ProRess 422 vs ProRess 422 (HQ)

Question

Level 1

65 points

ProRess 422 vs ProRess 422 (HQ)

I'm looking to export my HDV project out of FCP using one of the ProRess options to take into compressor for an SD DVD encoding. I've tried HDV 1080 30P but takes really long to encode in comp. I've tested the Proress and was a lot faster to encode but not sure what the difference between the Proress and (HQ).

Thanks,
Mike

G5 Dual 2, G4 1.25

Posted on Jul 2, 2008 3:16 PM

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Answer 1

David S.

Level 7

20,630 points

Jul 2, 2008 3:39 PM in response to Mike Cole1

The difference is bit rates primarily.

Normal quality is targeted at 145 Mbps, and high quality (HQ) is targeted at 220 Mbps

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Answer 2

gogiangigo

Level 6

8,035 points

Jul 2, 2008 3:46 PM in response to Mike Cole1

Mike,
use just ProRes (SD), ProRes HQ suits best high end HD formats.
Remember you can just render your timeline to ProRes:
FCPmain menu>FinalCutPro>User Preferences>Render Control>Codec>Apple ProRes. Then send to Compressor.

G.

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Answer 3

Mike Cole1 Author

Level 1

65 points

Jul 7, 2008 5:58 AM in response to gogiangigo

Do you then export QT movie with current settings (reference file)? If so, how long does it take compressor for you to encode a 2 hour video using Best Quality 120 min DVD encode? My video is acutally 1 hr 47 and is taking 16 hours. This is using my MacBook Pro 2.33 ghz with 2 gig ram. Is this to be expected for this machine? Or is there a better method that would be faster?

Thanks

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Answer 4

Jul 7, 2008 6:22 AM in response to gogiangigo

Just to clarify something, the difference between ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 HQ has nothing to do with SD versus HD.

ProRes 422 is a variable-bit-rate compressor. The regular version of the compressor will produce Quicktimes with a maximum data rate of 145 Mbps at 1920x1080x60i. The HQ version has more headroom, giving you up to 220 Mbps at 1920x1080x60i.

If you use a smaller raster (like 1440x1080, or even 720x480) you'll get smaller data rates. If you use a lower frame rate (like 23.976) you'll get smaller data rates. In both varieties, ProRes is a use-what-you-need compressor. A typical clip of very high complexity (a 3D scene with lots of particles and digital grain) on my system tops out at 160 Mbps, because it's 1440x1080x23.976.

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