Same here ... and at the beginning, too.

thank you so much Im off to try it !!!

The AC3 encoder in Vegas does come with DVDA - not Vegas - so it is needed in order to encode AC3 audio.

HD migration
 

I am likely buying an HD camera next year. I know they will output DV, which makes it an easier decision. But now what I would like ot know is:

If I record in HDV, capture it as DV, and edit it with Vegas, Can I recapture the video a year from now, and just run the project file against the new captures to get the same project in HD format? Or will I have to tweak or redo the project timeline later on?

Vegas Rendering Time Examples
 

Many People perusing ths board prior to buying Vegas are probably interested in what to expect for rendering times. I thought I'd post my own experience thus far and see if anyone else cares to follow suit.

Processer: 2.4 Ghz Pentium IV
Memory: 750 Mb DDR (2700) RAM
Video: 34 MB NVidia
Hard drives (2) WD 7200 RPM w/cache
OS: XP Pro

Material:
a 98 minute first act of a stage play. Recorded with two cameras. Edited in Vegas using Excalibur to place 190 clips selected from the two videos onto the master track.

Rendering times (ratios):
6.3:1--MPEG II, NTSC DV template, rendering set to "good", video set to best (31), all other defaults
6.3:1--AVI, NTSC DV template, rendering set to good, all other defaults
10.4:1--same as either of above, rendering set to "best"

Note: I don't perceive any difference between "good" and "best" rendering for this kind of work.

Connecting a TV
 

Hey Folks,

I want to hook up a small TV to my computer so that I can preview the look of things. Are there any recommendations on how to do this? I want to try and avoid two things, confusing the computer and having the TV magnets interferre with my computer monitors.

Thanks Folks

Michael Estepp

Computer -> firewire -> Camera/Convertor/Deck -> S-Video or RCA -> TV

Here's a good converter (cheap too, esp compared to the canopus advc-100):

Link to

Reclaiming Hard Drive Space: A Mystery
 

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but since it indirectly involves Vegas 5, here we are!

I've been capturing clips into Vegas, making compilations on DVD. Sometimes the files add up to alot per project (i.e. 50 GB). After I'm done with a compilation I send all the files to the recycle bin. Zap. But each time I check my hard drive contents as to reclaimed space (that is, I capture 50 GB and then delete it after the project is done, expecting to be back where I started), I never seem to entirely recover the space previously used up. It's like I'm getting diminishing returns of reclaimed space on my hard drive after deleting each project. For every recycle bin session there seems to be a residual amount of GBs I never get back. I usually delete files from My Documents, since that's where the files are, but are there hidden, undeleted "shadow files" somewhere else? This is really baffling to me, but I hope it isn't to any of you!

Are you emptying the recycle bin too? The hard disk space is not allocated back until you do that. (Right-click - Empty Recycle Bin)

Also are you deleting the DVD files? They might be the culprit. I usually keep those though, just in case I need to re-create the DVD.

Yes, as to the Recycle Bin--and it goes "scrunch!" I also delete the DVD files after awhile. Could there be such a thing though as "phantom files?"

You can try the utility "treesize" to help you out. I prefer the freeware version over the pro one.

http://www.jam-software.com/freeware/index.shtml

I agree with Glenn-- "Treesize" is a great little utility. You probably have a directory somewhere that is having intermediate media files added to it, and Treesize will point it out.

Do you have Norton Utilities installed? Is IT'S Recycle Bin empty?

Thanks for the tips but I hit upon a solution right under my nose. I found "Disk Cleanup" in the XP software. I opted for eliminating "unnecessary" compressed files (which I never actually saw listed anywhere). Once done I regained 60 GB of free space!! Anyway, I do appreciate all your input.