Will Compressor 4 accept Avid DNxHD files?
Will Compressor 4 accept Avid DNxHD files in a QuickTime wrapper?
Mac OS X (10.7.5)
If you have the Avid codec installed all will be well.
If you don't have it you can get it here:
23 replies
Thank you. I've now bought a new copy of Compressor (4.0.7), downloaded the Avid LE codecs as you suggested, and installed them. Now Compressor doesn't crash but when I "submit," I soon get a message saying that the task failed because the codec isn't installed. If I try to open a DNxHD 145 .mov file in QT Player, I see the correct length on the timeline but get no picture or sound. It seems that the QT applications aren't seeing the codec. I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas would be appreciated.
So, just to verify that the Avid codec was installed, go to the root level of the system drive Library>Quick Time. Should be several Avid .component files showing.
Or open Compressor and select one of the Quick Time presets; in the Inspector>Encoder>Video>Settings>Compression Type, see whether the codecs are on the list.
Russ
Thank you for your help. I did as you suggested and found only three Avid .component files, which I assume are those Media Composer needs. I opened Compressor, navigated to the list of Compression settings, and didn't find DNxHD on it. So, a friend provided me with the Avid LE codecs (which I had thought I had installed already using the Avid installer) and I installed the 8 that were not present manually in the Library's QT folder, making 11 in all. Now QT Player plays DNxHD files and they show up in the list of Compressor's Compression Types. But, when I open Compressor and drag in a DNxHD file, Compressor quits with the message that the codec is not installed. This was all with my startup drive that runs Media Composer, Lion 10.7.5. I tried the same procedure with my older drive, 10.6.8, which I keep to run FCP 7, and got no recognition of the codec from QT Player 7.6.6. or 10.1 or from the new Compressor 4.0.7, which tries to encode, then delivers a "failed" message because "codec is not installed."
A twist in this situation is that the download of Compressor 4.0.7, done from the Apple Apps website while running the computer in 10.7.5, automatically put the application in the wrong place, the 10.6.8 startup drive, displacing the 4.0.3 version that was already there. There is no installer or dialogue box asking the user where the application is to be put. There seems to be no way of controlling this, and I can't keep experimenting at $50 a pop. I resorted to copying it and putting it in the right place, though I have no way of knowing what it is failing to bring with it to the new OS.
Any help would be appreciated.
I'm afraid I don't know what's going on with this myself.
I'm finding that C 3.5 will accept the Avid file and process it OK. On the other hand, a C4 job repeatedly fails with a 3X crash error message. A look-up of the error suggests a conflict with a third party codec…not what we want to hear. No idea why the earlier version processes and the other won't.
Your app download question also has me scratching my head. Are you running a dual boot system or a network with the two OS versions running at the same time? Anyway, if you have a previous version of Compressor that you want to preserve, follow theseupdating steps. And it is a free update if you use the same Apple ID as entered for the original purchase.
Russ
Many thanks. I'll let you know if I figure out a solution.
Yes, I'm running a dual-boot system: 10.6.8 is on the computer's original HD (for the sake of running FCP 6.0.4 as long as I can) and 10.7.5 is on a new internal HD, which I installed for the purpose of running Media Composer 6.5.2. The two OS can't run at the same time.
Alfred
Here's a thought: maybe the App Store regarded what I thought was my purchase of Compressor 4.0.7 as an update of 4.0.3, which I had bought last year, didn't charge me for it (I hope!), and replaced 4.0.3 with it on the drive where 4.0.3 was (the 10.6.8 startup).
ALFRED
Right. I doubt you were charged again. You can always check your purchase history in iTunes.
A thought…if you have FCP7, you have Compressor 3.5. If that's the case, see whether C3.5 will process the DVxHD. (Even though that still wouldn't answer the question of why C4 won't.)
Russ
Unfortunately I have only FCP 6. I never bought 7 because it didn't seem different enough to justify the expense.
Others on the discussion forums seem to say they have no trouble with Compressor 4 and DNxHD.
ALFRED
Then C3.0…almost no difference between 3.0 and 3.5.
Alfred Guzzetti wrote:
Others on the discussion forums seem to say they have no trouble with Compressor 4 and DNxHD.
WHen I did a search all I came up with were problems.
Look at the first reply to my original question on this thread from darbypsnm
Actually my preceding post wasn't very artful. People don't tend to start threads about their compression successes.
To restate, I was looking for Compressor 4 problems with the codec that had been answered satisfactorily and didn't find any.
Russ
I see what you mean.
Alfred
I don't have any other ideas as to why this is happening but I presume you want to use Compressor to batch convert Avid files to a FC6 friendly file?
One possible work around:
If the Avid files play in QT they should play in MPEG Streamclip.
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
Streamclip has a batch feature that will allow you to convert the Avid files quickly.
Will Compressor 4 accept Avid DNxHD files?