I've used Sony DVD Architecture 2.0 with Vegas for a couple of years. It's been great. I had to reinstall it recently after getting a new computer (a Sony, as it were), and there begins my descent into Hell. I will try and keep this verrrry simple:

(Note: the need to access a mpeg2 plug-in seems to be the key here, but I can't get past the pop-up)

* The software is operable except when I want to insert media (mpeg files)into the timeline; I get a damn "must register online" thing and everything stops dead. I have registered 10,000 times online already and the thing still shows up--only when I try and insert mpeg files onto the timeline.

* I downloaded a "repair patch" which supposedly fixes a problem like this (a Registry Online repair patch), even though it applies to software bought before 2003, though I think I bought mine in 2004. Whatever the case, it didn't work.

* I downloaded an update from the Sony site, thinking I'd fool the "Register Online" thing when restarting the program. I was wrong.

* I uninstalled and reinstalled the program a few times thinking the damn "Register Online" popup would just go away and die already. It hasn't.

So what am I suppose to do now? Somehow I got it working way long ago when I first bought it. And if I can't "insert media," (mpgs on the way to the burner), this program is totally useless. The punchline is I'm registered a hundred different times and backwards yet this thing keeps popping up for me to register regarding mpeg files. What goes on here? Thanks.

P.S. I had to reinstall Vegas 5 and it worked just fine, even though I had to follow a similiar registration thing. What's with DVD 2.0?

P.P. S. - The pop up says I need a specific plug-in to read mpgs on the program, BUT IT DOESN'T SAY WHAT PLUG-IN OR PROVIDE A LINK like the Vegas 5 did; all it wants is for me to do is register, for which I've been "thanked" by Sony a million times already.

I'm sure I'm overlooking something, V6 is telling me "Device Not Available".
I've set my cam video in/out menu,as follows:

Video Out Menu = On
Video Out Sel = ENC
Input Select = 1394
Remote Select = 1394

These are the setting I always use to capture footage from my cam, but I must be missing something.

Assistance greatly appreciated...

David Bird

I'd be looking at:
Cable
Firewire card (is it OHCI?)
IRQ settings (Make sure 1394 card isn't sharing w/Graphics card)
Are you using the Internal or External capture app? If internal, this is for HDV only, and the Panny isn't HDV. You must use the External app if it's DV.

That sounds awesome! I heard it's easier to edit .vob straight from dvd - is this also true in 6?

I've used Sony DVD Architecture 2.0 with Vegas for a couple of years. It's been great. I had to reinstall it recently after getting a new computer (a Sony, as it were), and there begins my descent into Hell. I will try and keep this verrrry simple:

(Note: the need to access a mpeg2 plug-in seems to be the key here, but I can't get past the pop-up)

* The software is operable except when I want to insert media (mpeg files)into the timeline; I get a damn "must register online" thing and everything stops dead. I have registered 10,000 times online already and the thing still shows up--only when I try and insert mpeg files onto the timeline.

* I downloaded a "repair patch" which supposedly fixes a problem like this (a Registry Online repair patch), even though it applies to software bought before 2003, though I think I bought mine in 2004. Whatever the case, it didn't work.

* I downloaded an update from the Sony site, thinking I'd fool the "Register Online" thing when restarting the program. I was wrong.

* I uninstalled and reinstalled the program a few times thinking the damn "Register Online" popup would just go away and die already. It hasn't.

So what am I suppose to do now? Somehow I got it working way long ago when I first bought it. And if I can't "insert media," (mpgs on the way to the burner), this program is totally useless. The punchline is I'm registered a hundred different times and backwards yet this thing keeps popping up for me to register regarding mpeg files. What goes on here? Thanks.

P.S. I had to reinstall Vegas 5 and it worked just fine, even though I had to follow a similiar registration thing. What's with DVD 2.0?

P.P. S. - The pop up says I need a specific plug-in to read mpgs on the program, BUT IT DOESN'T SAY WHAT PLUG-IN OR PROVIDE A LINK like the Vegas 5 did; all it wants is for me to do is register, for which I've been "thanked" by Sony a million times already.

Dont waste anymore time---call Sony and have them issue a new registration number.

Sorry if this should be obvious, but I cannot seem to find the answer. In Premiere it was easy, but as a recent convert I am stumped.

Dont waste anymore time---call Sony and have them issue a new registration number.

Ah! Never thought of that! Thanks!

You want to have a still frame run for a certain length? Either use the preview
to save a frame or cut one out with the 's' split option. Then simply stretch it
out to as long as you want.

Add a velocity envelope. Change the velocity at that point to 0% (i.e. freeze frame)

Vegas 6.0c and newer has a File - Import - DVD Camcorder Disc (i.e. DVD) option so, yes, it is easier to import from a DVD.

I've done a lot of projects in vegas (6) recently and rendered an ntsc mpeg video stream (this comes out as .m2v) and an ac3 file and brought them into DVD architect (3). I then add the chapter points in architect, make the menu, and burn. This works fine, but does anyone know any time saving methods?

The big one would be if there was a way to set some markers in vegas as chapter points to be remembered in architect. This would be way better for me because I bring in video by the chapters from DVD, line them up and then make my edits. It would be a lot simpler to put markers there than having to right down time code and then go frame by frame and find them in architect.

Also, since I'm pulling these in by the old vob and ac3 files to edit, do I still have to render new mpegs and ac3's or is there a way to send some kind of edl to architect and let it use my vegas timeline for the main movie file?

These projects are for a local tv talk show who sells their shows to viewers. They had an old editor who made some cheesy looking dvd menus and there were some products that they no longer sell. My job is to re-edit the video, deleting some product offers, adding in new ones, and making a new menu, sometimes keeping parts of the old menu (contact information). The chapter points usually stay around the same basic part of the show, but at a few minutes ahead or behind.

DSE...
Thanks for the tips...I was trying to capture HDV instead of DV...so of course V6 couldn't find the #$#@ device!
As usual, it's the "little things" that make life unpredictable :)
Regards - David

nm

Thanks

The big one would be if there was a way to set some markers in vegas as chapter points to be remembered in architect.

You CAN. Just add markers to the timeline (properly named) in Vegas. When rendering, make sure the "Include Markers" option is checked. DVDA will then read those markers as chapter points.

Also, since I'm pulling these in by the old vob and ac3 files to edit, do I still have to render new mpegs and ac3's or is there a way to send some kind of edl to architect and let it use my vegas timeline for the main movie file?

If you're editing in Vegas, you'll have to re-render the MPEG2. If the edits are "cuts only", you might look at some other program that doesn't require re-rendering (like Womble, for example)

2. The film is only 30 min long. Do I need to encode the audio in ac3 or can I render it as PCM? I read somewhere in this forum that the audio might get to low when using ac3, and I thought that if I simply make it PCM I get around that problem? I have never burned a dvd before; can I use an PCM audiofile or does it have to be ac3 when making the dvd? The project is in stereo, not surround. (A sidequestion: what level in the audiometer level should I try to aim for when I´m editing the audio? Should I keep it well below 0db, or always try to keep it as close to the red area as possible, or in the middle? I know that for dramatic events I shoudl increase the volume in order to surprise the viewers, but other then that, what level should I aim for in general?)

3. Might it be a good idea to render the project as avi (and pcm) if I want to keep a sourcesfile on my hd, and then render the avi to mpg2 when making the dvd? I ask that question since I never have worked with mpeg2 files in Vegas and are a little bit afraid that I after the long rendering see something I want to change, and that it´s more complicated to do that with a mpeg2 file.


2. You could leave the audio in PCM if space on the DVD is not an issue. Otherwise use AC-3. The term itself not equal to 5.1, you can compress a 2-channel project with AC-3, it will show as 2 channels when playing the DVD. AC-3 will not to my knowledge alter the output level of the audio.

As to levels: I would not let the highest peak exceed -2dB, that leaves you with some headroom. Set a limiter or compressor on the master bus. You would like to keep your dialog levels below that peak level, or it will be kinda loud. And make sure that the dialog track is evenly compressed so nothing sticks out too much. I like the Waves Ultramaximizer+ but Sony's Wave Hammer will do the trick. Try different levels for the dialog and listen to it both on a TV set and in a home theatre environment. Many movies keep the dialog around -12dB, but that's generally a little low for TV audiences. As to levels of sound effects, ambience and music, all that really works is to try and listen.

3. Always keep uncompressed projects. Burn backups to data-DVD:s for safety. Then export smaller portions to MPEG-2 and see if they're ok. When you're satisfied, export the entire project.

Good luck/lycka till!
Finn

How do tell Vegas which DV codec to use ? I have the mainconcept DV codec installed but don't know how to get vegas to use it. I have unticked the "ignore 3rd party codec" check box, but I can't tell from anywhere which codec it will pick up. What I did notice was that when that box is unchecked, text overlays result in a sudden brightness change at the end of the overlay, which doesn't happen when the box is checked.

I have had problems with Vegas & levels between Combustion renders and Vegas renders. Vegas seems to render everything darker, so I assume it is working at different ire levels or something. I am in PAL land so if anyone knows the best way to set vegas up for PAL then please advise. I would like as "lossless" as possible between compositing app & vegas, but still using the DV codec (hence mainconcept).

you can instruct Vegas about which codec to use when rendering by hitting the "Custom" button and in the video tab, select the codec you want. If you're rendering an intermediate for Combustion, I'd use uncompressed instead.
Keep in mind that Combustion is set up for 0-255 whereas the Vegas codec is 16-235. You'll want to use setup on the render from combustion.

Vegas DV25 codec maps 16-235rgb ... combustion mapping depends on the codec you choose but in general it is set up for 0-255 mapping using 8 bit clips and 0-1000 something with higher bit codec's ....

combustion will default to use microsofts dv codec which maps 0-255rgb .. in combustion you can choose to render using the mainconcepts dv codec ( same in vegas) .. i think mains codec maps 0-255??

i use combiustion. if the section is short i render out of vegas uncompressed avi/qt .. if long then i render out using the microcosm codec ( $$ - you buy it) .. i render the same back out of combustion then drop uncompressed rendered clips back into Vegas TL

I am looking to upgrade my copy of Vegas 4 to 6 and I was wondering if the boxed version has some extra stuff (namely: manuals and other extras)

The box (most likely "envelope" but NO box) will have a quick start guide (NOT the full manual) and few other pieces of paper (some ads and the serial numbers, etc...). For the full manual, you have a PDF file (which many have taken to a "quick print" location to get printed) and/or the help file.

Even if you DO get the media shipped to you, ignore the programs on the CD's and download and install the most current update anyway.

There *may* be a few "extras" on the CD. I don't know the contents of the shipping CDs.

Ok, got it!

I went through this exercise a while back to fix differences between Combustion & Vegas. Having changed everything to widescreen I forgot to setup my templates to use the right codec (and forgot how to change it!), but all sorted now!

Why the difference in levels though ? is 16-235 generally used for NTSC and 0-255 for PAL? Why/when would you use one over the other?

Hi Edward,
Thanks for the info. I think I will go ahead and purchase the "enveloped" version instead :-)

Now when I print to tape, and click the custom button, I can set all the correct parameters for the codec I want etc, but when I click ok, it goes back to the template screen and selects NTSC template, and doesn;t appear to have saved the one I just created.

It all worked for normal rendering and for pre-rendering, but not for printing to tape.

Not too impressed with the one that comes with
Vegas, in Film Effects. Looking for something more steady and rythmic.
Anyone know of any plugins, other than the one with
Magic Bullet?

DV records video as Y' Cb Cr.
The Y' is the luma component, which approximates brightness. Think of it as black and white. Cb and Cr handle color.

The legal range for 8bit Y' values is 16-235. Maximum black is at 16, maximum white at 235. The rest is dedicated for over/undershoot of the signal, and 1 of the codes (0) is reserved for something else (sync pulses I think).

So that's where the 16-235 comes from.

Both PAL and NTSC are like this. To be more correct, digital video formats for PAL and NTSC markets are like this (PAL and NTSC are analog video encoding schemes, and not digital formats).

2- The DV codecs mentioned need to convert from Y' Cb Cr to RGB.

Going with 16-235:

Helps to avoid rounding error on the conversion back to Y' Cb Cr.

Some DV cameras record stuff in the 235-255 range (referred to as "superwhites). They provide an additional 0.3+ stops of exposure. The material has the video knee applied to it, which compromises hue/saturation to provide additional highlight detail / stops of exposure.
A codec that decodes to 0-255 will clip this information right off the bat.

Lets you put superwhites and superblacks onto tape... i.e. if you want to record SMPTE color bars properly.

Going with 0-255:
These are the proper levels for display on a computer monitor. Computer monitors see black level at 0 (not 16), and white level at 255 (not 235). DV decoded to studio RGB will look wrong on a computer monitor.

Is easier to code filters for. Many filters are coded to work in 0-255, even many of Vegas' filters.


I hope that answers your questions Declan. My preference is to stick with the default Sony DV codec.

How about the "Damaged Goods" video clips. There's a review in Vol 4, #1 of my newsletters. Here's the link to the product: http://uvtvproductions.com/damaged.html

Hi Everyone,

I recently noticed that the image flipping capability built-in to Vegas' Track Motion is very slow at simple vertical and horizontal image flipping. Image flipping is a nice thing to have right inside Vegas for those people using 35mm SLR lens adapters on video cameras. The source footage will be both vertically and horizontally flipped, so you need some way to get it unflipped. You can do this outside of Vegas with VirtualDub, for example, but that requires an additional render to new .avi files.

I wanted a way to do it seemlessly right inside Vegas, with virtually real-time playback. So I wrote a simple flip plugin that does this. It allows you to flip the video vertically and/or horizontally.

On a reasonably fast computer with SD footage, playback should be real-time, and it shouldn't affect playback of HD footage too greatly.

Here's an example using 29.97fps (60i) DV source footage on my P4 2.8GHz machine:

Applying vertical and horizontal flip with Sony's Pan/Crop or Track Motion causes playback to drop to 13-14 frames per second.

Using this new plug-in with vertical and horizontal flip, playback stays virtually right at 29.97 frames per second.

You can get it here:

http://www.mirkwood.com/vegas/flip

Please let me know if you use it!

Thanks!
Adam Woodworth

I have just started using the Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD and I have a couple of questions.

My Equipment is as follows.

CAMERA
Sony HDR-FX1

Computer.
Dell 350 Workstation
Windows XP Professional
3Ghz processor.
1 Meg of ram
(2) 36 gig SCSI hard drives. One for programs and the other for the footage.
Firewire card.
On board sound

Presently the only editing I will be doing will be in the DV format in the 4:3 ratio.


1. Is there any ability to color balance the footage using the color bars to balance to the camera at the time of transfer? i.e create a split screen and color balance.

2. I want to output the final edit to a DVD. The manual only mentions approved devices, but I cannot find a list anywhere in the manual or online for that matter, that gives any specifications about approved or suggested DVD burners.

I am going to assume that it would need to be firewire compliant, but is there anything else it should have or do?

3. The Dell is set up for dual monitors. Will the Sony Vegas Movie Studio program support dual monitors?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

After struggling with various shareware that was difficult and buggy, I'm glad to say that the new MainConcept AVC/AAC codec included in the 6.0d release works GREAT for iPod output. (use the iPod template.)

10 minutes later my son had his latest video project on his iPod, all working and rendering just as Vegas should.

Have you tried using the horizontal/vertical flip in the pan/crop tool?

EDIT: Yes, you said that. Missed it. Sorry.

This plug is real-time. In the Pan/Crop, and Track Motion tools, it's not realtime on playback, because of the way the scaling is optimized in Vegas.
Therefore, the plug is very, very useful.

I don't have a video iPod, but I was wondering if you cut the bit rate in half for audio and video from the default template, would it still play fine on the iPod (albeit at lower quality). So, that'd be 64 kbps audio and 256 kpbs video. Care to give it a shot and let me know? Thing is, I'd like to start posting video clips to the web, but 512 video + 128 audio makes for some file sizes that are larger than I'd like to host.

I am new to Vegas, and am ordering guide books and registering for an instructional course, but I have a question the the almost-useless "Quick Start guide " doesn't answer. I would like to output many of my final projects to DV tape, but that doesn't seem to be an option in the guide. What is the best way to do this ?

Tools/Print to DV tape is the easiest/most efficient method.

Well, I've rendered the test - now if I can only get my son to hold still while I borrow the iPod for a few minutes... hope to report on this soon.

It should work fine. I've rendered lower resolution files like this and they play fine on my iPod. But those weren't rendered out of Vegas. I'll give this a try too, as I'd be interested to see the results. Let us know how your tests turn out Seth.

Well... you have the standard dissolves you could use to dissolve from one to the other. Using some transitions may look more like morphing than others. However, there's also the tools from www.debugmode.com which includes WAX and WinMorph.

Hey Ed,

I'm not sure this works with Vegas 6. Do you know for sure?

Sony is offering $125 off if you spend $500 so I could upgrade from MS Platinum to Vegas plus DVD for $450. That's the best deal I've seen in the couple of years I've been watching it. My dilemma is I think there could be some major HDV upgrades in the next version of Vegas. I still have a couple of dv projects to finish before I start on my first major HDV project so I'm in no big rush. Of course I have no idea when the next version of Vegas will come out or what will be in it. So is anybody else thinking about this or have some helpful insight to guide a hesitant and confused person? Thanks,

Mark

Whenever I view a project on my secondary display, whether it's lcd #2 or the tv, the quality is directly affected by the size of the preview window in Vegas 6. Is this normal? It's a PITA to keep resizing the preview window just to get a decent external preview quality...
Thanks for any advice.
Vin

is your preview window set to "preview (auto)"? you can set it to "best (auto)" but i'm not sure how smooth it would run in an external monitor.

I think the trend will be to native HDV editing. Premiere Pro 2.0 has it, and despite what some are postulating, in actual use I find it working pretty decently. Pinnacle Studio 10 Plus ( a consumer editor) is also going native HDV. It has some bugs still, but has the promise of fast rendering, because it only actually rerenders edited area of a clip. You would think Sony, a dedicated champion of HDV, would be working that way with Vegas--- they do own that outfit, right ?

It is a dilemna. I upgraded to from Premiere 6.5 to Pro 1.51, only to have Pro 2.0 come out a month later. Ended up paying $200 for each upgrade.

I think the trend will be to native HDV editing. Premiere Pro 2.0 has it, and despite what some are postulating, in actual use I find it working pretty decently. Pinnacle Studio 10 Plus ( a consumer editor) is also going native HDV. It has some bugs still, but has the promise of fast rendering, because it only actually rerenders edited area of a clip. You would think Sony, a dedicated champion of HDV, would be working that way with Vegas--- they do own that outfit, right ?

It is a dilemna. I upgraded to from Premiere 6.5 to Pro 1.51, only to have Pro 2.0 come out a month later. Ended up paying $200 for each upgrade.


Follow up: I know Vegas does .m2t native edits, but I have heard a lot of complaints.

Neil- No matter what I set the preview window to, the preview in either external monitor will only improve when I enlarge the preview window in Vegas itself. I thought this might be a normal thing--does it happen to you?

for whatever reason the larger the preview screen the more it stutters even in "preview" quality-so for rough editing I leave the screen small and on "preview auto" then for finish edit and color work I use an external monitor and it seems to work better but for really fine stuff, I'll render a small clip to AVI and run it thru the external monitor just to double check it.
Don

The latest version update info indicates it's now compatible with Vegas 6.

Thanks Ed


I will check the new version out

1. I have been creating simple Flash animations for my video presentations at 720x480 pixels (output from flash at everything max) but after rendereing (at best) the animations become somewhat blocky and jittery (I edit the original pics in photoshop or Real Draw, export them as transparent ...? oops forgot the name..., then move them around in Flash). Is this blockyness/flickering normal? Can I possibly get a clean and nice animation? (maybe doubling the size of the original flash animation?)

2. And... exactly what size pixel screen size should I use for stills and animation programs to import into vegas?

3. Does anyone have a recommendation for an animation and or 3d animator for a resonable price the works well with Vegas. I am not looking to get heavily into it but it is nice to throw in some simple, fun and cool little animations here and there.

Thanks

Have you tried this (from Vegas help):

Reduce interlace flicker
(video only)
This switch can be useful in cases where the source material didn't originate as video and contains extremely high spatial or temporal frequencies.

When you watch the rendered (interlaced) output on video of this sort of media, you may see flickering or crawling edges if this switch is not applied

Enable this switch when using imported images that were not created using a video camera (such as photographs) or when using generated media or text.

Is their anyway to burn onto a dual Layer disc using Sony Dvd Architect?

Dual layer support was added in DVDA 3. You might be able to prepare a larger size disc in DVDA 2 and then use Nero to burn it. Not sure how the layer splitting will work in that case, though.