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Hi Def Camcorder footage CANNOT be rendered to that of original quality
Hello,
Hoping you can advise me on this issue which I have spent many times creating test DVD’s and samples files without success. I really appreciate any advice comments (no matter how trivial) with these problems…Using a Sony miniDV 1080i camcorder, we take off the raw HDV footage which comes over as m2t files. The m2t when played raw are clear – but as expected show interlaced bands. However, when opening the raw m2t file in VLC player with the deinterlace setting for BOB filter…the footage is EXACTLY what we are looking for.
Problem is…we cannot seem to find a way to edit this footage in Sony Vegas (7.0d) and render out a resulting AVI or WMV file that is as clear – has same resolution – same look and feel as the raw footage played in VLC Player with the BOB deinterlace filter.
We want a output file that can be burnt onto Blu-ray in the future (since we dont have blu-ray yet) and yet can be watched in crystal clear quality (like VLC Player allows) on a Media Centre PC connected to either a TFT monitor or Full HD LCD screen – similar to the WMV files that are downloadable as example HD Footage from the microsoft website.
Heres what we have tried (the Sony Camcorder model is: HDR HC5 – UK Version (ie Pal)
1) Project Properties: HDV 1080-50i (1440×1080, 25.000 fps)
Edit the M2t file in Vegas – render as: HDV 1080-50i intermediate.
Result – Firstly the file cannot be opened in VLC Player (error comes up and you can only hear the audio). It opens in GOM Player however the picture seems squashed into a 4:3 ratio instead of the 16:9 it originally was.
Its does not seem as good as the original M2t file – though you cannot see the deinterlace bands…motion is not as sharp as was in the original that was played via VLC with BOB Filter.Other tries…not too much difference if rendered to 1080-60i, 30.00 fps. If rendered to 24fps…any motion in the video is quite blurred and loses sharpness. (Every motion played in the VLC Player with BOB filter is incredibly sharp).
Is there a way to render the footage into a AVI file that resembles the quality and resolution of the original M2T file?
2) Since Blu-ray is not within our financial reach yet. We figured that the only way to watch HD Footage for now
would be to render it to a hi def WMV file – for which can then be burnt onto a DVD (as a data file) and watched from a PC Connected to a LCD (media centre etc).Following problems arose:
Render to 6.7 Mbps HD 1080-25p video: picture contrast looks changed (its as if the contrast has been decreased so everything looks grayish), it lacks the clarity of the original and motion does not look sharp.
Rendered to 8Mbps HD 1080-30p video – The resulting footage is better quality and motion is not as blurred. We added Color Corrector (secondary) VideoFX to the footage with setting on “Studio RGB to Computer RGB” – this improved the contrast issues we had earlier. However, it is still not as good as the orignal footage…not even as good the Microsoft Example HD Videos of their website (some of which are at 720 resolution)
The plus point is that resulting WMV file is under 4Gig, which means that we can archive off HD Footage onto a DVD (as data file) which can hopefully then be played on a Media Centre PC.
The problem is…how can we experience the full capabilities of these expensive HDV Camcorders without having to connect the camcorder directly to LCD. What is the best setting to use in Sony Vegas to get quality that is the same as that of the original M2T file? What is really frustrating is that the hardware we are using is made by: SONY. The software we using is: SONY. Yet it somehow feels that the two things are made by two totally different companies.
Another VERY IMPORTANT POINT. In the past, all standard definition miniDV Footage, when edited and rendered as PAL DV – seemed exactly the SAME in quality as the original standard def AVI footage – you could even print it back to tape and no would have ever known that its been re-edited and printed back.
Though I have not tried as of yet…what format would I use to print footage back to miniDV tape in HI DEF? Its not as if Sony Vegas lets you render the footage back as a M2T file.
I really really appreciate your input and assistance with the above issues. (I wonder how microsoft created those amazingly clear HD example files).
Thanks
Jack -
3 Replies
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– Vegas does allow you to render back to an m2t file.
– you can EASILY render to files that are equal to the BOB viewed files in VLC, but the problem likely will be that you’re going to complain about file SIZE, next.
– Microsoft acquired most of their imagery via HDCAM, some is film source, but some is also HC 3/5 footage.Why go to AVI at all? You’re likely shifting color space in addition to other changes to the original.
when you render to m2t and print to tape, you’ll see the same return quality as the ingest quality.Further, rendering 50i to 30p to 24p is going to look like garbage no matter what. No way, no how can this be done and expect quality.
Maybe some bullet points about your workflow?Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASSTCertified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor -
Spot,
With HDV footage, such as from an EX 1, that is destined for eventual (1)standard 16:9 DVD distribution and (2) 16:9 web distribution via flash (On2), into which format would you initially render?
Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.recessionvideo.net
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com -
I hope Spot sees and replys to this.
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