Need some clues on basic Blu-Ray using Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11

[distendo]

All I want to do is create a Blu-Ray disk to watch home video (on a Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Blu-Ray player) from a Panasonic HC-V720, shot at 1080/50p with 5.1 audio.

Loaded the V720's .m2ts files into Sony VMS HD Plat 11, chapter points (markers) added.

In the project properties I've used the "HD 1080-50i (1920x1080, 25.000 fps)" template, at 25fps.

Q1: This is the best option, yes?

Q2: There's no option for 1080-50p...? Why go from 50p original video to 50i render, if its to be watched on a 50p TV?

I see there's an option for 50fps ('double PAL').

Q3: Is 50fps in the least bit sensible for home viewing?


The 'Make Movie' settings appear to only offer 50i settings. I'm assuming that 'Blu-Ray 1920x1080-50i, 16 Mbps video stream' is my best option.

In the 'Project properties' settings the options include "Field order" (I'm assuming for the 50 interlaced), currently set to Upper field first ("for video viewed on a television"). Given the 'Make Movie' options, I'm assuming the project needs to be set to 50i.

Q4: I thought interlacing was what happened with old CRT tvs, not modern LCDs etc. For LCD TV, wouldn't 'None (progressive)' be better? (See below, 'Make Movie' settings)

Below it has "Deinterlace method". For 50i, I understand 'Blend fields' is preferable, if only because 'Interpolate' increases rendering time.

Q5: If the "Field order" setting is in fact 'None' (for LCD TVs), should this also be set to 'None'?

That's it. For now. It's a bit more complicated than making home DVDs...

Thanks for taking an interest!

[sanlyn]

In the 'Project properties' settings the options include "Field order" (I'm assuming for the 50 interlaced), currently set to Upper field first ("for video viewed on a television"). Given the 'Make Movie' options, I'm assuming the project needs to be set to 50i.

Correct. 1080 50p will need to be converted to 50i for 1080 broadcast, BlueRay or SD DVD.

Q4: I thought interlacing was what happened with old CRT tvs, not modern LCDs etc. For LCD TV, wouldn't 'None (progressive)' be better? (See below, 'Make Movie' settings)

Most broadcasts and BD/DVD discs today are interlaced.

Below it has "Deinterlace method". For 50i, I understand 'Blend fields' is preferable, if only because 'Interpolate' increases rendering time.

Blend mode is the pits.

Have you seen the official standards for BD? https://www.videohelp.com/hd#tech

[distendo]

Thank you Sanlyn! I appreciate your remarks.

Correct. 1080 50p will need to be converted to 50i for 1080 broadcast, BlueRay or SD DVD.
Most broadcasts and BD/DVD discs today are interlaced.

Really... So wot, I wonder, is the point of having a 50p camera and tv...?

Blend mode is the pits.

I've just restarted a render (make movie) changing the setting to interpolated. I can't see much difference in the rate (or lack of it: I have got to upgrade my steam-driven PC soon).

Have you seen the official standards for BD? https://www.videohelp.com/hd#tech

No, I hadn't. But I have now, thanks! I'll have to study it a bit more closely: the whole Blu-Ray thing's like becoming a video beginner again..

[sanlyn]

I'm still having trouble with BD myself, but works so far.

The point behind selling 50p cameras is that it sells cameras. Look up some web posts with readers (and critics) complaining about 50p when they try to make BluRay from it.

[distendo]

Could it be 'future-proofing'?

That is, on the supposition one keeps the original media - not beyond the realms of possibility with big HHDs coming down in price etc. - and ideally one's saved edit record within a particular prog being transferrable to upgraded versions... Well, maybe one day it'd be nice to have the 50p version original.

But thanks for enlightening me as to the 'real' world!

[_Al_]

First check if your player can play AVCHD 50p, because to render your original 50p into 50i is kind of ridiculous.

[distendo]

Hey, what?

Elsewhere I found this posted: "I just upgraded to a DMP-BDT220, mainly to playback AVCHD 1080/50p video shot with my Panasonic HC-X900. The BDT220 plays native footage from the X900 (1080/50p - typically around 26Mbps) fine from the SD card, USB and via DLNA".

So... that's what I can do with (and the point of) the Panasonic HD writer (AE 5) software that came with the camera?

D'oh! (?)

[_Al_]

test that HD writer software if it can join clips, then burn that video as data, test it in your player
or
check if your Vegas Platinum can export AVCHD 50p in case you would edit your video more extensively (what that Panasonic software cannot do), remember that you can change parameters in Vegas export. You might not find avchd 50p export there but just use some avchd 50i preset and set double frame rate, burn that as data on your disc and test it in your player

[distendo]

Thanks for the follow-up, _AI_

I have now used HD Writer to copy the AVCHD video clips to Blu-Ray disk, which I was able to watch using the (DMP-BDT220) player on my 1080p TV, and very nice too. Impressed and delighted with the quality - and the 5.1 audio (though how to avoid one's own breathing being the main background in quiet scenes I have yet to figure out). Obviously the files aren't edited, trimmed, merged, or anything, but one can re-arrange their play order before burning. Once burned, it's a matter of using fast-forward and next track to make one's way through the disk. Not ideal but far from dire.

HD writer can assemble selected individual clips into single files, which I suppose (I haven't tried it) could then be burned to disk using Writer, but then one would lose that 'next track' navigation method between compiled sequences.

I was interested in your 'double frame rate' suggestion. My original post asked "Is 50fps in the least bit sensible for home viewing?", but I gather from your comment that the increased frame rate might compensate for the 50i: yes?

Thing is, I have a fairly old system now and doing anything with HD is really laborious, for the PC and me. So I'm keen on comprehension rather than experimentation - at least until I upgrade!