We all know that ffmpeg does have issues with certain codecs.
In your post, you used the x264 encoder as an example, why that one for broadcast and why 4:2:0?
We never use 4:2:0 for broadcast, only 4:2:2 due to better color subsampling.
What I’m trying to say is, before re-inventing the wheel, why not try different encoders/codecs and also report your findings to the ffmpeg developers?
They are quite receptive to bug reports.
I remember a few years ago there was a red shift problem with their Prores encoding, that was reported and fixed.
I have a desktop, it has 4 Hard Drives in it, 2 500 GB and 2 2TB Hard Drives. On the 500 drive, one has Windows 7 Pro and the other has Linux Mint 19 Sara Cinnamon. On the windows side I have Vegas 15 and 16. On the Linux Mint side, I use Kdenlive. In my opinion Kdenlive and Vegas are almost alike, in 2 years I have not found anything Kdenlive can do, that Vegas can do. So go get Kdenlive and look on YouTube for help using it.
Been there, done all that. These issues exist in both 4:2:0 and 4:2:2. I’ve taken in a surprising number of sat feeds at 4:2:0 and they look just fine.
Not in my experience. I’ve reported this problem and they blew it off. After that experience I’m not keen on nursing ffmpeg.
ffmpeg is not interactive. It is laborious encoding and decoding over and over again until you find the right settings. I’m writing my program to be interactive…
I didn’t have to, someone already did, although he was complaining about interlaced Prores and not XDCAM but same problem.
Also found a reference to it on this forum:
Our playout server is quite happy with the resulting files but it bothers me that they are flagged as either progressive or sometimes interlaced but with bottom field first.
From news agencies, advertisers, music videos from publishing houses, VT inserts for graphics and overlays, many sources.
We specify that all video material must be delivered in XDCAMHD.
They don’t always get it right but we help where we can.
One thing we reject immediately is progressive footage (unless organised before hand) and definitely no drone footage that uses el-cheapo cameras that adjust shutter speed to compensate for varying lighting conditions.
Neither, let’s just say the southern hemisphere.
We don’t use Pathfire nor Pitchblue but rather Aspera as it integrates nicely with mobile devices so that reporters in the field can upload footage immediately.
Last night I tested my program. It clips video levels very nicely but even better, the video levels survive the trip from YUV to RGB and back to YUV very nicely. All video is kept in x.264.
With regard to Vegas… I played with the trial, briefly due to unplanned events taking over. I eventually got back to the question of “do I”, “don’t I” about 1hr before the offer ended and so took the plunge. Installed the fully copy and found it buggy - small things, like becoming unresponsive and crashing… I know all programs can do that but it was too frequent and no apparent recovery of the open file. So… I’ve cancelled the order.
(I also did not like that Magix had introduced a new offer meaning the original offer was a bit of an artificial deadline to buy. Felt a little disingenuous.)
Alright, so I will add my 2 cents as well for this.
I am someone who has gone through and tested a lot of editors, free and otherwise. Shotcut out of all the free ones is my 2nd favorite. My absolute favorite would have to be Davinci Resolve though, due to the fact they have most of it unlocked and now their fusion 3D compositor is built in on top of it (full hardware acceleration, and many filters and composite effects unlocked). If you are on Linux though you cannot edit certain formats due to license fees (Paid version has those unlocked in Linux I have read)… So I am stuck with it on Windows… But Shotcut is amazing in the ways that you can not only use quite a bit in the ways of filters and are given a bit of flexability, but also as a free editor they have hardware acceleration. That is what I find massively important. I have noticed the color export issue through that though. If I don’t use hardware acceleration everything comes out in colors and such as a 1 to 1 ratio with no issues. Unless you add filters to change the look of course.
If you want to do something quick and export it I would say Shotcut all the way. But if you wish to have a more complex project I would recommend Davinci Resolve free version. Then go from there and see if you either need the paid version of it for 300$ (Note they have given those that have purchased it since version 11 free upgrades all the way up to version 15 so far compared to other companies), then if what they fully offer for some reason isn’t enough look at other solutions.
@TheRiaya An interesting contribution; especially as I had a go with DaVinci Resolve yesterday. On the whole I found the experience a good one and wouldn’t rule out using it more when I want to explore specific features. However, for now, I’ve found myself reverting to Shotcut because it’s such a good user experience. Not lacking in features and largely makes the editing process efficient and straightforward. To be clear, there is nothing about Shotcut that made me seek out alternatives - I simply stumbled upon a deal with Vegas, knew it is a popular editor, and questioned whether the deal was one to grab while it was available. Coming at it from a position of inexperience and naivety.