Creating m2ts files

[deklerkt]

I've used Ulead MediaStudio for a long time and now try to also handle high def stuff. So I arrived at VideoStudio X2 and downloaded its trial version. But I cannot get it to output high def stuff as m2ts files.

My problem: I've got an m2ts file (converted from Matroska using tsmuxer) which is 720p 1280x544 pixels to which I added some credit titles. I can import it and play it on the timeline in proper perspective (which is a TechniScope widescreen). When not playing, the preview window shows the image as 4:3 in a squeezed format (the way 16:9 dvd images are squeezed on disk and unsqueezed on playing).
Going to step "3 Share" I cannot find a single entry anywhere that allows me to smart render the file back to 720p 1280x544 with only re-rendering the added credit titles. Whatever choice I make it always ends up being 4:3 formatted image (but strangely not the credits added - they spill over the 4:3).
The descriptions of the product mention AVCHD and H.264 output options but the "Create Video File" only offers AVCHD in 2 PAL resolutions (which produce the above squeezed image), "Custom" also doesn't mention H.264. What do I overlook? Or is the trial version crippled for H.264? It should not according to website descriptions.

Also I noticed that "Project Preferences" only MPEG and AVI files very much limited to old DVD standards. Again, no HD settings anywhere.

I'm confused. I liked MediaStudio and this product seems a low learning curve based on MSP but without proper smart rendering H.264 files I'll have to look elsewhere.

[mitchell65]

this product seems a low learning curve based

if you are using Media Studio then no doubt one of the moderators will move this post from Video Studio to Media Studio. But when you say "this product" do you mean you have a trial version of Video Studio. In VS you can create m2ts files via the Blu Ray option

[deklerkt]

I hope I made clear that I'm currently using the VideoStudio X2 Pro trial version because it is supposed to support high def formats. Something my old version of MediaStudio/VideoEditor does not.
So I'm in the right forum and the question remains:

where did they hide native H.264 / AVCHD output formats and perform rendering only on parts of the m2ts file that was modified?

Theo

[mitchell65]

Not quite sure what you mean by "hide" but to create M2TS files, go to "Share" Create Disc then Choose Blu-ray. Create or not a menu. Click Next. Then uncheck "Create Disc" Check "Create Blu-ray folders", select where you want to store the folders. Then click burn.This will create a folder called "BDMV" This has a number with of sub folders. Open Stream. And you new m2ts folder will be there.

[deklerkt]

That seems like an odd way: you want one file and you get a disc from which to extract the file.

But I did try but that doesn't work properly either. I find a 00000.m2ts file in the disc folder but when played it shows the same wrong aspect ratio.
Playing with VLP the codec shows 1920x1080 display and 1920x1088 as resolution. Which is not the 1280x544 the original is. When the original m2ts is played in VLP it correctly tells me codec h264 resolution 1280x544 display res 1280x544 framerate 50.

When the original is played on the preview of the timeline of the VideoStudio main window, it plays fine. Stop playing and the image becomes full frame (that is: full preview window) and looks squeezed.

When "Create Disc" is started and that too shows a preview window - the damage is done: it will show the film in the wrong perspective also.
The project setting in that window also does not allow me to set a custom size/aspect I need - only two presets 1440x1080 or 1920x1080 with user defined disabled. Same with Create AVCHD disc.

Why is this so difficult? And if 1280x544 is not a standard format (it's wide) why won't it accept black bars on top/bottom without distorting the image itself?

When I used AVCHDecoder to convert the m2ts to a proper disc with subtitles, it all came out fine. Now I want to complete the movie by adding the credit titles that are failing and need something like VideoStudio X2 for that, but this now cannot create a properly formatted output. I'm really puzzled.

Theo

[mitchell65]

Hi
I too am lost now. My M2TS files from my Canon HG10 are 1440x 1080 and stay that throughoutthe procedure.
I think someone more experienced than me will need to help you but I would put a few more details of the source of the files and so on so they have something to work with. I may be wrong but a resolution of 1280x 544 seems odd.

[deklerkt]

It is an odd aspect ratio/resolution. The movie is TechniScope, so in the usual 16:9 widescreen it will still show up with horizontal bars to make up for the reduced height.
It was recorded from television and given to me as 720p Matroska .mkv file (with the 1280x544 pixels). That is something VideoStudio doesn't like, so I used tsmuxer to convert the .mkv file to an equivalent .m2ts file (same 1280x544 pixels).
The current copies of the movie seem not to have the credit titles anymore, so I wanted to put them back where they belong. VS X2 could potentially do that - if it would not change resolution on me.

I'll try to AVCDecoder the original mkv file once more into an AVCHD disk and retrieve the m2ts file from there. That may have a resolution VS X2 can cope with. But it remains odd - many video files will not be exactly the two formats VS seems to assume.

[deklerkt]

I found AVCDecoder produced an h264 codec file of 1280x720 at 47.95 frames which included black bars as part of the image (which is correctly formatted as TechniScope widescreen).

Moving that 00000.m2ts file into VS X2 and trying to output it again, no h264 output option was there. The best I could do was "Create File" and select "Custom setting".
This only allowed MPEG-2 (all DVD/MPEG1's disqualify). I set it to 100% and could select "Standard format 1280x720", framebased. Audio only allows stereo at 384, no mention of Dolby Digital.

The conversion started and the original 8,3 GB input file changed into a 15,1 GB output file after over 2 hours rendering (nothing smart here...) and according to VLP has a mpgv codes with 1280x720 resolution and 25 frame/sec

So now I got a proper output but a file size that WAAAAAYYY to big and still has no h.264 codec in use.
It looks like VS X2 is not quite there yet to do some "simple" h.264 rendering unless I really overlook something obvious.

Theo

[deklerkt]

I now can reduce the size of the MPEG-2 to 7 GB for a dual layer DVD but when I try to create an AVCHD disc all I can do is create it on a disc rather than as a folder on hard drive, which is what I want (as more needs to be done afterwards and the disc would give me an .m2ts file again - and I haven't found a way to convert the .mpg file that VS outputs into a .m2ts file by itself).

So: why, if one chooses "Share" > AVCHD disc can I only write to disc and are "to folder" options disabled?

[mitchell65]

See this post
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?t=36251