Installing Main Concept Reference

Before you get started with this application note, you'll need to have the Main Concept Reference software installed on your computer. Currently, Main Concept has versions of Reference available for both Mac and PC. If you do not already have this software, you should first download and install Reference from the Main Concept Website:

Download Main Concept Reference

 

Installing the Alcorn McBride Presets

To make encoding with Main Concept Reference even easier, we have created presets for our various video products. These presets are contained in files that can be downloaded using the links at the top-right corner of this page. Before moving on, please download the preset file for your Alcorn McBride product:

DVM-7400 - MCR_DVM7400.ZIP
Video Binloop - MCR_BINLOOP.ZIP
Digital Binloop - MCR_BINLOOP.ZIP
DVM-8400 - MCR_DVM8400.ZIP
Digital Binloop HD - MCR_BINLOOPHD.ZIP
DVM/HD - MCR_DVMHD.ZIP

Once you have download the correct file, you must extract the zip file to your computer. Inside this ZIP file you will see two MCS preset files for Main Concept Reference. One contains presets for PAL video formats and the other contains presets for NTSC video formats. You must choose the appropriate file based on the video format used in your project and then import that MCS file into Reference using the Preset Manager. To do this, launch Reference and then select Windows-->Preset Manager... from the menu.

When the Preset Manager is open, click on the Import button and then select the Alcorn McBride preset file you downloaded earlier. Once you have done this, you will see new presets appear in the Preset Manager. Click on the Close button to return to the main screen.

Selecting a Preset

Now that you have loaded our presets into Reference, you are ready to use them to encode a video file for your Alcorn McBride video player. The Output section at the bottom-right corner of the Reference software has a box for selecting a preset. Click this box and browse all the way to the bottom of the preset list to the Custom section. This is where you will find the Alcorn McBride presets highlighted in red.

Custom Preset List

The first thing you'll notice is that your product has several presets to choose from. Any of these presets will work, but some may be more ideal for your video. For example, say your source video uses a PAL framerate (25FPS). You could select an NTSC preset and Reference will convert your source video to an NTSC format (29.97FPS). However, if your intention is to play the encoded clip at it's native PAL framerate on one of our products, this would be a very poor choice!

Depending on the product, there may be other considerations as well. For our High-Definition players, you may want to pick a specific HD video format (i.e. 1080i or 720p) and/or codec (MPEG-2 or H264). Our HD video players also support file types that do not require audio, so there are presets available for creating clips without audio as well.

Selecting Video and Audio Sources

Once you have selected a preset, the next step is to select the video and audio sources you are going to encode. To add a source file, click on the Open Media icon or select File-->Open Media... from the program menu. Select your source media file, and then click the Open button.

Example - Combined Video and Audio Source

Example - Seperate Video and Audio Sources

Your media file should now appear in the Input list. Information about the contents of this media file will be visible in the Input list. If this file contains video, audio, or both, this will be clearly indicated. You'll also notice that each video and/or audio track in your media file has a checkbox next to it. This checkbox is used to select whether or not you want to include that video/audio track in your final output file.

At this point, be aware that the preset you have selected may require an audio track. Some products (such as the DVM-7400 and Video Binloop) always require audio, so audio may be a requirement of every preset. If audio is described in the preset name, THIS MEANS YOU MUST PROVIDE AN AUDIO SOURCE!!! This applies even if your application does not require audio. If you find yourself in this situation, you must generate a blank audio track (WAV, AIF, MP3, etc.) that is identical in length to the video source and add it as an audio input for Reference.

That being said, you must select the tracks that are required by the preset. If the preset requires only video, make sure you only have 1 video track selected. If the preset requires video and audio, make sure that 1 video track and 1 audio track are selected. Again, if your preset requires an audio track and you don't see one in the input list, you're not finished! You must add another media file containing audio and then select that track.

Encoding the Video

You're almost ready, but before you start the encoding process you must first choost a path and location to put the encoded file. This is done using the Browse for Output File icon at the bottom of the Output section of reference. If you don't like the default path and filename, click on the icon and choose a new one.

Output Filename Box

Now is a good time to double-check a few things:

1. Make sure the preset you have selected is for the correct Alcorn McBride product.

2. Determine whether the preset you have chosen needs video-only, or video and audio.

3. If the preset needs video-only, verify that 1 video track has been selected in the Input list, and 0 audio tracks are selected.

4. If the preset needs video and audio, verify that 1 video track and 1 audio track have been selected in the Input list.

5. Verify the output filename and path so you know where to look when the encoding process is finished.

Now, click the Start Transcoding icon or select Transcode-->Start Transcoding from the menu. When the encoding is complete, you will have a file that is playable on your Alcorn McBride product. The only thing left to do is make sure the encoded file is named properly for your Alcorn McBride video player. Each player is a little different in this regard, so be sure to refer to the file naming information for your specific product.

File Naming - DVM-7400, Video Binloop, and Digital Binloop

These products only play one type of video file; a Standard-Definition MPEG-2 Program Stream (PS) with video and audio. The filename must always have the 3-digit file extension of .MPG. If you are responsible for actually loading this video into one of these products, there are some other considerations regarding file naming that you should be aware of. For more information on this file naming as well as instructions on how to load the video file onto the product, it's best to consult the User's Guide for the product.

File Naming - DVM-8400 and Digital Binloop HD

These are our High-Definition products, and they support several different video formats. If you used one of the Transport Stream (TS) presets to create the video, the filename must have the 3-digit file extension of .MPG. The Elementary Stream (ES) presets can create 3 different types of video files, which each require a special extension. Those extensions are as follows:

MPEG2 ES = .M2V
H264 ES = .H264
VC-1 ES = .VC1

If you are responsible for actually loading this video into the video player, there are some other considerations regarding file naming that you should be aware of. For more information on this file naming as well as instruction on how to load the video file onto the product, it's best to consult the User's Guide for the product.