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OK, here is the situation. I have finally figured out how to get around the AAC audio problem with my Hauppauge HD-PVR. If I use their non-frame accurate software to create an AVCHD disc on my hard drive, consisting of all the raw clips I want to edit, I can then import the disc folder into VideoStudio, perform all of my edits, and then encode a new AVCHD disc, and it seems to work fine.

Now, in one scenario, I have a series of 20 minute videos. I figure I can put about 3 different titles on a single layer DVD-R and still maintain fairly high quality. I would like to have a title menu on my disc allowing me to choose from the various titles. I import one of these titles as a series of clips, perform edits, trim and combine them using the timeline, and then I want to do the same thing for the other three titles before authoring my AVCHD disc. I know that I can import additional videos into the AVCHD authoring window, but it doesn't allow me to perform any edits. I have considered saving each one as a separate project, and then importing the various projects into the AVCHD disc, but I have a question about that. When I create a project or try to change the project's properties, VideoStudio 11.5+ only allows the project to have a maximum resolution of 720x480 or something like that. It's weird, because it allows me to import the 1080i AVCHD discs and also allows me to create 1080i AVCHD discs, but the projects have lower resolutions. So, if I create a separate project for each of the titles I want to put on the disc and then try to import those projects into a single AVCHD, will that disc use the original video file 1080 line resolutions or will it use the projects' 480 line resolutions?

I should note that I also considered the possibility of rendering each title out to a video file and then importing those video files into the AVCHD project. Besides being extremely slow and potentially poor quality due to all of the video compression and recompression, VideoStudio crashes when I try to render my clips out giving me a generic Windows error box saying "Videostudio has stopped working".

So just to sum up, is there a way that I can edit about 12 AVCHD video clips into 3 distinct titles, import them into a single AVCHD disc as separate titles, and maintain 1080 line resolutions?

First, you can't edit in the authoring/burning module because it is not, well, an editing module!

You do your edits in the Editor module. In producing my own AVCHD hybrid discs, I do this regularly. I simply ignore the Project Properties as they are not important, depending on what Properties you choose for output. You can output to a new file in the Editor module as you have thought about. But your choices there are only two -- either AVCHD 1920 x 1080 or 1440 x 1080. The latter uses a lower bitrate.

However, that brings me to the next point. If you want your AVCHD to be the same high quality as the original, you will need to use a bitrate of VBR max 18000 kbps. However, that will only allow you to burn a little more than 20 minutes on a single layer DVD. To fit 3 twenty minute videos on, you would need to be using a bitrate of down around standard definition DVD levels of 8000 kbps. At those levels, you would no longer be talking about 'high definition' output in any meaningful way. Believe me, I know, since this was the first sort of thing I tried... The resulting DVD looked a bit better than standard definition, but not by much. I now burn my AVCHD discs with only 20 - 22 minute projects on them, using the highest quality settings. And in any case, blank DVDs are dirt cheap these days, so who cares how many I use?

In any case, I don't take that route anyway (i.e. after finishing my edits I do NOT choose Share > Create Video File > AVCHD). Instead, I simply save the project file. Depending on how many videos I intend to burn to the hybrid disc, I then do the other projects. I then create a new project, but don't give it a name: the objective is just to clear the timeline. Then I choose Share > Create Disc > AVCHD. The burning module opens and I insert the project files of my selected videos into the burning timeline.

Then I click on the middle of the three icons in the bottom left of screen. And then click the Change MPEG Settings button. I do this because it allows me to vary the default AVCHD settings used by VS. (I in fact use 1440 x 1080 but select a higher bitrate for it than the VS default.) In your case, if you continue with your desire to squeeze 3 videos onto one disc, would choose a much lower bitrate. Also, untick the box beside 'Do not convert compliant mpeg files'. In fact, though, since you are using project files, rather than real video files, this is largely irrelevant as conversion will occur anyway.

Note, however, that the projects will now be converted as part of the burning process, instead of as a separate step in the Editor. But the conversion time will be just as long in the burning module as it would have been in the Editor... and that's a long time with AVCHD. I find my Quad takes nearly 4 times real time for the conversion. In other words, 1 hour of video will take nearly 4 hours to convert.

But anyway, once you have your project files in the burning timeline, and adjust the burn properties, you construct your menus and burn.

Thanks for the reply. I am really surprised to hear about what bitrates you find are necessary. My hardware H.264 encoder actually tops out at an average bit rate of around 13.5 Mbps for 1080i and the manufacturer claims that you can get reasonable HD results all the way down to about 7 Mbps, which admittedly is about the same bitrate as an MPEG-2 DVD but using the much more efficient H.264 codec. I have done some of my own recording tests with the hardware at the bitrate I want, around 10 Mbps, and the results with the hardware look exceptional. Admittedly, this is using a more efficient audio codec in AAC instead of AC-3, but that should have very little impact on the results. Anyway, I'm assuming that the Ulead software codec, doing a two-pass VBR should be every bit as efficient as my hardware encoder that is working real time and thus doesn't have the advantage of a second pass, and further, if my hardware can only encode at up to 13.5 Mbps VBR, there doesn't seem like there is any value add in increeasing the bitrate of my edited, recoded video to something like 18 Mbps if my source material was already lower to begin with.

But just to sum up, what you are saying is that I can save each file as a separate project with just my cut points and references to the video files that are sitting unchanged on my hard drive, and then when I import those projects into an AVCHD, the imported project resolution is completely ignored and only the file resolutions matter, correct?

Hi,
I use a similar method as Ken does, except most of my encodes are done as video files and not projects. So I insert High Def Mpeg2 video directly into the burning module & create an avchd. If your cam shot in the mpeg2 format the videos would be much easier to edit. The avc/h264 is pretty hard for editing.

I've found that there is one confusing part of working in either VS or MF burning modules (they are similar).
When working on a fairly large project the project estimation can grow very large because the program adds music, motion menus & menu transitions..
At least on my system if I add chapters to any video then the burning module by default makes motion menus, transition menus and audio background music.
This can make the project estimation size increase by a fairly large amount. I don't use motion menus nor the menu transitions. Sometimes some background audio. But if you have many chapters then using motion menus will eat up some disc space. After I disable those features I gain a reasonable amount more disk space.

I've also found that using 18MBS at VBR ends up averaging about 12MBS Average for the actual video(s).
Usually I'll encode at 15MBS CBR Constant Bit Rate w/Dolby 5.1@448kbs.
Personally I wouldn't use 2 pass encoding when using avc/h264 and re-encoding the same codec. I think that single pass works fine and usually the program will generate errors if I do try a 2 pass encode. But I would only attempt a 2 pass encode if the source was not very compressed, like the cineform codec etc. Usually 2 pass encoding avc/h264 will generate an error on my machine.

But just to sum up, what you are saying is that I can save each file as a separate project with just my cut points and references to the video files that are sitting unchanged on my hard drive, and then when I import those projects into an AVCHD, the imported project resolution is completely ignored and only the file resolutions matter, correct?

In essence yes -- though with one possible qualification, if I understand you correctly. For the last bit of your question, I would have said "...and only the original file resolutions or the burning properties I have set in the burning module matter, if they are different from the original file resolutions." Like etech, I also don't bother with 2 pass encode, particularly since I am using a high quality bitrate. In the early days, I also had two-pass bring the whole process to a halt a couple of times...

I might also just repeat, though in a slightly different way, that using a much lower bitrate, getting down to around the standard DVD bitrate, still produces very good results. Don't get me wrong on that. It is definitely better than top quality standard def DVD. But when you compare it to AVCHD prepared using much higher, or original, bitrates, the difference is like chalk and cheese. So for me, the higher bitrate wins out every time! In other words, I much prefer quality over the quantity of video I can squeeze onto a DVD, particularly given their cheap price these days...

Thank you both for the tip. I came home expecting my 2-pass VBR to have been encoded and burned, only to find out that the program crapped out on me. Looks like they have a few bugs to fix before the next version, but if 1-pass is good enough, then I'll stick to that, because I really don't want to spend 10 hours encoding 20 minutes of video.

I would greatly prefer to edit in MPEG-2 or HDV format. Unfortunately, I'm not using a camcorder, but a box designed to let me dump the content off my DirecTV+ HD DVR, and my only choice is AVCHD.

Thanks for the interesting info in this thread. My camcorder records at 15Mbps. Would it be better to stay on the native speed or go up to 18Mbps for best results?

You won't get any improvement on the original quality by increasing the bitrate. You will just get a larger file. What is the model and brand of your camera? Does it record using a frame format of 1440 x 1080, which would be consistent with VBR max 15 Mbps? Or 1920 x 1080, which would normally use 18 Mbps? And can you switch frame size within the camera's menu?

Ken,
I'd like to point out that maybe VS possibly uses different DLL modules when it encodes a project (inserted or carried over from the timeline), versus inserting a High Def Video directly into the burning module. When I perform everything in the burning module & insert the High Def files the results are very similar to MovieFactory 6+ encodes.
A project file at least to me doesn't come out as good.

I feel I get better encodes and the videos come out better using direct insertion of High Def files within the burning module.

After I encode, if I use 18MBS VBR at 100% compression and then view the true bit-rates back in either the PS3 or software players the actual bit-rates average between 11MBS-12MBS. I feel the quality is very good, considering such a low bit-rate for HighDef. I've even encoded at 6MBS - 8MBS and I guess one would say the videos are acceptable.

To me having high quality source video is the key component.

Note: To view the bit-rate of a video on the PS3 hit the "Select" button while the video is playing.

I have to admit I use MF6+ a lot more than VS when it comes to menus & burning. VS has some great 3D transitions & other effects. So usually I'll export the High Def file as hd-mpeg2 and have MF6+ perform the H264 conversion.

Thanks for the hints. I confess I hadn't thought of editing in HDV and outputting to a new HDV file, but then using that in the VS burning module to convert to AVCHD. I was quite pleased with the results of using the project files, but I will give your method a try to see if I can detect any differences or improvements...

Cheers

I suggest 15MBS using Dolby 5.1@448kbs
and try 18MBS VBR Dolby 5.1@448kbs.

I'm curious if you see a nice encoding at 15MBS CBR using an original Mpeg2 file just within the burning module itself.
I've also been using 100% compression for the quality setting.

Yes, that one in particular *will* be interesting. It was precisely because I did not really like the output Share > Create Video File > AVCHD using 1440 x 1080 frame size and the default 15 Mbps for that, that I started simply opening the HDV projects in the burning module instead, and upping the bitrate to 18 Mbps. So I will definitely try your method and see if it improves things.

Ken Berry wrote:You won't get any improvement on the original quality by increasing the bitrate. You will just get a larger file. What is the model and brand of your camera? Does it record using a frame format of 1440 x 1080, which would be consistent with VBR max 15 Mbps? Or 1920 x 1080, which would normally use 18 Mbps? And can you switch frame size within the camera's menu?

My camera is a Sony HDR-SR11 60GB HDD. In the best ("Full HD") mode - which I always use - it records in AVCHD at 16Mbs VBR in a 1929x1080i frame format. 50Hz. In HD SP and HD LP it uses 1440x1080i resp at 7 and 5Mbs. It has also MPEG-2 bitrate settings for SD recordeing. Would it be best to go for 16Mbs in the VS11 output settings

erdna / others:

Hers's a tip I posted on another thread:
The thing is to apply this to you simply use YOUR SOURCE VIDEOS for the templates.
Remember if VS11+ has problems rendering to a new avc/h264 video file then turn OFF smartrender (accessible by clicking on the "Options" Icon before actually starting the exporting process).

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... 972#162972

jatoghia,

How to extract the hauppauge AVC/H264 videos AAC audio only using VLC to a wav file for editing in VS11+:

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... 971#162971