VS PRO X5 and mpeg-2 output with user-defined frame size

[jjak]

Hi,

I upgraded from VS 12 into VS Pro X5 Ultimate a while ago and now I have some issues in editing some
old footage taken with Sony H9 camera. This camera makes 640*480 30 frames/s Mpeg-1 video files.

After editing the movie, I would like to export it into 640*480 30 frames/s Mpeg-2 file as I used to be
able to do with VS 12 (in the old Win-XP machine, current one is Win-7 64-bit). Now however, the VS X5
does not give me the option in 'Create Video File' to set 'User-defined' frame size.

It only lists under MPEG-files -> Options: standard 720 x 576 (yes I am on PAL region) and 25 frames/s.
Why is this? The only encoder shown is 'Ulead MPEG.Now Encoder'. Maybe I had some other encoder
available in the Win-XP machine?

I have been searching for Win-7 MPEG-2 encoder, but no luck.

Any ideas how to get user-defined frame-size and rates under MPEG-2 encoder in VS PRO X5 ???

[Ken Berry]

If you still have one of your custom 640 x 480 edited videos available, then you can use Settings > Make Movie Template Manager to make a Custom template. In the dialogue box which appears, click the Add button down at the bottom. A new dialogue box will appear. Give the template a name, then click on the '...' button. This will allow you to browse to where your video file is stored. Select it and the path will appear in the box to the left of '...'. Close out of the dialogue boxes. Now, next time you want to produce a video with those properties select Share > Create Video File > and your new template should appear down the bottom of the dropdown menu.

Note that you cannot then change the properties of that new template. If you try, it will default to the standard mpeg-2 properties (720 x 576). I am also not sure that your new sized mpeg-2s can be burned as is to a DVD as they do not conform to the international DVD mpeg-2 specifications.

[jjak]

Thanks Barry,

That almoust worked. When adding the file (that was created with VS12), I get error box:
"The file type is not compatible for a template. Please choose a supported file type"

The selected file shows it's properties ok with Info-button and plays nicely in the small prview window.

(so for now to get file done in Mpeg-2 format in 640x480 30fps, I do following. Export results in AVI-format and
there select right size and fps. Video is in DV-2. Then use the 'Free Video Converter' to convert it into Mpeg-2.
This works, but damn, why the process needs to be like this now!?!?!)

Any ideas..?

[teknisyan]

Have you tried going select Share > Create Video File > Custom?

Then on the next screen, you can select the TYPE and more setting when you click on the OPTIONS.. button.

[jjak]

Yep, that is where I tried to do it first.
In Share - Video file - Options, the fields to set customer fps or frame-size are creyed out.
Maybe this is some limitation with MPEG-encoder that Corel now provides with VS X5?
Not very nice 'feature'.

[lata]

Hi
Unfortunately you are correct in that Corel have removed some of the manual settings that were available in X2. They have taken away the ability to set our own properties, not only in creating the video files but during the capture process. We are left with a few default templates for me of little use.

Mpeg1 video is quite an old format and indeed relatively low quality.
Converting the 640 x 480 to 720 x 576 should not affect quality and may actually help.
Both use 4:3 aspect ratio and increasing the frame size probably will not show.

The problem I see is the bit rate of 30 fps, converting this to Pal will use 25 fps, effectively removing 5 frames per second.
Now it depends on what you are intending to make, if its a DVD then I would try NTSC instead of Pal.
If its for the internet then convert to Mpeg4.640 x 480 x 30fps.

As I say it really depends on what you are intending to make as to what you should do with the Mpeg1 files?

and I agree, not a very nice feature..........

[jjak]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies everybody.

I try to keep framesize and fps same and move those mpeg-1 video-clips into mpeg-2 movie. Not for DVDs.
They will be viewed from PC. They are 'old' home movies filmed with this older camera. All the movies filmed
with that camera were converted into mpeg-2 movies (last 5 years). So I would like to keep it same.
Now that camera has been given to my children, and thus I still need to edit those films.

Maybe moving into mpeg-4 would be the right step, since pc's are now more powerfull and hopefully
they can decode the mpeg-4 movies alright now. 5 years ago they could not and that was the reason
to select mpeg-2 encoder.

By the way, I also installed the Sony Movie Studio 12, and that gave full freedom in the export
phase to set user preferred codecs, framesizes and fps.

I just can't understand why Corel decided to limit the encoder options this way...

edit: Yes doing those movies in mpeg-4 seems to have solved this issue. I guess it is time to move forward.

Thanks everyone!

[lion2008]

...if you change the "compression" to NTSC in the "custom-create video-file-mpeg", you will get the 480p30 option you are looking for in "create video file - custom" !!
Noone knows why the other framerate is not directly visible under "general", but at least this is an easy workaround

[lata]

Hi lion2008

Using Video Studio X5

The option
Share Create Video File - Custom - MPEG files --Options --Compression tab

allow you to choose Pal DVD or NTSC DVD as the Media Type
The properties available here are limited in using the international standards for a Standard DVD

A frame rate of 25 fps for Pal
A frame rate of 29.97fps for NTSC

You will not be able to set 30fps.
------------------------------------
Using earlier versions of Video Studio, X2 allowed access to additional media types, Mpeg2, Mpeg1, VCD, Svcd now you could set any combination you can think of, in doing so would not be Compliant to the industries standard.

If you wish to burn a standard DVD then you have to use a compliant Mpeg2 file. NtscDVD or PalDVD.

--------------------------------------------------------
jjak said "I just can't understand why Corel decided to limit the encoder options this way..."

Well they have done just that from and I cannot understand why either, a backward step........