High Def Advice Please!

[steveandlizdonaldson]

Hi to all -- long time VideoStudio user here, but only standard def until I recently purchased a Panasonic (HMC40) that creates AVCHD files. My issue is this: I created a short film from 11 video clips. If I add up the entire file sizes, it adds up to 1363 MB. When I play the clips from the camera via HDMI cable directly into our 1080 LCD TV, it looks spectacular. However, if I load them into VideoStudio X3, and create an .mp4 file, it adds up to 856 MB. Worse, when I go to create a DVD (no Blu-ray player yet), and play it on our Blu-Ray player hooked to the same TV, it looks terrible (very 'pixel-y'). To create the DVD (not Blu-Ray) disk, I transferred from X3 to DVD Factory Pro 2010. My settings were:

Select Disk: DVD
Project Format: I tried both DVD-Video and AVCHD
Video data rate: cranked it up to 18000
Video size: 1920x1080

Sorry if the answer has been posted before (I could not find it -- please point me to the solution).

I am so familiar with VideoStudio editing, I hate to change editors, but fear I may have to. Is the only solution to buy a Blu-Ray burner, even for short (10-15 min) HD videos?

Thanks -- Steve

[Ken Berry]

Hi Steve. Welcome to the forums! Nice camera too!!

I am wondering, though, why you are producing mp4 videos from the original AVCHD. I realise, of course, that AVCHD *is* mp4, but there are of course other versions of mp4 which don't use to h.264 codec and may not be high definition into the bargain. Naturally, I am wondering if you have done that. So could you please right click on one of the newly created mp4 files, either in the VS timeline or the library window, and copy ALL its properties here please.

I would also advise you NOT to use DVD Factory Pro 2010 -- it is a hopeless program and even Corel recognised this after long and loud customer complaints. They made Movie Factory 7 SE available as a replacement for registered users. You can get it via one of the updates to X3.

If you are planning on downgrading the HD to burn to DVD, then I would also suggest you first create the DVD-compatible mpeg-2 in X3 before you do anything else with it (Share > Create Video File > DVD). Then when it has been done, insert that in MF 7 SE for burning. Hopefully the quality should be better.

[teknisyan]

Hello steveandlizdonaldson,

Just to add to what Ken mention... if you do not have Movie Factory 7 SE yet, then you can follow the steps from this link "http://corel.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... _id/764534" on how to obtain Movie Factory 7 SE and there is also some information on how to create a DVD and even AVCHD.

[steveandlizdonaldson]

Many thanks to you both for your input. Here's my status now:

- I followed the ID 764534 exactly, editing my video in VS X3,saving the file (chose AVCHD option), and then opening Movie Factory 7SE. I burned an AVCHD DVD and watched it on my TV. The picture was SO MUCH better! The saved file is also about the size of all of the clips added together. One big problem is now the sound sync has shifted. I didn't notice it until someone was speaking on a clip. It's too far off-- enough to be unacceptable. Any hints on this problem? As suggested, here is the info from the file I created:

File Format: NTSC HDMV
File Size: 1,315,044
Duration: 517.317 seconds

Video type: H.264 Video, Upper Field First
Total frames: 15,504 frame(s)
Attributes: 24 bits, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
Frame rate: 29.970 frames/sec
Data rate: Variable bit rate (Max. 20899 kbps)

Audio type: Dolby Digital Audio
Total samples: 24,831,231
Attribues: 48000 Hz
Layer: None
Bit rate: 384 kbps

I did have a black to video clip cross-fade at the biginning (maybe a factor?). Also, the sound shift was watching the DVD on my TV through my Blu-ray player. To see if it was the file or the DVD version of it, I tried to view the file on my computer and it skips and jumps -- I think my computer just can't keep up. It skips too much to see if the sound is sync-ed right.

One extra thing I just tried: I bypassed VS X3 and just went to Movie Factory: I tossed in some clips that contained speaking (but no fades, etc) and burned an AVCHD DVD. It played great on the TV: sound was in sync.

Many thanks on your thoughts,

Steve

[Ken Berry]

In fact, the way you described last was in effect the way I used to burn my AVCHD discs in X2, though the advent of X3 and its confusion over burning modules, changed all that. X4 has now reverted to the old burning module, which is great, though I confess I haven't yet tried burning an AVCHD disc with it.

One thing you might try with X3 is to finish your edits, then choose Share > Create Video File > AVCHD. But then, when you give the new file a name, click on the Options button and uncheck the "Smart Render" box. That should resolve the sync problem.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Steve

Can you also give details of your original HD video file, so we can compare to the newly rendered file……….

Right click in the timeline and select properties.

From Share - Create Video File, do you have the option “Same as first video Clip”, this would use your original source properties to render the project.

[Ken Berry]

Good idea... though I would still disable SmartRender, as I have been saying for the past couple of years now...

[steveandlizdonaldson]

Hello again-

I took a short break from debugging this (job, wife, kids sure can get in the way of a good hobby.... but I'm thankful for them!).

I took the advice above and went to create a new file, exactly as before, but this time turned off the "SmartRender" option. It didn't get very far at all, but instead I got this message:

"The program has encountered an unspecified error and has stopped functioning. Please contact Corel Technical Support and send the dump file for analysis." followed by a path to the dump file (which I have and am happy to share).

So, I started over, created a new file with the SmartRender on, as before following the custhelp instructions, then again burned an AVCHD DVD via Movie Factory -- with the same results as before with the SmartRender turned on (burns an AVCHD high def onto a DVD which plays on our blu-ray player, but with the audio shifted notibly from the video).

Thanks,

Steve