MPEG plug-in

[realspido]

Hi,
I recently installed Sony Vegas 5.0a.
I have a problem with processing and rendering videos:
I'm using Sony Handycam DCRSR80(hard drive) which stores videos in MPEG2 format. When I'm copying the video to Vegas, there's no sound.
At MPEG plug-in registration I got an error: ‘The requested plugin does not have the necessary features unlocked’.

Can anyone tell me if this causes the problem? How to fix it?

Thanks for any help.

[guns1inger]

When you purchased Vegas 5 there would have been an option to purchase the mpeg2 plugin as well (because of licensing arrangements etc). This would have given you a registration code to unlock the mpeg2 plugin. The same restriction exists on AC3 audio as well. If you had purchased the Vegas+DVD package you have unlocked the mpeg2 and AC3 plugins automatically.

I would suggest you contact your Sony rep and discuss the possibility of upgrading from a very old version 5 to the latest version 7.0c and appropriate plugins. Also, version 7 has several enhancements specifically for working with footage from DVD based cameras.

[realspido]

Thanks for your response.

Does it mean that I need a separate registration for AC3 even if I already have mpeg? I thought that will cover sound as well.

I also have a problem with quality of rendered videos: when the picture moves, there is some kind of noise at the moving subject edges - the edge is irregular, you can see horizontal lines.
Is there any way to avoid that?

Thanks in advance.

[guns1inger]

The AC3 plugin would require a license fee paid by Sony to Dolby Labs, and they pass this license cost on to you. It is separate to any licensing for mpeg2 encoding.

The lines you are seeing at the interlacing on the original image. This is normal, and won't be seen on your TV. They are very visible on a progressive monitor, which is why you are now noticing them. If you could plug your camera into your monitor directly you would see that they exist in the recording. Read up about interlacing in our Glossary.

[realspido]

Looks like I'll have to learn a lot about this..

I have the camera connected to my monitor at all times. That's why I noticed this: it doesn't exist on the original video but when I dragged it to Vegas and viewed the difference was huge.
I thought it's because of quality - the resolution decreased as well and the picture is half the original one.

Anyway, I'll check that on TV like you advised me.

Thanks very much for help - now I know where I am.

[guns1inger]

It does exist in the original video. Each frame of an interlaced video (standard DV is interlaced) is taken in two pases, called fields. One field contains only even lines, the other, the odd lines. In the case of PAL video, the fields are 1/50th of a second apart. If there is little motion, you won't notice the difference. If there is fast motion, the fields become apparent on a progressive display. Why ? Because a progressive display displays both fields together at the same time. Your TV does not do this.

Depending on the software you use, it may deinterlace on playback. While this may hide the lines, it can also give you softer image quality. It depends on how it is deinterlaced.

[edDV]

Vegas allows direct monitoring of a DV format timeline over IEEE-1394 to the camcorder and then from the camcorder to a normal PAL interlace monitor.

That is one key feature you loose when choosing an MPeg2 format camcorder.

[realspido]

Thanks Guys, now it's clear.