Ulead VideoStudio 7 & Smart Render

[donpedro]

I am playing with Ulead VideoStudio 7. They have somthing called "Smart Render" that should help to avoid re-encoding video if it is DVD compliant. I am having trouble with making it work. Here are some quiestions that I need some help from you guys...

1. Can you post settings and steps how to prove it that it works ? I checked "Do not re-encode" option but it still does.

2. What is DVD compliant mpeg2 for VS7 ? I tryied couple of them but it always re-encodes.

3. Somebody posted once that it will re-encode only edited parts of mpeg2 file (let's say I have title in the middle of it). Is this realy true ? Were you able to do that ?

I must be doing something wrong....

[Dasio]

Let's say you have two clips and you added trasision between them, VS7 will rerender only transision part not those two clips over again.

[donpedro]

Sounds great. Now what kind of setting do I have to have and where ? What about those 2 mpeg files ? I tried but no luck so far. Could you please help me ? I understand that it works for you like that ?

[Dasio]

Smart Rendering is built in the program it doesn't need any special seting.
You may be confused between "rerendering" and "reencoding".
I'm not such a god expert yet, but here is the quote from owners manual

"SmartRender and Play Project/Clip button
SmartRender technology allows “changes-only” rendering which
eliminates the need to re-render entire video sequences when only
slight changes have been made. This is especially useful for
rendering across transitions, title sequences, or to check the timing
of audio clips in relation to the associated video. It is advisable that
projects are rendered regularly to reduce overall render times.
The Play button in the Navigation Panel serves two purposes: for
playback of your entire project or for a selected clip.
Also, while editing, you will want to preview your work frequently
to see how your project is progressing. VideoStudio offers you two
preview options: Instant Playback and High Quality Playback.
Instant Playback allows you to preview changes in your project
without the need to create a temporary preview file. High Quality
Playback renders a preview file and provides a quick preview right
after. Click File: Preferences. In the General Tab, select the preview
method that you prefer."

[donpedro]

You may be confused between "rerendering" and "reencoding".

It look like I am.... OK. Now how can you avoid re-encoding ? That is what I am looking. I know how to do this in Pinnacle Studio 8 and I am looking for some kind of rules how to do that in VS7. Anybody ?

[Dasio]

I think I’ve just found what you have been looking for.

When you go to the last of the menu item “share” click on little triangle next to it and choose create disc.
On the next screen on the bottom left click square like check mark, and then you have an option “Do not convert compliant MPEG files”
Make sure that files what you are importing have the same exact. specs. what is set under “File-Make Movie Manager”. If not make “New” or modify existing format.

[donpedro]

I believe I did that but with no luck. Could you please recomend me settings that works for you ? I will test some small clip again with new setting for mpeg2 and for DVD. Thanks.

[oldfart13]

You also have to make sure that Top or Bottom field order is the same as your original clip or it will re-encode it. Found that out the hard way and took a long time to find out why the re-encode...

[nerdboy69]

I have not used US7, but the feature exists in US6 and I am reasonably familiar with it.

It will only work if the resolution, bit-rate, frame-order, ie. every video parameter is identical to your chosen output. So, if I have a VCD compliant source MPEG and I want to change so it will be DVD compliant, all I do is change the audio properties for output and the software will be smart enough to re-encode the sound only.

How can you tell when you are doing it? Stuffed if I know other than it works a lot faster. In the example above, the progress bar (keep in mind I am speak for US6 here) might start slow (assume demux), then speed up a little (assume re-encoding audio), then jump quickly (assume smart-render, skipping the need to convert video), then slowly finish (assume remux).

[donpedro]

oldfart13, Thanks... maybe "field order" was what I missed.

nerdboy69, So it does not provide information during Authoring in which step it is ? And what if bittrate selected on DVD is higher than bitrate on mpeg file ? Will it re-encode for you ?

[nerdboy69]

It will definitely re-endcode if the bitrate differs.

You are thinking of Ulead DVD WorkShop (and Movie Factory I believe), where the option is to not re-encode a compliant file, in which case it will only re-encode if the bitrate of the project is lower than the file.

[donpedro]

Well... it is possible that they are using same plug-in, but that is what I see in Ulead VideoStudio 7.

[nerdboy69]

Could well be different (or more of the same) in US7.

I personally would have thought that the concept between their smart-render option, and not converting something that is compliant are two distinctly different things.

ie.

"Smart-render" concept: Only re-encode whatever is necessary to achieve the exact specifications of the project.

ie. We definitely want something that meets our criteria exactly, but are happy if the software employs whatever tricks/smarts are available to achieve it.

"Compliance" concept: Only re-encode whatever is necessary to be within the maximum specifications of the project.

ie. We have set the ideal specification for our end result, but acknowledge there is no point trying to convert something already in lower quality format upwards (assuming it still abides by standards for chosen format) as we would only reduce it's final quality due to re-encoding.

So I certainly hope they have not merged the concepts into one check-box in US7. I would see that as a backwards step. US6 had smart-render separate (ie. when you create the video) from the DVD authoring part (which I believe would utilise MF as a plug-in if available, thus making the "Compliance" option available for authoring the end result of your video edits - ie. post smart-render). Is this perhaps no longer the case?

I think I will have to play with the US7 trial soon. I am curious as to what it really has to offer above US6 anyway.

[jantxn]

May be I can help a little with this topic…..

I often edit my DV type 1 captures in VS 6 and save the results in the same format. I then use a standalone encoder (MainConcept) to encode the saved file to a DVD compliant Mpeg II. Once I have completed the encoding, I return to VS 6, elect any project setting (it does not matter), load the Mpeg II file into the library, click once on the file, then elect export to the DVD wizard. VS 6 will open the wizard (if the file is compliant) and allow me to author , create VOB Structures and /or burn the DVD. Although I have not used VS 7, I believe that this option has been moved to the “Share” area under “Create Disc”. Bottom line is you do not have to re-render a DVD compliant file in VS 6 to author and burn unless you have made changes.

Since the encoding engine (Mpeg) that VS uses (Mpeg.Now) is built on the MainConcept engine (SDK), SmartRendering is an inherited term from then. If you load two separate DVD compliant mpeg’s into the Story Board and one of then is different (Bitrate, Field order, etc.) from the project setting, then the non-compliant (from the project settings) mpeg will be re-encoded according to the project settings while the engine will simply save the compliant mpeg when the new file (Project) is rendered. This will happen even though you have checked the “Do not convert compliant Mpeg files” in the project settings. If a single DVD compliant file (project) was involved in an edit, then the “Do not convert” election would be honored and the project settings would be ignored. “SmartRendering” would be used in both cases. It is the default for the program and can be turned off with the dialog box when saving although I not sure why you would.

[jsnkc]

Ulead tries to make the "Smart Render" feature sound like it is so great, but in all honesty it really isn't, pretty much every other program renders the same way. Smart render only works if you are converting to the same format as your source files anyway, which is rare that you will actually do. Even thought I know a lot of people here try to edit with MPEG-2 files which will result in major quality loss. If you imprt an AVI file and have to put it on a DVD you will have to convert it to MPEG-2 so the Smart render feature won't even work because it will have to render the whole program again anyways. This is what Pinnacle and Ulead and Dazzle always do, they try to say their software has all these great features, when in reality they don't. They are just standard features that any editing program has.

[Specialist]

There are distinctions to be made between:

a. Smart Render

...and...

b. Re-Encoding

They are two different functions.

Smart Render is an EDITING function.

When you insert video into the VideoStudio timeline for editing, you can add titles, transitions, filters, and motion.

You can also add nothing to the video.

If you add nothing new to the video, you will be able to create an identical copy WITHOUT ANY RENDERING.

If you add something new such as a title, you will observe rendering occur *only* during that portion of the video where the title has been inserted.

This is why it's called Smart Render.

The software knows where changes have been made.

Re-encoding has to do with DVD authoring.

To avoid re-encoding, you must make certain that the attributes of your source file MATCH the project settings.

For example, if you have an MPEG video at 720 x 480 with 48,000khz LPCM audio and you choose those same parameters for your disc burn, you should *not* see any re-encoding.

If you have an MPEG video with different size attributes, then you'll definitely see re-encoding occur.

If your MPEG video has a different BITRATE, then you'll see re-encoding occur.

The key to faster, higher quality burns is to make certain the attributes of the source video and the output project settings MATCH.

If the bitrate of your source video is slightly lower than the bitrate of your project output settings, and that box is checked, there should not be any re-encoding either.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net