Connect versus GearShift?
 

So what are the advantages/disadvantage of these two? What is the cost difference?

Thank you - PK

Connect HD is WELL worth the money and much easier to use than Gearshift. If your computer is very fast, it will capture m2t and convert it directly to their avi file which edits easily in Vegas. If your computer is slower, it will capture the m2t, then in a second step, convert it. In the process, Connect will secene detect your clips. The product is a gem.

If yr PC is 3.0Ghz and below, it would be much easier to use Gearshift to generate a DV proxy for editing. For HDV, u download into yr PC as m2t format, which is difficult to edit even with the fastest PC. So, Connect HD & Gearshift each generates an intermediate file for editing. For Connect HD, it renders the cineform avi, while Gearshift has a choice to generate a DV proxy or CF. Note that fopr Gearshift, it is using the Vegas supplied CF codec while Connect HD is using an improved version.

What does Cineform have up it's sleave for Vegas version 7.0? I plan on making the upgrade later this month and have not purchased Connect HD v3.04 just yet. Not sure what to do really.

Jon

You don't have long to wait. Vegas 7 is being released today.

One thing I learned in doing a movie project: I used Magic Bullet a good amount. It was explained to me that Cineform converted files are 4:2:2 and, though it only came from the 4:2:0, Magic Bullet redoes each pixel and, therefore, the end product is better. It sure looks better. A lot of people have commented on "the look."

what do you mean magic bullet redoes each pixel.. when i add any type of magic bullet effect it re renders the pixels to 4:2:2...explain??

color work
 

Mike Jones in another forum said, "Native HDV TS files are 4:2:0 colour space which means a fairly data starved image for doing lots of colour grading and such. No headroom. Dont get wrong, its not like you cant do it. You just potentially get better results doing heavy colour grading on Cineform files which are 4:2:2 colour space. Of course the transcode from 4:2:0 TS files to 4:2:2 cineform doesnt improve or change the quality of the footage but it does give extra data headroom and colour space availibility for making colour adjustments..."

In a later discussion he said that this is the reason it is better with Magic Bullet. MB is working with the Cineform file, not the m2t file. The program redoes each pixel, so it has more to work with.

sounds like a sound idea but what do the results look like. i have connect hd and think it's great, but now 7.0 vegas is out why would i use it m2t files in draft mode with transition play fine on my timeline. I guess if there was a frame shot of m2t with bullet and cineform with bullet side by side and there was a noticable difference it would still be worth it to use cineform for the 4:2:2 colorspace.. right?

Is connect HD available for Vegas 7 and does it still have the same advantages that it had for 5/6?

Yes, it works with 7. It still has the advantages. It has updated. Some people use Vegas to capture and then convert in Vegas to the Cineform codec that comes with it. Connect is still worth the $200 to me.

Even Vegas 7 doesn't do frame accurate cuts on m2t files.....ConnectHD AVI does function frame accurately in Vegas. And, I think you'll find that m2t files will still stutter a bit in Vegas, especially with a transition inserted.

Thanks for the info on the frame cuts. I have never cut m2t directly since I bought Connect shortly after my Z1 but knowing the nature of m2t I didn't see how they could cut on the frame. I assume they cut on the full information frame.

Also, since reencoding (up to about 8 times) is possible without visible loss, I make a project "master" in Cineform before adding effects. I find Cineform very reliable. Even their support is good.