New to Sony Vegas Pro 11 – best rendering format/setting

[Bruce Aguinaldo]

I’ve decided not to re-convert my VHS tapes and just use the original VOB files.

So here’s my “new” process:

Using SV, open the VOB files, “save as”, split the video into clips, edit each clip, when done render each clip creating a new video file and finally burn to DVD.

Comment: looking at the SV file size (very small) I assume SV just uses the original VOB files for information purpposes).

How does this sound?

Thanks again for everyone’s help….the process is much clearer now.

IG

[Mike Kujbida]

If all you want to do is edit the VOB files, stick to Video Re-Do as it won’t recompress the original files.
If you want to add any FX though, then you will need to use Vegas which means recompression of the source file(s).
To maximize quality, make sure each timeline is no more than 70 min. long and use a CBR setting of 8,000,000
If you want to make your DVDs directly from the Vegas timeline rather than using DVD Architect, you’re limited to 60 min.

[John Bean]

Hah! So you listened to my advice and save yourself money and time!

Good man!

You should attempt some *restoration* techniques to improve your video quality. Remove noise. Make it sharper and smoother. Maybe even color correct.

Make sure you crop out BLACK BARS that may be present. Then make sure your video fills the entire frame of your project. I am assuming your project is set to 720×480.

If you know what you are doing, who knows maybe you can upscale to 1280x720p and make it HD for Bluray! That’s probably stretching it for a VHS tape source. But not entirely impossible if you know what you doing.

This maybe a good idea to do too especially if you plan on watching your videos on a HDTV.

You should be able to accomplish a lot of restoration just using the stock Vegas effects. But there are *better* third-party effects available too. But that costs money and may not be worth it.

Then when you are finished, make sure to use one of DVD Architect templates that matches your project settings.

[Bruce Aguinaldo]

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If you want to add any FX though, then you will need to use Vegas which means recompression of the source file(s).
===

I did play around with FX, saved the results and took a look at the VOB files and the dates of the files did not change.

Are you saying every time I open SV and make corrections the original VOB get compressed again….I’m trying to avoid that from happening.

[Bruce Aguinaldo]

Thanks for the info.

I’m still in the stage of opening VOB files and cutting clips.

I’ll start working of restoration as soon as I get this part done.

Thanks again.

IG.

[Mike Kujbida]

[Bruce Aguinaldo] “I did play around with FX, saved the results and took a look at the VOB files and the dates of the files did not change.”

Those are the source files so the dates won’t change.

“Are you saying every time I open SV and make corrections the original VOB get compressed again….I’m trying to avoid that from happening.”

Yes I am and unless you’re encoding with the same bitrate as the original file, there’s nothing you can do about it.
That’s why I recommended Video Re-Do without FX and a high bitrate otherwise.

[John Bean]

Unless you are RENDERING to a VOB format with the exact same names as your source VOB files in the exact same directory, you are not writing over your source VOB files.

I’m pretty sure you are not writing over your source VOB files. That’s just common sense.

Your source VOB files are the same quality as they were when they were first created 10 years ago. That’s the beauty of digital technology.

When you open your source VOB files in Vegas to edit, Vegas uncompresses your VOB files to RAW bits in the RGB colorpsace. Most likely your VOB files are using the MPEG-2 codec with colorspace YUV. Conversion between different colorspaces will introduce some lost of original color because of rounding-off errors and conversion formula factors.

But this is not a big problem since the reason you opened it up in Vegas was to edit it anyways.

And if you know how to edit, you will be adding new information to your video that hopefully improves its.

When you are done editing, if you are rendering out your project to a LOSSY codec, you are re-compressing it. Every time you uncompress and recompress to and from a LOSSY format, you will lose some original information.

But like I said, you edit in Vegas because you wanted to improve the quality of your original videos.

So when you are ready to render out to a format that you can watch on a DVD player or Blu-ray player, as long as you use a high-quality render setting that your DVD authoring software can work with without re-encoding, your video should be more than fine – assuming you improved it during editing using restoration techniques.

If you need to render out your Vegas project so that you can further enhance it in another application, then you should use a LOSSLESS codec as your intermediate format if you don’t want to use any quality.

Cheers!

[Bruce Aguinaldo]

I think my understanding of the process is a bit off and its causing some confusion on my part.

SV opens the original VOB file (large file) and I save it as a VEG file (small file).

When I edit the VEG file does the VEG file re-compress or does the original VOB files re-compress? I’m not really clear how the VEG file deals with the original VOB file.

Note: I thought the original VOB didn’t get re-compressed because of the save as action (especially, since some of the VOB’s I’m using are on DVD’s).

Sorry for all the questions but this would be my 2nd go around and I’m trying not to have to do it 3rd time.

IG.

[Bruce Aguinaldo]

This certainly clears things up.

In summary, as long as I keep my clips in SV, continue editing my clips in SV and hold off rendering my clips I’m not risking losing any quality.

If that’s the case, then I’m think good to go with my process.

Thanks again for all your help.

IG.

[Phil Peacock]

Forgive my intrusion here guys but if I read you correctly Bruce I think you need clarification of the purpose of the SV veg file. It is only an ‘index’ if you like, to your orginal vob files and a record of any enhancements/edits you do to your clips and timeline. Therefore your original files remain untouched on your computer and are only a source or reference until you make your next render, and then , as has been pointed out, you should be rendering to a different file name to your original vob files anyway.

Hope this helps maybe.