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Home: Video University Forums: Mac Video:
encode from timeline or from scratch disc?

 
 


David L
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Feb 29, 2008, 7:11 AM

Post #1 of 7 (930 views)
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encode from timeline or from scratch disc? Can't Post
Here's a pretty basic question ... I know when working in FCP that it is better to have the video/audio files on a scratch disc separate from the system drive ... however, my practice when it comes to encoding has been to export a Quicktime movie to my system drive, then drop that file into compressor and start encoding ... in other words, encoding from a file on the system drive.

Any reason I shouldn't do that? Excessive wear and tear on the system drive?


Joel
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Feb 29, 2008, 8:41 AM

Post #2 of 7 (917 views)
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Re: [David L] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi David,

You're probably just creating extra work for yourself, although it depends on the stability of Compressor on your system. I export a reference movie of chaptered, complete timeline and drop that small file into Compressor regardless of where the source footage resides. Many times the source footage and the render files are on an external, but often the resources are all over the place. Compressor doesn't care where everything is as long as nothing is moved, deleted or taken off-line before or during the encoding.
Joel


"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."


starting | perfectionists







Ron Priest
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Feb 29, 2008, 8:42 AM

Post #3 of 7 (916 views)
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Re: [David L] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi David

I've always thought it was good practice to store your video files on a seperate drive other than your system drive. One reason is fragmentation that will occure as you write and remove files to the drive. So I've adopted the practice of reserving my systems drive for applications and emails (although emails could cause a log of fragmentation I suppose.

I do what you do though, after I've completed a sequence, I'll export it as a full blown QT movie, but I'll do it on a any other drive as long as it's not my system drive or the drive with the existing project files (captured video or project files). That way I always have a backup of the edited sequence on a different drive in case something happens.

I'll then use that exported QT move to compress my M2V file to the same file I exported the QT movie to. And for the time being, until I learn DVD studio, I've been copying the M2V file over to the PC to author the DVD using Encore.

This all might be overkill, but it's a very secure feeling knowing if something happens, I have backups on different drives..
_____________________________
Ron Priest - Louisville KY
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Joel
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Feb 29, 2008, 8:52 AM

Post #4 of 7 (913 views)
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Re: [Ron Priest] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi Ron,

In Reply To
I've always thought it was good practice to store your video files on a seperate drive other than your system drive. One reason is fragmentation that will occure as you write and remove files to the drive. So I've adopted the practice of reserving my systems drive for applications and emails (although emails could cause a log of fragmentation I suppose.
Fragmentation is not a word you hear very often working with OSX and you really don't need to worry about it unless you've gone through a bunch of major OS updates on the same volume. While a defragged system drive can be slightly faster, OSX doesn't bog down or crash like windows when it gets cluttered. Some reading:


http://homepage.mac.com/...er/Fragmentation.pdf
Joel


"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."


starting | perfectionists







David L
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Feb 29, 2008, 9:44 AM

Post #5 of 7 (907 views)
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Re: [Joel] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
Thanks Ron and Joel ... so Joel, if you were to create a self-contained QT movie, instead of a reference file, would you see any problem in saving that movie to the desktop, and then dropping it into compressor and encoding from there? Or would you put the movie on an external drive before encoding from it?


Ron Priest
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Feb 29, 2008, 10:37 AM

Post #6 of 7 (890 views)
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Re: [Joel] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
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Hi Ron,

...While a defragged system drive can be slightly faster, OSX doesn't bog down or crash like windows when it gets cluttered.

Well that's good to know. Thanks Joel.... I just love my Mac!! Wink
_____________________________
Ron Priest - Louisville KY
New Website/Blog
Live StudioCam


Joel
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Feb 29, 2008, 10:41 AM

Post #7 of 7 (890 views)
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Re: [David L] encode from timeline or from scratch disc? [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
Thanks Ron and Joel ... so Joel, if you were to create a self-contained QT movie, instead of a reference file, would you see any problem in saving that movie to the desktop, and then dropping it into compressor and encoding from there? Or would you put the movie on an external drive before encoding from it?
When I export I make a reference movie and pu it on the desktop, knowing that I'll trash it after the encode is done. I rarely have enough space on my os drive for self contained files but if I did there wouldn't be any problem with putting it there. The only con I see is that the drive is reading and writing to the same drive and might cause a lot of heat. It might be a hair slower, but the drive can work a lot faster than Compressor and the processors can encode. I only do self-contained when I know the project is completely done and I can archive that file.
Joel


"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."


starting | perfectionists