Adobe to provide Pro Res for Windows in wake of Quicktime Issues?

[Rodney]

I don't have any references to site or links to post but I'm hearing rumors that Apple Adobe is planning to release Pro Res resources to counter the issue arising from abandoning older Quicktime support on Windows.

 

Of note: Several of the ProRes codecs support alpha channes although other do not.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202410

 

If anyone has info related to this please feel free to post and point us to more official info.

 

 

Edit: Some of my info was incorrect. It is Adobe that is planning to bring Apple's Pro Res formats forward for use in Windows to address the issues caused by Apple no longer supporting Quicktime.

I've edited this topic's title accordingly. It is not clear what Apples roll here is but one might assume they are either granting Adobe a large discount on licensing or allowing them to distribute gratis. (NFI)

[Rodney]

Here is apparently the source of current news related to the matter:

 

http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/apple-quicktime-on-windows-update/

 

 

[pixelplucker]

So Adobe can stuff some data mining in QT too, Flash wasn't good enough to destroy... Adobe =Dirty

[robcat2075]

Looks like this is only for their Creative Cloud users?

 

It's not clear what these codecs will be contained in if not contained in Quicktime.

[Rodney]

It's not clear what these codecs will be contained in if not contained in Quicktime.

 

Adobe Media Encoder is Adobe's 'container' for such things as Quicktime.

Apparently what is forthcoming is 'native' code that resides in their rendering/conversion engine (which is considerable) to include the standalone Adobe Media Encoder (which I see simply as a separate interface for that engine).

 

It might not be quite accurate to classify it this way but I consider Media Encoder as a form of renderfarm. The various CC programs can or all use of Media Encoder but that program can also be used outside of those programs.

As you mention all are part of Adobe Creative Cloud although from time to time some software is made available separately as further access and enhance productivity (Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing/annotating PDF documents by those who don't have access to the full Acrobat suite of tools being a prime example).

 

Here's the landing page for basic info on Mediate Encoder: http://www.adobe.com/products/media-encoder.html

 

Increasingly, software offerings are separating the rendering/conversion aspects of the flow in a more modular way so as to more easily update to new formats and codecs.

More than a few people have proposed 'a codec to rule them all' but in general each company tends to create and maintain their own in order to address their own set of priorities.

I think programs like Adobe Encoder are well suited for this purpose because they can help us make a little more sense of the many different options/flavors available.

[robcat2075]

 

It's not clear what these codecs will be contained in if not contained in Quicktime.

 

Adobe Media Encoder is Adobe's 'container' for such things as Quicktime.

 

What is the file extension for Adobe Media Encoder? For Quicktime it's .MOV

 

Adobe Media Encoder is not a "container"

[Rodney]

Adobe Media Encoder is not a "container"

 

I put that word in quotes because it was written in an article but Adobe Media Encoder does in fact contain or if you prefer 'provide an interface for' the bits and bytes of code that encode various media formats to include that of quicktime. At the link provided in can be seen that as recent as 2015 some of Apples Pro Res was also making an inroad into Media Encoder.

 

So, yes, Adobe Media Encoder contains many media formats and codecs in the sense that it provides access to them. but no it is not itself a "container" in the form of the word generally associated with files and file formats, perhaps especially image formats.

 

What is the file extension for Adobe Media Encoder?

 

It's extension is .exe. which is generally recognized by operating systems and many humans as a file formatted to contain executable code.

[NancyGormezano]

I think? Robert is asking for the assumed extension that comes up first when one saves a video file from the adobe media encoder (file format): - eg Save as Type? In quicktime, it is "save as type: movies" that video file gets a .mov extension. We associate .mov files with quicktime.

 

And yes, as well, you can EXPORT many different types from quicktime: ie avi, m4v, flc, .3gp, .mp4, etc etc. And each file format has different codecs/video format settings that they use for compressing the file eg for mp4 file type you can choose mpeg-4 improved, basic, H.264. For .mov file type you can choose H.264, DV pal, jpeg 2000, etc etc

 

Can adobe media encoder export or save files to file type .mov?

[Rodney]

I think? Robert is asking for the assumed extension that comes up first when one saves a video file from the adobe media encoder (file format): - eg Save as Type? In quicktime, it is "save as type: movies" that video file gets a .mov extension. We associate .mov files with quicktime.

 

I can't say there is any assumed extension. It's format A in and format B out. Pick one and then the other.

As an Encoder the list of possible file formats is a long one. It also stores the settings you want to save so that you can pull up your favorite format easily for reuse (via user defined Presets and Groups).

Most of Abobe's programs can save/render out to/through Media Encoder rather than use the default File Save As or Export.

In this case it's still Format A in Format B out but Format A may not be an image or video format. It might be an After Effects composition or other acceptable file format.

The encoder just knows how to handle that conversion. The Media Encoder is also handy when you've got a whole lot of files you want to encode or re-encode as they an be added to the list and then each process gets run in turn. Theoretically Media Encoder could be made to take A:M files and encode/decode them to other formats too although I don't see that happening.

 

Can adobe media encoder export or save files to file type .mov?

 

Well, that's kind of the whole issue of this topic. The current Media Encoder can and does export/save to .MOV but it does so via Quicktime code that Apple no longer supports and that creates problems now that it's been flagged as a risk for folks to keep installed. Adobe's recent announcement relates to how they have created their own (native) code that doesn't require Quicktime APIs to save/export to the .MOV format (which is a container that might house various codecs). Apparently Apple has approved the code as meeting their standards and so the way forward would appear set to satisfy Adobe's customers who rely on those formats and the code that supports them and were justifiably concerned.

What does that mean for others (on the PC platform) who don't/wont have access to Adobe's native code?

Not sure. One option is to look for other acceptable video file formats. Another is to wait for Apple or some other provider to fill the gap.

 

 

Added: I may be wrong here but I... think... technically the .MOV format can be called a 'wrapper'.

I'm almost curious enough about that to investigate.

[NancyGormezano]

from adobe

 

 

Some filename extensions—such as MOV, AVI, MXF, and FLV—denote container file formats rather than denoting a specific audio, video, or image data format. Container files can contain data encoded using various compression and encoding schemes. Adobe Media Encoder can import these container files, but the ability to import the data that they contain is dependent on which codecs (specifically, decoders) are installed.

By installing additional codecs, you can extend the ability of Adobe Media Encoder to import additional file types. Many codecs must be installed into the operating system and work as a component inside the QuickTime or Video for Windows formats. Contact the manufacturer of your hardware or software for more information about codecs that work with the files that your specific devices or applications create.

 

 

and on same page

QuickTime movie (MOV; on Windows, requires QuickTime player)

 

perhaps page has not been updated?

 

I guess the more important question for me is: 1) is there an encoder/player available from anyone (other than Quicktime) that can play different formats as well as assemble into some format from image sequences (generated by A:M) that can STEP thru on a frame by frame basis like the Quicktime player currently does ? and 2) does the adobe media player do it? ie step thru frame by frame and 3) is Adobe media player available for those who do not subscribe to CC?

 

 

[Rodney]

Yes, Adobe plans to add the new native code but hasn't done it as of yet so the page is still technically correct.

Adobe still relies on Quicktime code for some encoding but won't for very long.

 

 

I posted a link to software the other day by the name Shotcut. In addition to being an open source video editor it has a lot in common with Adobe Media Encoder in that it can convert just about any image/movie file format to any other image/movie file format as well as batch convert (ala render farm-like setup):

 

Link to topic about Shotcut

 

It's cross platform and available on PC, Mac and Linux.

Well worth investigating.

 

To answer your questions about Adobe Media Encoder.

Yes, it can convert image sequences to movie formats and vice versa.

Media Encoder comes with Adobe CC. I don't think it can be had separately.

[John Bigboote]

Interesting days, these are. Apple always seemed to have QT way-back on a back-burner developmentally... even though they must have made some sort of revenue from ads and QT-Pro purchases, the software is the same as I remember from 1995.

 

I read the whole article regarding Adobe licensing ProRes from Apple for porting to the PC platform and thought they were talking about letting PC users WRITE to ProRes...which would be fantastic. No- it would only allow for READING ProRes without Quicktime installed. And only in Premiere, not After Effects. Apparently we are all supposed to be uninstalling QT for some security threat, but PC users in the video making/editing industries can't just yet. I see in the comments sections people are screaming for Adobe to engineer a way for PC's to write to Pro-Res, that it is their duty seeing as they have taken such a stronghold in the market and charging everyone BIG bucks to stay current and all...

 

Media Encoder is a powerful utility in it's own right... I use it as an alternate renderer when I need to render but stay working in After Effects. I don't see it as a 'media player' like QT in any way. Maybe Adobe needs to come-up with a universal Media Player... something simple, like QT... that opens fast and plays big files smoothly and is portable for sending video user to user... as well as free and quick to download.