Vegas Video discussions from 2006 (Q1Q2)

[Mark Bryant]

With XP SP2, the driver should be there already. In your Device Manager, it shows up under "sound, video and game controllers" as "AV/C Tape device". Can you see it there? Does windows think it is functioning OK?

If not, you can install it manually by:

Bring up Device Manager, right click on the Microsoft AV/C Tape Subunit, choose Update Driver. Say no to Windows using windows update to find it. Next screen select "install from a specific location". Next screen select "don't search". Next screen, if AV/C Tape device is there, select it, otherwise untick "show compatible hardware". Scroll down the manufacturer list to Sony, then on the right you should see the Sony D-VHS option. Choose that and then try it again.

Mark

[Danny Fye]

Originally Posted by Mark Bryant

With XP SP2, the driver should be there already. In your Device Manager, it shows up under "sound, video and game controllers" as "AV/C Tape device". Can you see it there? Does windows think it is functioning OK?

If not, you can install it manually by:

Bring up Device Manager, right click on the Microsoft AV/C Tape Subunit, choose Update Driver. Say no to Windows using windows update to find it. Next screen select "install from a specific location". Next screen select "don't search". Next screen, if AV/C Tape device is there, select it, otherwise untick "show compatible hardware". Scroll down the manufacturer list to Sony, then on the right you should see the Sony D-VHS option. Choose that and then try it again.

Mark

That took care of the driver problem but there are other problems. Everytime I run Vegas to capture it would say something like 'unloaded' so I would have to change the settings of the cam to DV and then back to HDV to get it to work again.

It would capture the video but when I tried to stop the capture it would lock-up Vegas and I would have to do a CTRL+ALT+DEL to shut down Vegas.

Anyway, I finally got so sick and tired of it and other problems I was having that I uninstalled Vegas from my notebook computer.

When it comes to editing, I absolutely love Vegas, when it comes to capturing, I hate it! Worst capture software if any NLE I have EVER seen.

Sorry 'bout the rant but I'm afraid I will have to use something else to capture HDV with.

Got any suggestions?

Thanks much for your help.

Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com

P.S.

I used to capture HDV without any problems with Ulead's MSP8. I even had a display of the video while doing so. Vegas won't even do that. Shame...

[Mark Bryant]

Yes - use HDV Split
http://strony.aster.pl/paviko/

I didn't have the problems you had with Vegas, but I prefer HDV split mainly as it provides a dropped frames counter. You can also (optionally) have it split the source into clips based on timecode. Just be careful doing the split part if you have lots of clips; Vegas will only take 100 or so HDV files on the timeline before it crashes.

Mark

[Danny Fye]

Originally Posted by Mark Bryant

Yes - use HDV Split
http://strony.aster.pl/paviko/

I didn't have the problems you had with Vegas, but I prefer HDV split mainly as it provides a dropped frames counter. You can also (optionally) have it split the source into clips based on timecode. Just be careful doing the split part if you have lots of clips; Vegas will only take 100 or so HDV files on the timeline before it crashes.

Mark

Will it allow me to capture direct to hard drive? I have been capturing DV direct to hard drive but I want to capture HDV direct to hard drive. No sense in having a HDV cam and capture in DV.

I wanted to get the drivers and tape part working first so I could then try direct to hard drive.

By the way, Vegas will do all of it correctly on my editing computer but not on my notebook computer. Only problem on my editing computer is that I cannot see a display of the video on my monitor while capturing.

Notebook computer is probably not fast enough.

Oh well, maybe I should give-up, sell my notebook computer and use tapes again. Yuck! and Grin!

Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com

[Mark Bryant]

Danny,

I've not used HDV split direct to disc, but from this thread it seems that yes that works:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...light=recorder

As far as editing HDV from your notebook.. there is no PC too slow, it's just how you do it. You don't want to edit the native HDV, that will be slow on even a high spec PC. With a reasonable PC you can edit using the Cineform intermediate codec.. with a slow PC you can edit using a DV proxy.

What spec is your laptop? I edit with a 1.6 Pentium M; with that I can just about edit with the Cineform codec (need to use preview quality preview to get full rate), or can use a DV proxy and edit just as fast as editing DV (although it requires a render step first to create the DV proxy). Look for threads on editing with Gearshift.

Mark

[Ian Briscoe]

Ok - so I've mastered Vegas (yeah - I wish!!!) - I'm now onto DVDA.

I'm confused with the Themes. I thought a theme would basically be a template with backgrounds, buttons, menus, etc. But if I open the themes tab and drag it to the preview window - I just get a background, no butons - just as if I'd gone to the Backgrounds tab. What am I missing?

Incidentally I downloaded a very nice PixelPops template but I think it's gonna be a real pain to use in DVDA - all layers look as thought they need to be renamed.

Thanx

Ian

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Ian Briscoe

I'm confused with the Themes. I thought a theme would basically be a template with backgrounds, buttons, menus, etc. But if I open the themes tab and drag it to the preview window - I just get a background, no butons - just as if I'd gone to the Backgrounds tab. What am I missing?

Have you tried adding a clip to the menu? That should add the button for you.

Originally Posted by Ian Briscoe

Incidentally I downloaded a very nice PixelPops template but I think it's gonna be a real pain to use in DVDA - all layers look as though they need to be renamed.

Yes, the layers would have to be renamed. The PixelPops templates were not designed specifically for DVD A.

[Edward Troxel]

Just go to the help file, look at the keyboard shortcut section, and learn the key sequences you need. The good thing about the keyboards is they show you the main function of each key. The bad thing is they don't list ALL functions for that key (i.e. letter vs CTRL-letter vs SHIFT-letter vs ALT-letter etc...)

There's also a key summary in one of the stickies at the top of this forum.

[K. Forman]

I agree with them... you don't need it, but it can make things a little easier. If your cheap, like me, you'll just print out the short cuts and look them up as needed. After a while, the ones you use most will become second nature.

[Jeff Mack]

I've just started playing with the MP4 format in Vegas 6d and it looks promising - it uses the H264 codec and is optimized for the web - also your viewers will need Quicktime 7 to view the files).

So I rerendered to MPG4 and uploaded to the site. When I checked the files, it actually downloads it back to me. Is there a way for a player to open up and just view the files? I really didn't want people to have to download then watch.

Jeff

[Jonathan Johnson]

Are you using the Sony AVC/AAC (MP4) not the MPEG selection in the "save as type" field of your render window?

[Jeff Mack]

No, I thought that was for PSP. I looked up in the help files and it looked like it was for PSP. Do I need to do it with the Sony Codec? I used the other mpg4? Does it make a difference?

Jeff

[Emre Safak]

A ShuttlePro is more useful; it has a jogger in addition to remappable buttons.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Although it says Sony AVC/AAC, the information underneath (the H264 codec) isn't owned by Sony or proprietary to their PSP as far as I know.

It should use the Quicktime player as it's default player and also play in your browser window.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...Sony+AVC%2FAAC
That was my first reason for exploring the Sony AVC/AAC selection.

I have not worked w/ the MainConcept renderer MP4 renderer very much, but check here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...cept+avc%2Faac

On further investigation it looks to offer more rendering options and result in the same file size as an equally tuned Sony AVC/AAC file.

For more help putting together a web deliverable in general, you might want to search the section on DVD and web delivery like Stephen mentioned earlier.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

The codec isn't proprietary, how it's prepared for the PSP is. If you have Vegas 6d, you'll also see the MainConcept h.264 option. It'll play in any Quicktime player. So will the PSP, but you can't use the MainConcept option for the PSP.