can Vegas open mp4 files?

[Mike Kujbida]

Since it’s going to DVD, the only render choice you have is MPEG-2.
Try the DVD Architect PAL Widescreen video stream MPEG-2 template.
Make sure to select the Stretch video to fill output frame size (do not letterbox) option on the first screen that comes up.
If your total video is under 75 min. long, click the Custom, select Best in the Video rendering quality box, clcik the Video tab, select Constant Bit Rate, change this value to 8,000,000 and click OK.
This takes care of the video.
For the audio, use the Dolby Digital AC-3 Pro option. The default setting is fine here.
Make sure both audio and video have the same name (i.e. mybideo.mpg and myvideo.ac3) and go to the same folder.
That way, when you load the video file into DVD Architect, the audio will automatically follow it.
Hopefully this will work for you.
Good luck with it.

[Ernesto Marani]

Hi Mike,

First of all thank you for all your help with my other questions.

A question regarding chroma key in Vegas Pro 9.0:
In a one minute clip that has chroma key in many parts, I deactivated the chroma key. Suddenly, the chroma key disappeared in all Vegas projects of this clip (previous versions I made).
I can’t activate it back, can you please help me
Thank you
Ernesto

[Ernesto Marani]

Hi Mike,

This continues my previous post on “chroma key problem”.
Now I see that I can’t also activate the “tv simulator” effect.
This sounds like a general problem with effects.
Looks like I accidentally disabled something, what do you think?
Thanks

[Ernesto Marani]

Hi Mike,
First of all, thanks so much for helping me with the format, I did the MPEG-2 and it worked smoothly into DVD Architect producing a very nice DVD (2 DVD´s of 1 hour each, so I could get the quality as per your recommendation)!

This week I was requested to transform the output into .flv so it can be uploaded to a website. They requested it to be around 700 mb. Now, the original MPEG-2 in Vegas is around 5 GB, and using the erightsoft´s Super converter it got compressed into 2 GB. Still very large. Is there a way in Vegas that I can render the same file so it´s not so big, and that way, once I compress it I got it around 700 mb?

Thanks a lot
Ernesto

[Mike Kujbida]

Ernesto, I’m very glad to hear that things worked out well for you.
I’ve never done any flv work so I can’t help you out with that.
I’d recommend starting a new thread about dong this here or in the other Vegas forum as I’m sure others have done this and can offer some suggestions.

[Ernesto Marani]

OK, thank you anyway!

Still regarding Vegas: Is there a way to export as 480×270, 16:9? (That´s the format I need to put into the flv compressor)

[Mike Kujbida]

Ernesto, it’s certainly possible but what codec do you need to give to flv for conversion purposes (i.e. AVI, WMV, etc.)?

[Ernesto Marani]

Mike, I just know the converter uses the H264 codec when encoding to flv

[Ernesto Marani]

Dear Mike,

I did as you suggested:
If your total video is under 75 min. long, click the Custom, select Best in the Video rendering quality box, clcik the Video tab, select Constant Bit Rate, change this value to 8,000,000 and click OK.
This takes care of the video.
and I thank you so much, it worked great.

Now I have a project which is 93 minutes long, weighing 5.1GB and DVD Architect says it’s too large (I have used the same parameters as above). I reduced the Bit Rate in Architect down to 4000, and still says it’s too large. Is there anything I can do in Architect to avoid rendering all over again? If not, would you please kindly suggest how to render it? Will quality decrease seriously while changing the settings?

Thanks a lot again,
Ernesto

[Mike Kujbida]

“and I thank you so much, it worked great.”

Great news Ernesto!!

…DVD Architect says it’s too large…

Be advised that DVDA has a long history of not reading file sizes properly 🙁
If you’ve checked the total (mpg & ac-3) files and found that the combination of the two is under the allowable limit, then tell it to go ahead and do it anyway.
What happens is that it proceeds without any more problems 🙂

I reduced the Bit Rate in Architect down to 4000…

That’s far too low.
Any time my projects are over 70 min. long I use VBR (Variable Bit Rate) settings based on this bitrate calculator and it hasn’t failed me yet.
https://www.johncline.com/bitcalc110.zip

93 min. with this calculator gives me a VBR of 7640 / 6112 / 3664 (Max. / Avg. / Min.).

Two cautions for you.
#1. Even if the Max is over 8000, stick to this value as it may cause problems with cheap blank media or cheap DVD players.
#2. I set the Safety Margin to 5% from the default 1% as it gives me added protection.