Recording TS file back to camera tape using VS10+

[Hugo]

OK - I'm stuck here.
I must be missing something, or doing something wrong.

I have the Sony HDR-HC7 HDV handycam. I have no problem getting HD content from the camera to the 'puter via VS10+.

I can edit without any bother, and then output the completed video to MPEG-2, create SD DVD's for playing on 'normal' DVD players etc.
I can create HD files that play on my 'puter. Good so far.

Problem is, I can't seem to record a HD version of the completed video back to my camera tape, so I can watch it in HD on my telly.

For my current project, this is what I've done so far.

1) Created 11 seperate MPEG-2 files of the different scenes / elements of the video with the following specs ..

MPEG-2 Video Upper field first
24 bits, 1440x1080, 16:9
29.970 frames/sec
VBR max 25000 kbps

2) I then go to 'Share'. The HDV Recording option is ghosted until I drop one or all of the 11 completed video files into the timeline. I enter all 11 files for a total of just over 44 minutes.

3) I select HDV Recording, and click on the 'HDV-1080i-60i (transport stream) option. I then get a request to name the new file.

The properties on the save file are shown as ..

MPEG files
24 bits, 1440 x 1080, 29.97 fps
Upper Field First
(MPEG-2) (Transport stream), 16:9
Video data rate: 25000 kbps
Audio data rate: 384 kbps
MPEG audio layer 2, 48 KHz, Stereo

3) I hit 'save' and sit back and wait. After about 4 hours the program has created one 44 minute TS file and another requester box pops up to activate the recording process back to the camera tape. I do that, and can see the video being recorded onto the tape by watching the camera lcd screen.

Unfortunately, after about 20 minutes of the 44 minute file, the screen goes blue. The computer keeps pumping out the file, the camera keeps recording the file, but the sound and picture are no longer being copied.

Going back to the TS file on the computer, it plays perfectly from start to finish on things like Media Player Classic.

Now - here's the thing.

I thought I'd try again, so this time, instead of putting all 11 files into the timeline, I figured I'd already got a TS file, why not use that. So I tried to put the TS file that had taken 4 hours to create into the timeline to be able to use that as the 'Share' file in HDV Recording.

Nope - doesn't work. When I try to open the TS file in the video library, VS10+ tells me .. "The file *** cannot be edited. Do you want to perform pre-process to make it editable?"

If I answer 'no', then the requested closes and I don't get the file. If I answer 'yes' then it takes about an hour for the program to do whatever it's doing, I then drop the file into the timeline, and VS10+ then goes through the whole process of creating ANOTHER TS file, taking ANOTHER 4 hours !!??!!

My questions.

If I've already got a TS file on my 'puter - why can't I use that file as-is to try to record back to the camera tape. Why does VS10+ insist on recreating that TS file before allowing me to use it? Why does it need to perform 'pre-process' on the TS file to make it editable, when all I'm trying to do is transfer it to the camera?

I've spent days trying various ways to export an HD version of this video back to the camera. I've done it using MPEG-2 files, vsp files, existing TS files .. and on the 2 occassions I've managed to get transfers back to the camera, they've both stopped recording part way through (at different places by the way)

I hope this all makes sense.

Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Cheers ... Paul

[etech6355]

You don't know whether the large TS file or the large PS file created (after reprocessing the original TS file) is actually good or something is interrupting the data flow during the recording process.

The only thing I can suggest is put the 11 files on the timeline (match the settings) and export out using smartrender to a new hd-mpeg2 file. Then restart VS10+ and use the new large PS file to write to tape.
Yes, this will take a long time to again create a new hd-mpeg2 TS file.

Taking it for granted that your working on NTFS partitions and not any FAT32 partitions.

[Hugo]

Thanks for the quick reply Etch ..

The large (8gb) TS file originally created from the 11 pre-rendered MPEG-2 files plays perfectly through on the computer. It looks good, sounds good, and by golly, it does you good

Yep, working in NTFS on XP2 with all the updates.

The thing I don't get is that if VS10+ creates a TS file in order to record back to the tape, why does it not recognise that file if I try to use it again? It just seems ridiculous that I need to spend hours creating another exact copy of the first TS file in order to get to the second part of the operation - transferring the file to camera.

I'll try your suggestion overnight .. creating a 44min PS from the individual segments, then use that as a base for the TS to camera.

Thanks mate, appreciate your response.

Paul