New appreciation for .mxf and Sony Player software

Laurence wrote on 10/8/2009, 2:18 PM
I have developed a new even greater appreciation for the .mxf format and the free https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/sony-software-model-PDZVX10.aspxSony PDZVX10 XDCAM Viewer Software[/link]. Not only does does this player make your video look incredibly good, but it has the best deinterlace I've ever seen and it converts sRGB to cRGB as it plays back. It is by far the best way to show off a project on a computer monitor.

For those who've had this software for a while, don't miss the 2.30 update which adds high quality 1920x1080 422 24p support.

Comments

PeterWright wrote on 10/8/2009, 8:31 PM
Thanks Lawrence - just downloaded, and as you say it does a beautiful job.

I played an MXF file straight from a USB memory stick without missing a beat - which raises an interesting question - what transfer rates can these devices manage - and are they all the same?
Laurence wrote on 10/8/2009, 9:16 PM
"Memory stick" is a name commonly used for Sony brand and format flash memory cards. For the USB memory, I've seen the terms "flash drive", "thumb drive" and "jump drive".

They come in all sorts of speeds with a top speed limited by USB2's available bandwidth. I love that I can put a HD video on one and walk over to my HD TV and play it on my WD media player. I used to do the same thing on my PS3 before it was stolen.
PeterWright wrote on 10/8/2009, 9:28 PM
Thanks - I don't know what brand my stick(s) are - not Sony, as I'm sure the name would be on there.

What format file are you using for HD playback via WD media player Laurence? I'm quite new to this, and so far have only tried wmv.
Laurence wrote on 10/8/2009, 10:16 PM
If you are using HDV, you can render to mpeg2 m2t (which is pretty cool because it can smartrender the HDV footage). The other format I've rendered to is the Sony AVC mpeg4 format which compresses tighter, seems to look just as good, but needs a real full render. I've also played DivX with AC3 audio files on it since I've ripped a lot of my DVDs into that format. Studio RGB color looks the best so I limit the range of colors on my text and run any photos through a cRGB to sRGB color converter filter.

What tickles me is that a few years ago I worked on a documentary about the red tide algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. The production company had a bus with a studio in it and they would show off the XDCAM footage (the old tape style XDCAM that is) with an LCD HD TV and an XDCAM tape deck. Lots of money for the equipment but the picture was superb. Anyway, I am getting really close to the look I remember seeing with my $500 LCD TV with a handle on it and my $100 WD media player velcroed to the base. My how times change!