Outputing 1920x1080/50p

[electromotive]

I like VSP, inputing, the editor.
But why am I having so much trouble outputing HD in VideoStudio Pro? Help!

My Panasonic camera (SD90, like many others) generates 1920x1080/50p, it's default setting. I can insert clips into timeline. Info: H.264 @ 26000 kbps. 1920x1080
My media player and TV (output) accept 1080x1080 50p (and 50i of course).

For the life of me I can't figure out the HD workflow in VideoStudio:
- I can't change the Project Properties to anything HD. Reminds me of the Hunt for Red October, where their sonar keeps detecting "magma displacements", it keeps "Running home to mama", which in this case is DVD.
- In share/create video file, it won't recognise "Same as first video clip". It defaults instead to DVD settings.
- Non of the standard output formats have 1920x1080/50p, the closest I can find is MPEG-4 HD which decimates down to 25 frames/sec @ 15000 kbps.
- In custom, it defaults again to DVD-PAL. If I override the options, you can spend hours looking at all the possible combinations allowed, but the closest seems to be an m2t file type, 50 frames/sec, but then it reduces the frame size down to 1280x720 50p. That I don't want.

What do I need to do to get any sort of output file which is 1920x1080 50p? Same as the original input?
What am I missing here? Is VideoStudio output somehow limited to only 1920x1080 25 frames/sec interlaced? (or 30 f/s in america). The ability to write BD-video disks is the least of my concerns.

[Ken Berry]

Try outputting to Share > Create Video File > Custom. Then select MPEG Transport Stream as the output format. Then in the Compression tab select AVCHD as the format. But you will still not be able to select more than either 18 or 20 Mbps as the bitrate, though that should still be OK. And it should accept 50/60p.

[electromotive]

Try outputting to Share > Create Video File > Custom. Then select MPEG Transport Stream as the output format. Then in the Compression tab select AVCHD as the format. But you will still not be able to select more than either 18 or 20 Mbps as the bitrate, though that should still be OK. And it should accept 50/60p.

Yep, I was trying this. You're right, 18000kbps is the highest rate, it accepts 50/60p, but the only size available is 1280x720.
But I still don't get it. It won't retain the original size, its reducing it in half, has to re-render the whole project.

Do I need to install new/other codecs? Is that my problem?

[shon3i]

Neither Blu-Ray or AVCHD specification allow 1080p@60/50 Progressive, that's why you get 720p. If you want 1080 you needo go to 50/60 Intelaced. But If you want to retain best possible quality, i suggest you to export video into some lossless codec and then to encode it with x264 encoder which is much better solution than internal Corel encoders. x264 can be also integrated into exporting module of VideoStudio, but i need some to explain that, maybe later. 1080p50/60 is not much compatible with current standalones, but if you tv's player work should be fine.

[aljimenez]

Do a search as this has been discussed before. Look for 60fps. I use an external codec which can handle this and can in fact use higher bit-rates than VS supplies... Al

[Ken Berry]

Which codec is it, Al? And does it work with Corel, or with separate software?

[teknisyan]

You can also try and create your own movie template, go to SETTINGS > MAKE MOVIE TEMPLATE MANAGER > NEW > MPEG Transport Stream > You can select aspect ratio up to 1920 x 1080 and the frame rate will be at 59.94 fps.

You can then use that template when you go to SHARE > CREATE VIDEO FILE > select the template that you created.

[aljimenez]

Which codec is it, Al? And does it work with Corel, or with separate software?

I use ffdshow. We have had lots of discussions about this before, but I can't find it when I search now. With this free, open source, ffdshow installed, which is free, VS becomes a very capable program rendering very high bit-rates, with high frame rates, and high resolution... Al

[Ken Berry]

Ah yes... I have it already on my system. Though a slight drawback is that you can only access it in VS by using the Custom > AVI route.

[electromotive]

In a goog search found this prior post which didn't find in previous searches

http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44519

Following Kingston's step by step, my Frame Size is greyed out, giving only 1280x720 if I choose 50fps. But I see that 1920x1080 was a possible choice in Kingston's setup. That's encouraging. Now to find out why I can't get it.

[shon3i]

Download from here x264vfw http://komisar.gin.by/old/2146/x264vfw.2146kMod.x86.exe , and then on Create video choose avi, in General select for frame type to frame based, framerate type 50 in your case, for resolution define custom 1920x1080, for commpresion choose x264vfw, in x264 option check fast decode and zero latency, ratecontrol put to CRF and type any number form 16 to 21 less is better but file will be huge, output mode set to file and set destination file to mkv or mp4 or raw 264 if you want later to mux it to transport stream. You can optionaly choose preset and tuning, i usually use medium, but higher is better also much slower.

[electromotive]

Download from here x264vfw http://komisar.gin.by/old/2146/x264vfw.2146kMod.x86.exe , and then on Create video choose avi, in General select for frame type to frame based, framerate type 50 in your case, for resolution define custom 1920x1080, for commpresion choose x264vfw, in x264 option check fast decode and zero latency, ratecontrol put to CRF and type any number form 16 to 21 less is better but file will be huge, output mode set to file and set destination file to mkv or mp4 or raw 264 if you want later to mux it to transport stream. You can optionaly choose preset and tuning, i usually use medium, but higher is better also much slower.

Yes thanks, I can now get 1920 x 1080/50p using this codec and the method you prescribe. For a mass of fine slowly moving details, like a very slow pan against a background of grass, its so much better (clearer) than 50i. Quickly moving details, like leaves in the wind, are also crisp without edge artifacts. The stream rate is about 28Mbps. Its just about as good as original. The file size is about 20% larger than the original, but I've made no attempt at tuning the codec. That's just the default settings for CRF. It eats cores, so I'll throw it onto a faster machine when I get beyond playing. The question I have is whether this codec (with my settings) generates a file compatible with most players. There is a another stage involved isn't there.. All in all very encouraging. Will also try ffdshow and any other hints/tips that come along.

[shon3i]

Well x264 can produce Blu-Ray or AVCHD or other tartget device. Problem is 1080p50 is not Blu-Ray or AVCHD compatible by specification, there is some rumor that work on certain PAL devices, but that is too risky . Othrwise if your standalone players or other devices support 1080p50 you should not much worry about specification, but you not use standard container eg BDVM or TS, just use MP4 or MKV much more preferable.

x264 is very powerfull codec you can tweak it much more and get less file size and better quality, but using it inisde Vstudio x4 is not recommended method, because Vstudio uses vfw (video for windows) interface that is outdated, so best method is to export with some lossless encoder such huffyuv, or utvideo codec or many more lossless encoders, you have it in ffdshow some of these. And after use x264 cli encoder with your favorite GUI such as MeGUI or RipBot264 or many more other. That will provide you best quality. But require much more HDD space since lossless encoders need much more size, since they are not loose any quality.

CRF is more than VBR ratecontol, x264 also offer 2 or more passes encoding if you target to specified size. But general rule that is ~18 CRF should produce transparent results.

And x264 is most optimised codec on the world it would use all CPU during encoding, that why is faster and have better quality than other H264 soultions.

[aljimenez]

If you desire the smallest file size with the best quality, then you need to get out of VS as described above and do multiple pass encoding. I have used ffdshow with 2-pass encoding to obtain stunning video with small file sizes... Al

[Ken Berry]

shon3i wrote:

Problem is 1080p50 is not Blu-Ray or AVCHD compatible by specification

Just a small correction. 1080p50 (or 60 for NTSC) is in fact now part of the official AVCHD specification. The change occurred in 2011, when the maximum bitrate for AVCHD was also raised to 27 Mbps. But 1080p50 is still not part of the Blu-Ray specification.