Shake, QTX and the Apple None codec

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Level 1

4 points

Shake, QTX and the Apple None codec

Hey guys,

We are updating our machines to SL and we are running into a problem with Shake wherein QT's generated with the 'Apple None' codec will not show up (appear black) when played back in QTX.

We have installed QT7 on the machines which helps in generating the QT, but how can we now playback our QT's?

Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 27, 2010 2:28 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 28, 2010 6:31 AM in response to oddio

you have a difference bit depth node in your shake composite?
incase try to insert a Bytes 8/16/32 node before output node and chose one depth.

for me works...

a.

Message was edited by: Alessandro DF

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Answer 2

oddio Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 28, 2010 6:58 AM in response to Alessandro DF

Adding a Bytes node and selecting a bit depth does not solve the problem.

QT's that use the 'uncompressed 10bit 4:2:2' do playback in QTX, however we are still looking for a solution for the 'Apple None' codec as this is what the bulk of our workflow has used for the past 5 years.

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Answer 3

joey848

Level 2

405 points

Jan 31, 2010 7:02 AM in response to oddio

None is pretty outmoded. Animation is pretty much the standard, with ProRes gaining popularity.

I really wouldn't be too concerned about your files not playing in Quicktime X.
7 is still the standard for working with intermediate codecs like None, X largely being a consumer delivery format. And since None is not a delivery codec, just continue using 7.

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Answer 4

oddio Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 31, 2010 11:39 AM in response to joey848

The issue is more that we want a codec that has no compression whatsoever so that we can create QT's that we can then later pull apart and have no difference between our original frames and the ones pulled apart from the QT.

Prores does not satisfy this requirement. Animation still has a compressor but can be lossless at 100%. I will check to see if this will satisfy our requirements.

The problem with X is that it is the default player in SL. Even changing the binding to QT7 doesn't change the behaviour of double clicking a QT file and having it open in X. I haven't really bothered to workaround this issue as of yet because the easiest solution moving forward would be to have QT's that perform the same in X as they do in QT7.

I have a feeling that this is simply a problem with coding in Shake as we have no problem generating QT's in Nuke with the same settings and they are viewable in X ...

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Answer 5

Jan 31, 2010 12:15 PM in response to oddio

To test that theory, you could generate an image sequence in Shake, load it into QuickTime Player, then export using the codec you desire...

Patrick

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Answer 6

joey848

Level 2

405 points

Jan 31, 2010 1:19 PM in response to oddio

Check out the codec comparison chart on this site:

http://codecs.onerivermedia.com/

I think you'll find Animation to be the better choice.

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Answer 7

oddio Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 8, 2010 7:55 AM in response to joey848

Unfortunately while informative none of the above answers help achieve the end goal.

We have 5 years worth of work saved using the Apple None codec. Given that we still want to be able to view this work on Snow Leopard and beyond it is imperative that we have a quicktime player that can decode this properly. I am currently running SL and NONE of our previous quicktimes are viewable in either QTX or QT7 on this machine.

@joey - yes animation is the better choice if you care about file compression. Using a compression scheme on the file is great if you don't care about playback and the resources used for it.

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