Canopus PROCODER 2 User Manual

Installation

and

User Guide

Canopus Corporation

711 Charcot Ave.

San Jose, CA 95131

Notice to Reader

This document contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. All rights are

reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced or translated into another

Limited Warranty

for purchases made through an authorized Canopus dealer or through the Canopus Web site.

This limited warranty extends only to the Customer, who is the

for SOFTWARE

This limited warranty does not apply if the PRODUCT MEDIA (a) has been altered,

Notices & Warranties

ii

Notices & Warranties

iii

General Terms Applicable to the Limited Warranty Statement and Software License

IN NO EVENT WILL CANOPUS OR ITS DISTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE

foregoing limitations shall apply even if the above-stated warranty fails of its essential purpose.

Notices & Warranties

iii

Notices & Warranties

iv

Table of Contents

vi

Table of Contents

vii

Application Settings

Advanced Features

Table of Contents

vii

Table of Contents

viii

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

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1: Introduction

Welcome

Questions

on the Support

Speed without Limits

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1: Introduction

Produce, Perfect, Process

Multiple Outputs from Single Source

High-quality Codec technologies

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1: Introduction

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2: Installation

for registration of your

for customer support, and if

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2: Installation

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2: Installation

folder. Click the

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2: Installation

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2: Installation

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Convert a Source

for conversion. If you cannot see the file you want to load but you know

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3: ProCoder Wizard

file extension may

file extension. Windows Media Player

file extension not matching the file type.

If you want to modify the In/Out points or change the cropping

footage that appears before the scrubber will not be included in your

final converted video. Click and drag the scrubber to set the video’s out

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Advanced Settings

Choose Conversion Settings

file conversion to occur.

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3: ProCoder Wizard

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Advanced Output Settings

button.

About the Formats

AVI (DV) –

DivX is a popular format that is very versatile. It is commonly

QuickTime is also more of a file type versus a format.

Windows Media files are often used or web video

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Choosing Output Location

button to choose the folder where you want your

file you’re currently encoding. Leaving this option disabled simply adds

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Confiming Your Settings

file, the target file and the output format. Verify that this information is

Advanced Output Settings

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Converting Files

Conversion Finished

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3: ProCoder Wizard

Create a Watch Folder

button to specify a Watch folder. Click the

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3: ProCoder Wizard

files that arrive in the watch folder will not be added to the list of files to

Watch Folder

Other Watch Folder Options

folder will also start the encoding process.

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3: ProCoder Wizard

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4: Using ProCoder

To use ProCoder 2.0:

Add

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4: Using ProCoder

filters, click the

Advanced

Advanced window

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4: Using ProCoder

Assigning a Target format

Add

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Advanced

files in the Source List in the Source tab. For example, if you have

five DV files in the Source List and you modify the parameters for

Converting the file

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4: Using ProCoder

Source Properties

Add –

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4: Using ProCoder

from the list.

Advanced –

Advanced

Advanced Window

field. While ProCoder does its best to

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4: Using ProCoder

Adaptive

filter to your source video and modifying its parameters in

format-specific parameters. For more information on the Advanced

Advanced window

frames per second. The higher the frame rate, the more frames

file’s video. In order to play the video, your system needs to

format. However, you can usually find the codec you’re looking

for on the Internet and then download and install it, making it

frames at one time. Interlaced mode splits each frame into

field is the Lower field,

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4: Using ProCoder

field is the Upper field. Specifying the incorrect

field order will result in a vertical jitter or ghosting during

Aspect Ratio –

Audio

Displays the number of audio samples per

Displays the size of each source file’s audio

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4: Using ProCoder

Audio Codec

file’s audio. In order to play the audio in a file, the system

Advanced window

Audio Filter

Advanced

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4: Using ProCoder

Sets the

In Point

field.

Displays the frame number at which the scrubber is stopped.

Displays the source file’s total duration after the In and Out

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4: Using ProCoder

Video Filter tab

filters can be previewed in this tab, but are applied when the video is

Video filters

This video filter expands the

This video filter shrinks the RGB

full 0-255 range.

Adaptive De-interlace –

This filter blurs the video in a rectangular pattern.

This filter allows you to adjust the brightness,

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4: Using ProCoder

Some colors that can be displayed on a computer cannot

This filter applies a fade in and/or out to your video in

This filter applies a Gaussian blur to the video.

This filter is designed to improve picture quality by removing

for progressive-to-interlaced (i.e. film-to-video) file conversion. This

footage is encoded to a DVD and played on a TV.

This filter provides 90-degree rotation and axis-flipping

for the video.

This filter sharpens the video using the “unshapen

This filter removes noise by using

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4: Using ProCoder

Adding a Filter

Add

Add Filter

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4: Using ProCoder

Add

button.

filtering. The

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4: Using ProCoder

button displays the video at 1-to-1 pixel size. (1 monitor pixel =

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4: Using ProCoder

Audio Filter tab

Audio Filter

Audio Filters

Audio Fade In/Out –

file’s overall conversion time.

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4: Using ProCoder

Adding a Filter

Add

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4: Using ProCoder

Add

filtering.

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4: Using ProCoder

Assigning Targets

Add

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4: Using ProCoder

Audio –

formats. These settings are good for exporting audio for use in

files that are compatible with handheld devices, such as PDAs

Application Specific –

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4: Using ProCoder

Modifying Targets

Add

files and custom target

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Advanced

Audio

Advanced window

Save

Add Target

Customizing Advanced Settings

Advanced

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4: Using ProCoder

Advanced window

for enhancing and optimizing the final output files created using the

filter on only the QuickTime Target preset

Audio Filter

Advanced

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4: Using ProCoder

field. You can also press the

button at the end of the row and choose the path in the dialog box

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4: Using ProCoder

Video Filter tab

filters can be previewed in this tab, but are applied when the video is

Video filters

This video filter expands the

This video filter shrinks the RGB

full 0-255 range.

Adaptive Deinterlace –

This filter blurs the video in a rectangular pattern.

This filter allows you to adjust the brightness,

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4: Using ProCoder

Some colors that can be displayed on a computer cannot

This filter applies a fade in and/or out to your video in

This filter applies a Gaussian blur to the video.

This filter is designed to improve picture quality by removing

for progressive-to-interlaced (i.e. film-to-video) file conversion. This

footage is encoded to a DVD and played on a TV.

This filter provides 90-degree rotation and axis-flipping

for the video.

This filter sharpens the video using the “unshapen

This filter removes noise by using

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4: Using ProCoder

Adding a Filter

Add

Add Filter

filter is listed in the yellow

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4: Using ProCoder

Add

filtering. The

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4: Using ProCoder

button displays the video at 1-to-1 pixel size. (1 monitor pixel =

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4: Using ProCoder

Audio Filter Tab

Audio Filters

Audio Fade In/Out –

file’s overall conversion time.

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4: Using ProCoder

Adding a Filter

Add

filter is highlighted, a brief description of each filter is listed in the

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4: Using ProCoder

Add

filtering.

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4: Using ProCoder

Playing converted files

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Loading and Saving Custom Settings

Loading and Saving Target profiles

Add Target

Add

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4: Using ProCoder

job queuing capabilities. Instead of waiting for the ProCoder application

field, enter a name for the job. The job’s name will

field. The job’s

from the drop-down box. The higher the job

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from the

Cancelling and managing jobs

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4: Using ProCoder

Managing Jobs

Viewing Jobs

job was set to split for multiple CPUs.

jobs with higher priority values will be processed before jobs

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Non-segmented and Segmented Jobs

Change Priority

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4: Using ProCoder

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Clearing the Queue

Automatically Remove on Completion –

Watch Folders

Watch

folders are converted using the associated target profile and

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4: Using ProCoder

Creating Permanent Watch Folders

from the

folders appear in the

Active Watch Folders

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button next to

to select the output folder.

dialog appears.

Append Sub Source

option. If it is not enabled, files in subfolders of the

renames the output file, appending a

overwrites any existing output file in the

button to add the watch folder to the

Active

list.

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4: Using ProCoder

Removing Permanent Watch Folders

from the Start menu in

folders appear in the Active Watch Folders area.

folders, click the

Creating Temporary Watch Folders

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Processing Options tab

frame rate.

Always Pick Nearest Frame –

frame by picking the nearest temporal frame from the source

Always Interpolate –

Automatic Selection

–

frame instead of interpolating in order to avoid ghosting.

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4: Using ProCoder

Check this box to allow

box.

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4: Using ProCoder

Add Letterbox/Scale & Crop slider

fits within the target frame, which can result in unused areas

frame is completely filled, resulting in no letterbox bars, but the

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4: Using ProCoder

from the bottom of the source frame during conversion. This results in

faster processing and higher quality since scaling is not performed.

Conversion Options tab

Always Scale/Shrink To Aspect Ratio Correct Full Screen Display –

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Enable this option to use video overlay

for preview. Video overlay is faster than standard video writes and

Enable this option to use the

Enable this option to use the Canopus

Apply modified Source options to similar Sources –

Enable this option

Apply modified Source options to similar Sources

is enabled, the

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4: Using ProCoder

Some conversions need to save temporary files. Click the

ProCoder retains some information in order to speed

Default Target Folder Tab

This option sets the output location for

Always use the Global Default Folder for all Targets

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Always use the Global Default Folder for all Targets

for the selected Target option.

Apply

Application Settings

Settings

foreground conversion.

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4: Using ProCoder

Confirmation

from targets or sources.

file(s) from the Source List.

from the Target List.

Advanced Features

Droplets

Add

Advanced

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Action

files as sources and the droplet’s target settings applied. The

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4: Using ProCoder

Command-line Automation

file or multiple files through Droplets, and entire projects through the

– Closes ProCoder after conversion finishes

– Shuts down the PC after conversion finishes

– Queue to job manager instead of converting within the

– creates a log file that details the conversion and

– writes target files to the specified folder

– the complete name and path of your ProCoder project

file. If the filename contains a space, you should enclose the entire path

\Windows\Desktop\My project.PCP”).

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C:\MyProjects\Job1.pcp

will also be used as a source.

– The name of the saved droplet executable file

– Closes ProCoder after conversion finishes

– Shuts down the PC after conversion finishes

– Queue to job manager instead of converting within the

– creates a log file that details the conversion and

– writes target files to the specified folder

and

and output will be

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4: Using ProCoder

Premiere Plug-in

for a quick preview and export it directly into ProCoder so it can be

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EDIUS Plug-in

function in the Monitor

from the export

function in the Monitor

from the export list.

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4: Using ProCoder

Let’s EDIT 1.03 Plug-in

for a quick preview and drop it into the ProCoder Wizard so it can be

2. The ProCoder Wizard launches and the Use the Wizard or Select a History Setting screen appears. Simply go through the Wizard interview and convert your file.

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5: Helpful Hints

Close other tasks

Optimize drive speed

Disable automatic scanning applications

Use separate source and target drives

Disable preview

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When to apply filters

Why filters are necessary

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5: Helpful Hints

just don’t seem quite right. This section illustrates some common video

Video is blocky or appears to break up

> Original image

format and player, the video may take until the next keyframe to start

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Video appears fuzzy or blurry

> Original image

found by clicking the

Advanced

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5: Helpful Hints

Video has halos or blocks near objects

> Original image

Video appears to jitter

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Advanced

Video movement appears jumpy

> Original image

frame rate below 15fps will result in unsatisfactory playback.

faster connection to the streaming server, a progressive download file

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5: Helpful Hints

Audio and video are out of sync

format and player, audio/video synchronization cannot be guaranteed

from start to end without interrupting it to verify. If synchronization is

files playing audio from the PC but using a connected DV camera or

If you’re seeing the problem using a set-top DVD player for playback,

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Video shows strange patterns or blocks

> Original image

Video appears stretched or squashed

> Original image

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5: Helpful Hints

Cannot load encoded MPEG files into DVD authoring software

file extension for MPEG-2 program streams. Instead, they want files

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