When you shoot and edit 4K video or 3D video how do you deliver it to your clients?

apefos

I know the simple way to deliver 1080p video for clients is blu-ray disc. But what about 4K and 3D?

BurnetRhoades

Video, regardless of resolution, isn't delivered to clients on BD, at least not in professional situations. Clients will ask for specific deliverable specs generally in one or more of the following: ProRes Quicktime, DNxHD, EXR frame sequence or DPX frame sequence. Delivery medium will generally be online, via some kind of file service, ftp, etc. or saved to external hard disc and either physically couriered or shipped.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

If you mean something like wedding videos or parts for individuals - just use flash drives and MKV container, plus add some portable video player on it. Suitable for 4K, 3D and anything.

BurnetRhoades

For compressed delivery I'd suggest using .MP4 since compatibility with MKV isn't guaranteed across devices. An MP4 on a flash drive can just be plugged into the USB port on most any smart TV, provided it can handle the encoding options (it's easy enough to make high quality MP4 that smart TV and Playstation, etc. won't play). You're rolling the dice with virtually any other file format.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

For compressed delivery I'd suggest using .MP4 since compatibility with MKV isn't guaranteed across devices.

Both are just containers. MKV is much more potent and widely used (yes, I can assure you from internal data that all TV manufacturers test their TV using tons of torrent files).

BurnetRhoades

MKV is much more potent and widely used

Might want to let Samsung know that.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Might want to let Samsung know that.

What is wrong with Samsung?

bigshotpp

Agree with Burnet, after more than a decade fiddling with containers, MP4 is generally more compatible than MKV for general distribution. MKV is obviously better, just isn't as well supported.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Huh, my experience is different here (I mean here testing of TVs by leaders of TV business - LG and Samsung).

For years MKV is very good supported format due to simple fact that it represents around 99% of all videos played by this TVs.

apefos

Thanks!

I did some read on these TV specifications and it seems it does not support high datarates in MP4 or MKV, just around 20Mbps or 40Mbps from usd pendrives or hdd. Some models can read 40Mbps, other just 20Mbps. Seems to be enough for 1080p but not so good for 3D or 4K...

DrDave

The client should have a specification for you. I mostly use MP4--not everyone can play an mkv file, believe it or not, even though it is in many ways better.

Recently, I tested a bunch of different android players for 4K playback. They all had different gamma, different color, and all of them had audio sync issues except VLC. VLC looked the worst, so no joy there. KODI had audio problems but there is an easy sync offset. So in a weird way, it is a good idea to know what kind of setup your product will be previewed on if there is some back and forth for edits, titles, etc.

One can deliver the file online...if it is really big, you can buy a flash card and mail it. You can also sign up for Amazon's unlimited storage as a trial and send it that way. Unlimited storage!

Having said all that, HEVC looks pretty damn good. I don't know why, it just seems to look better. I'm still testing it.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

I mostly use MP4--not everyone can play an mkv file, believe it or mot, even though it is in many ways better. Also, the audio is more likely to go ut of sync on mkv when played back by the client. Depends on the client, a knowledgeable person could change the audio offset at the user end.

As I said - always supply portable video player, so client always get working video 100% of the time.

About MP4 - in countries where torrents are used by 30-40% of people it seems like MP4 is more popular for delivery, in all else it is rarity and MKV is used.

As I said, all the manufacturers test MKV around 20x more than MP4 (for last 4-5 years at least).

About bitrates - many of them are stated conservative and TV plays higher bitrates fine. Plus, if you use good x264 setting and slow encoding 20Mbit is very high bitrate for end user delivery.

GeoffreyKenner

It depends a lot about what the client want and will do exactly with it. But in most cases, I give a compressed H.264 file @50 mb/s in a mp4 container. Sometimes they want me to do the web delivery on YouTube, Dailymotion or Vimeo.

Some do want the master (Either Quicktime Animation 24bit or Open EXR + WAV sequence) so they can do themselves the encoding (bigger fish).

Then there are the "other" stuff like marriage where clients want DVD or Bluray.

Just be sure to understand what your client want and for which specific support. There's no need to upload a 300 go Master file of 5 minutes on youtube. I also advise you to make multiple-export with different bitrates "just in case".

Both MP4 and MKV container works very well for a playable file delivery. Just make sure that what is in the container will also work.

apefos

Would this media player be good? It can play 4k H264 and H265, the ebay page shows all specifications and connections draw. If it shows different gamma/pedestal/contrast/gain, maybe a specific video grading and rendering for it can solve.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MXQ-S805-Smart-TV-BOX-Android-XBMC-Quad-Core-8GB-WIFI-1080P-4K-Media-Player-GL-/261962187923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3cfe29c493

Review: (the review only specify 1080p HDMI out, no 2160p HDMI out, so it seems it downscale the 4k for hdmi out)

http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/09/23/em6q-mxq-review-amlogic-s805-hevc/

this s812 model seems to be better for 4k and hevc h265:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/S812-2-0GHz-Quad-Core-Android-4-4-TV-Box-Kodi-XBMC-H-265-4K-WiFi-w-IR-Remote-US-/111696132793?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1a019bbab9

same s812 with qwert keyboard

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UK-M8S-S812-Quad-Core-TV-Box-XBMC-Android-4-4-2G-8G-Free-Mouse-Keyboard-PK-/311380747531?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item487fbd250b

Review:

http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/11/17/eny-m8s-unboxing/

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@apefos

I think we have topic about players.

I suggest to choose only Windows based players ignoring Android ones as they have sometimes unpredictable glitches and behaviour.

apefos

@DrDave you said you tested many media players. if you can write a small report about them including the model and image/audio quality it would be very useful. thanks.

apefos

@Vitaliy_Kiselev

I found this topic about players but there is no informations...

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/8759/digital-media-players/p1

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@apefos

Just get any small tablet or HDMI stick (refurbished is ok) on Atom if you want 1080p.

If you want 4K, I suggest to get anything on Haswell generation or later and with full size USB 3.0 port.

apefos

I found this comparison. In the cheap route the S812 seems to be the way to go:

http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/04/25/amlogic-stb-socs-comparison-aml8726-mx-s802-s805-and-s812/

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@apefos

Get my good advice - do not go here, as number of glitches in this thing is huge. Poor people spend their life on it.

apefos

@Vitaliy_Kiselev thanks for suggestion, but I want something cheap...

DrDave

The S812 and similar chips are iffy. My Bay Trail tablet (X98) will do it and has hdmi out. I think the really cheap solution is around the corner, and someone might well create a driver for S812 and similar chips, but you might wait to get something beefier. Wonder what is inside the Samsung TVs--they play video very well.