Encoding Tools Product Review

Discreet Cleaner XL For Windows (BETA), $599
It's symbolic more than serious, but Cleaner XL's new interface doesn't have any big "Go" button to start compressing. Sure, the old "Play" arrow of Cleaners past that used to start a batch compression was a bit odd, but at least it was a visual aid for learning the Cleaner interface and how to compress. Cleaner XL makes no such concession to novices, and that's a good hint at what's to come in this new design. And perhaps it's right that an effective sixth version would take a serious turn, especially where successful streaming and digital distribution in today's climate demands a serious nod toward efficiency, if not straight return on investment.

Cleaner XL is organized by "Jobs." Indeed, the main interface is really an individual Job window into which you add one or more source files that share an "Input Profile"; for example, "NTSC 4x3 Interlaced Bottom Field First." If you have source files with different Input Profiles, you can open a second Job window. Below the source files area, each Job window has a list of Output Profiles, or compressing parameter presets, which you simply check off to add to the Job's output. Naturally, you can edit or add these Output Profiles, but each time you do the result will be saved as a future Output Profile. You'll want to save copies of existing Output Profiles rather than tweaking them, because the changes are always saved.

These "adding to Jobs" and "saving Profiles" routines can be kind of annoying if, like us during testing, you just want to experiment with setting and see the result. What's more, you can't start any Job without saving it first and there will be times when that "OK" window can be exasperating. On the other hand, Jobs are a potentially helpful record of work for larger organizations and contain data and timing information that may have some value for quality control. And in the big picture of everyday work and workflow, once you've set up common Input Profiles and a number of Output Profile settings, Cleaner XL will really start to show its mettle as processing encoding Jobs becomes highly automated. Add a file, check boxes, and go. It's hard to beat for automation.

You can also save Job Templates, which contain regularly used ready-to-go sets of Output Profiles, Video Filters, and Output Destinations. And since Job Templates are XML files, like Cleaner Presets of old, they can be shared between collaborating partners in the same workplace or across the Internet. You can also automate Job processing by creating Watch Folders that pre-assign Job settings to a desktop folder. Drop a source file in and Cleaner XL can immediately set to work encoding.

The engine that ultimately drives Watch Folders and Job processing is the Job Queue. Ctrl+R (or Encode Now from the Job menu) will set a Job encoding immediately, but that command is really just an accelerated way of moving a Job into another processing queue window and hitting "run." It's in the Job Queue that larger organizations can set Job priorities and monitor pending and completed Jobs submitted from around an organization. The Job Queue constantly monitors pre-submitted Watch Folders for any newly added files and processes them either in order of submission or by assigned priority.

What about just compressing files? The old filter capabilities are all still there, and Discreet has added new ones like color correction Curves, more parameters for noise reduction filters, and ability to save filter presets separate from encoding parameter presets. There are also new audio options like a very cool Parametric EQ.

And visualization? You still have Cleaner's trademark "before and after" split-screen slider, but also now a before and after toggle to see a full-screen comparison. And get this, there's a new short duration PRE-preview that gives you a fully-encoded, full-motion look at what effect your settings will have without ever starting the full encode. Old-time tweakers should love that, and you can even watch it in Loop mode!

While Job windows offer a fast overview of Output Profiles by name, there are no handy tabs of old through which you can toggle to double-check settings before starting an encode. With Cleaner XL, you must do a lot of opening and closing of windows if you have any doubt about your settings. But that ultimately goes back to much the same idea of no big Encode button. The wonderful new preview functions notwithstanding, Cleaner XL is at its best after the initial set-up of commonly used parameter and presets. In other words, Cleaner XL is turbo-charged for efficiency and really shows it when you can move it into fifth gear and go.

Finally, the price is amazing, especially as Cleaner XL moves toward AnyStream and Telestream functionality. Throw out that Cleaner Central node pricing that was in the thousands. The price of industrial-strength Cleaner XL is the same as it was for the desktop-centric Cleaner 5.1, but with far richer capabilities for workgroups and automation. Discreet hopes you'll buy several copies, and if you're a larger organization, you probably should.

Next Page: Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite