Burn to AVCHD option greyed out on 11.5 plus upgrade

[jlally]

Hi,

I am a new user and I've just bought the 11.5 plus upgrade from Corel.co.uk. I had an old Video Studio 7 lying around. After two days of calling support I finally got the correct download links and upgraded version 7. Reading the announcement thread on this forum I got it to "11.5.0157.2 Plus".

My problem is that when I try to burn AVCHD disc to folder the options are greyed out. I can only burn to an actual disc and that crashes out.

I contacted tech support but they keep insisting I don't have 11.5 plus version despite me pasting the email from Corel stating I bought the upgrade.

Can anyone else confirm if their 11.5 plus version allows burn to folder for AVCHD?

Jag

[Ken Berry]

Mine does not either. The options to burn to a folder or disc image is also greyed out. I used an actual AVCHD file in the burning module. My VS11+ is patched and has the Power Pack, also making it VS11.5 and is installed on a computer with Core 2 Duo 2 Ghz computer running Vista Home Premium. Like you, only the option to burn a disc is active.

However, I confess I know little about AVCHD and had no intention of burning such a disc until I saw your query. Hopefully, someone who knows more about the format will chip in.

[jlally]

Thank you for the reply. It looks like it's a functional limitation of the software. My project was a single AVCHD clip from a Sony SR1E camcorder to see if I can create a disc.

Jag

[etech6355]

Try starting a new project, this will have an empty timeline.
Then go directly to "Share -> Create Disk" -> AVCHD.

Then in the AVCHD module insert your h264 video file into the timeline.
After you insert the video file click on the "I" Icon for information.
Write down the exact video & audio properties of the AVC/H264 video file.
Then click on the "GEAR" Icon -> Change Mpeg Settings -> Customize and make any necessary changes to these project settings that are required so they match your source video settings.
After you do that then proceed to create a disk.
Just make sure the media in your burner is compatible with the burner.

If you brought the video into the burning module from the timeline then it's not actually the video itself, it's the VS project. This can force re-coding of the video which you do not want. IF the video has to be recoded (as your previous experience) then the program will re-encode to the project settings, if they don't match the encode can fail. Maybe this is what happened.

Best practice is to go into the Burning Module from an empty timeline. So your videos should be prepared first and compliant. Then you go into the burning module from an empty timeline, insert your compliant videos into the burning modules timeline.

Hope that works. I would give this method a try.

[Ken Berry]

etech -- the problem was NOT that we could not burn an avchd disc. We could. But this was the only option. In other words, we could burn a disc, but we did not have the option instead to 'burn' either an avchd 'folder' or disc image...

And in my case at least, I started VS and went straight to Share > Create Disc > AVCHD, inserted a compliant AVCHD file in the burning timeline, and did not build a menu. On going to the final page, I could burn an AVCHD disc but not a folder or image.

[etech6355]

Ken,

etech -- the problem was NOT that we could not burn an avchd disc.

His first post sounded like a crash, so I thought, the typical error many receive when carrying the project over. Did I read this incorrectly?

1st Post -My problem is that when I try to burn AVCHD disc to folder the options are greyed out. I can only burn to an actual disc and that crashes out.

Either way I think that if making an AVCHD disk with avchd/h264 as the source material you really need to have the files already compliant and use the suggested workflow to create a dvd.

I'm making one now in MF6+, I'm converting my hd-mpeg2 files to avchd/h264, my first step is to export them first to the harddisk via a customized template. Then clear my timeline insert the h264 compliant media and proceed on to burning. MF6+ also forces you to burn a dvd.

[Ken Berry]

Yes, I saw the reference to the crash. But I guess I read the whole message as saying "If I try burning an avchd DVD and it crashes, how can I get it to burn the avchd equivalent of a DVD Folder or Disc Image so I can burn those in another program..."

I guess the answer is that if, trying your very helpful suggestions, he still can't manage to successfully burn a disc, then he might simply have to produce compliant avchd files and burn those in another program which will do the job, including adding the menu etc and any other things done during the authoring stage.

[jwillb]

MF6+ also forces you to burn a dvd.

OK, this is my dilemna. I already own VS 10+. What I want to do is produce files (NOT a disk, necessarily) in AVCHD 1080p to play on my Sony PS3 on my 1080p LCD TV. Maybe a workflow like this:

• 1. Import/Produce MPEG-2 HD files (or hi-res pix or other clips) into VS11+ w/ HD power pack
  2. Export to AVCHD High Profile in 1080p resolution and frame rate
  3. Move to and play on PS3 from the HDD

I am NOT willing to purchase the upgrade IF the software forces me to burn a disk - I want the ability to generate a high-quality AVCHD file. Why? The PS3 will play the MPEG-2 HD, but the AVCHD files have a much smaller, more manageable footprint.

It sounds like the new AVCHD functionality will not allow this - right?

Jay B.

[Ken Berry]

Yes, it certainly has that function. I did not mention where I got my avchd file from in my previous posts. But in fact, I started with Hig Def mpeg-2 1440 x 1080 and converted it to H.264/avchd 1440 x 1080 with Dolby audio. That was not difficult, only a long wait for the rendering. The resulting avchd would not play on my older PC, but would happily play on my Core 2 Duo.

More to your point, this process all occurred in the editing module, and had nothing to do with the burning module.

So if all you are after at this stage is to be able to produce avchd files, that is certainly possible. But I simply don't know about producing a DVD/folder/disc image with that format as I haven't tried beyond getting to the last page of the Video Studio burning module to see what options were available. Only the burning of a disc seems to be available for avchd, but the other poster mentioned that that process crashed for him.

[etech6355]

OK, this is my dilemna. I already own VS 10+. What I want to do is produce files (NOT a disk, necessarily) in AVCHD 1080p to play on my Sony PS3

This is very simple using MF6+. See the link below to my instructions.

I suggest to search the VS & MF forums for my posts on the PS3, they should are also helpful, great playback device the PS3.
I know you want to just make files, but an AVCHD disk with menus will playback in the PS3 and other Blu-Ray Disk Players.
The biggest reason I make these AVCHD disks to playback on Blu-Ray players is the videos will playback consecutively, one after another. Usually on the PS3 in file mode there isn't a next video etc. You have to load it manually again. Not with an avchd disk, the PS3 will play each video one after another & repeat the disc automatically.

The h264 files are in the STREAMS folder on the AVCHD disk. Once you create an AVCHD disk you have a menued playable avchd disk and also a disk with the videos archived on it. To make another avchd disk or access/copy the files you simply copy the files from the STREAMS folder under the BDMV folder. on the AVCHD disk.
Vista will read these disks without any problems. Another method if using XP and XP cannot read the disk then use VS11+ or MF6+ import from dvd feature and you can import the h264 videos back to the harddisk this way.

Using MovieFactory 6+ Retail with patch# 2 and the HD-Add-On pack to create individual files from MF6+ please read this post:
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... 726#136726

You can also use workarounds in VS11+ but I like the MF6+ H264 encodings better than VS11+ h264 encodings.

Another new program Corel DVD Copy 6 Plus looks like it can perform many conversions straight to file format. I haven't tried this program yet.

[jwillb]

Thank you etech and Ken,

Etech, one reason I want to use files on the PS3 instead of DVD-Rs is that I created a "test" video slideshow using ProShow Gold in MPEG-2 HD, 1920 x 1080 @ 60 fps, BR of 60mbps, and it would not play from the DVD without stutter. I am assuming the data density is such that the disk cannot spin fast enough to achieve that bitrate. However, when I copied the file to the PS3's HDD, it played beautifully. Hopefully, AVCHD would avoid that problem at a lower bitrate.

Ken, if that is true, I can upgrade to VS 11+ and HD Power Pack and generate these files for far less ($60 upgrade) than investing in DMF6 + Power Pack ($100)

Why do I want to do this? Because using this method, I can enjoy and display my photography in full HD resolution. When done well, the results on my Sharp LCD TV are truly breathtaking

[Ken Berry]

Monetarily, you are correct. I know that etech still prefers MF6 for encoding avchd, but he can speak for himself on that.

In my case, converting Hig Def mpeg-2 to AVCHD/H.264 worked flawlessly and played back well on my Core 2 Duo. However, both etech and I have noticed that converting SD mpeg-2 to AVCHD results in miniscule jerks in fast moving or panning shots. etech says this does not happen with MF6 but I have not tested this as I do not have the Power Pack for MF6+.

[jwillb]

...if using a different setting would produce better results with SD Content. For my purposes, I would use another method for SD content. I was under the impression that AVCHD was using the AVC codec to compress HD content. Are there other settings that you can use to encode your SD content with the AVC codec that won't cause judder or other playback problems? In other words, settings for h.264/AVC that are meant for compressing SD? Further, I wonder how SD encoded with the AVC Codec in VS11 plays back on BD players or PS3s?

At any rate, I take it that you are saying that I can purchase the VS 11+ HD PP upgrade with the confidence that I can encode very high bitrate MPEG-2 HDs into AVCHDs or even produce AVCHDs directly from other content (clips, pix, etc.), correct?

[Ken Berry]

As for your final question, yes.

As for the initial one, I simply don't know as I have not experimented enough.