The MXF Challenge Revisited

Because I foolishly deleted the first sample and because people continue to think that getting the data out of the new camera and into a single MP4 file that can be uploaded to YouTube is a simple one-step conversion (primarily because what you're reading when you search "MXF conversion" is incomplete), I've now reposted a sample of what the camera's output actually is.

Download this zip file of the raw output of the camera. Unpack the zip file (it will unpack into a bunch of directories) and apply any one-step method you can think of. Hint: FreeMXFConverter will not do it in one step. Adobe Premier Pro will, but costs a lot of money, and you can't actually buy it, only lease it.

I do appreciate the advice, really, and I know that people are trying to help. I speculate that the idea that a camera would produce separate files that are so difficult to join back together again is mystifying to most people. It surely wasn't something I expected to encounter. But the needs of professional production are different from how most consumer work happens, and the pros have access to the expensive software necessary to do the production when they need it, so it looks effortless.

Another warning about this test: The resulting file is less than 90 seconds long. The amount of time you spend converting and combining it may be misleading. When we get the opportunity to do so, we will shoot a 30-minute file and if possible make it available so anyone wanting to take a crack at it can see if they can make it go faster than I've been able to do so.

PNW Trip Stage 2: Winnemucca to Pendleton

We made it to Pendleton, Oregon today, after leaving the hotel at about 8 AM but not getting out of Winnemucca until more like 9:15 AM on account of several errands we needed to run. I had left my jacket at home and had to buy a new one at Big R, as I'll need something when we get to Seaside. I also left my toiletries kit hanging on its hook in the bathroom at home, and we needed to go by Raley's to buy replacements. Fortunately, I did remember the bag with my medications, or else we would have had to double back to Fernley, a minimum five hour round trip, I think.

Our route was north on US-95, then west on I-84, and we got to the hotel in Pendleton just before 7 PM. The minivan ran pretty well when it ran, and started mostly first time, except when it had run for a long time. However, due to our concerns about it, at many intermediate stops, particularly those in relatively isolated places, we simply didn't stop the van but let it idle while we took our restroom breaks in turn.

( Photos Along the Way )

During our drive into Oregon, we made an ill-advised dogleg into Caldwell, Idaho that probably cost us an hour of driving. Taking advantage of the last chance to pump our own gas, we stopped at the last exit in Idaho, refueled the minivan, and stopped for lunch. This was the only time on today's trip where the minivan was reluctant to restart, although it did eventually cough back to life after lunch without having to resort to the starting fluid.

Just back over the Oregon border is Ontario, Oregon. Based on when we got here, we determined that we should be able to drive here straight from Fernley later this year if we want to make the drive to Worldcon with only one overnight stop instead of two.

( On to Pendleton )

After more than ten hours on the road, all we wanted to do was rest. Lisa took a bath and I ordered us a pizza and turned on the SF Giants game. (The hotel's wired internet access has decent speed; much better than Winnemucca's wi-fi.) I caught up on as much e-mail and messages as I could manage. But Friday we still have a fair bit to go, and we've not selected the fastest route from here to Spokane, in our attempt to minimize duplication of routes. Fortunately, the parts of the Spokane Worldcon meeting on Friday early are not the ones in which we have a personal interest. We'll see some of you Friday evening at the hospitality suite. Assuming the minivan holds together, of course.