine.

December 18th, 2008, 07:25 PM	#38
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	If you have a TV that doesn't have HDMI input, there is also the Roku HD-1000 photo viewer and media player. It will loop movies or photos while playing an MP3 in the background. This device has an Ethernet connection and supports wireless media streaming. I always thought the Roku was easier to use with its chubby remote buttons and various compact flash slots.

December 19th, 2008, 05:17 PM	#40
Arthur Hancock Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Highlands North Carolina Posts: 69	What am I missing? Our EX-1 file names are all .mov but the media player (just got it today) isn't recognizing them (no thumbnails, but it shows the file and folder names correctly). The box displays photos fine but not video. I'm using Final Cut. What should I do to convert my files into a readable format? Thanks for any help!

December 19th, 2008, 07:20 PM	#41
Arthur Hancock Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Highlands North Carolina Posts: 69	Paul began this thread by saying, "You need to make your files in a format it can read, but H.264 or MPEGs look GREAT! It can read MANY, MANY file formats. " Could someone please tell me how to do this? All I've ever done is download my EX-1 footage to Final Cut via Sony's File Transfer software. All my files are 1080i 60 .mov. and the media player won't recognize them. What do I need to do in order to enjoy my magic box???

December 19th, 2008, 07:34 PM	#42
Rob Collins Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 229	I don't have the box, but I'm guessing that it won't accept QT files in the EX codec (would be shocked if it did). QT .mov files can have any number of compressors. Apparently this device likes H264 and MPEG. So just use QT Pro or Compressor to convert your EX QT's to H264.

December 19th, 2008, 10:25 PM	#43
Arthur Hancock Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Highlands North Carolina Posts: 69	"So just use QT Pro or Compressor to convert your EX QT's to H264." Thanks, Rob, could you tell me the simplest way to do this?

December 21st, 2008, 10:13 AM	#45
Arthur Hancock Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Highlands North Carolina Posts: 69	Thank you, Mitchell. I've got it working now (thanks Paul!)and it looks great except for the horizonal lines that erupt during any motion. I'm shooting everything in 1080i60 HQ. In the video settings (Standard Video Compression Settings) window I have these settings: Compression Type: H.264 Frame Rate: 30 Key Frames: Automatic Frame Reordering: Checked Data Rate: 8000 Encoding is Best Quality (multi-pass) Dimensions: 1920X1080 (current) Any idea why I'm having the line problem? Is there another file type that would give me a better picture (I don't care about file size)? Thanks for any help! Arthur