Introduction

Revised: 2008-03-22 richard

Introduction

Podcast Producer uses plist files to encode media using specific settings. The encoding files are located in the directory...

/System/Library/PodcastProducer/Encodings

And include the following encoding files...

encode_3gpp_mobile_mp4_hint_server.plist
encode_3gpp_mobile_mp4_hint.plist
encode_3gpp_mobile_mp4.plist
encode_3gpp_release_5_hint_server.plist
encode_3gpp_release_5_hint.plist
encode_3gpp_release_5.plist
encode_3gpp2_ezmovie.plist
encode_3gpp2_release_A_hint_server.plist
encode_3gpp2_release_A_hint.plist
encode_3gpp2_release_A.plist
encode_amc_ezmovie.plist
encode_appletv.plist
encode_avi_1cd.plist
encode_avi_2cd.plist
encode_avi.plist
encode_h264_hint_server.plist
encode_h264_hint.plist
encode_h264.plist
encode_iphone_cellular.plist
encode_iphone.plist
encode_ipod.plist
encode_mp4_audio_high.plist
encode_mp4_audio_low.plist
encode_mp4_high.plist
encode_mp4_lan.plist
encode_mp4_low_stream.plist
encode_mp4_low.plist
encode_mp4_medium_stream.plist
encode_mp4_medium.plist

If you open the plist files with a plist editor or text editor, you want get much information about what settings the encodings is using because a large chunk of the file is encrypted.

For example, this is how the "encode_3gpp_mobile_mp4_hint_server.plist" file appears in a text or plist editor.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>atomContainerData</key>
    <data>
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    AAAAACJzcHRsAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAbXA0dgAAAAAAGAAAAwAAAAAgdHBybAAAAAEAAAAA
    AAAAAAAAAwAADwAAAAAAGAAAACRkcmF0AAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAfQAAAAAAAAAMAAAAD
    AAAAABVtcHNvAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABhtZnJhAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABhw
    c2ZyAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABViZnJhAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABZtcGVzAAAA
    AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAoaGFyZAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
    AAAAFmVuZHMAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABZjZmxnAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAEQAAAAUY2x1
    dAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAABx2ZXJzAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAMAHAAAAAAAAAAYd2R0aAAA
    AAEAAAAAAAAAAACwAAAAAAAYaGVndAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAACQAAAAAABcaXNpegAAAAEA
    AAADAAAAAAAAABhpd2R0AAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAsAAAABhpaGd0AAAAAQAAAAAAAAAA
    AAAAkAAAABhzY2FtAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAbGV0dAAAECFzb3VuAAAAAQAAAAcAAAAAAAAP
    UmF1ZGkAAAABAAAABgAAAAAAAAA8b3NiZAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAEC/QAAAAAAAc2FtcgAA
    AAAAAACgAAADIAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAA6ZY2RzdAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAADw/eG1s
    IHZlcnNpb249IjEuMCIgZW5jb2Rpbmc9IlVURi04Ij8+CjwhRE9DVFlQRSBwbGlzdCBQ
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    MjwvaW50ZWdlcj4KCQkJPC9kaWN0PgoJCTwvYXJyYXk+CgkJPGtleT52ZXJzaW9uPC9r
    ZXk+CgkJPGludGVnZXI+MDwvaW50ZWdlcj4KCTwvZGljdD4KCTxkaWN0PgoJCTxrZXk+
    Y29udmVydGVyPC9rZXk+CgkJPHN0cmluZz5Db2RlY0NvbnZlcnRlcjwvc3RyaW5nPgoJ
    CTxrZXk+bmFtZTwva2V5PgoJCTxzdHJpbmc+QU1SIEVuY29kZXI8L3N0cmluZz4KCQk8
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    ZXk+CgkJCQk8aW50ZWdlcj43PC9pbnRlZ2VyPgoJCQkJPGtleT5oaW50PC9rZXk+CgkJ
    CQk8aW50ZWdlcj4wPC9pbnRlZ2VyPgoJCQkJPGtleT5rZXk8L2tleT4KCQkJCTxzdHJp
    bmc+Qml0IFJhdGU8L3N0cmluZz4KCQkJCTxrZXk+bmFtZTwva2V5PgoJCQkJPHN0cmlu
    Zz5CaXQgUmF0ZTwvc3RyaW5nPgoJCQkJPGtleT5zdW1tYXJ5PC9rZXk+CgkJCQk8c3Ry
    aW5nPlRoZSBiaXQgcmF0ZSBvZiB0aGUgQU1SIHByb2R1Y2VkIGJ5IHRoZSBlbmNvZGVy
    PC9zdHJpbmc+CgkJCQk8a2V5PnVuaXQ8L2tleT4KCQkJCTxzdHJpbmc+YnBzPC9zdHJp
    bmc+CgkJCQk8a2V5PnZhbHVlIHR5cGU8L2tleT4KCQkJCTxpbnRlZ2VyPjIyPC9pbnRl
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    dDwva2V5PgoJCQkJPGludGVnZXI+MDwvaW50ZWdlcj4KCQkJCTxrZXk+a2V5PC9rZXk+
    CgkJCQk8c3RyaW5nPkZyYW1lcyBQZXIgUGFja2V0PC9zdHJpbmc+CgkJCQk8a2V5Pm5h
    bWU8L2tleT4KCQkJCTxzdHJpbmc+RnJhbWVzIFBlciBQYWNrZXQ8L3N0cmluZz4KCQkJ
    CTxrZXk+c3VtbWFyeTwva2V5PgoJCQkJPHN0cmluZz5UaGUgZnJhbWVzIHBlciBwYWNr
    ZXQgb2YgdGhlIGVuY29kZWQgQU1SIGJpdHN0cmVhbTwvc3RyaW5nPgoJCQkJPGtleT52
    YWx1ZSB0eXBlPC9rZXk+CgkJCQk8aW50ZWdlcj4yMjwvaW50ZWdlcj4KCQkJPC9kaWN0
    PgoJCTwvYXJyYXk+Cgk8L2RpY3Q+CjwvYXJyYXk+CjwvcGxpc3Q+CgAAACBjbGF5AAAA
    AQAAAAAAAAAAAGQAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFXJlY28AAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHFsdHkA
    AAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAHHZlcnMAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAwAVAAAAAAAAABhzc2N0
    AAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAc2FtcgAAABhzc3J0AAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAH0AAAAAAABZzc3NzAAAA
    AQAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAWc3NjYwAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAQ2NkZWMAAAABAAAAAAAA
    AAAAAAAMZnJtYXNhbXIAAAAKZW5kYQAAAAAAEXNhbXJhcHBsAQCAAAUAAAAIAAAAAAAA
    ABx2ZXJzAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAMAFAAAAAAAAAAYZnR5cAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAG1tcDQA
    AAAYZW52aQAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAHBybzAAAAAYZW5zbwAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAGFtciAAAAAY
    ZW50eAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAHR4M2cAAAAYY29uZgAAAAEAAAAAAAAAADNHUFAAAAAYYXJh
    dAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAL6gAAAAYY2hhbgAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAAAYYWZydAAA
    AAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUAAAAYYXNydAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAB9AAAAAAAAYYXFsdAAAAAEA
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAGAAAAAYYmFzZQAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAYdHhlbgAAAAEAAAAA
    AAAAAAAAAAIAAAAWcnR4dAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGhpbnQAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAA
    AAADAAAAGHBzaXoAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWqAAAAGHBkdXIAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAABk
    AAAAGHJzbWsAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFmRkcm0AAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERk
    ZXh0AAAAAQAAAAIAAAAAAAAAGGRtb2QAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGRybWYAAAAB
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
    </data>
    <key>componentManufacturer</key>
    <string>appl</string>
    <key>componentSubtype</key>
    <string>3gpp</string>
    <key>componentType</key>
    <string>spit</string>
</dict>
</plist>

PCP Encodings Editor

There is a utility called, PCP Encodings Editor that allows you to read and edit the Podcast Producer encodings settings. This utility was written by King Chung Huang off the University of Calgary.

You can download it from here...

    http://www.maclearning.org/2008/02/PCP_Encodings_Editor_0_1.zip

To test custom encodings, you can use the pcastaction command.

pcastaction encode --basedir=/path/to/directory -- input=my_input_video.mp4 --output=my_output_video.mp4 -- encoder=my_custom_encoder