Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Converting video to play on server

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Posted by Jay Glaus (Member # 6011) on 07-09-2013, 08:37 PM:

I'm sure this has been talked about before, I have some videos we made around the drive-in that we would like to use as a little pre-show. Our videos are as short as 30 seconds, and others are up to 3 mins. I understand that each frame needs to be converted to a jpeg2000, then mixed back with sound and packaged as a DCP? We would like to ingest these right into the server like you would a preview or a movie, and just use it in the playlist without having to have a computer or dvd player. What software would I use to accomplish this?
Thanks,
Jay

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 07-09-2013, 09:14 PM:

A member here wrote a piece of software called DVD-o-matic which does what you are looking for. It converts most of the different video types out there into a DCP.

http://carlh.net/software/dvdomatic/

Posted by Jay Glaus (Member # 6011) on 07-10-2013, 01:37 AM:

Thanks!
I downloaded it and am currently converting my vids to DCP's
Jay

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-10-2013, 10:01 AM:

DVD-O-Matic works great. It ought to do what you need.

However, whenever I hear somebody say that they want to play self-made content from their video server I always get this cringing feeling. I have to ask what do you want to play and why?

My reason is this: G.I.G.O. (Garbage in. Garbage out.)

You have to be really careful about the video you plan to put on the server and play to the public. If you aren't, the picture and sound on your screen will look and sound like crap. Your customers aren't paying to see crap. It is your job to make your presentation look as good as you possibly can.

DVD-O-Matic will convert, rescale and resample the input picture and sound to fit on your movie screen and make it so your server can play it, like you said, just the way you play a trailer or feature, now. What it won't do (CAN'T do) is make low resolution, low quality video into high quality video fit for presentation to the public. If you give crap to DVD-O-Matic, it will give you back crap. G.I.G.O!

Most people don't understand the complexities of video codecs and compression schemes. Many people who work in the movie business barely understand how their machines operate. Many of those people won't hesitate to just throw some video up on the screen but, then, when they get complaints about how bad it looks, they'll blame the equipment or blame the software or even blame the person who sent them the video.

I absolutely encourage you to use DVD-O-Matic to make video promos and other content to go on your cinema server but I also encourage you to be extremely picky about the quality of the content you present. Be really picky. Be a "hatchet man." Be an asshole if you have to but, whatever you decide upon in terms of your quality standards, draw a line in the sand and don't back down.

In my opinion, a resolution of 720p is BARE MINIMUM for conversion to DCP. It will look "okay." Just "okay."
Personally, that's my "cringe level." I will only put video on my screen that is 720p or better and I will definitely bitch about it unless I am forced to do it.

If your input video format is 1080p, you'll get decent results if your bitrates are high enough. Mind your P's and Q's and you can get some decent results.

I often have people who come to me and ask to have their video put on my screens. These people have no freakin' clue what it takes. They think it is as easy as putting a DVD into a the player and pressing "Play." You and I both know that it is nothing of the sort. Most people who I deal with can't even tell a DVD from a CD-R from a Blu-Ray. All round, flat, donut shaped things are "movies" and they are convinced that their "movie" should be played on your big, shiny movie screen. When you tell them, "No," because the quality isn't good enough, they get all huffy at you.

My advice is to fib a little bit. When anybody asks you to play their video on your screen, tell them that it has to be in a "special format" and that it is very hard to make videos in that "special format."

Look at any "alternative content" that you are asked to present on your cinema server with a jaundiced eye. G.I.G.O!

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-10-2013, 06:22 PM:

DVD-O-Matic is super slow, but it seems to work. I'm having a few others test some DCP I made now (can't do it myself). Are there any compatibility issues with different server and projector combinations? Why does it give me the folder with the content inside of another folder which itself has a video folder with an .MXF file? Shouldn't the .MXF file be in the regular folder with the .XMLs and have an audio and video .MXF?

Also, why is it called DVD-O-Matic? Shouldn't it be DCP-O-Matic? Sounds like software to make DVDs.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-10-2013, 07:39 PM:

I think Carl is about to rename it to just exactly that. He asked for suggestions on his mailing list a while ago.

I suggested "DCP Crunch," because it sounds more modern and notes the fact that it can "crunch" just about any kind of video into a DCP -- but, others suggested that the "o-Matic" has a cool retro sound to it. (Which it does, but I can't understand why they want it to have a retro sound.)

Posted by Jay Glaus (Member # 6011) on 07-11-2013, 03:21 AM:

I threw some content up on the screen tonight I had made (promos for the drive in and such) and it looked stunning. Didn't have many people to see it since it stormed like heck tonight. But it came out well.
Randy, I couldn't agree more. When I started filming this stuff, I went out and got a GoPro hero2, which records in full HD and you can just about count the leaves on the trees. I wasn't messing around with this stuff, I wanted it to look just as good as the movies. Plus the gopro is really neat, I stick it up on the buildings or such and so high speed playbacks of busy nights. If I ever get some of this stuff online i'll post a link.
Thanks for the help!
Jay

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-11-2013, 04:10 AM:

quote: Joe Redifer
DVD-O-Matic is super slow

Most of its time is spent encoding JPEG2000 using an open-source library for which there is (unfortunately) no faster alternative.

quote: Joe Redifer
Are there any compatibility issues with different server and projector combinations?

None have been found so far, aside from the usual things that some projectors will not play content without sound or in unusual frame rates.

quote: Joe Redifer
Why does it give me the folder with the content inside of another folder which itself has a video folder with an .MXF file? Shouldn't the .MXF file be in the regular folder with the .XMLs and have an audio and video .MXF?

The idea is/was that you can set up some parameters for a conversion and then come back to them later. For this reason it sets up a folder which it calls a "Film" which contains settings, log files and so on. It creates your DCP in a subdirectory of this folder. Some people have found this a bit clumsy and I'm sure we'll come up with a better way eventually.

The video folder is part of a dance to allow encoding runs to be resumed part-way through. The MXF file in there is a hard link to the one in the DCP (i.e. it is really the same file but with a different name).

quote: Joe Redifer
Also, why is it called DVD-O-Matic? Shouldn't it be DCP-O-Matic? Sounds like software to make DVDs.

That name change is coming.

quote: Mike Blakesley
I suggested "DCP Crunch," because it sounds more modern and notes the fact that it can "crunch" just about any kind of video into a DCP -- but, others suggested that the "o-Matic" has a cool retro sound to it. (Which it does, but I can't understand why they want it to have a retro sound.)

Yeah thanks for that suggestion Mike: nostalgia (or something) just won out [Wink]

Carl

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 07-11-2013, 05:41 AM:

Ahh, great Carl, that is good to hear, I'm o-matic-manic...

As we have some attention again for DVD-o-matic in this thread, let me mention that there are now Linux, Windows and Mac versions available.

- Carsten

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-11-2013, 08:11 AM:

quote: Joe Redifer
Also, why is it called DVD-O-Matic? Shouldn't it be DCP-O-Matic? Sounds like software to make DVDs.

quote: Carl Hetherington
That name change is coming.

How about "Cine-Matic?"

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-11-2013, 10:29 AM:

quote: Randy Stankey
How about "Cine-Matic?"

Nice

That might have worked had I not already registered dcpomatic.com ...

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-11-2013, 10:51 AM:

Damn...

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-11-2013, 02:23 PM:

Thanks for the answers, Carl. I appreciate it. I am using the Mac version which I guess is not officially supported or tested? Anyway the results seem fine so far with everyone that has played my DCP. During encoding, it maxed out my processors (I have 4 cores total). Sometimes the processing would go over 400% (as reported in the Activity Monitor) which was weird.

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-11-2013, 05:25 PM:

quote: Joe Redifer
I am using the Mac version which I guess is not officially supported or tested?

It's "supported", for as much as me trying to help where possible means "support" [Smile]

It passes my regression tests so I'm fairly sure the back-end works ok. It's good to hear that it's working for you.

quote: Joe Redifer
During encoding, it maxed out my processors (I have 4 cores total). Sometimes the processing would go over 400% (as reported in the Activity Monitor) which was weird.

Yes, it tries its best to split J2K encoding over all available processors. You can tone that down in Preferences if you like.

Cheers
Carl

Posted by Cameron Glendinning (Member # 3516) on 07-12-2013, 05:38 AM:

I've had issues with IMAX equipment not recognizing files converted via dvd o matic that work at conventional cinemas. Even though IMAX can fall back /run normal DCP content with one of the two projectors.

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-12-2013, 07:22 AM:

quote: Cameron Glendinning
I've had issues with IMAX equipment not recognizing files converted via dvd o matic that work at conventional cinemas. Even though IMAX can fall back /run normal DCP content with one of the two projectors.

The first two things to check on failure to ingest are normally that the DCP has sound and is at 24fps. Let me know if you are still having problems. Email to cth@carlh.net is perfectly acceptable if you want to avoid clogging up the forum.