Encode
Frameline includes a simple MPEG-4 H.264 encoding tool. To encode a file, select a file in the file window, and choose 'Encode/Convert' from the File Actions pop-up which can be found next to the play button on the Home/File Window:
This will then bring up the Encode/Convert Sheet:
Settings
1. Select the Frame Size you require, the default setting is 'Same as Source'
2. Select the Frame Rate. Please note that if you select a Frame rate that is different from the source file (the file that you are encoding) then you will not be able to apply the descriptive metadata to the new file using the match metadata command.
3. Choose a Video Data Rate. The default setting is 512 kbs, this setting is ideal for a low size copy, also known as a Proxy (see below). To make a higher quality copy of the file, you may wish to increase this value to 1024 kbs. For a highest quality 'archive grade' copy, you may wish to set this value to as high as 2056 kbs. Settings higher than this value may not be discernable.
4. Select the Audio Data rate, tick the 'Mono' checkbox to create a Mono Audio File.
5. Choose between Multiple & Single Pass Encoding. Multiple Pass will achieve better results, but may take up to twice as long to complete.
Test Settings
Video encoding takes some experimentation to achieve the best results, so before committing to a set of encoding parameters, click on the Test Settings Button. A ten second test file will then be created and open automatically in the QuickTime Player, enabling you to properly judge, and thereby adjust, your selected encoding parameters.
Notes on Encoding
Video that is encoded from a Tape Source such as DV will probably be interlaced. Interlacing produces a 'banding' effect when video is viewed on computer monitors. To remove this effect, video needs to be 'de-interlaced'. Currently Frameline encoding does not support de-interlacing due to limitations in Quicktime, though we hope to introduce this feature in future versions of the application.
Pass-Through
Pass-Through is a process by which MPEG-4 based QuickTime .mov file types are converted to the .mp4 file type. No re-encoding occurs during the pass-through operation. Frameline 47 enables you to either directly perform a pass-through via the ‘Process in MPEG-4’ window, or will automatically present the option when first saving the appropriate file type.
Proxy
A Proxy is the name for a low size, low-resolution copy of a source media file. If your source media file is a medium to high resolution, & is not encoded with an Edit Codec, then we recommend that you create a proxy copy of your file for notation when using Frameline 47, or you may find navigating through the file slow.
Edit Codec
An Edit Codec is a video codec that enables quick decompression so that it can be navigated at high speed so as to facilitate ease of use in an environment like an Edit Suite.
Non-Edit Codecs use ‘intraframe compression’, which means that to decompress one frame, other frames also need to be decompressed. Therefore, intraframe compressed media files take considerably more processing than non-intraframe codecs such as DV.
If you are experiencing a slow refresh rate in the applications Edit Window, you may be using an inappropriate Codec. The Edit Window is designed for either an Edit Codec or a Proxy. See Troubleshooting for more details.
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