- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:13 am
Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:36 am
G'day there!
I have a workflow question regarding use of the Media Express software with the Intensity Extreme.
I bought the Extreme to capture HDMI footage of my XBox360 gameplay. I had been using the Happauge HDPVR for this, but jumped at the chance to buy my first Thunderbolt-enabled product.
I have no problem with the quality of the footage recorded at all. I record at 720p30 using the Apple ProRes422 format. It's a pity that the XBox360 doesn't do 720p60, so I could do super slomo in glorious detail, but...
However, the workflow required when using Media Express is horrendous.
When I was using the Happauge HDPVR, I used a bit of software called EyeTV3 to record the video stream. I wrote a piece of AppleScript to automatically start and stop recordings every 30 minutes. I could be on the XBox for 5 hours or more playing a game, so this was a fantastic way to break up 5 hours of gameplay into smaller chunks of video.
I would then use EyeTV3 to review the footage in 4x or 8x speed, set in/out points, and export clips of interest in Apple ProRes422, for post-processing in FCPX and Motion. The original video captures could then be trashed, as I didn't need them.
When I came across to the Intensity Extreme, I was given one option for the capture format (Apple ProRes422 as uncompressed was not suitable due to the disks I had at the time), no way of automatically start/stopping recording, and no way of post-process reviewing with in/out exports. I could watch my recording in the Playback screen, but could do absolutely nothing with it.
My first gaming session with the Intensity Extreme was about 5 hours, and I was left with one 300Gb file.
Not many programs are able to digest that size of file. FCPX will import it, but it takes _ages_ to do so, and I'm left with a 300Gb file to subclip from, all the while requiring to keep that 300Gb file around, because the subclips are only really timecode pointers into the 300Gb original.
I went out and bought a Lacie Thunderbolt 4Gb drive, created a drive mount on that called DCIM, capture into that, and tried using the Camera Import function of FCPX to preview and import subclips, but this is clunky, and I can't review it in 4x or 8x speed.
Media Express does not present any interface to AppleScript, so I have no hooks with which to use to interface with the program that way.
I tried writing an Apple Automator script to record pressing the "Capture" button within Media Express, but this does not work. Media Express allows me to start recording by selecting "Capture" in the menu, but then greys out everything in the menu, so I can't use Automator to stop the capture that way.
So I resorted to hooking up my laptop to my iMac using an ethernet cable, opening a remote desktop session, and manually toggling the capture button at the end of each game sequence.
But then I still can't use features within Media Express to set in and out points, and then export to disk. For that, I'd need a tape deck, which defeats the whole purpose. I'm capturing and streaming video off to disk, and then want to review it and stream subclips off to disk, but can't... To me, that is just sheer lazy programming.
So I have to exit Media Express, and use a program called MPEG Streamclip, which allows me to review each video in 4x/8x, set in/out points, and export the bits I want in glorious Apple ProRes422.
Media Express wouldn't be so bad a program if I could use some sort of programming interface to remote control the capture, but I can't do that, and I'm not prepared to sign up as a developer only to find out I wouldn't be able to do that function anyway, as there's no function to hook into?
Apart from that, it takes me a reboot of my iMac and lots of knawing of teeth to get any form of input/output from the Extreme anyway, before I can even start recording - it's very finickey on settings required within Media Express, and the Preference Pane, but I don't understand why I need to reboot my Mac to get anything at all, even though I've not touched the settings between recording sessions.
So what would I like? Why did I write this?
Suggestions mostly on workflow.
Should I be using another stream capture program for this? What other programs are able to capture the Intensity Extreme footage via Thunderbolt?
Maybe even for BMD to rework Media Express so I can set in/out points and save the subclips to disk, instead of being locked out of those functions because I don't have a tape deck.
How about adding a function to start/stop recording every X number of minutes/hours?
Are there developer interfaces available to allow me to write a program to do the start/stop record?
I'm open to ideas, guys!
- bec
I have a workflow question regarding use of the Media Express software with the Intensity Extreme.
I bought the Extreme to capture HDMI footage of my XBox360 gameplay. I had been using the Happauge HDPVR for this, but jumped at the chance to buy my first Thunderbolt-enabled product.
I have no problem with the quality of the footage recorded at all. I record at 720p30 using the Apple ProRes422 format. It's a pity that the XBox360 doesn't do 720p60, so I could do super slomo in glorious detail, but...
However, the workflow required when using Media Express is horrendous.
When I was using the Happauge HDPVR, I used a bit of software called EyeTV3 to record the video stream. I wrote a piece of AppleScript to automatically start and stop recordings every 30 minutes. I could be on the XBox for 5 hours or more playing a game, so this was a fantastic way to break up 5 hours of gameplay into smaller chunks of video.
I would then use EyeTV3 to review the footage in 4x or 8x speed, set in/out points, and export clips of interest in Apple ProRes422, for post-processing in FCPX and Motion. The original video captures could then be trashed, as I didn't need them.
When I came across to the Intensity Extreme, I was given one option for the capture format (Apple ProRes422 as uncompressed was not suitable due to the disks I had at the time), no way of automatically start/stopping recording, and no way of post-process reviewing with in/out exports. I could watch my recording in the Playback screen, but could do absolutely nothing with it.
My first gaming session with the Intensity Extreme was about 5 hours, and I was left with one 300Gb file.
Not many programs are able to digest that size of file. FCPX will import it, but it takes _ages_ to do so, and I'm left with a 300Gb file to subclip from, all the while requiring to keep that 300Gb file around, because the subclips are only really timecode pointers into the 300Gb original.
I went out and bought a Lacie Thunderbolt 4Gb drive, created a drive mount on that called DCIM, capture into that, and tried using the Camera Import function of FCPX to preview and import subclips, but this is clunky, and I can't review it in 4x or 8x speed.
Media Express does not present any interface to AppleScript, so I have no hooks with which to use to interface with the program that way.
I tried writing an Apple Automator script to record pressing the "Capture" button within Media Express, but this does not work. Media Express allows me to start recording by selecting "Capture" in the menu, but then greys out everything in the menu, so I can't use Automator to stop the capture that way.
So I resorted to hooking up my laptop to my iMac using an ethernet cable, opening a remote desktop session, and manually toggling the capture button at the end of each game sequence.
But then I still can't use features within Media Express to set in and out points, and then export to disk. For that, I'd need a tape deck, which defeats the whole purpose. I'm capturing and streaming video off to disk, and then want to review it and stream subclips off to disk, but can't... To me, that is just sheer lazy programming.
So I have to exit Media Express, and use a program called MPEG Streamclip, which allows me to review each video in 4x/8x, set in/out points, and export the bits I want in glorious Apple ProRes422.
Media Express wouldn't be so bad a program if I could use some sort of programming interface to remote control the capture, but I can't do that, and I'm not prepared to sign up as a developer only to find out I wouldn't be able to do that function anyway, as there's no function to hook into?
Apart from that, it takes me a reboot of my iMac and lots of knawing of teeth to get any form of input/output from the Extreme anyway, before I can even start recording - it's very finickey on settings required within Media Express, and the Preference Pane, but I don't understand why I need to reboot my Mac to get anything at all, even though I've not touched the settings between recording sessions.
So what would I like? Why did I write this?
Suggestions mostly on workflow.
Should I be using another stream capture program for this? What other programs are able to capture the Intensity Extreme footage via Thunderbolt?
Maybe even for BMD to rework Media Express so I can set in/out points and save the subclips to disk, instead of being locked out of those functions because I don't have a tape deck.
How about adding a function to start/stop recording every X number of minutes/hours?
Are there developer interfaces available to allow me to write a program to do the start/stop record?
I'm open to ideas, guys!
- bec