Canopus HQ is included in the price.

Yep, NeoScene $100, plus Vegas movie studio platinum $85. Pretty nice and affordable combination.

Thanks to all who have thus far responded. As for using multiple programs (Cineform, etc.) I am clueless. How does one use, for instance, Neoscene, with Nero or whatever? Or don't you do it that way? Please explain.

Thanks.
Mike

PS Larry, I appreciate all your help now and in the past. I am bummed that there is not one "entry" package that has all its "stuff" together.

Cineform Neoscene

Basically you convert your footage to the neoscene codec and work with that.
But read this
"NLE Compatibility:
- Windows: Adobe Elements, Adobe CS3/CS4; Sony Vegas or Movie Studio
- Mac: Apple Final Cut Pro or iMovie
File Compatibility: Because CineForm files use industry-standard AVI or MOV wrappers they are compatible with virtually any video application that supports standard interfaces, including from Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, and Sony. "

You seem resistant to Edius, may I ask why?

You import/download the raw AVCHD video files from your camcorder to your computer hard drive.

You can then edit those raw files directly in your editing software program such as Vegas.

If you choose, using Cineform NeoScene software, you convert the raw AVCHD files to AVI files for editing purposes. The converted files sit on your hard drive, the original files are also still on your hard drive. Then in Vegas, you edit the AVI files instead of the raw AVCHD files.

Robert Young's post explained some of the benefits of editing AVI files instead of raw AVCHD files.

Bryan, if you haven't done it yet, you might also want to update Microsoft's DirectX Runtime to the latest version. Experienced users on the Corel forum recommend keeping DirectX up to date and they say it can correct some video editing problems (although I doubt it has anything to do with the bit rate issue).

I hope the "Same As First Clip" works for you. Here is a link to Microsoft's latest DirectX Runtime update (March 2009).

Download details: DirectX Redist (March 2009)

Well, it may be because I know nothing about Edius. I don't even think I knew Edius existed. What is it?

Mike

So it sounds like then I would have two versions of the same video files (in different forms) on my hard drive. Tell me again what the advantages would be. How would it solve the shortcomings of, say, Nero, with its lack of a full complement of tools?

My computer does a decent job with these editing programs and editing AVCHD. So it is not that I am having problems in that area, instead, I am disappointed in these programs and the fact that they all can't offer a more complete suite of tools while doing away with rerendering of the video.

I guess I just don't understand how using Edius or Cineform Neoscene would help. Sorry for my lack.

Mike

There's this thing called 'google'...

Look on their site NLE Software
it has the fastest processing of all the NLE's and the best multicam too. Edius Neo is the entry level and Edius PRo5.1 is the Pro version. You can see the differences between the versions on the Grass Valley site as well as an explanation of HQ intermediate file ( Cineform is used in the same way and for the same reasons). Edius Neo would be a good thing for you to try as it has all the capabilities I think you need though just like all the others it will re-render.
I use Edius Pro as my main editor as well as Vegas Pro8. Once you have moved to this level of NLE's you will not use the simpler one's again.
Ron Evans

Oh yeah, showing my ignorance....once again.
Google; Why didn't I think of that.

Thanks Ron. I think I will check into this.
Mike

One of the biggest complaints I see is that AVCHD edited and saved/burned as AVCHD on disk does not match the "pristine" quality of the original AVCHD clip. If what you are comparing to is the way the AVCHD clip looks played on the camcorder connected to an HD TV with HDMI cable...

...Nothing is going to turn out like that as an end result in almost all cases. That is the best quality you are going to see.

So we have to deal with a realistic end result. I tried making an AVCHD disk once and played it back at Best Buy on one of their display 42" LCD 1080p TV's and Sony Blu-ray players. The salesman's comment, "Not too shabby". But to me, OK, better than anything I'd tried to date but room for improvement.

With the advent of inexpensive media players I'm finding editing in AVCHD (in Pinnacle Studio 12) and rendering to an HD WMV file is a different story. To me it looks better than any AVCHD disk I've seen, and comes somewhat closer to what I see playing files from my camcorder over HDMI. I copy these files over to a thumb drive and simply plug that into one of the USB 2.0 inputs on the media player. 8 and 16GB thumb drives have plenty of space for several short productions on each one.

I also just got in a Core i7 processor based computer and look for that to lift me out of the slow AVCHD editing doldrums.

I agree with Ron. You have to move to a different NLE. I am not saying that what you are using is bad. But if it does not give you what you want or are not happy with it, maybe its time to try something different. That's what I did with my move away from Pinnacle (v9). I loved the software but it was too limited and buggy, and the renders were not as good. It took a while to get used to Vegas, but now I am happy with it.

Again, you really have to go the transcoding route if you really want to get the best quality. As been said before, there are options (neoscene, edius, etc). You have to take a hit somewhere though. The transcoding will delay your editing a bit depending on your cpu power. There is also the need for more storage, though for me, that is not such a bad thing to get larger drives.

In the end, 1) you can insist using your current NLE but learn to live with its limitations, or 2) you can check out other NLEs, or 3) go the transcoding route. But as of this time, nothing is free or all-in-one without some trade-offs. These are basically the 3 choices available to you.

Thanks Guys.

As for rerendering, from what I have learned only Nero9 and Corel Pro X2 (of the entry level programs) do not do this with the video. Each of these programs have their seperate issues. So as Mel has pointed out, you have those three choices he listed. Not very encouraging.

Mike