MediaReactor Usage Tips

MediaReactor and MediaReactor Workstation integrate tightly with installed operating systems and applications. This section has tips and tricks on getting the most out of MediaReactor and/or MediaReactor Workstation.

Mac OS-X

Enabling legacy codecs for more output choices in QuickTime 7.4 and greater

(the original Apple article link is dead: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1149?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US)

Symptoms

With QuickTime 7.4 or later installed, some older encoders (codecs) may appear to be missing export options in applications that export QuickTime files, such as Final Cut Pro or Compressor or from the export options in QuickTime Player Pro.

Resolution

Take the following steps to enable additional encoders:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
Choose View > QuickTime.
Click the Advanced button.
Select the checkbox next to Show legacy encoders.

Using MediaReactor Workstation as a source reader for your own (or other) programs (OS-X)

MediaReactor Workstation provides a number of different ways to read supported file and compression types into your own programs. Here are a list of publicly available interfaces:

QuickTime Interface - MRWS provides an series of components to QuickTime including file readers, compressors, decompressors and low level data handlers that allow any program to read all the available formats through QuickTime as though they were normal MOV files
DTMediaRead Interface - This interface is a direct reader that requires an OEM agreement with Drastic. See the DTMediaRead SDK page for more information.
MkRefMov - MRWS includes a command line program called MkRefMov (Make Reference Movie). This program can make a reference movie (a small pointer only movie) for most supported files that can be read by any program supporting QuickTime MOV files. This includes new programs like Final Cut Pro X that don't normally support formats like MXF variants from Omneon, Pinnacle, Grass Valley and Avid.

Clear Avid MediaComposer Cache

Close MediaComposer
Navigate to HD/Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer/AMA Management.
Delete the contents of the "AMA Metadata Folders" folder. The folder will be rebuilt once the software is relaunched.
Rename the "Managed AMA Media Folders.xml" file to e.g "Managed XAMA Media Folders.xml".
Navigate to HD/Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer/AvidSourceBrowserCache.
Rename the "OPFrameGenerator.db" file to "OPFrameGenerator_Backup.db".
Reopen MediaComposer. Delete the file from its current bin and re-link.

Windows

Using MediaReactor Workstation as a source reader for your own (or other) programs (Windows)

MediaReactor Workstation provides a number of different ways to read supported file and compression types into your own programs. Here are a list of publicly available interfaces:

DirectShow - MRWS installs a DirectShow Filter called 'Drastic MediaReactor File Source'. This can be opened with any supported file to provide audio and video to a DirectShow filter graph
QuickTime Interface - MRWS provides a series of components for QuickTime including file readers, compressors, decompressors and low level data handlers that allow any program to read all the available formats through QuickTime as though they were normal MOV files
DTMediaRead Interface - This interface is a direct reader that requires an OEM agreement with Drastic. See the DTMediaRead SDK page for more information.
MkRefMov - MRWS includes a command line program called MkRefMov (Make Reference Movie). This program can make a reference movie (a small pointer only movie) for most supported files that can be read by any program supporting QuickTime MOV files. This includes new programs like Final Cut Pro X that don't normally support formats like MXF variants from Omneon, Pinnacle, Grass Valley and Avid.

Clear Avid MediaComposer Cache

Close MediaComposer
Navigate to C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Avid Media Composer\AMA Management
Delete the contents of the "AMA Metadata Folders" folder. The folder will be rebuilt once the software is relaunched.
Rename the "Managed AMA Media Folders.xml" file.
Navigate to C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Avid Media Composer\AvidSourceBrowserCache.
Rename the "OPFrameGenerator.db" file to "OPFrameGenerator_Backup.db".
Reopen MediaComposer. Delete the file from its current bin and re-link.

Linking footage shot at high FPS to lower FPS project

In the bin, right click on the clip and go to Source Settings, Playback Rates. Set the Playback Frame Rate to the project's fps. Click Apply and OK. This will play the high speed clip in slow-mo.
Next, right click again on the clip and go to Audio. Check the "Delete Original Media" and click on OK. What this does is we make a copy of the audio so it's not embedded in the file and Avid does not complain about the length of the audio (which is the acquisition error). Instead it is stored in Avid Media File where it is accessed. Keep in mind this step does not delete the audio in the source file.

OS Independent

mrcmd - Drastic MediaReactor Command Line Interface

mrcmd - MediaReactor Command Line Utility, by Drastic Technologies (www.drastic.tv)
(c)opyright 1995-2017 Drastic Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.
Usage: mrcmd
-I <inputname> = Input file path/name (required)
-O <outputname> = Input file path/name (required)
-s # = Start frame (def: 0)
-e # = End frame (def: length of input)
-S <00:00:00:00> = Start timecode (def: first time code in file)
-E <01:00:00:00> = End timecode (def: last time code in file plus one)
-t = Allow transcode stream (def: convert stream)
-T = Trascode to matched stream
-x # = Horizontal size >1 (def: same as input)
-y # = Vertical size >1 (def: same as input)
-b # = Bit depth 8/16/24/32 (def: optimal)
-q # = Video quality 0..10000 (def: highest)
-d # = Video data rate >=0 (def: highest)
-k # = Key frame distance (def: 15)
-M = Separate audio files (def: internal)
-m = Dual mono audio files (def: stereo, requires -s)
-r # = Audio frequency/rate (def: same as input)
-a # = Audio sample size 8/16 (def: same as input)
-c # = Audio channels 1/2/4/5/6/8 (def: same as input)
-p # = Audio quality 0..10000 (def: highest)
-i # = Output video file ID (from codeclist.txt)
-f <filetype> = Output video file type - AVI/MOV/OMF (def: auto sense)
-F <filetype> = Output audio file type - WAV/AIF/AU (def: auto sense, requires -s)
-v <codec> = Output video codec (text) - MMES/2yuv/DVSD (def: RGB uncompressed)
-n # = Output video codec (numeric hex) - 88000001/1/a/f
-A = Disable audio output (def: depends on input)
-V = Disable video output (def: depends on input)
-P <profile> = MediaReactor profile file path/name (optional)

To get a list of all the file type available in the file codeclist.txt, use
mrcmd -all
To get a list of the codecs for a file type, use
mrcmd #

mkRtIndex - Make An rtin (Real Time Index) File

Usage: mkRtIndex <sourcefile> [-v]

NOTE: parameters must be in order

<sourcefile> File to be indexed.
-v Optional, verify rtIndex instead of create.

Application Specific

Adobe Premiere CS5/6

To bring a file into Premiere for editing, right click in the Project area and select Import, or select the menu File | Import. Adding files via the Media Browser area is also supported.

To export a file from Premiere, select the menu File | Export ? Media. Select the Format drop down to select the type. Set the settings and click the Export button.

Apple Final Cut Pro (Suite 3/7)

To bring a file into FCP for editing, right click on the bin and select Import->File. Browse to the file and select it. The Import->File is also available in the File menu.

To export a file from FCP, click on the sequence you want to export. Select the File menu, then Export->Using QuickTime Conversions... Open the Format list box and select the output type you want, then click the Options button to set the options. Set the name and add the correct extension (FCP will not do this for you). Click Save to export the sequence.

Assimilate Scratch/Lab

To bring a file into Assimilate Scratch/Lab, from the Timeline | Media area select Load Shot. The file browser will contain all the compatible types. For types that are supported in Scratch and MediaReactor Workstation (e.g. Arri, MXF), select the "Drastic Many" file filter to force the MediaReactor Workstation plugin to be used.

To export a file, from the Output area, add a single node. Press the Play button (the circle with a triangle) to go to the output page. Click the Insert... button, and select the output type from the Drastic SPA Plug Ins. Adjust the parameters, and click the Process Range button to export.

Avid Media Composer 6 (Symphony, NewsCutter)

To bring a file into the editor, right click on the bin and select the Link To AMA Files… menu and select the file. This menu is also available under the File menu. If your source files are on a network drive, you need enable this in Media Composer. Open a Console window (menu Tools | Console) and type 'alldrives' without the quotes and hit Return. This only needs to be done once.

Compressor

To convert from a MRWS file, create an output profile and drag the source file on top of the output profile and drop it.

Motion

To use a MRWS file in Motion, simply use the built in browser to find and select the file. Supported files will appear as a picture of one of the frames in the browser.

Adobe Media Encoder

To add a MRWS file, use the menu File | Add, or drop the file on the application.

To convert to a supported output file, once the input file is chosen an entry will appear for it in the interface. Click on the Format or Preset column link to change the output type.

QuickTime Player

To open a file in QuickTime Player (free or full version), select the File | Open File menu. In Windows you have to set the file filter to all (*.*) to see non mov/avi files.

To export a file from QuickTime Player (requires full version), select the menu File | Export... In the export dialog, select the output type and options. Type in the file name and extension to save to.

Windows Media Player

To open a file in Windows Media Player, select the File | Open menu, or drag and drop the file on the Player.