What is a GOOD export format for archiving in Vegas Pro 12? MXF or??

[Norman Black]

“MXF” is just a file container and does not imply any video standard. In Vegas you can create an MXF file containing XDCAM MPEG-2, HDCAM SR (MPEG-4 SStp) and XAVC.

Really anything is fine for “archive” if the video quality of that format is up to your standards. Archive can mean different things to different people.

If you are looking for a format which has as little compression as is bearable (aka file size) then some of the high bitrate formats are what you want to look at.

HDCAM SR, SR Lite has some very high quality formats. HDCAM SR may not be supported by some tools. It its original tape format it is a standard, but the generic file use is kinda new.

XAVC Intra is high quality. It is the AVC codec which is basically universal.

[Mark Thompson]

MXF is a very good archive format. Not only do you want to archive your “essence” but a lot of information associated with it (e.g. where? when? who? what? …). The primary audience for MXF is the professional broadcast community but it seems to have been picked up by the library of congress and even the military!
What you get from Vegas is the starting point, you will probably need another program to flesh out all the details.

[Steve Rhoden]

MXF is good!

Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
https://www.facebook.com/FilmexCreativeMedia
1-876-461-9019

[Stephen Mann]

Every project here gets its own bare HDD (built into the price of the project) that goes into a USB external docking station. When the project is finished, that HDD goes into the closet. Archive done.

Seriously, I can go back to any project from the past five years, drop the project HDD into the dock and open the project veg file and I’ll be back exactly where I was the day I put it to bed.

I have never lost a project due to an HDD failure, but for safety purposes, I always copy the original camera files to a second backup.

External disk drives are still coming down in price. I can get 1Tb for $50 which is enough for most projects. At NewEgg, 2Tb drives can be had for around $99 and 3Tb drives are in the $129 range.

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[John Rofrano]

[Stephen Mann] “Every project here gets its own bare HDD (built into the price of the project) that goes into a USB external docking station. When the project is finished, that HDD goes into the closet. Archive done.”

I’m with Steve Mann. The original format is my archive. It doesn’t get any better than the originals. I have all of my past projects on both a 9TB RAID 5 and separate HDD’s so I have two copies to go back to and pick up right where I left off. All the original footage at the original quality.

~jr

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