Pro Editing @ Home

by Kevin P McAuliffe
February 6, 2009

For editors who purchase editing "bundles" like Final Cut Studio 2 or Adobe's Master Collection CS4, we normally have access to not only editing tools but a program like Compressor 3 or Adobe's Media Encoder CS4 that let us take files, and flip them over to other formats like MPEG2 for DVD, H264 for the web, Flash or even to other editing codecs (Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2, DVCProHD, etc). So why would an editor, or web designer need a program like Episode Pro? Let's find out!

INSTALLATION

I have to say that I was very surprised by how easy the installation was. Once you have direct-downloaded your purchased software and unzipped it, it's a simple drag and drop into the "Applications" folder, and you are all set to go!

In all, it should take you longer to install the plug-in for Compressor than it will to actually install EP, so be ready to start encoding in about five minutes. I also want to mention that EP has a free demo version of the software that's only limitation is that you have a thirty second or half the length of your clip encode limit.

WHAT YOU GET AND HOW IT WORKS

EP is the "father" of Telestream's desktop encoding applications, and with it, you not only have access to formats that you might not be familiar with, but you have also opened yourself to a huge selling feature of EP, and that is choice. For me, choice is the big selling feature of EP, but we'll get to that in a second. With EP here's what you get as far as formats go.

Now, you might look at that list and think that it is not a lot, but within that list, you have covered your ground as far as the Web, Mobile, DVD/Blu-ray, Apple products (iPod, iPhone, AppleTV), Audio and Broadcast formats(including IPTV/VOD). Can you think of one other type of format you would need to encode for? Depending on what you are doing, you can even use EP to flip files over for a project you might be working on in Final Cut Pro. You really have all your bases covered, and that is what is important.

When you first launch EP, you will be asked if you would like to view a tutorial on how EP works, which is always a good place to start. If you're like me, and just want to jump in head first and start working, you can always see the tutorial at a later time by accessing it through the HELP drop down.

Now, take a file that you want to convert to another format, drag and drop it into the EP "Job Batch" Window (you can't miss it, it's the one that says "Drag Source Files Here"), select a template, drag it onto your clip, select an output destination, and that's it. Click the "Start Encoding" button at the bottom of the window (which looks like a "Play" button), sit back and wait for your process to be finished!

In a nutshell, it's just that simple. Of course, you have complete control over any setting you choose, and modifying them is simple. Once you have dragged your clip into EP's batch window, and applied a setting, you can simply double click on the chosen setting, and tweak the settings so that they are exactly what you want.

Of course, I just talked about how quick and easy it is to fire off a one time export from EP without really having to think about it, but how many of us really work like that. Most of us have our output settings down to a science, and we want to make every possible minor adjustment we can to get the best looking encodes out of our software. That's where EP really shines. Besides the "usual" formats (i.e. - QuickTime, MPEG, etc), EP opens up your projects to a whole new world of formats that until now, you really haven't had access to unless you are working on Windows, or had to pay to use. Along with the "usuals", you also have access to Windows Media (yes, on the Mac via Flip for Mac that is integrated into EP), Real, Flash, AVI, as well as tons of different transport streams.

Using Windows Media as an example, I not only have access the basic parameters I might need to change (i.e. - picture size, bit rate, fps, etc), but in the video section alone I have the ability to adjust over twenty different parameters, and that's just video only.

Once you have the setting just the way you want it, you can simply click on the "disc" icon, save your preset, and it's now at your fingertips whenever you need it. You can even take the setting and e-mail it to a colleague or friend if you needed to.

Along with the simple to use encoding interface, you can create watch folders so that EP is ready and waiting for files to appear in location(s) that you specify. There are so many other great features like Bumpers & Trailers (add movies to the start and end of your encodes), Picture-in-Picture (add bugs/watermarks as animations, pictures or movies), Closed Caption, Metadata and Alpha Channel support and Frame-rate conversion just to name a few.

One last thing that I want to mention is that for all you Final Cut Studio users out there, Episode Pro comes with a plug-in for Compressor 3 that gives you access to all of EP's encoding formats from within Compressor. Make sure you install it from within the "Extra's" folder when you install EP. Want to see how it works? Click here for a video tutorial, and see it in action.

VALUE FOR YOUR DOLLAR

Now, most people might think that $999 is a bit expensive for a program that you might think you have an equivalent of in Final Cut Studio 2, Sorenson Squeeze or Adobe's Master Collection CS4, but you are wrong! First of all, as I said earlier, you are getting just about every possible encoding format on the market as well as all the functionality of Flip4Mac HD Studio (Windows Media File creation and playback on the Mac) included in EP. Keep in mind that Flip for Mac HD Studio is a $179 US value, and secondly, in todays market, discounts are important. By picking up EP, there will be no saying to clients "Sorry, we can't do that format.", and that is what is important. Making yourself even more marketable to win business from the higher end post houses. Also, by purchasing the Pro version of Episode, you get almost five hours of training from the great trainers over at Class on Demand. This disc is valued at $99, which is an added bonus, and will help you master the ins and outs of the program.

PROS

- Easy to install, easy to use, easy to tweak the settings to exactly what you want
- Almost every possible encoding format you could ever need
- Five hours of training included ($99 value)
- Finding encoding settings by "Format" or "Workflow" is very, very handy
- Episode & Episode Pro are now available for Mac AND Windows

CONS

- Many users might overlook, because they think they "have it" already
- Why have a regular version?

Purchase Recommendation : Buy it!

In the end, I think Episode Pro is going to be my new encoding program of choice, and although $999 US might seem expensive for some, the discounts, add-ons (DVD training, integration of F4M HD Studio), and the amount of choice you get, make's Episode Pro worth it. The ease of use, coupled with the extensive features, and excellent looking encodes, makes the a must have for content creators working on web, DVD or broadcast content. If you are interested in trying a free demo of Episode Pro, click here!

Episode Pro