Compressor 4.6.2 Incorrectly Reading .SCC File Time Code

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Compressor 4.6.2 Incorrectly Reading .SCC File Time Code

I know every post starts this way, but it's absolutely true in my case... though I'll admit that my Google skills are less than stellar: I've searched all morning for a post which is similar to my issue, but I cannot find one.

I recently purchased an M1 Max Mac Studio (2022). I use Compressor 4.6.2 to encode MPEG-2 Program Stream (.mpeg) video files from both ProRes 422 .MOV and XDCAM 422 .MXF files which were exported from Avid Media Composer 2022.7. Before encoding, I attach 608 captions from pre-saved .SCC files.

Before upgrading my system and Compressor, I never had any issues with this process. Using Final Cut Studio's updated version of Compressor and Avid Media Composer 2018.5, my captions were always embedded and properly timed to the final, encoded video. However, since turning to the new version of Compressor, the application is incorrectly reading the timecode in the .SCC file: it's rippling the time code of every single caption forward by one hour. So if a specific caption has a time code of 1:00:00;00 in the .SCC file, Compressor 4 is reading and applying it to the encode as 2:00:00;00.

As far as I can tell, this is an anomaly that occurs purely inside Compressor. I've checked, and the exported MOV and MXF files all have a starting time code of 1:00:00;00, both in Avid and once imported into Compressor. I don't make any change to a video's timing in the Job pane. And I double-checked my SCC files; all begin at that time code as well.

As a test, I re-export a SCC file with a starting time code of 00:00:00;00 and attached it to one of my videos in Compressor. Same thing occurred - it added one hour to the TC of every single caption in the file (which, coincidentally, happens to be correct for my workflow).

I can't find any setting or preference that I can change to prevent this from happening. Short of re-exporting all my caption files with the time code rippled backward one hour (I use more than 150 SCC files at various times for encoding), or manually rippling the time code backward in the Captions Properties pane for every single MPEG I encode (usually between 9-27 per batch), I don't see a fix.

I'm not sure if it's a bug or not. I don't want to go reporting it to Apple if I'm doing something wrong. Can anyone offer any insight?

Mac Studio, macOS 12.6

Posted on Oct 20, 2022 8:57 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 20, 2022 10:15 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Starting time code is 1:00:00;00 on everything, no matter the export setting.

I'm not in a position at the moment when I can provide a video and SCC file, but I can do some screen shots:

I've used both MOV and MXF exports out of Avid, and both display the following when imported into Compressor:

Both are exported from sequences which start at 1:00:00;00 in Avid as well.

I'm also noticing that the MacCaption project, the SCC file, and Compressor's caption text list all show different time codes for each caption. Here is what MacCaption displays (though the time code shown appears to be non-drop frame, it is set to drop frame, same as each step in my process):

Here is what the SCC file displays (obviously the text is encoded, but I assure you this is the file exported from MacCaption:

And finally here is what Compressor displays prior to my adjusting the Offset in "Captions Properties:"

That's three different time codes for each caption from creation to encoding. Not sure if this sheds any light on the situation, but it baffles me nonetheless.

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Answer 2

Oct 20, 2022 10:44 AM in response to cinEmotion pictures

I have just done a quick test, exporting a timeline and scc file with 1:00:00:00 starting time code, and it came through correctly in Compressor...

Two ideas:

1) You may add a negative offset in Caption properties in Compressor, to compensate for the error (basically add -1 hour)

2) Since Compressor appears to be working correctly for me, maybe this is one of those weird things... and for those, just like in FCP, it often helps to delete preferences. You can do it in Compressor just like in FCP too: hold down Command and Option while starting Compressor, and then click Delete Preferences/

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Answer 3

Oct 20, 2022 9:03 AM in response to cinEmotion pictures

Does it happen also with other export settings?

What is the starting timecode of the videos you are bringing into Compressor?

Would it be possible to share one short sample video and a corresponding scc file so we can test? You could send them to yourself using wetransfer, and post the link (it will be removed quickly, but we'd still get it).

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Answer 4

Oct 20, 2022 10:35 AM in response to cinEmotion pictures

The small discrepancies might be related to the drop frame thing... <rant>oh why don't fractional frame rates die already!</rant>

The one hour difference has to be related to the fact that timecode starts at 1:00:00:00.

It will looks as Compressor is interpreting timecodes in the scc as relative (to the start of the video), rather than absolute.

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Answer 5

Oct 20, 2022 10:56 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Tried deleting preferences... no luck. I figured that was a shot in the dark since I just installed Compressor about a week ago, but it was worth a try. I'll wait a bit here and see if anyone else has any ideas. If not, I'll report the bug. Thanks!

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Compressor 4.6.2 Incorrectly Reading .SCC File Time Code

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