AVCHD Sony format help

[Soopafresh]

Yeah, normal smooth movement, especially when kept interlaced. Easy to work with HD material that's been encoded into DVD res stuff - the downsizing hides most imperfections that might not go unnoticed at full res. You should try converting the 1440x1080 AVCHD source to 1920x1080 Mpeg2. I'm guessing some artifacts might show.

The great thing - any of this new HD camcoder stuff looks much better than 720x480 res DV.

[tchambers]

I will give 1920x480 a try. As I get closer to making a decision on which format HD camcorder to purchase, how do you feel about the quality of the AVCHD clip? HDV or AVCHD?

[Soopafresh]

I think a camera that captures in HD Mpeg2 will save you a lot of grief in the end. And you'd be able to edit the stuff on any PC or Mac.

I think the PAFF interlaced AVC camcorder format is going to be replaced with "normal" progressive AVC h264 in the next few years, if not sooner. Then again, I was wrong about 80s music even being popular again

[tchambers]

Outside of editing, do you see any appreciable difference in the naked eye visual quality of the end result? I can't, but then again, I can't see much anymore........

[Soopafresh]

Nope. Looks pretty nice in the end. Here's a few tiny clips of some AVCHD - Mpeg2 encodes. Bottom of the thread -

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic326463.html

[tchambers]

Thanks, I will download and play with those next week. I am out of town for the weekend, therefore out of commission.

Thanks for all the help

[v_palmeira]

For a carry around camcorder I'm looking at pro/cons of the normal three.

Canon HV20, Sony HDR-HC7, JVC GZ-HD7

Have you reached any conclusions about these 3?

JP

[tchambers]

Jp,
I am on the waiting list for the Sony SR8, 100 gig hard drive. It is the AVCHD mpeg 4 compression and I have had no problem editing and converting clips in Vegas 7.0e. I am sure all the new edtiting software that comes out will able to handle the highly compressed format. I just feel that Sony is a trend setter and if they are working towards AVCHD, it will be the compression of the future. The clips in both formats look vitually the same to me. Hope this helps....

[v_palmeira]

Thanks tchambers

I tried to create a avchd file in vegas7.0e after editing, but when i look in to the option render i cannot find the way to output a avchd file again.
Can you help me, and sorry, because this are my first steps in vegas.

JP

[edDV]

For a carry around camcorder I'm looking at pro/cons of the normal three.

Canon HV20, Sony HDR-HC7, JVC GZ-HD7

Have you reached any conclusions about these 3?

JP

I'm looking at the HV20 although the HC7 would also fill my main needs.

My other cameras are mostly out on a shoot or in some other productive activity. This "cheap cam" needs to be a stand in for the big cams to get the process flow tuned and the computer working correctly.

It will also fill in for location B-Roll and personal use.

I'm seriously leaning to the HV20 to fill the 24p stand in roll and to do 24p to PAL transfers cheaply. I need to rent 24p cams so this will save rental cost. I can't see any advantage to the JVC. The Sony is supposed to have better zoom controls and better optical stabilization. Those advantages are a bit less important to me since I use tripods for B-Roll.

The A-Roll cam will be a Sony Z1u until I can afford something like an HVX-200.

[tchambers]

Jp, Import the AVCHD or MT2S file into the Vegas timeline and render as, mainconcept mgeg2 and pick one of the hdv formats at the bottom. As you scroll through, you will see they are for the m2t file format. I think in a few weeks, there will be some more help to be had in this area. At this point, it is really new technology for the non professional.

[sierra1049]

Jp, Import the AVCHD or MT2S file into the Vegas timeline and render as, mainconcept mgeg2 and pick one of the hdv formats at the bottom. As you scroll through, you will see they are for the m2t file format. I think in a few weeks, there will be some more help to be had in this area. At this point, it is really new technology for the non professional.

Thanks very much for your advice..information on avchd in vegas movie studio is VERY hard to find...manual has virtually nothing. If you select to render as mainconcept mpeg 2 and pick a hdv format, do you end up with a high def avchd disc playable in blu ray player or ps3? The picture motion browser software that comes with the ux1 produces a very good quality avchd disc that plays in blu ray, but you can't edit them. Also, if you're going to take your avchd project and burn it for play in a regular dvd player, what settings would work best? thanks again

[MickKeay]

To edit AVCHD sourced clips smoothly in vegas 7e (or Premiere Pro which is my choice) I have found that rendering from Vegas to avi (video for windows) and then selecting a suitable HDV (1080 /50i for me PAL) gives best results (than the main concept mpg HDV options) - but the files created, whilst great for the editors, are big - 3gig per 5 mins or so.

One thing I cant crack is joining the M2TS AVCHD files first (without rendering) I can join them and remux in TS splitter or TS Remux (or a combination) but the resultant TS file,, although it plays fine, gets rejected by Vegas when trying to import. Oddly though I can remux a single sony M2TS clip using TS Remux and vegas is happy with it - but NOT if I have joined more than one file. Annoying - as I dislike the way these cams generate a sep file each time you hit record. Be grateful for any steers. Tried the Elecard muxer too wwithout luck
Thanks Mick

[ticos2000]

To edit AVCHD sourced clips smoothly in vegas 7e (or Premiere Pro which is my choice) I have found that rendering from Vegas to avi (video for windows) and then selecting a suitable HDV (1080 /50i for me PAL) gives best results (than the main concept mpg HDV options) - but the files created, whilst great for the editors, are big - 3gig per 5 mins or so.

One thing I cant crack is joining the M2TS AVCHD files first (without rendering) I can join them and remux in TS splitter or TS Remux (or a combination) but the resultant TS file,, although it plays fine, gets rejected by Vegas when trying to import. Oddly though I can remux a single sony M2TS clip using TS Remux and vegas is happy with it - but NOT if I have joined more than one file. Annoying - as I dislike the way these cams generate a sep file each time you hit record. Be grateful for any steers. Tried the Elecard muxer too wwithout luck
Thanks Mick

do you have to change the extension name of the avchd file , to .mpg or .mpeg in order to see it on a blu ray player?..i have done that and it works but just want to be sure that also happened to you guys

[MickKeay]

By Blu Ray player do you mean PS3?

[ticos2000]

no i mean the actual sony BD player

thanks for your prompt answer

[4real1970]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this, but I did find a program that will allow you to edit AVCHD (.m2ts). Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate



Studio 11.0 and higher can import the following video file formats with the allowable extensions for each format noted in parenthesis:


AVI File – (.avi)
MPEG Files - MPEG-1, MPEG-2 SD & HD, and MPEG-4 - (.mpg, .mpeg, .mod, .mp2, .mp4, .m2ts, .mts, .m1v, m2v. mpv) - HD file import requires Studio Plus or Ultimate Version 11
WMV Files – (.wmv)
DIVX – (.avi)
MOD (JVC Everio cameras) – (.mod)
3GPP Files – (.3gp)
AVCHD – (.m2ts, .mts) – Requires Studio Plus or Ultimate Version 11.

[jg0001]

--see next--- error in posting

[jg0001]

Why would you buy the Sony HC7 (miniDV) instead of the SR7 (HDD)?

I own the SR7 and it is a joy to use after using miniDV. I can easily "copy" the videos I want, I have a ton of storage space (60GB on the SR7 -- more than 8 hours at max quality; 100GB on the SR8), and I have absolutely no worries about tape related nonsense -- such as tape jams, tape motor noise, recording in the wrong spot, etc. All that AND it is far easier to review prior recordings. Go back to miniDV? Never.

BTW, FWIW, IMHO (okay I'll stop), I love my Sony HDR-SR7.

You can copy over the video via USB cable and it is quite speedy -- also, using Sony's program, the files are renamed in a date/time format automatically which I find very convenient. [You can also just plug it in and see the camera as an external HDD, but when you copy over files, they'll have bland filenames instead of the neatly named date/time setup you get via the program.]

As far as OUTPUTTING to optical disc, Sony's included proggy will burn an AVCHD 'disc' playable on a BluRay player, and this need only be a DVD+/-R, not a BluRay blank. 9.4GB of a dual layer DVD+R DL is plenty of room for most people's use. There is NO conversion done in this process, only a file structure setup. It's possible your BluRay or HD-DVD player will just play back the files even if you just burn them to a data disc. My PS3 happily plays back my AVCHD files, whether they are on a thumbdrive, a DVD+R, or a portable HDD.

[edDV]

Why would you buy the Sony HC7 (miniDV) instead of the SR7 (HDD)?

I own the SR7 and it is a joy to use after using miniDV. I can easily "copy" the videos I want, I have a ton of storage space (60GB on the SR7 -- more than 8 hours at max quality; 100GB on the SR8), and I have absolutely no worries about tape related nonsense -- such as tape jams, tape motor noise, recording in the wrong spot, etc. All that AND it is far easier to review prior recordings. Go back to miniDV? Never.

BTW, FWIW, IMHO (okay I'll stop), I love my Sony HDR-SR7.

You can copy over the video via USB cable and it is quite speedy -- also, using Sony's program, the files are renamed in a date/time format automatically which I find very convenient. [You can also just plug it in and see the camera as an external HDD, but when you copy over files, they'll have bland filenames instead of the neatly named date/time setup you get via the program.]

As far as OUTPUTTING to optical disc, Sony's included proggy will burn an AVCHD 'disc' playable on a BluRay player, and this need only be a DVD+/-R, not a BluRay blank. 9.4GB of a dual layer DVD+R DL is plenty of room for most people's use. There is NO conversion done in this process, only a file structure setup. It's possible your BluRay or HD-DVD player will just play back the files even if you just burn them to a data disc. My PS3 happily plays back my AVCHD files, whether they are on a thumbdrive, a DVD+R, or a portable HDD.

All the right arguments for consumer use of AVCHD to hard or flash disk and Blu-Ray output. Downside vs HDV is somewhat higher noise in current AVCHD camcorder codecs and generation quality losses for any editing that requires recoding. The same holds true for downsizing to DVD rather than Blu-Ray output. It comes down to a convenience vs editing flexibility argument.

"Tape Issues" are easily managed but require discipline. Likewise a backup strategy for AVCHD requires discipline. AVCHD files are easily lost.

[jg0001]

I was more than willing to spend 2x-3x more than I spent on my SR7, but there was really nothing 'better' in the same size range that was worth it. Regardless of recorded format, in terms of media, I firmly believe tape is finally facing competitors that will put it to rest for good (HDD and Flash).

[edDV]

I was more than willing to spend 2x-3x more than I spent on my SR7, but there was really nothing 'better' in the same size range that was worth it. Regardless of recorded format, in terms of media, I firmly believe tape is finally facing competitors that will put it to rest for good (HDD and Flash).

Not if you are serious about editing and final release quality. HDV still wins for prosumer quality concerns. This comes down to a consumer vs. videophile tradeoff.

[jg0001]

HDV... okay, but point out an HDV camera that is remotely user friendly, records to HDD, comes in a relatively small form factor, and records at 1440x1080 or 1920x1080. [Serious question... I'd like to read about such a device and would consider it.]

[Soopafresh]

There's one or two out there. JVC, if I recall.

[edDV]

HDV... okay, but point out an HDV camera that is remotely user friendly, records to HDD, comes in a relatively small form factor, and records at 1440x1080 or 1920x1080. [Serious question... I'd like to read about such a device and would consider it.]

There is a gap in the market for a built in HDD HDV camcorder. I can't explain it. Even a 40GB HDD would record 3 hours of HDV/DV. Otherwise the consumer camcorder features are similar. Quality issue still goes to HDV.

[Soopafresh]

Quality issue still goes to HDV.

Yes indeed.