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Cannot render MP4 SD files better than 10Mbps?????
I shoot DVCPRO, then render 720×480 29.97p AVC/MP4 files at the highest possible settings in Movie Studio 12, but whatever settings I select, the finished file is always an average of 8-10Mbps. This problem results in blurry/fuzzy video, which is embarrassing because I shoot broadcast news, and I have to see my work air this way daily.
I am posting this inquiry because the other day, I happened to be air-checking some video, and WOW, one story looked really good, very sharp and crisp like original video instead of my crappy MP4 stuff. I even had a friend email me to ask about what I did for that story. I checked my distributed MP4 file, and the properties detail said it was 20Mbps. Well, double the bitrate would explain why it was double the quality!
I have a template set for 16Mbps, which got stuck that way, and Sony won’t let me save a new template so I always go into the custom box, and select 26Mbps manually, but the files usually come out as 8Mbps, sometimes I get lucky and get 10Mbps. I didn’t do anything different and ended up with that one 20Mbps file, and I want to know how to reliably get this high quality version every time. Why when I select 16, 20, 26 etc, do I always get such low bitrate renders…..I know higher is possible, because the darn program spit that one beautiful file out the other day!
Please help, I really care about how my footage looks, even if it is only standard def.
Paul
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7 Replies
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Are you using the MainConcept AVC encoder or the Sony AVC encoder? You will get higher bit rates with MainConcept.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
I think I fixed the problem……after an hour of rendering a small 10 second clip, I got the darn program to spit out the best file it can muster…..I think.
Previously, it was spitting out the 8-10Mbps from the following settings. Sony AVC 720×480 Main 29.97 progressive 26Mbps (max setting). In Windows Explorer, the files show as 720×480 29.97p. After tons of changes, I finally found the following settings work best. Sony AVC 720×480 Main 29.97 interlaced lower field first 15Mbps (max setting). With these settings, the file reads 720×480 59.94i 15Mbps! When I tested 29.97p on a Main Concepts template, some of the files even came out as 14fps!
Anyway, except for slight venetian blinds effect, the video is much cleaner, sharper, crisper, doesn’t look like I am shooting VHS anymore! Only took about 30 rendering tries to get this…..the down side is the rendering takes 25% longer, but for twice the quality that is a fair trade-off.
Paul
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[Paul Anderegg] “except for slight venetian blinds effect, the video is much cleaner, sharper, crisper”
That’s because you are rendering interlaced. Unless your target device is a TV, you should render progressive and set the deinterlace method in your project to Blend Fields.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
My target is TV, specifically broadcast news, so normal 720p and 1080i viewers. The local CBS affiliate still shoots XDCAM, and their video has similar lines at times. I still prefer some stair-stepping on spots and highlights instead of just a dull blur. 🙂
All the testing I did seems to indicate that the Sony AVC progressive settings wont render past 10Mbps, will test some more.
Paul
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[Paul Anderegg] “My target is TV, specifically broadcast news, so normal 720p and 1080i viewers.”
You definitely want to render interlaced then.
[Paul Anderegg] “The local CBS affiliate still shoots XDCAM, and their video has similar lines at times. “
You could render to XDCAM EX right in Vegas Pro and get a 25 Mbps or 35 Mbps bit rate. This should give you excellent results. Otherwise, if you need to deliver SD, render to Sony MXF with the NTSC DV Widescreen template and deliver at 25 Mbps.
It helps to to know what the target is when making recommendations. When someone says they’re making MP4’s they usually mean YouTube videos. You should be delivering in the professional Sony formats for broadcast.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
I just finished my first night rendering the new 15Mbps 59.94i files…..I am very pleased with the resulting quality as it aired on the morning news, much sharper, just as good as the original AVI file.
The reason I render Sony AVC MP4 files is because I upload them to a website for distribution, so I have to keep the files under 1GB. The story I shot tonight was 7 minutes long, and came out as a 15Mbps file at a total of 735MB. My NBC client requires MP4 files, they REFUSE to accept anything else, and MP4 works out for everyone else as well, pretty much the universal standard for distributing breaking news.
The strange thing I noticed is that the FOX local that edits 720p on FCP, the video looked interlaced, but everyone elses versions looked fine….go figure.
Paul
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[Paul Anderegg] “I just finished my first night rendering the new 15Mbps 59.94i files…..I am very pleased with the resulting quality as it aired on the morning news, much sharper, just as good as the original AVI file.”
Awesome. I’m glad that worked out for you.
[Paul Anderegg] “My NBC client requires MP4 files, they REFUSE to accept anything else, and MP4 works out for everyone else as well, pretty much the universal standard for distributing breaking news.”
That’s great that accept MP4 for News feeds. I deal with PBS and they still only accept HDCAM tapes. 🙁
[Paul Anderegg] “The strange thing I noticed is that the FOX local that edits 720p on FCP, the video looked interlaced, but everyone elses versions looked fine….go figure.”
The tool is only as good as the operator at the controls. lol
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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