Rendered Video without Sound

Rick Diaz · April 30th, 2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Shealy

Seth,

I agree, and I am becoming a believer in Vegas. Lots to learn, but its proven much more stable than Vegas Movie Studio so far, especially on projects over 15 minutes in length.

I just finished editing and outputting to DVD a one hour 12 minute video for a client using V8 MSP and DVDA. The video had over 60 chapters and I needed to create menus with 20+ chapter buttons. While I am still struggling with Vegas' lack of adherence to convention (events vs clips, just one example) I was able to use it and deliver a satisfying product to my client. So, I am at a loss to understand your comment about MSP. I've used a lot of budget editors over the years (offerings from Pinnacle, Ulead, and Magix) and even been a beta tester for Cyberlink, so I have some experience to draw from. Even with Vegas 8 MSP's vagaries and sometimes non-sensical, unconventional vernacular, it is probably the most stable editing program I have ever used.

Roger Shealy · April 30th, 2008, 02:51 PM

Rick,

I started with Pinnacle 7, went to 8, then Ulead, then VMSP7, then VMSP8, then Vegas Pro 8 (where I am now) along with Cinescore and various Theme Packs. I haven't tried the Apple world so I don't have meaningful experience with those editors. I had a horrible stability problem with VMSP8 on my newest PC using AMD 6400+ with all 4 OS's (XP32, XP64, Vista32, Vista64) and spent tons of time and money investigating the problem. I had same issue on an older system using an AMD 3800+. I used the trial version of Vegas Pro 8 and all files that caused problems in VMSP8 rendered flawlessly in Pro. It was cheaper to convert than to keep trying with VMSP8.

Other than stability issues I experienced on my PC with VMSP8, I wouldn't miss much of Vegas Pro8 except:

- I really like having unlimited tracks. I could work around it in most cases in VMSP8, but it makes organizing the work really much easier. I like being able to dedicate a track to each of 3 cameras, then have 5 or 6 title lines.

- I like the multi-cam functionality in Pro.

- I haven't really done much with DVD Architect Studio 4.0 or Architect 4.5; most of my work is placed on the web, stored on a server, or saved to HDD. My DVD burning is very basic with minimal menu options.

If you read into my earlier post I didn't like Vegas or VMS, I did a poor job of communicating. I think they are great programs and incredible values. I've purchased 5 sets of VMS and 2 sets of Pro 8 for home and work and both are light years ahead than the other software I mentioned. My biggest complaint with Vegas is that sometimes the automated still pans get a little jumpy even when set to "Best" and rendering still seems quite slow.

Rick Diaz · April 30th, 2008, 04:50 PM

Roger, I'm not trying to defend Vegas. Lord knows I have had my problems with it, but thankfully not with its stability. I haven't had it crash on me once (knock wood). I went through the Pinnacle Studio deal from 4 up to 9 and finally got sick of the poor support and constant problems. I tried Ulead's Video Studio from version 7 to 10+ and while it was better, it still has issues. I've used various versions of Premiere and hated them all. Cyberlink's Power Director 6 is probably the best, easiest to use and stable, budget editor available, although it doesn't have the power some more capable shooters may need. For editing and burning DVDs of family and friends, it is probably as much as the average consumer needs or wants. My projects are commercial in nature and need quality output, so I'm kinda stuck with Vegas. I'll learn to use it, but it will probably always be a love/hate relationship between us. At least, so far, it isn't because she's flaky. ;)

D.J. Ammons · April 30th, 2008, 07:22 PM

If you rendering to burn to DVD you can render an MPEG2 file and that will be video only with no audio.

I am new to Vegas (in fact new to computer editing)but my workflow has been to edit then render the video to MPEG2 with the template option set for DVD Architect. Then I render the audio as AC3 Stereo.

As someone mentioned DVD Architect then will automatically pull the audio file in with the video file when you select the video file for a project. Unless of course you foolishly name the AC3 file something different from the MPEG2 file. Then it won't match the two together. I found this out the hard way!!

Roger Shealy · April 30th, 2008, 08:02 PM

Back when I had my problems with VMS, the computer tech dug up a number ofr articles inferring potential compatibility problems of VMS8 with some AMD dual core processors. I never dug into it deeper, but both of my systems run AMD. I was a whipped puppy by that time and just needed my system to work and Vegas Pro 8 fit the bill.

When you think about it, there's probably isn't a more taxing application for your computer than editing; computation, graphics, sound.... its pretty amazing what these programs do.

Rick Diaz · April 30th, 2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Shealy

Back when I had my problems with VMS, the computer tech dug up a number for articles inferring potential compatibility problems of VMS8 with some AMD dual core processors. I never dug into it deeper, but both of my systems run AMD. I didn't look into it further, I was a whipped puppy by that time and just needed my system to work and Vegas Pro 8 fit the bill.

When you think about it, there's probably isn't a more taxing application for your computer than editing; computation, graphics, sound.... its pretty amazing what these programs do.

I'm running an AMD 6000+ 64X2, so if there's any issues with it I haven't seen them...yet.

I agree, it is amazing what we can do with these hunks of silicon, plastic and copper. I'm editing HD videos already before most of the people I know even have an HDTV. My 80 year old father still thinks a cell phone is cutting edge technology. :)

Roger Shealy · May 1st, 2008, 05:38 AM

Many of my projects are in HDV stored in avi on HDD. I render them to NTSC now and can render them later to Blu-Ray. I saw an LG Blue burner for $279 last week, so I may take the plunge soon. I imagine they will be sub $150 in the next 12 months. No rush until my HDD's start to fill up and/or HD becomes the expectation. Right now very few people use HD players, but its growing. I Christmas 2008 will be the tipping point as the new standard looms and HD TV's and players become the popular gift.

I will start rendering and saving future projects to MPEG Blu-Ray on the HDD so I can quickly put them to DVD when I get a burner. I just hope Blu-Ray sticks as the norm for a few years. I imagine "2TB Rainbow-Ray" will hit the press about the time I purchase Blue!

Rick Diaz · May 1st, 2008, 02:03 PM

I think Sony's and other movie studios' involvement in BD will keep it viable for a good while if for no other reason than they don't want to have to rerelease their vast movie libraries in yet another standard. Consumers will be pretty mad, as well, if they go out and buy BD players and compatible HDTVs only to find them obsoleted in just a few years time, especially after sitting on the fence waiting for the HD DVD vs Blu-Ray war to be decided. What will be interesting is to see how many consumers will be angry when they find out that the 720p HDTV they bought can't take full advantage of BD's 1080p output. The salesmen aren't informing buyers of that fact, and in some cases are actually withholding the info in order to move lower-priced units.

Re: Vegas. I am shooting everything in HD simply for the better SD quality it gives me. When the day comes that the burner AND playback device AND full 1080p HDTV are more reasonably priced, I will be ready to output my Vegas files to the HD format. In the meantime, few of my friends and family even have HDTVs so sticking with a more distributable format makes sense.

Roger Shealy · May 1st, 2008, 08:53 PM

Rick,

I sometimes have jumpy pans on automated still shots. I have the setting to "best", but its not silky smooth like some footage from FCP and Avid that I see. Any hidden setting you know about that perhaps I'm missing?

Rick Diaz · May 1st, 2008, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Shealy

Rick,

I sometimes have jumpy pans on automated still shots. I have the setting to "best", but its not silky smooth like some footage from FCP and Avid that I see. Any hidden setting you know about that perhaps I'm missing?

Sorry Roger, I'm nowhere near proficient enough in Vegas yet to be able to help you. Sorry. :(

April 30th, 2008, 02:51 PM	#17
Roger Shealy Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Fayetteville, GA Posts: 772	Rick, I started with Pinnacle 7, went to 8, then Ulead, then VMSP7, then VMSP8, then Vegas Pro 8 (where I am now) along with Cinescore and various Theme Packs. I haven't tried the Apple world so I don't have meaningful experience with those editors. I had a horrible stability problem with VMSP8 on my newest PC using AMD 6400+ with all 4 OS's (XP32, XP64, Vista32, Vista64) and spent tons of time and money investigating the problem. I had same issue on an older system using an AMD 3800+. I used the trial version of Vegas Pro 8 and all files that caused problems in VMSP8 rendered flawlessly in Pro. It was cheaper to convert than to keep trying with VMSP8. Other than stability issues I experienced on my PC with VMSP8, I wouldn't miss much of Vegas Pro8 except: - I really like having unlimited tracks. I could work around it in most cases in VMSP8, but it makes organizing the work really much easier. I like being able to dedicate a track to each of 3 cameras, then have 5 or 6 title lines. - I like the multi-cam functionality in Pro. - I haven't really done much with DVD Architect Studio 4.0 or Architect 4.5; most of my work is placed on the web, stored on a server, or saved to HDD. My DVD burning is very basic with minimal menu options. If you read into my earlier post I didn't like Vegas or VMS, I did a poor job of communicating. I think they are great programs and incredible values. I've purchased 5 sets of VMS and 2 sets of Pro 8 for home and work and both are light years ahead than the other software I mentioned. My biggest complaint with Vegas is that sometimes the automated still pans get a little jumpy even when set to "Best" and rendering still seems quite slow. Last edited by Roger Shealy; April 30th, 2008 at 07:56 PM.

April 30th, 2008, 08:02 PM	#20
Roger Shealy Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Fayetteville, GA Posts: 772	Back when I had my problems with VMS, the computer tech dug up a number ofr articles inferring potential compatibility problems of VMS8 with some AMD dual core processors. I never dug into it deeper, but both of my systems run AMD. I was a whipped puppy by that time and just needed my system to work and Vegas Pro 8 fit the bill. When you think about it, there's probably isn't a more taxing application for your computer than editing; computation, graphics, sound.... its pretty amazing what these programs do. Last edited by Roger Shealy; May 1st, 2008 at 05:38 AM.

April 30th, 2008, 04:50 PM	#18
Rick Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 146	Roger, I'm not trying to defend Vegas. Lord knows I have had my problems with it, but thankfully not with its stability. I haven't had it crash on me once (knock wood). I went through the Pinnacle Studio deal from 4 up to 9 and finally got sick of the poor support and constant problems. I tried Ulead's Video Studio from version 7 to 10+ and while it was better, it still has issues. I've used various versions of Premiere and hated them all. Cyberlink's Power Director 6 is probably the best, easiest to use and stable, budget editor available, although it doesn't have the power some more capable shooters may need. For editing and burning DVDs of family and friends, it is probably as much as the average consumer needs or wants. My projects are commercial in nature and need quality output, so I'm kinda stuck with Vegas. I'll learn to use it, but it will probably always be a love/hate relationship between us. At least, so far, it isn't because she's flaky. ;)

April 30th, 2008, 07:22 PM	#19
D.J. Ammons Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 506	If you rendering to burn to DVD you can render an MPEG2 file and that will be video only with no audio. I am new to Vegas (in fact new to computer editing)but my workflow has been to edit then render the video to MPEG2 with the template option set for DVD Architect. Then I render the audio as AC3 Stereo. As someone mentioned DVD Architect then will automatically pull the audio file in with the video file when you select the video file for a project. Unless of course you foolishly name the AC3 file something different from the MPEG2 file. Then it won't match the two together. I found this out the hard way!!

May 1st, 2008, 05:38 AM	#22
Roger Shealy Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Fayetteville, GA Posts: 772	Many of my projects are in HDV stored in avi on HDD. I render them to NTSC now and can render them later to Blu-Ray. I saw an LG Blue burner for $279 last week, so I may take the plunge soon. I imagine they will be sub $150 in the next 12 months. No rush until my HDD's start to fill up and/or HD becomes the expectation. Right now very few people use HD players, but its growing. I Christmas 2008 will be the tipping point as the new standard looms and HD TV's and players become the popular gift. I will start rendering and saving future projects to MPEG Blu-Ray on the HDD so I can quickly put them to DVD when I get a burner. I just hope Blu-Ray sticks as the norm for a few years. I imagine "2TB Rainbow-Ray" will hit the press about the time I purchase Blue!

May 1st, 2008, 02:03 PM	#23
Rick Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 146	I think Sony's and other movie studios' involvement in BD will keep it viable for a good while if for no other reason than they don't want to have to rerelease their vast movie libraries in yet another standard. Consumers will be pretty mad, as well, if they go out and buy BD players and compatible HDTVs only to find them obsoleted in just a few years time, especially after sitting on the fence waiting for the HD DVD vs Blu-Ray war to be decided. What will be interesting is to see how many consumers will be angry when they find out that the 720p HDTV they bought can't take full advantage of BD's 1080p output. The salesmen aren't informing buyers of that fact, and in some cases are actually withholding the info in order to move lower-priced units. Re: Vegas. I am shooting everything in HD simply for the better SD quality it gives me. When the day comes that the burner AND playback device AND full 1080p HDTV are more reasonably priced, I will be ready to output my Vegas files to the HD format. In the meantime, few of my friends and family even have HDTVs so sticking with a more distributable format makes sense.

May 1st, 2008, 08:53 PM	#24
Roger Shealy Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Fayetteville, GA Posts: 772	Rick, I sometimes have jumpy pans on automated still shots. I have the setting to "best", but its not silky smooth like some footage from FCP and Avid that I see. Any hidden setting you know about that perhaps I'm missing?