Converting hundreds of .MOD video files to .MOV

Posted by Derrick on July 26, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression | Be the First to Comment

Converting hundreds of .MOD video files to .MOV is more than likely something that will become very popular.  This is because of the many video cameras that capture videos to SD Memory Cards instead of having the Firewire feature.  I had a chance recently to create a video compression workflow for converting 240 .MOD MPEG-PS files to QuickTime DV-NTSC .MOV for a Summer Art Camp video editing project.  75 4th – 8th grade campers learned videography techniques and Non-linear Editing with iMovie.  The final video editing project consisted of 240 15 second .MOV video clips from the week long art camp.  To get the .MOD video files to .MOV MPEG Streamclip was used. The batch encoding features within this FREE tool made it a natural fit for the project.  Also the video preview in MPEG Streamclip to watch the current video that was processing was invaluable.

After converting the 240 .MOD files  to .MOV they were imported into Apple’s iMovie where students editing the video clips to music.

Keys to remember:

• .MOD files can’t be imported into Apple’s iMovie
• .MOD files can be copied off the SD Memory card to your Hard Disk without conversion
• .You can view .MOD files in MPEG Streamclip if you have an MPE2 codec.
• Use the Batch List feature when converting numerous .MOD files to .MOV

Telestream Episode Transcodes FIFA World Cup Video for Global Media

Posted by Derrick on June 26, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression | Be the First to Comment

Telestream, a leading provider of digital media tools and workflow solutions, announced that its Episode video encoding software was selected by Banis Software Development, Inc. to provide video and audio transcoding for V&A Waterfront World Media & Legacy Centre which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. Banis selected Episode for integration with its Server DAM digital asset management and distribution system. Initially developed for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, Server DAM is the first system of its kind to offer an uncompressed cloud storage and distribution portal with secure web access to video footage for accredited press. Thousands of registered media from around the world gained access this week to the online video portal which allows them to build pre-game video packages in a variety of formats for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which opens in Cape Town on June 10.

“We selected Episode encoder because of the simplicity of fully integrating it with Server DAM and because of the breadth of formats it provides,” said Ford Sinclair, President at Banis Software Development, creators of the video portal. “Telestream’s Episode was a natural fit for our business needs. The strength of our products is that they function as one system, providing on-demand access 24 hours a day to video footage in any format for any number of users.”

Banis integrated Episode server-based software with Server DAM to enable fully automated, on-demand video transcoding. Initial loading of the clips into the video portal included hours of HD video which needed to be encoded into 5 to 60-second clips. According to Sinclair, Episode was the only system that met all the demands required by his client, including input support for RED camera format. Sinclair adds, “Telestream’s technical support has been amazing.”

The Cape Town media center for the 2010 FIFA World Cup at www.waterfrontmediacentre.co.za provides global access to the video portal which offers local footage, location shots, B-roll, HD highlights and photography. Registered media are given secure access to the portal where they can create a custom menu and specify selection criteria. Video/audio format choices include ProRes 4:2:2 HD, NTSC-SD, PAL-SD, uncompressed video, plus QuickTime .mov and .flv for the web. Additional choices include style shots, locations, venues and keyword searches.

Banis developed Server DAM as a robust video portal with a huge data center backend to support large-scale video needs. A single video clip can simultaneously be accessed by 10,000 users without interruption or loss of speed. According to Sinclair, the system proved itself at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games where less than 5 percent of total resources were used at any given time.

Recording Videos With Wirecast on the Mac

Posted by Derrick on September 26, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression | Be the First to Comment

If you’re Recording videos with Wirecast on a Mac the formats that you can save to are QuickTime .mov, Flash .f4v and MPEG-4 .m4v.  The Record to Disk option is great way to archive your content to disk.  You can save the files for archiving or later playback from a Streaming Server.

MPEG Streamclip Great Tool for Converting MOD files

Posted by Derrick on August 11, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression | Be the First to Comment

If you’re in need for a tool to help you with the conversion of .MOD files on Mac.  MPEG Streamclip is a tool that you should consider.  If you’re using SDHC Memory Cards when you connect your camera on the Mac you can locate all of your video files by opening the Memory Card and navigating to the .MOD files.  The .MOD files are basically MPEG-2 Program Stream files with the .MOD extension.

Recently I had two encoding projects where about 300-400 .MOD files needed to be converted for encoding in iMovie for Summer Art Camp students in Ohio and for Windows Movie maker for Summer Leadership Academy students in Florida.

Here were some benefits that I saw using MPEG Streamclip for the conversions:

• Batch encoding of 200 .MOD files to .MOV or .WMV could be done easily
• Telestream’s Flip4Mac Plug-in is available from within MPEG Streamclip
• You can watch a video preview of the videos being converted
• Adjustments to Audio, Brightness, Contrast and Saturation can made during batch encoding
• The tool is Free
• Conversions happen quickly

Here’s a look at the Batch List for encoding numerous files.

Here’s a look at the main interface where .MOD files can be converted to DV/DVCPro-NTSC .MOV.