any word or predictions on hdv editing improvments in the next version of vegas

[Jerry Waters]

I’ve been shooting a feature length project with my Z1 and a friend’s FX1. Here is what I’ve learned. Basically, there are about 3 levels of handling the stream from an HDV camera. You don’t really want to edit an m2t file directly. It can be done but isn’t easy. Why? Because of the compression, frames that don’t have full data and the software having to handle it. M2t degrades badly if you have to reedit. This brings us to the lowest level of handling HDV — capturing the m2t file, creating proxies to edit and then substituting the originals for the proxies before rendering. Lowest form – worst idea — do this if you have a slow computer and can’t spend any money.

Level 2 is using CineForm’s “Connect HD” for Vegas – the best $199 I ever spent.

Vegas isn’t that good at capturing and has no scene detection. Go to CineForm (cineform.com) and get the trial version of Connect HD for use with Vegas. If you tried it the first way, you’ll think you died and went to heaven. CineForm captures the stream from the camera as a simple stand alone program. If your computer is real fast, it will convert on the fly to a great editable InterVideo Media File that Vegas edits easily – no proxy files. If your computer isn’t fast enough, just capture the m2t string as a file and then go to the “Convert” tab and it will convett the m2t to the editable files.

In the conversion process (in either of those cases) CineForm will scene detect. This means you can start capturing a tape, go do something else and come back to find one long m2t file. Then you convert and CineForm will break that m2t file down into a bunch a little files, one for each time you hit the record button.

There is almost no degredation with the CineForm codec. They say it is superior to the one CineForm licensed to Vegas.

Level 3 gets into using special cards like Decklink HD (about $600) or AJA Xena-LH. The first card is for Vegas now and also produces editable files, another codec, supposedly very good but I haven’t tried it. If you want to go 10bit, you have to leave Vegas but I imagine Vegas will be there soon (any big announcements at NAB?). Premiere will do 10bit now with the Xena card ($1,700) but you need a high end computer and the CineForm package goes up from $199 to $2k.

If you want to do some catching up fast, start reading everything on the CineForm site. I’m sticking with Vegas as long as I can. Premiere may handle 10 bit but my impression is you have to buy a plugin for almost everything you want in Premiere and it is already included in Vegas.

Hope this helps. It would have helped me a few months ago.