Vegas Video discussions from 2004 (Q1Q2)

Dan Holly · February 3rd, 2004, 12:21 PM

I decided to get a ZR65MC here at work instead of putting hours on my GL1/XL1s heads for free.

I got another license for VV 4.0, and it won't see the camera.

I've installed the drivers from Canon's website, but it still won't see it.

The one difference is that this camera is USB instead of firewire.
I can hook my MP3 player to the box, so it's not a bad USB controller etc.

Any ideas?

XP Home, on a P4 2.6 hyperthread, 512 PC3500, Seagate 7200 spin.

Edward Troxel · February 3rd, 2004, 01:29 PM

The BEST idea I have is return the camera and get one that will work with Firewire. If you want to use DV-AVI (from a MiniDV tape) then firewire is definitely the preferred method.

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 02:02 PM

Have you tried to tell Vegas to look for analog capture devices
instead of digital DV devices? It might see it as analog. If not,
then the device is probably not following a lot of standards.

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 02:25 PM

Do these lines only occur when there is movement (by either
the camera or something in frame)?

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 02:36 PM

I'd say this is happening in the mpeg encoding engine. Actually
WMP cannot decode MPEG2 on it's own. It is using an mpeg2
engine you have installed on your system that came with
something else (usually software DVD players). Most software
based DVD players use a variaty of techniques to "enhance"
the signal. Are you sure you are outputting to a progressive
mpeg and not interlaced (yes I nkow 24p shoud be a progressive,
but check).

Also I've had some weird things in the past if not all settings
in Vegas are the same (ie, project settings, footage properties
and output settings). I would suggest you try to view the DVD
on a TV and see how it looks there.

Which DVD player have you installed (last)? To what bitrate
are you encoding? constant or variable bitrate?

Dan Holly · February 3rd, 2004, 02:41 PM

Any specific directions to accomplish this Rob?

I tried to get budget approval to buy a used GL1, but it got shot down (some people just don't understand this stuff =).

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 03:07 PM

Have you looked under the Video menu in the Vegas Capture
utility? It should be listed there I think (not sure). Otherwise
check the preferences in that utility. Good luck.

Edward Troxel · February 3rd, 2004, 03:32 PM

IMO, you can try for days to get this to work - probably with sub-standard results - or you can find a means of capturing correctly via firewire with all of the benefits of firewire such as batch capturing, scene detection, full transport control...

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 03:47 PM

I have to agree with Edward here. That is definitely the best way
to go!

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 03:51 PM

I don't have any experience with this at all, but since no-one
responded I'm chiming in here. I've read quite a lot about
chroma keying and everybody seems to agree that green will
be the best colo(u)r to use with DV (due to the color space
compression that is going on).

The further the distance between the person and the screen
(for spill suppression) the larger the screen needs to be.

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 03:59 PM

The issues you are referring to was in Windows 98 I believe.
Where more than 512 mb would not yield results. XP (or Win2000)
should not have these "issues". Ofcourse, if no program is using
that amount of memory (or not combined) it will not be used
either.

Edward Troxel · February 3rd, 2004, 04:06 PM

Maybe a better question is WHY you want that much RAM?

In Vegas, you will not find more RAM helping significantly when it comes to standard editing and rendering. Where RAM can help is with RAM previews, running multiple applications, running multiple instances of Vegas...

Dan Holly · February 3rd, 2004, 04:07 PM

I just took it back to exchange for something else and realized that they didn't provide a firewire cable as part of the standard package.

There was another hidden area on the camera for firewire and S-video outputs.

I'm capturing video now with no issues.
Since this is going to be used for corporate training and doesn't need to be "pretty", I'll continue with what I've got and assess it from there.

Thanks for the info guys, it's been many years since I've had my hands on a consumer level camera. Next time I'll also read the manual first <;~).

I'll report back on how it works after i put it on DVD.

Thanks again, I appreciate the quick responses !!!!

Edward Troxel · February 3rd, 2004, 04:26 PM

Yea... We have FIREWIRE!

Rob Lohman · February 3rd, 2004, 05:32 PM

Would be interesting to see what you are producing there
Magnus. Thanks for the effort!

Oh for everybody that is wondering, the different F11 keys
quickly hide (or display) certain aspects/windows of the user
interface. Very handy indeed!

February 3rd, 2004, 12:21 PM	#226
Dan Holly Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 336	Vegas can't find Canon ZR65MC I decided to get a ZR65MC here at work instead of putting hours on my GL1/XL1s heads for free. I got another license for VV 4.0, and it won't see the camera. I've installed the drivers from Canon's website, but it still won't see it. The one difference is that this camera is USB instead of firewire. I can hook my MP3 player to the box, so it's not a bad USB controller etc. Any ideas? XP Home, on a P4 2.6 hyperthread, 512 PC3500, Seagate 7200 spin. __________________ Dan Holly Anchorage, Alaska

February 3rd, 2004, 02:02 PM	#228
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Have you tried to tell Vegas to look for analog capture devices instead of digital DV devices? It might see it as analog. If not, then the device is probably not following a lot of standards. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 02:25 PM	#229
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Do these lines only occur when there is movement (by either the camera or something in frame)? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 02:36 PM	#230
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	I'd say this is happening in the mpeg encoding engine. Actually WMP cannot decode MPEG2 on it's own. It is using an mpeg2 engine you have installed on your system that came with something else (usually software DVD players). Most software based DVD players use a variaty of techniques to "enhance" the signal. Are you sure you are outputting to a progressive mpeg and not interlaced (yes I nkow 24p shoud be a progressive, but check). Also I've had some weird things in the past if not all settings in Vegas are the same (ie, project settings, footage properties and output settings). I would suggest you try to view the DVD on a TV and see how it looks there. Which DVD player have you installed (last)? To what bitrate are you encoding? constant or variable bitrate? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 02:41 PM	#231
Dan Holly Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 336	thanks Edward/Rob Any specific directions to accomplish this Rob? I tried to get budget approval to buy a used GL1, but it got shot down (some people just don't understand this stuff =). __________________ Dan Holly Anchorage, Alaska

February 3rd, 2004, 01:29 PM	#227
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	The BEST idea I have is return the camera and get one that will work with Firewire. If you want to use DV-AVI (from a MiniDV tape) then firewire is definitely the preferred method.

February 3rd, 2004, 03:07 PM	#232
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Have you looked under the Video menu in the Vegas Capture utility? It should be listed there I think (not sure). Otherwise check the preferences in that utility. Good luck. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 03:32 PM	#233
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	IMO, you can try for days to get this to work - probably with sub-standard results - or you can find a means of capturing correctly via firewire with all of the benefits of firewire such as batch capturing, scene detection, full transport control...

February 3rd, 2004, 03:47 PM	#234
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	I have to agree with Edward here. That is definitely the best way to go! __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 03:51 PM	#235
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	I don't have any experience with this at all, but since no-one responded I'm chiming in here. I've read quite a lot about chroma keying and everybody seems to agree that green will be the best colo(u)r to use with DV (due to the color space compression that is going on). The further the distance between the person and the screen (for spill suppression) the larger the screen needs to be. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 03:59 PM	#236
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	The issues you are referring to was in Windows 98 I believe. Where more than 512 mb would not yield results. XP (or Win2000) should not have these "issues". Ofcourse, if no program is using that amount of memory (or not combined) it will not be used either. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 3rd, 2004, 04:06 PM	#237
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	Maybe a better question is WHY you want that much RAM? In Vegas, you will not find more RAM helping significantly when it comes to standard editing and rendering. Where RAM can help is with RAM previews, running multiple applications, running multiple instances of Vegas...

February 3rd, 2004, 04:07 PM	#238
Dan Holly Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 336	OK, I'm a dork...... I just took it back to exchange for something else and realized that they didn't provide a firewire cable as part of the standard package. There was another hidden area on the camera for firewire and S-video outputs. I'm capturing video now with no issues. Since this is going to be used for corporate training and doesn't need to be "pretty", I'll continue with what I've got and assess it from there. Thanks for the info guys, it's been many years since I've had my hands on a consumer level camera. Next time I'll also read the manual first <;~). I'll report back on how it works after i put it on DVD. Thanks again, I appreciate the quick responses !!!! __________________ Dan Holly Anchorage, Alaska

February 3rd, 2004, 04:26 PM	#239
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	Yea... We have FIREWIRE!

February 3rd, 2004, 05:32 PM	#240
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Would be interesting to see what you are producing there Magnus. Thanks for the effort! Oh for everybody that is wondering, the different F11 keys quickly hide (or display) certain aspects/windows of the user interface. Very handy indeed! __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors