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How to handle HD footage?
Hi. I am very new to digital movie making altogether, but I am learning more each day. I recently purchased a Canon HV30 camcorder and accidently shot a christmas play in HD. I mean accidently because my computer can work with HD, but very slowly. I have been trying to downconvert the file to another format, instead of the .m2t file or whatever it is. I am just now learning about codecs (I guess these are the different file formats, and different ones have unique capabilities?), either way I have read that the mpeg2 codec is ideal for DVD creation. I plan on editing the file in Vegas 9.0 Platinum Pro and burning some DVDs. I converted the HD .m2t file to an mpeg2 file with Any Video Converter software and began editing for 4 hours in Vegas. Then I noticed the audio and video were out of sync by about 1 or 2 seconds. I had to start all over. I checked the mpeg2 file outside of Vegas in VLC Player and noticed that the audio and video were off before it ever went to Vegas. I tried to convert the HD to AVI, and dragged it to the timeline. The video and audio tracks appeared, but only the video would play. I must be losing my mind. I desperately need some help, I am overwhelmed with this video stuff, and I feel like I am going to go crazy. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I apologize for such a lenghtly entry, I just wanted to try and be specific. Thanks again.
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11 Replies
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Hi Josh,
I don’t have any Canon video cameras, however I do have several Sony’s. They allow for downconverting straight from the camera so that way the footage you are getting through capture is already standard definition. You may want to check your camera and see if it has that option as well.
I also don’t have any of the consumer versions of Vegas so this may or may not be true, but under Avi, see if there are any options for Cineform or intermediary. This is an avi intermediary file that is easier on the editing machine but takes up more space on the hard drive.
And again, this may not work as the consumer version may not support scripting, but you could go to http://www.vasst.com and download gearshift. It will allow you to make proxy files for editing (easy on the computer) and then replace those files with the high definition version right before rendering so you get the optimal quality for your output.
I hope this helps you. If none of these options are available for you, let us know and maybe we can help you out by offering some other ideas. What avi format/template did you select?
j razz
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Thanks so much for the response. I did try to capture from the HV30 to Vegas and have the camera output in standard definition. It worked, but the video was output as an AVI. I did not see an option on the camera or in Vegas as to which format the capture could be output as. It seems it was output as an AVI by default. Vegas just prompts me to capture as DV or HDV, and that is about it.
As far as the Gearshift software. I am not too sure of what a “proxy” file is (I’m new to this video stuff). It sounds like it is a file I can use a replacement when editing my video, to make the editing easier, then swap the HD version back in after editing before I render, and the HD video will take the place of the proxy file. Is that it? The only thing I am afraid of is that if I swap the HD file back in, the rendered video will be too large to fit on my DVD, or the HD files wil begin to fill my external hardrive very quickly. I think the HD file of the christmas play I videoed ended up being about 9GB. How will that fit on a DVD? I know I have alot of questions, but I really appreciate your patience and willingness to help a beginner in need of help. Thanks again.
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The HV30 will downconvert to DV.avi which IS THE FORMAT you want for editing. Just take those files into Vegas and do your editing. Once your project is edited as you like it then render it as MPEG2 so you can make a DVD (If that is your object)DVD has to be MPEG2.
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Thanks for your suggestion Terry. I had a little trouble with an AVI file earlier in Vegas, but I will try what you said to see if I have any success.
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Ok. I tried what Terry said. I just captured a minute or two of thevideo instead of the whole thing to see how the AVI file would do in Vegas. The files did output from the HV30 as AVI files, and when dropped into Vegas both the video and audio appeared in their tracks. However, the video played, but the audio was silent. I can see the audio in the track, but I cannot hear it. I checked my speakers and they are fine. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again so much.
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Hey, Josh, I see your frustration but take a deep breath…is gonna be all right. The camera comes with its own software which lets you save the m2t files and then import them in either Vegas or Premiere Pro CS4, for example and do your editing. If you want to downsize to SD you can do it. It will save the clip as mpeg2 (which allows you to import and hear the audio — AVI will not import audio –) If you solved your problem good…if not you can write back.
Be cool -
Thanks Fabio. I will try this out in the next few days if I can and see if it helps. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thanks alot.
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Is Gearshift still needed to get proxies working on Vegas 9 (Platinum)? Does it actually work with the new version (they only list it working with upto Vegas 8 on their site)…
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Vegas 9 is a “Movie Studio” version. The current Pro version is still at 8. Scripts don’t work with the Movie Studio versions.
Edward Troxel
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OK, thanks.
I was looking at Platinum, but looking more closely, only 4 video tracks, unnecessary destructive rendering, and the masking differences are a deal breaker for me, so I think I’ll be going pro after all.
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