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Is there any tutorials on how MPEG optimiser works?

Welcome to the forums,

Here's one on Corel's Website, Optimizing your MPEG videos

There is also instructions located in both the Help file (click on the icon) and User Guide.

I'm have VS2 Pro and have just come across MPEG optimiser. I have a JVC GZHD40 camcorder. I tried to create a movie template to match my TOD file which has the following properties:-

File Format PAL HDMV
Video Type MPEG2 UFF
Frames 25 fps
data rate 28,000
1920x1080
16:9

there didn't appear to be an option to select PAL HDMV so instead I created a template with the following properties:-

MPEG files
24 bits, 1920 x 1080, 25 fps
Upper Field First
(MPEG-2), 16:9
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 28000 kbps)
Audio data rate: 384 kbps
MPEG audio layer 2, 48 KHz, Stereo

I then Share>Create Video File>selected my custom template. Anyway after a 1 or so mins MPEG optimiser pops up telling me the optimal setting is the PAL HDMV format so okay I went with its recommedation.

My questions are:-

a) why doesn't VS2 Pro allow me to create a custom movie template with those predefined PAL HDMV properties?

b) My 10 min property took 30 mins to render (my PC = Quad 9400 2.66Ghz 4G ram), seems a long time given that MPEG optimiser advised to 85% of the project was already in its optimal setting, it appeared that only the transitions and intro/credits [3 sec black color clips] were not.

As you probably realise, HDMV is the Blu-Ray format of mpeg-2. And there are in fact some default templates for it, for example when you select Share > Create Video File > Blu-Ray, you get two choices of HDMV. But, at least in my version of VS 12, these both use LFF when yours uses UFF.

You can make a custom template the way I assume you have done, using Make Movie Template Manager. But if you are going to make a lot of movies using exactly the same properties of your original video from the camera, then I would use the 'Add' button of Make Movie Template Manager, and not the 'New' button.

When you click that, you get a dialogue box with just two frames -- File Path and Template Name. The latter is obvious -- call it what you want e.g. JVC HDMV. But in the File Path box, click on the '...' button to the right of it, then navigate to a directory when you have a sample of the original video stored. Select that, then click OK. That will take you back to the Make Movie Template Manager box where your new template should be listed, and having the same properties as the original. You can then select that in future.

But note: do NOT try to edit that template. If you do, it will revert to some vanilla preset of standard def mpeg-2.

As for rendering times, I cannot really say. On my own Quad 6600, if SmartRender is not operating, I get not dissimilar times. And I tend to leave SmartRender off in all my HDV/AVCHD editing since I maintain the original high quality settings. I have not been able to detect any visible loss in quality though it may be there microscopically...

Thanks Ken, I'll give that a try this weekend.