Tip: for anyone processing Mac-encoded DV on a Windows machine

[absolutedestiny.livejournal.com]

This isn't going to be useful for many people but it could be very important for anyone compiling vids for conventions. Like me and sockkpuppett are.

DV is supposed to be this big industry standard thing, and it is. DV is DV and while there is type I and type II it's all the same really. However, DV decoders are not alike and while the DV file might be file the decoder could quite easily screw it up.

Decoding Quicktime DV on a windows machine is an extreme example of this. It seems that the windows version of Quicktime has a grudge against Mac-Quicktime-encoded DV.

Click here to see what happens when you try decoding a DV Mov using Quicktime on a windows machine. (needs flash)

It's really hideous isn't it? By simply renaming the .mov to .avi the Microsoft DirectShow DV decoder kicks in and decodes the data correctly. Exactly why Apple have such a shoddy DV decoder on Windows is a mystery but I'm tempted to think that it's an attempt to cripple windows mov editing, making Macs look superior... not that either OS is intrinsically superior they are just different. However, there should be no difference in decoding DV on a Mac or on Windows. It's an industry standard format.

Of course, it could just be shoddy programming. There isn't a great incentive to make the windows version of Quicktime as good as the Mac version, just like there's no reason for Microsoft to make IE on a Mac be any good. Either way, avoid the windows QT DV decoder like the plague, folks. I can't speak for its decoding of other quicktime content as I've not really looked into it.

x-posed to vividcon for tech reference.

Comments

tangent

[trythil.livejournal.com]

Some might argue that the Mac version of IE was superior to the Windows build. It, for example, at least rendered alpha channel data in PNGs correctly without hacks :)

In any case, I'll throw in a recommendation for the ffmpeg DV decoder, which seems to do a pretty good job (at least in the way the mplayer guys use it; I haven't used my XP partition in a while...)

Re: tangent

[absolutedestiny.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the png thing... grrr

As for other decoders, the main issue is that I don't know how to add an actual avi header to the mov files so that I can pick a particular video for windows decoder.

As for picking other directshow decoders... meh, I'll just leave it as it is for now.

Re: tangent

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

I wonder how MPEGStreamclip would handle these (either on the PnC or the Mac)....... thanks for the tips. I'll bookmark them for when I do the Bascon vidshow.