Mercalli SA 3.0 - Well: 9.3 outta 10!

Grazie wrote on 4/17/2013, 1:00 PM

OK:

PROS

1] Much cleaner and workmanlike GUI. It has truly grown-up.

2] The Timeline is now very similar to an NLE Timeline. Much finer and pro graphics.

3] I can type in a T/C window to have the Cursor jump position. Using my Mouse Wheel I can micro adjust through frames. I don't see any of this in 2.1.

4] The Trim-down sliders are now silky smooth. Not so in 2.1 .

5] Batch Processing is a doddle.

6] Workspace adjustment has, again, become more adult.

7] The T/C is now correctly placed WITH the Timeline

CONS

1] I don't see any option other than MP4 as an output. Discuss? Merc 2.1 gives me several output options

2] No hint of this as a Plug for Vegas.

Conclusion: For me, very much worth the Upgrade "offer" having skilled myself up through Merc. If the NAB discount can be used for the actual product, as a new user, it would be near the mark too.

OK, I'm starting to think about never having to stabilize within Vegas. This has advantages and disadvantages. It might just make me better organised and more constructive and logical in the auditioning of my clips. Only time will tell. Maybe, just maybe, stabilizing in VP12 and onwards, could be asking to much.

Woah!. . . . NOW . . If there was a "port-out-from-Vegas" option into Merc 3 SA.... pphorrr! A bit like we do with Audio out to "an audio editor", but here for Video?

Cheers

Grazie

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Comments

Laurence wrote on 4/22/2013, 11:30 AM

I just sent a private email to the ProDAD Facebook page moderator.

Grazie wrote on 4/22/2013, 11:51 AM

Ditto your experience Laurence:

1] D/L using my link from purchase email.

2] Installed, including the CODECS.

3] Stabilized some MOV

4] Check Scope Levels in Vegas and still desat compared to the original. No change.

5] There is that additional MOV output file. Tried that and it is much nearer to the original Media than the MP4 output.

Cheers

Grazie

Grazie wrote on 4/23/2013, 4:29 AM

proDAD on Facebook are keeping in touch on this.

I interpret this as a positive announcement from them.

Grazie

Laurence wrote on 4/23/2013, 8:19 AM

I'm also corresponding with them with email and getting encouraging replies.

Grazie wrote on 4/23/2013, 8:42 AM

L, did you get any feedback as to why the mixed-up of the 3.11 and 3.12 ?

G

gripp wrote on 4/25/2013, 3:16 AM

ProDad say that that version a new version was available from 23rd April, but I can't find the download link. Am I just getting senile?

23-Apr-2013 3.0.214
Compatibility to QuickTime improved.
Export with broadcast bit rates.

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 3:19 AM

Just been emailed with an update to "try".

The instruction is to rather choose the MOV render to export. I did this with the previous update and had gotten some way forward using the MOV render to export. Would this suggest that proDAD have relinquished any attempt to utilise the MP4 export? Of course none of us outside of proDAD would have a clue, but maybe this is their way of getting us forward.

Grazie

gripp wrote on 4/25/2013, 3:55 AM

I've had great results with SAL3 batch stabilization of .MOV files from my Nikon D600 DSLR.

I then had to apply the Studio RGB to Computer RGB levels on the whole track to restore the correct colour, but after that everything looked fine - and very steady.

It would be nice if ProDad could remove the need for this, but overall this program is a great time saver.

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 4:11 AM

I've been stepping through this with tech support for the last couple of days. What is going on is that the mp4 format they were using was playing back with the correct saturation levels in anything that used DirectX, but was getting desaturated in anything that used the older VFW like Vegas does. It was desaturated in VLC as well (which also uses VFW). There was no desaturation problem in Adobe Products or Windows Media Player because they use DirectX. That would explain the change in format.

It is 5AM and I'm only up because I have a piece due tomorrow and Vegas has been crashing all night!

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 6:15 AM

What is going on is that the mp4 format they were using was playing back with the correct saturation levels in anything that used DirectX, but was getting desaturated in anything that used the older VFW like Vegas does. It was desaturated in VLC as well (which also uses VFW).

Well, it would appear that one of these 2 companies is in denial.

I'll tell you something, Laurence and I aren't.

Hmm...

Grazie

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 7:21 AM

Try this play a Mercalli stabilized mp4 with VLC, then again with WMP. Eyeball the saturation levels. See the difference? VLC is playing back the mp4 with VFW, WMP is playing it back with DirectShow. Notice a difference in the saturation levels? The video is desaturated in VLC but not in WMP. Import the same video int any Adobe product: Photoshop if you don't have Premier or After Effects: no desaturation issue. Now import it into Sony Vegas and you will see it desaturated since like VLC, Vegas is using DirectShow instead of VFW.

Now where I am is trying various other mp4 clips in VLC and Vegas to see if it's just ProDAD mp4 clips that desaturate or every NPR has this issue. I've never seen this before so I suspect that it's just the ProDAD processed MP4s, but according to the ProDAD announcement, it should be all of them.

I would love it if others here tested this as well. Confirm for me that Mercalli MP4s are desaturating not just in Vegas, but in VLC and any other software that uses VFW. Also check and see if it's just ProDAD MP4s that do this or if this is an issue with VFW mp4 playback in general.

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 8:39 AM

Correct.

On the LEFT is VLC, on the RIGHT is WMP:-

bdg wrote on 4/25/2013, 8:53 AM

I'm trying to make up my mind if I should buy Mercalli 3.
I have a lot of footage shot on my GoPro and Canon T3i in Kenya a month ago (much of it requiring stabilisation) and have found the stabiliser built in to Vegas 12 sort of OK except that the rolling shutter compensation seems to make things worse. And of course there is no visual indication of what effect a setting has ahead of actually doing it. This last is a real time consumer on long takes.
Is it worth while to buy Mercalli 3?

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 9:09 AM

An opinion costs nothing, so here goes. Merc 3 just a really fine job. What has come to light is this render to MP4 desat from MOV files. Read Laurence's comments too. But, in essence, it works very well. The new layout is the best so far; the timleine now scrubs silky smooth; it does batch rendering and the graphical rep and editing of the area you are wanting to stabilize is slick.

What you need to know is that there doesn't appear to be plan to have a PLUG for VP12 of Merc 3.0.

Cheers

Grazie

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 9:33 AM

As far as I can see the main diffferences between Mercalli 2 and 3 have to do with:

1) batch stabilizing.
2) stabilizing higher than HD resolutions (2,7K and 4K)

From a plugin point of view, as long as you aren't going above 1080 resolution, there wouldn't be anything added by a Mercalli 3 plugin version.

bdg wrote on 4/25/2013, 9:44 AM

Here's a timeline from ProDad:
http://www.prodad.de/gb/history-mercalli-30.html

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 9:57 AM

Does anyone know how to track down which decoder is playing back a given mp4 file. I have a feeling that ProDAD's codec pack installed a VFW mp4 decoder that gets the levels wrong. I am trying to track down which VFW codec is playing back these mp4 files. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 10:27 AM

OK, it isn't a problem caused by the ProDAD codec pack. This mp4 codec is played by "compoundplug.dll", which seems to be a Sony codec. Changing it so that it played back with another codec didn't have any effect on the saturation levels.

In any case, a Mercalli MOV output option will fix this, so even though the real problem won't have been figured out, at least it will work and the levels will be fixed.

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 11:07 AM

Sooooo.... Does editing in this "mov" flavour add or remove quality from within Vegas?

Curiouser and curiouser . . . .

Grazie

Laurence wrote on 4/25/2013, 1:14 PM

The version that saves MOV is up at your originally emailed links. See what you think. On my system, the color is close but still a little bright, but that hardly matters because it is incredibly slow on the Vegas timeline. We're talking one frame a second slow!

Also, the video and audio bitrates at best quality have been bumped up considerably.

Let me know if your experiences match mine.

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 2:56 PM

Kinda reproe'd . . .

but that hardly matters because it is incredibly slow on the Vegas timeline. We're talking one frame a second slow!

Initially Vegas Preview is brought to its knees . . . . MP4 has full frame rates. But the MOV does get there after several, maybe 30 seconds of looping plays?

But no, not good.

Grazie

winrockpost wrote on 4/25/2013, 4:54 PM

downloaded the demo... lets me output 2 seconds!! now thats a demo !!! worthless lol

I'llstick with virtual dub

Grazie wrote on 4/25/2013, 11:20 PM

The Vegas plugin still works. Very odd Q&A on this standalone.

Grazie

bdg wrote on 4/26/2013, 6:27 PM

You are not limited to 2 sec if you use their split screen output. If you choose this you can get a very good idea of the programs capabilities and look at your video full length and with any setting in Mercalli.
It is, in my opinion, a very good demo.