Burning Bluray.

[garjobo]

Can you tell me...

Can VS X5 burn BLU-RAY discs?

If so..i would be tempted to purchase a halfdecetn blu ray burner...can I expect excellent quality? Can I also then make reguler discs..from the same 'saved' project id of spent months making?

And...would getting a graphics card...or MORE RAM? help when making my movies?

thanks for your time.

[Ken Berry]

Yes, it can burn Blu-Ray discs -- though if using AVCHD, you are limited to a bitrate of 18 Mbps, which is now well below the international standard of 27 Mbps. If you use the actual Blu-Ray format for output, which is HD mpeg-2, the maximum bitrate is 35 Mbps.

It depends what you mean by 'regular discs', but I am assuming you are talking about standard definition DVDs. If so, then yes, with your high def project in the timeline, you would simply choose Share > Create Video File (or Disc) > DVD.

As for your question about more RAM or another graphics card, since you give no information about your current set-up, it is impossible to say...

[garjobo]

THANKS KEN FOR THE REPLY.

I'm in a position to update my computer...able to spend about £300 or so on it...and I would use it for video editing and photoimpact dvd covers etc....SO ideally want to make it run that little bit faster....

INSERTING A NEW PROCESSOR?? A new fan needed? A new power supply??

INSERTING MORE RAM.

I will purchase a blu-ray player...but can i confirm..as i 'lost' you again with your reply....

You said, IF i use AVCHD i can only achieve 18mbs...but then you said..if you use the actual BLU-RAY FORMAT as output i would get 35mbs....Wont i dont understand is...WHY wouldnt I of clicked on the 'actual blu-ray format' in the first place to make my disc?

Are you saying...when i begin my project...i need to decide whether I will be making a 'proper 35mbs' blu-ray...in which case I cant then ALSO make standard dics...without starting my project over with different settings?

Thanks for your time, appreicate your reply.

Specs are:
PACKARD BELL
IXTREME 3720
INTEL CORE QUAD 2 CPU 8300 @250Ghz
RAM INSTALLED 4.00GB
64 BIT OPERATING SYSTEM, WINDOWS 7
GRAPHICS: NVIDIA GeFORCE GT240

OVERALL RATING IT GETS IS: 5.9 OVERALL ( 6.6 I think for various things and im sure it says processor power etc is 7.2… but the writing to harddrive brings it down to 5.9 – )

[Ken Berry]

AVCHD is part of the international Blu-Ray standard and can be burned to a Blu-Ray disc in its original format. It will be found in the same BDMV folder structure on the disc, and the video will be in the STREAM sub-folder.

The other main Blu-Ray format is a high definition transport stream version of mpeg-2. AVCHD is mpeg-4. Although you can burn AVCHD straight to Blu-Ray, you could also, if you wished, convert it to the mpeg-2 Blu-Ray version as you outlined above, though that is not strictly necessary. It could be useful, however, if for example your AVCHD camcorder is a recent one which uses the new maximum AVCHD bitrate of 27 Mbps. Since Video Studio still cannot produce an AVCHD video file using a bitrate of 18 Mbps (apart AVCREC format which is largely limited to Japan and plays at 20 Mbps), if you produced an AVCHD video playing at 27 Mbps, then it could be advantageous quality-wise to retain that higher bitrate by converting it to Blu-Ray mpeg-2 which uses a higher bitrate than AVCHD Blu-Ray in VS.

[garjobo]

Thanks once again Ken ( does no-one else ever reply to threads!!! )

I had to re-read what you were telling me several times over..i cant pretend i still understand it though. However, YES, my camcorder Panny HDC -TM700 is capable of producing 27MBPS. However this is using it in it's full 50/1080 mode setting which sadly - due to SD memory card reasons I havent been doing. Instead saving space and using it in HG1920 mode.

Your original reply mentioned, it was possible to save up to 35mbps...yet your next reply only mentioned 27..I dont get what your saying, that VS cant produce in 18mbps..but can do 27mbps?

Using the lesser quality of 1920 - can I burn just burn via mpeg2...to blu-ray and that will be the best quality i can get? AND also use this setting to burn to a normal dvd?

If i purchased a better graphics card and had 6RAM..would that do anything for quality of video...or may it just help speed up the process / and perhaps improve any juddery playback whilst creating my project? Aka..not worth my really spending money doing.

thanks once again for your time and patience.
g

[Ken Berry]

Trying to put it at its most simple, the current international standard for AVCHD is 27 Mbps, but VS can only produce AVCHD using the old maximum of 18 Mbps, including if you are burning a Blu-Ray disc using AVCHD. Since you are using a lesser quality setting at present on your camera, this should not be a major problem since the quality on the finished disc would still be very good.

The 35 Mbps relates ONLY to Blu-Ray mpeg-2 i.e. not to AVCHD, burned using VS. In fact, Blu-Ray mpeg-2 can use a significantly higher rate than that, but that is the VS limit at the moment. And again, the human eye would probably not detect much improvement in quality at such a rate (presuming, of course, that the original video is pretty good quality to start with...)

You can of course use the same video to burn a standard definition DVD, but that involves the program "down-converting" from AVCHD to standard definition mpeg-2 which is the DVD standard. And since the bitrate for this format maxes out at 8000 to 9000 kbps, you will obviously take a quality hit with this -- though the quality will still be excellent for a standard definition DVD.

As for upgrading your components, they probably won't improve the quality of the finished product, just make the whole process faster and less juddery. So over to you on that one!!

[garjobo]

Thanks once again Ken...for keeping it simple. Yes, i just about understood all that. Thanks.

Disappointing that VS cant maximise the quality of these HD camcorders then isnt it. Then again not long back i recall AVCHD not being recoginsed in any editing package! so cant grumble really. I take it then..VS X6 or X7 will get around to getting closer to that near-perfection goal of Blu-ray.

Well, youve made my mind up....i will not invest in a graphics card..but i will stick in 2 more bits of RAM, purchase a blu-ray burner and make copies in both bluray (albeit not true bluray then so to speak! ) and regular dvd.

Thanks once again for your help. Assuming i only have to click the right box..aka..burn in bluray/mpeg2 etc at the final stage..just before you press the Burn button? No worries im sure to figure it out.

g

[Ken Berry]

I take it then..VS X6 or X7 will get around to getting closer to that near-perfection goal of Blu-ray.

Well, probably. The only problem is that the goal posts of international standards may have moved upwards again, leaving VS again a step or two behind...

[teknisyan]

Can you tell me...

Can VS X5 burn BLU-RAY discs?

If so..i would be tempted to purchase a halfdecetn blu ray burner...can I expect excellent quality? Can I also then make reguler discs..from the same 'saved' project id of spent months making?

And...would getting a graphics card...or MORE RAM? help when making my movies?

thanks for your time.

You can actually start using the program and burn BD using the trial. You can download the VS X5 trial at http://pnoy.me/coreltrials

[garjobo]

To Blu-ray or not to blu-ray - that is the question.

I hear blu-ray dont last that long..unless i suspect you pay a wack and get a very good blu-ray burner?

Any thoughts/recommendations...please

Tempted ( VERY ) to buy one..about £100, but what with cost of blank Blu-rays..and then..all this talk aka see above conversation with Ken...regarding VS not totally up to the job ( in terms of maximising quality out of blu-ray )..and now i read...some burnt blu-rays lose data within 6months..

What is a boy to do..

I have the cash to buy a blu-ray..and if i am going to spend months! creating my family projects...i want to save them ON THE BEST QUALITY LEVEL SETTING there is...which is blu-ray right now isnt it??

Again..your thoughts MORE than welcome. THANKS.