[Carl Alessi]

Mike,

I’m running QuickTime 7.7.4.

Another detail: Some of my MP4s are decoding properly. But ones that I have rendered out of Adobe Captivate screen captures no longer are (although they did previously).

Here’s the info for the failed, Captivate file:
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42
File size : 454 KiB
Duration : 19s 200ms
Overall bit rate : 194 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2014-01-03 22:25:33
Tagged date : UTC 2014-01-03 22:25:33

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 19s 200ms
Bit rate : 193 Kbps
Width : 1 074 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 3:2
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 15.000 fps
Standard : PAL
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.017
Stream size : 452 KiB (100%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2014-01-03 22:25:33
Tagged date : UTC 2014-01-03 22:25:33
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Here’s the info for the non-Captivate MP4 that works:
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Sony PSP
Codec ID : MSNV
File size : 8.67 MiB
Duration : 34s 134ms
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 2 132 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2011-04-21 21:37:43
Tagged date : UTC 2011-04-21 21:37:43

Video
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Main@0.0
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 34s 134ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 1 999 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Original frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.097
Stream size : 8.14 MiB (94%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2011-04-21 21:37:43
Tagged date : UTC 2011-04-21 21:37:43

[Carl Alessi]

Okay…it turns out THAT didn’t work.

Although changing the plug-in folder’s name solved my MP4 rendering issue, it created a wholly new problem in rendering AVC Mpeg 2 files. I got an error message when launching a Vegas project indicating the streams could not be found; this got worse when I tried to add new Mpeg 2 files to the project, and video streams wouldn’t add at all.

I’ve changed the name of the plug-in folder back to its proper title, and my Mpeg 2 streams are fine. Of course, Mpeg 4 files are green blocks again.

[Carl Alessi]

I don’t particularly like it either, but as an ad hoc solution it seems to be the only thing that works until the next build arrives.

Do you recall when Build 770 was released?

[Carl Alessi]

OK, I just read about, and implemented, a solution that worked. But I really don’t know why it should have worked. But it did.

The recommendation was to discover which plug-in was being leveraged by Vegas for decoding the mp4 file. I located the plug-in under the following path:

C:Program FilesSonyVegas Pro 12.0FileIO Plug-Inscompoundplug

The recommendation was to exit Vegas and change the name of the plug-in folder (in this case, “compoundplug”). I simply put an “X” at the end of the name (although the changed name doesn’t specifically matter).

I then re-launched Vegas, and reimported my mp4 file. It worked…the file was decoded properly. The file properties now indicate a redirection to the following path:

C:Program FilesSonyVegas Pro 12.0FileIO Plug-Insmcmp4plug2

So…was Vegas falling back on a generic, incorrect plug-in? Has it now been forced to use the correct mp4 plug-in?

I find all of this very odd, especially when these same mp4 files worked fine before the holidays.

Carl

[Carl Alessi]

Well, so much for that. I uninstalled and reinstalled Vegas, and there’s no change.

[Carl Alessi]

Steve,

I don’t believe I’ve updated Vegas since I last worked on this, but I’m not completely sure. I am using Build 770.

I might try running the installer again and see if things improve.

Carl

[Carl Alessi]

You can designate any Menu page in Architect to load automatically with your DVD. From the left window pane, just right click the Menu page in question, and click “Set Start Item.” That page will have a star icon associated with it.

The default Menu page already has this designation on each new project.

Carl

[Carl Alessi]

For the longest time, I was never able to burn a dual layer +R DVD using Architect 5.0 without generating a coaster. So I would author the disk using Architect, then burn it using ImgBurn, which always worked like a charm.

I haven’t tried burning a dual layer DVD since acquiring Architect 6, for fear that I would be wasting more valuable dual layer blanks. Has anyone had a similar experience with Architect 5, but found that dual layers burn fine using 6?

Carl

[Carl Alessi]

I’ve also found that muting unused tracks will speed up your rendering time. This is useful if you’re rendering your project in discreet sections, which I do frequently; if a given section has no content on a track, I mute it when I render that section. My renders are always quicker when I do.

[Carl Alessi]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Just trying to get away from always having to integrate Camtasia into my workflow.

Carl