Why is this happening?! (garbled video)

[ziggyonice]

I just spent hours working on this project, only to export it and have it look terrible.

This is supposed to be a shot of happy people cheering, btw.

Edited in Final Cut Pro 7. 720p HD is the footage.

There are two formats I'm using for my footage. Most of the the clips are .mov, and there are just one or two that are .mp4.

The video looks fine when played back in Final Cut.

I exported to a standard QuickTime movie, no changes, etc.

When I play the video back in QuickTime Player, it will cause QuickTime Player to freeze and force quit.

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[spinnerlys]

What kind of codec did you use for the exported QuickTie (QT)? .mov is only a container for a variety of codecs, so the codec is also important.

How long is the sequence you try to export and how long did the encoding process take on what Mac (? GHz, dual or quad or octo core)?

 

[ziggyonice]

What kind of codec did you use for the exported QuickTie (QT)? .mov is only a container for a variety of codecs, so the codec is also important.

How long is the sequence you try to export and how long did the encoding process take on what Mac (? GHz, dual or quad or octo core)?

I'm not sure on the codec -- I exported simply by using the option to "Export to QuickTime movie;" I did not use the option to "Export With QuickTime Conversion", so I had no control over the codec.

The sequence is maybe 3 minutes long. The process of exporting took maybe 5-10 minutes. I'm doing this on an older machine: MacBook Pro, 2.1GHz Intel Core Duo.

 

[spinnerlys]

You can have a look at the codec by opening the exported file in QT Player and opening the Movie Inspector (CMD+I).

The codec can be found under Format:.
Can you post a screenshot of that Movie Inspector window please?

Also did you transcode the .mp4 files before you used them in FCP, or did you just import them? And what are the sequence settings?

And is the whole video this blocky?

Sorry for the load of questions. Right now it seems like an encoding error.
Can you open the exported QT file in QT X and QT 7, to see if they differ somehow?

 

[ziggyonice]

Here's the Inspector window, which indicates the codecs used.

The .mp4 files used in the project were not transcoded. I simply dropped them into the project. I've considered converting them to a .mov format, but haven't tried that yet.

——
The settings for the sequence are as follows:

Frame size: 1280x720 [Aspect ratio: HDTV 720p (16:9)]
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square [Anamorphic 16:9 is unchecked]
Field Dominance: None
Editing Timebase: 30

QuickTime Video Settings
Compressor: H.264
Quality: 100%
——

I'm considering trying to export again without any compression settings at all to see if that makes a difference.

Also, no — the entire video is not blocky. The problem seems to occur between clips. Once it occurs, the majority of the video seems to go in and out with the problem until it freezes QuickTime. I don't have any transitions between the clips, but what will happen is that it will play (clip #1), and then the video will become very choppy or blocky or skip a lot before showing (clip #2) — if it shows it at all. By this point in the video, QuickTime player freezes on the video on clip #1 (although audio is still working), and then skips to (clip #3), as if QT didn’t like the footage that (clip #2) had to show. Hopefully that made sense.

Or... QuickTime Player just freezes up and has to be force quit. The same thing happens in QuickTime Player 7.

Here's another good example of what it looks like when it screws up.

 

[spinnerlys]

I'm a bit baffled, why the sequence settings use the H264 codec, as that is a codec not meant for editing.

It should either be AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) or ProRes.

The footage, that is not using the H264 codec, uses what codec?

And does the the hiccup always occur at the same time, 00:03:02:24 for example?

 

[ziggyonice]

I'm a bit baffled, why the sequence settings use the H264 codec, as that is a codec not meant for editing.

It should be either be AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) or ProRes.

You got it right on the money. I switched the Sequence settings to the Apple Intermediate Codec, re-exported and BAM! It worked!

I can't thank you enough. I wish there was some sort of repayment system MacRumors had, but in the very least, please accept my gratitude.

 

[spinnerlys]

You got it right on the money. I switched the Sequence settings to the Apple Intermediate Codec, re-exported and BAM! It worked!

I can't thank you enough. I wish there was some sort of repayment system MacRumors had, but in the very least, please accept my gratitude.

I'm glad it worked. And you know, there is PayPal, Western Union, cc, .... .

My fraudulent business accepts any or even all of them, so if you wish to make a proper payment, keep up making guides like the How To: Connect MB, MBP and MBA to a TV, so I can have something to link to.

What about a guide regarding the imminent MBP update? There are hardly any threads that don't cover those....

Have a good time with your new settings though.