I'm hoping someone might shed some light on the challenge I've had with files from my MRC1. I'm using it to with my V1U camera, no capture issues in the field and no edit issues with tape. However, I'm having display issues in the timeline and preview window of Vegas Pro with these MRC1 files. I'm using a Core i7 920 PC with 6GB RAM, running Vista SP2 64bit. It doesn't seem to matter whether I'm capturing .m2t or DV files, the same thing happens:

1. I transfer the files onto my video storage drive (eSATA) using Sony's transfer utility or the "import" feature of Vegas.
2. I import the files into the media bin of a new project.
3. I drag the files to the timeline. When I do, the video filmstrip (thumbnails) appears properly, but the audio track only displays a waveform for the first 5 minutes. After that it's just a straight line. But when I play the video, I hear the audio just fine.
4. Video does not show in the preview window at any resolution - it's just a black window. Sometimes, if I save and close the program then re-open it, the preview image will appear. But it will disappear again after a bit of editing.
5. The black window also affects rendering.

Does anyone have a clue what might be happening here?

Hi Sam. I haven't come across this problem, but it might be worth trying the latest version of Vegas (9e) which was released recently.

Richard

Thanks Richard. I contacted Sony Creative Software tech support as well and that's the same recommendation they made. So I did update my software, but the problem persists. They've certainly been helpful - they set up a site where I can upload a sample of the problem, but that will take some doing.

I suspect that because my files are large (4.16GB) there is something going on with memory or disk management. We'll see.

Hi Sam. So have you tried it with a short clip? That will verify whether it only happens with large files.

Richard

Hi Richard, that's the next logical step. My last 2 shoots were 1 hour + in length. I'll do some work this weekend documenting a fundraising 5k with lots of shots and we'll see how it goes.

Hi Sam. You could also shoot a few seconds of test footage, just to try it out. Shouldn't take very long.

Richard

Just to wrap this up, I took my MRC1 and new Z5 to an acoustic jazz gig on Friday night to shoot some footage of my friend the guitar player. I shot a total of 21 clips, about an hour's worth of HD footage. None of the clips were 4GB. I imported the files and opened them in Vegas with NO PROBLEMS.

So I'm left wondering - what is it about the 4GB size of the M2T files that gives Vegas fits on my Core 17 920 PC? I've got 8GB RAM and the files are stored on an eSATA drive ... where is the system choking on the file size?

Sam