quality of vegas preview better than original avi file
 

i have noticed that the video quality shown in the VEGAS preview window (when set to BEST), is better than the quality of the .avi file when played in windows media player or winamp.

i might be mistaken, but isn't the quality of the video shown in the preview window supposed to be even WORSE than the actual .avi file?

the pitcure quality in the VEGAS preview window is sharper and it's colors are nicer compared to the picture quality of the very same shot in one of the above media players.

why is this?

thanks

When you play a DV AVI in media player it automatically halves the res. So your only viewing it at 360x240.

i see.
so how do i view an .avi file without loss of quality?

Glen, where did you get this info about Windows Media Player halving resolution on playback? I've never seen it do this, and I'm wondering if you may have a preference setting doing something strange.

Adi, can you provide more info? Are you rendering the footage and then seeing that it is at lower quality? Or are you opening the very same file and it seems to look worse? Is your Vegas preview window sized smaller than the actual size of the video, where the othey way it may be sized larger when you view it, resulting in a less clear picture?

I don't see why this would be so.

I posted this question on here a while ago and that is the response I got. Try it yourself Imran, open up a DV AVI in Windows Media player and set the resolution to "100%"....you'll see automatically that it's only playing in 1/2 res.

Adi probably has his media player set up like everyone does, and has his display resolution set to "200%" which gives the DV AVI clip the softness he's seeing.

Imran: it IS the default in MOST installations. Somehow not on all.
This both happens with the OLD Mediaplayer and with the new
Windows Media Player (WMP).

For the latter you can change the setting here (after starting WMP):

Tools -> Options -> Performance -> Advanced
Set the first slider (Digital Video) all the way to the right (Large)
OK all the windows.

That should fix it. Just to be safe re-start WMP.

first of all to answer imran:
both rendered avi files and original captured footage, when played in media player look bad.
i opened mediaplayer window and vegas preview window to the same size in order to make a fair comparison.

regarding the mediaplayer, i'm not sure i understand. are you guys saying that it CAN infact play an .avi file without compinsating resolution?

adi

Adi: yes, if you follow my instructions above. It's "just" a default
that WMP uses to play back DV at 50% resolution (QuickTime on
Windows does sorta the same, only even worse).

Thanks Rob. I never knew you could change that- apparently I haven't snooped around in the WMP preferences enough.

hi rob. i did as you said and set "digital video" to large (slider all the way to the right). the image quality did improve. when testing an .avi file of color bars, both vegas preview window and mediaplayer window seem the same. but with certain clips, i still have to admit that the image produced in the vegas preview window seems finer.
for example: i have a shot of a table. the surface of the table is lit by sunlight in such a way that the top of the table is highly contrasted against the shadowy floor beneath it. the table edge, therefore, is a fine line with heavy contrast on either side. in order to compare the image produced by mediaplayer to that made in vegas preview i set them to the same size and place them on the same screen side by side.
rather clearly, the edge of the table in the vegas preview window is sharper. the edge of the table in the media player is a bit fuzzy in comparison and the contrast between light and shadow is not as fine.

so although i made the adjustment in mediaplayer, it is still inferior in quality to the vegas preview window.

by the way, is the image quality of a clip when played in vegas preview window compinsated in any way, when set to Best (auto)?

adi

Windows Media Player uses your video card's overlay to display video. I wouldn't be suprised if you saw a difference in color too.

ok. i see. so, in my case, is playing an .avi file on the vegas platform the way to view it at maximum image quallity? or is there a player out there known for it's high video quality?

Adi, the best thing is to just have a broadcast monitor that you can view your footage on. The trouble with computer-viewing of video is that it will look a little different on every computer you use to view your footage. Granted this can be the same for TVs and monitors, but if you have a properly calibrated broadcast monitor (or a very good t.v. may be close enough depending on your needs), that's about as good as it's going to get.

You don't ever really want to use a computer .avi player to gauge the quality of your video - eyeballing it like that will never be consistent. Figure out what your target will be for your final video, and then adjust it for that medium.

Also, Glen/Rob - very strange - in my own 3 computers I own and some of the others I administer, all of them seemed to already be set by default at max resolution. Perhaps it stems from a very specific combination of upgrades. Write it off as a Microsoftism I guess.

Another difference could be related to Vegas using the Sony codec and Media Player using the Microsoft codec.

ok. thanks.
maybe you guys can help me on this next question, since it DOES have to do with what imran said about what my final target will be and adjusting for that medium:

i am editing a video piece which will finally be authored and burned to dvd and projected on a wall in an obscured room, using a barko (that's what they call video projectors here, i'm not sure wheter or not the term is universal).

since i won't be able to test the actual devices and media until 3 days before the screening and i don't have an external monitor, what tips could you give me on picture adjustment? if there are any.

thanks! adi.