need help please...working with avi and mpg files editing

[jahmarvin]

hello....I am putting together a sample dvd..and the problem is part of the footage was recorded in mpg (on a sony hard drive camera) so it automatically records in mpg... the rest of the footage was captured using my new sony pd170 (avi).... how do I set the settings being that I am using 2 different formats ???

any help would be greatly appreciated...I don't know what to set the prefferences to...please help

thanks

[Ken Berry]

Potentially, you might have problems. But we will require a little further information from you.

First, I know nothing about the format your camera shoots in -- namely, DVCAM. I know it is a professional variant of DV/AVI and that it fits less video, but at higher quality, on a cassette. But beyond that, I know nothing. I am assuming, though, that it records using Lower Field First as its standard field order. (You can confirm this for us by right clicking on one of the captured DVCAM files and copying the properties here.)

I don't even know if the camera can use standard DV cassettes, but if so, it will definitely be Lower Field First.

Now your mpeg files have come from a hard disk camera, and my understanding is that these generally use Upper Field First (especially if it was also a Sony camera). Again you can confirm by right clicking on one of these files within VS.

A basic rule of video editing is that you cannot mix Upper and Lower Field video in one single project. One or the other will suffer -- usually with 'jaggies' or other artifacts showing, especially in motion scenes or when panning and zooming.

Now, you can have video with different field orders on the same DVD, but not in one single project on the DVD. So your work around, if it fits into your project concept, would be to have separate videos -- one of your mpeg material, using Upper Field First throughout; and the other produced from your edited DV(CAM) material. The latter has to be rendered to DVD compatible mpeg-2 after editing, but using Lower Field First (as you must).

[jahmarvin]

thanks ken for your help....the mpg (sony hard drive camera) is indeed upper field...when I checked

my pd170 cam does record in dvcam and also standard dv tapes...which I use... and record in regular dv. When I checked the properties for that is says :

compression DV Video Encoder -- type 1

is that lower field ?? do I have the stettings correct ??


also I am a little unclear about what you are saying... are you saying I have to put all my mpg footage in order...then save...then open another file and work with the avi (dv) files and put them together?

sorry but I am a newcomer to all this..

again thanks for all the help....really means alot

you guys are great!

[Ken Berry]

OK -- regarding the DV video footage, it is always Lower Field First.

And yes, I am saying that the hard disk camera mpeg footage will have to be processed into a final mpeg-2 or several of them, since it uses Upper Field First. Similarly, the DV footage will have to be edited and then rendered separately into DVD-compatible mpoeg-2 using Lower Field First.

So in the end, you will have separate sets of mpeg-2 videos, some using UFF and some using LFF. You can include them all, in the order you want, on a DVD, and ensure that the DVD plays consecutively, rather than returning to the main menu after each item is played. That will at least give the idea of continuity -- although in reality, there is likely to be a slight pause between each video.

But you will not be able to join the UFF and LFF video together in one project, and then produce just one sequential video file for burning to disc.