Interoperable MXF output?

[p...@das-werkstatt.com]

Hello,

As my experience with MXF is that depending on tool/vendor that
creates/loads it, it's not automatically as interoperable as it could/
should/would be. :(

What is your experience of creating MXFs with ffmbc, in order to be
able to open them on as many "professional" applications as somehow
possible (e.g. different video-editing apps like final-cut, etc).

Thank you very much in advance,
Peter B.

PS: Which library is ffmbc using for handling MXFs?

[Baptiste Coudurier]

Hello,

On 03/29/2012 05:10 AM, p...@das-werkstatt.com wrote:
> Hello,
>
> As my experience with MXF is that depending on tool/vendor that
> creates/loads it, it's not automatically as interoperable as it could/
> should/would be. :(
>
> What is your experience of creating MXFs with ffmbc, in order to be
> able to open them on as many "professional" applications as somehow
> possible (e.g. different video-editing apps like final-cut, etc).

You're right, interoperability with MXF is somewhat complicated.
There is an old thread on group named MXF file validation help,
where some people generously tested MXF created by FFmbc.

So XDCAMHD422 and IMX50 files created can be imported in Avid Media Composer,
Adobe Premiere CS5 and Sony XDCAM Transfer to convert to FCP.
The next rc8 will have improved Sony Vegas Pro 11 support as well.

Also FCP doesn't read MXF files directly.

> PS: Which library is ffmbc using for handling MXFs?

It doesn't use any external library for MXF support.

--
Baptiste COUDURIER
Key fingerprint 8D77134D20CC9220201FC5DB0AC9325C5C1ABAAA
FFmpeg maintainer http://www.ffmpeg.org

[Peter B.]

Quoting Baptiste Coudurier <baptiste....@gmail.com>:

>> PS: Which library is ffmbc using for handling MXFs?
>
> It doesn't use any external library for MXF support.

Thanks for your answer!
Does a library for MXF handling exist?

Because from reading the MXF specs I assume that it's far from trivial
to implement MXF handling, and I'm planning to handle MXFs in the
future in "DVA-Profession" (a Free Software (GPLv3) video digitization
system for archives).

Regards,
Pb

[Peter B.]

On 03/30/2012 10:20 AM, Peter B. wrote:
> Quoting Baptiste Coudurier <baptiste....@gmail.com>:
>
>>> PS: Which library is ffmbc using for handling MXFs?
>>
>> It doesn't use any external library for MXF support.
>
> Thanks for your answer!
> Does a library for MXF handling exist?

I was wondering if any of you could comment on "libmxf" (from
freemxf.org)[1] or "libbmx" (part of the bmx project)[2] ?
After reading the "MXF Book" [3] which has a whole chapter about the
Open Source implementation of an MXF library "libmxf" (freemxf.org), I
assumed that Free Software projects would be using it (as the
zlib/libpng license would be GPL compatible).

Why is it then, that FFmpeg as well as ffmbc both implement MXF support
on their own?

Thankful for more infos about this,
Pb


== References:
[1] http://freemxf.org/
[2] http://sourceforge.net/p/bmxlib/home/Home/
[3]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/024080693X?tag=themxfimpleme-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=024080693X&adid=1BSMHMBTVA5QYAVG4CYZ&

[Tim Nicholson]

On 10/05/12 20:37, Peter B. wrote:
> On 03/30/2012 10:20 AM, Peter B. wrote:
>> Quoting Baptiste Coudurier<baptiste....@gmail.com>:
>>
>>>> PS: Which library is ffmbc using for handling MXFs?
>>>
>>> It doesn't use any external library for MXF support.
>>
>> Thanks for your answer!
>> Does a library for MXF handling exist?
> I was wondering if any of you could comment on "libmxf" (from
> freemxf.org)[1] or "libbmx" (part of the bmx project)[2] ?
> After reading the "MXF Book" [3] which has a whole chapter about the
> Open Source implementation of an MXF library "libmxf" (freemxf.org), I
> assumed that Free Software projects would be using it (as the
> zlib/libpng license would be GPL compatible).
>

I think fremxf.org is somewhat stale. The bmx site is pretty bleeding edge as
its being used for making the AS11 reference files.

BMXlib uses the BSD 3 clause licence, so I don't know how well that would fit.

> Why is it then, that FFmpeg as well as ffmbc both implement MXF support
> on their own?
>
> Thankful for more infos about this,
> Pb

> [...[


--
Tim Nicholson
Digital Media Services
BBC Studios and Post Production
+44 (0) 208 576 1229 or +44 (0) 7092 223819
Room 2517, Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ
Intranet http://resources.gateway.bbc.co.uk/post_solutions/

[Phil Rhodes]

> Interoperable MXF output?

Oxymoron?

[Peter B.]

Quoting Tim Nicholson <tim.ni...@bbc.co.uk>:

> I think fremxf.org is somewhat stale.

Its project page on Sourceforge [1] lists a current version 1.2.0rc1
dated quite recent: 2012-04-26.
The previous release is from 2010.

So it doesn't seem dead to me.

> The bmx site is pretty bleeding edge as its being used for making
> the AS11 reference files.

Does anyone know if there are attempts to combine the developer
resources and merge these projects?
As someone who has a lot to do with different Free Software projects,
I personally think it'd always be a good idea to pool the ressources...

But, as someone has already asked me which library to use for
implementing MXF support, which answer should I give him, based on the
current status quo?

Thanks again,
Pb


== References:
[1]
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mxflib/files/mxflib-candidates/1.2.0-Beta-RC1/

[Peter B.]

On 05/14/2012 10:44 AM, Phil Rhodes wrote:
>> Interoperable MXF output?
>
> Oxymoron?
>
Agreed.

...although: I've recently heard someone claiming that all
interoperability issues with MXF are gone with equipment produced after
2008! So, everything is happy-go-lucky now!

;)

Pb

[Tim Nicholson]

On 14/05/12 11:03, Peter B. wrote:
> Quoting Tim Nicholson <tim.ni...@bbc.co.uk>:
>
>> I think fremxf.org is somewhat stale.
>
> Its project page on Sourceforge [1] lists a current version 1.2.0rc1 dated quite
> recent: 2012-04-26.
> The previous release is from 2010.

Hmm, mxflib-candidates previous update was 2007, then nothing for a very long
time, and even with your above figure that's still 2 years with nothing happening...

>
> So it doesn't seem dead to me.

Well it was quiescent until recently, but I agree it does seem to have had a
recent burst of life which I missed. Mostly xml dict updates as far as I can see.

>
>> The bmx site is pretty bleeding edge as its being used for making the AS11
>> reference files.
>
> Does anyone know if there are attempts to combine the developer resources and
> merge these projects?

There was this whole mxflib V libMXF thing going on, and I was informed by one
of the developers that they were tending to move from mxflib to libMXF. The BBC
R&D guys seem to be using libMXF now, and the ex BBC R&D guys mxflib.....

> As someone who has a lot to do with different Free Software projects, I
> personally think it'd always be a good idea to pool the ressources...
>
> But, as someone has already asked me which library to use for implementing MXF
> support, which answer should I give him, based on the current status quo?
>

Well given that the AMWA are trying to bring some "standardisation" to the whole
mxf mess, and their AS-11 helper app and reference files were made with bmx
which uses libMXF(++) I would plump for that.

> Thanks again,
> Pb
. [...]

--
Tim

[Peter B.]

On 05/15/2012 08:55 AM, Tim Nicholson wrote:
> Well given that the AMWA are trying to bring some "standardisation" to
> the whole mxf mess, and their AS-11 helper app and reference files
> were made with bmx which uses libMXF(++) I would plump for that.

Thanks for your informative answers!

About the "standardization" efforts of AMWA: Are they somehow related to
TC06 [1]?


Pb

== References:
[1]
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2011/09/voices-from-the-world-of-video-archiving/
(TC-06 is mentioned in the paragraph mentioning video guideline efforts
by the IASA)

[Tim Nicholson]

On 16/05/12 18:54, Peter B. wrote:
> On 05/15/2012 08:55 AM, Tim Nicholson wrote:
>> Well given that the AMWA are trying to bring some "standardisation" to
>> the whole mxf mess, and their AS-11 helper app and reference files
>> were made with bmx which uses libMXF(++) I would plump for that.
> Thanks for your informative answers!
>
> About the "standardization" efforts of AMWA: Are they somehow related to
> TC06 [1]?
>

A different focus really. One is on archiving and preservation, the other on
creating essence standards for interchange of work in progress. Obviously some
overlap as it all goes to archive at the end of the day...

>
> Pb
> [...]
--
Tim