ProRes vs MP4

I read that customers prefer ProRes format. I dont know if its true or not, but i have tried converting video shot on a Sony A7R4 in MP4 , 4k, into a MOV in ProRes 444, , using Premier Pro. The video comes out choppy. I tried using different media players to view it and they are all the same. Its a newer computer with Ram memory to spare. Pretty frustrating. So- do customers really prefer ProRes and any ideas why the video is choppy? Any help is appreciated

Have you tried the VLC media player?

Yes, I tried that one

OK - More details on the footage and workflow might help provide clues why it's choppy on playback.

There is a previous thread in this forum on what buyers prefer for a licensed clip's codec. There was no clear consensus and a query to P5 didn't clarify the question.

Workflows using Pro Res on Apple hardware and DNxHR on Windows are frequently used. However, clip file sizes can become huge with either. Looking at codecs on uploaded P5 clips show a great many being H.264 and with 4K H.265 is sometimes used.

However, clip content is the overwhelming factor for buyers regardless of codec.

Thanks for your help. After checking the codecs, reprocessing etc I concluded that it had to be a driver issue. I updated the graphics card driver. No help. It turned out to be the Monitor driver! ProRes running smoothly now.

Hi straublund, i came late here..
Anyway among other cams I use the Sony A7R4 too. Normally i go for H.264 to 4K video or 8K/10K Timelapses with DNxHR.
If you are using premiere pro here are my video settings in the export:
- put check in box for render at max depth
- put check in box use max render quality
- hardware encoding
- bitrate encoding in CBR (avoid VBR 1 or 2)
- Target bitrate at max (in 4K is 240MBps/ 10K is 2000 MBps)

I used to use ProRes formats but the file sizes are gigantic.
This translates to longer download time, higher storage costs to buyers/editors.

The biggest problem though, is CH..CH..CHOPPY playback, both on Pond5 sometimes, and after a buyer has downloaded the clip. And of course the playback is choppy, because the file size is huge. This is when you get complaints sometimes that your video file is broken.

If you're an editor putting together a documentary that's 45 minutes long and you have 8 hours of footage/B-roll, you really don't want that to take up a 12 TB NAS for a single project. Plus your video editor stutters as you try to playback in the dock, making it tough to time audio cuts, etc.

No, I think H.264 is just fine.. great detail, smooth playback, greatly reduced file size.

And so now I upload exclusively H.264.. and nobody has complained to me about "broken" clips ever since.

I used to only upload in H.264, but now I usually use DNxHR (non-Apple equivalent as I can't do ProRes). The way I see it is that the buyer then has more wiggle room with adjustments to make it fit the rest of their project, plus benefits of 10 or 12 bit colour. If they need a smaller file, they could always make adjustments, convert to a lossy format then delete the original.

Also with Pond5, if you upload 4K video then the HD version Pond5 creates is still H.264, and as most my sales are HD, there's no difference to the customer. They'll still have a higher quality 4K original though if they want to use it and make some adjustments. I wonder if a customer would be able to pay for an HD license, but download the 4K version just to get the higher quality, then convert the result to HD for their use? I don't know.

If I upload HD only files, which sometimes I do, they do appear as DNxHR to the customer, but those files are much smaller than 4K versions of course and to a customer video editing, surely their system can handle it.

The only downside is the download time for the customer, but I doubt that would bother them much with Internet speeds as they are these days. It takes longer for me to upload but it's fast enough not to be a problem.

I've used H.264, H.265, DNxHR for my P5 uploads in the past.

Read and considered many of the P5 forum threads and other info regarding the "best" codec for footage uploading. Pluses/minuses with all.

So I used DNxHR for some time - until it's gigantic file sizes, longer upload times, etc. became cumbersome.

So decided to reconsider the issue and as a result I've gone back to H.265/HEVC for my footage. Smaller file sizes and less storage, better for 4K+, 10 bit, better compression, etc.

Buyers purchase footage for it's content. Those that prefer something other than H.265 should have no problem transcoding to their desired codec.

Looks like it won't be too long before H.266/VVC could become a consideration.