Sony Vegas lag…is my laptop fast enough?

[John Rofrano]

[chris wood] “Although i have the option of recording in 1080 / 50p (28Mbps / VBR), i stuck to the more edit friendly HA (17Mbps / VBR) mode. “

Are you recording in 50p? Since you can only deliver 25 fps you are asking your computer to do twice the work for nothing. I would shoot at 25 fps.

[chris wood] “Is this an avchd problem, or a PC specs problem? My PC specs are: Processor AMD 64×2 TL-60 2 GHZ”

It’s a little of both. Sony recommends a minimum of 2.8Ghz Dual Core for HD so a 2.0Ghz is very underpowered. AVCHD is even more difficult to handle. You really need a QuadCore for AVCHD unless you stick to 720-25p.

[chris wood] “Do i need a more powerful machine? “

Either that, or buy CineForm NeoScene or VASST GearShift and work with intermediaries or proxies respectively.

[chris wood] “Why is my PC struggling with m2ts files from my panasonic sd700 (avchd) and not my hdv Canon HV30?”

HDV is not nearly as compressed as AVCHD. AVCHD packs the same quality in a 16Mbps file as HDV does with 25Mbps. This makes it very difficult to decode.

[chris wood] “Could i convert these files to something more editing friendly without losing quality?”

Yes, CineForm NeoScene will give you high quality HD intermediaries that you can edit and render from. VASST GearShift will make DV Widescreen proxies for editing and then swap your HD media back in for rendering. Both have free trials so you can test their workflows and see which one you like.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Chris Nana]

Thanks for your reply jr.

I’m not yet shooting in 50p…it’s something i plan to do in the near future though. It’s nice to have the highest quality available for future projects using the same footage.
The footage i have is 1080i50 (which i understand is 25fps). I’m using a panasonic sd700.

The VASST software isn’t compatible with Vegas Platinum according to their site, so Cineform may be the way forward at $129 (cheaper than a new laptop).

I’ve read Avid DNxHD is a free alternative of sorts, any thoughts on that?

Also, not sure if a newer version of Sony Vegas would help?

Thanks

[John Rofrano]

[chris wood] “The VASST software isn’t compatible with Vegas Platinum according to their site, so Cineform may be the way forward at $129 (cheaper than a new laptop).”

Sorry, I missed that you were using Movie Studio Platinum. You’re correct that GearShift only works with Vegas Pro. If you plan to buy CineForm, I would get it from VideoGuys.com for $99 and use the COW5OFF coupon to get a Creative COW member 5% discount on top of that.

[chris wood] “I’ve read Avid DNxHD is a free alternative of sorts, any thoughts on that?”

Yes, you could manually render all of your footage to Avid DNxHD. You might want to test that out and see if it performs well on your PC. Avid DNxHD is a QuickTime codec and CineForm is a Video For Windows codec. The former is an Apple native format while the latter is a PC native format so it might perform better (which is why I recommend it). But try them both and see.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Chris Nana]

Thats great John,

thanks for your help

[Chris Nana]

I’m trying Neoscene 5.5 now. I’m converting to AVI in the highest quality. Is that necessary if the final project will go to dvd?

With regards editing…i usually blend one scene slightly into the next, heavily use subtitles, occasionally use a transition/Gaussian blur/slow motion.

I hardly ever use colour correction or special effects.

[Chris Nana]

I converted one AVCHD folder to Neoscene AVI files and they do play more smoothly in sony vegas plat 9.

I was wondering if there is an ideal media player for them?
Windows Player classic works best, but there is stil some stuttering and lag.
Gom player really struggles, and VLC doesn’t have the right codec support.

One more thing. Should i leave the ‘i frames’ boxed checked?

[John Rofrano]

[chris wood] “I’m trying Neoscene 5.5 now. I’m converting to AVI in the highest quality. Is that necessary if the final project will go to dvd?”

No. Unless you are a Hollywood studio printing to film, it is best to use the defaults that NeoScene suggests which is Medium quality. This is more than enough quality for any of your HD needs and certainly for DVD delivery.

[chris wood] “Windows Player classic works best, but there is stil some stuttering and lag.”

This is probably because you used the highest quality. Try rendering to the default medium quality and the files will be much more manageable.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com