Videostudio x5 Project Property settings....

[spudgun]

Oh dear.
Hello good people. Great to see this fine forum prospering. Alas, I am in need of help.

Have purchased/downloaded the latest version of this usually superb product to find big headaches.

FIRSTLY, it does not like the .vsp files that I have produced on earlier previous versions of Videostudio software. I was running Videostudio 12.

MORE perturbing, is that I am having difficulties in setting the PROJECT PROPERTIES. In previous versions, (shooting in HDV), I used to set MPEG2 under Compression, Constant 25,000 and then user define the size. NOW, the only two choices I appear to have under the Compression tab are PAL DVD and NTSC DVD !!!!

Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ken Berry]

I can't help with the first problem. My X5 opens project files made in previous versions just fine -- though I confess I have none going back to X2... But how old the vsp files are should be irrelevant. Does X5 simply refuse to open them, or does it open them with some problems showing?

As for your second problem, WYSIWYG, I am afraid. What you see is what you get. Mind you, I also use HDV all the time, and don't recall ever being able to set project properties to match any high def format with any version. My recollection is that it always defaulted to standard def properties.

That being said, there is no particular magic in the Project Properties unless you intend to select Share > Create Video File > Same As Project Properties. I simply ignore Project Properties and always select either Share > Create Video File > HDV or Blu-Ray or even sometimes AVCHD.

Is there any particular reason why you absolutely must be able to set those Project Properties?

[spudgun]

Hello, Ken, my friend. So great to see you here still holding things together, a gentleman as always. I think I may have resolved the first issue.

Regarding the MAIN problem; it is only of importance because I only work in High Definition, (HDV), and you may recal a long time ago you very kindly gave me a 'recipe' for creating the best quality material, which involved setting the project properties and then 'Create File' 'Same Properties as file' or something like that. It enable me to create great material.

NOW, my only options appear to be PAL or NTSC DVD!

Do you have ANOTHER 'system' or best practise, Ken, for producing the best material, in web AND DVD formats?

As always,Very Many thanks.....

Spud

[Ken Berry]

As you would be aware, HDV video from a HDV camcorder has the same properties no matter what: mpeg-2, 1440 x 1080, constant bitrate 25 Mbps, 25 (PAL) or 29.97 (NTSC) fps and Upper Field First i.e. interleaved. So if you are wanting to produce new HDV it is simply a matter of choosing Share > Create Video File > HDV 108i as the output. X5 offers two choices -- 1080i for HDV (whatever that means!) or 1080i for PC. But in effect, the properties for both are identical, though I always use 1080i for HDV.

And if the first clip in your project is in fact a HDV one -- instead of, say, a video title produced in another program and saved, say, as an .avi, then you can also select Share > Create Video File > Same As First Clip. That's if you want to produce another HDV file.

But if, as you appear to, you want to produce a DVD, then surely the default Project Properties -- which are set to produce a high quality DVD -- are sufficient and you can in fact choose Share > Create Video File > Same As Project Properties, or else choose Share > Create Video File > DVD. However, if your project is longer than an hour and you intend to burn to a single layer DVD, you would need to either adjust the bitrate down from the default 8000 kbps and/or change the audio format from the default LPCM to Dolby. You would do that by selecting Share > Create Video File > Custom.

I can't really help you with video for the web as I don't produce any. But I suspect you would probably need to produce an mpeg-4 -- though I don't know what the best properties for that would be, given that sites like YouTube these days accepts both high def and standard def video. Hopefully someone else will be able to help on that.

[spudgun]

Ken, as always, I am exceedingly grateful for your assistance and invaluable advice. I actually have a great recipe for converting the rendered HDV MPEG into an MPEG 4, producing quality barely distinguishable from the original, at a fraction of the file size. I have found this to be far more superior for Youtube/Vimeo etc than any actually recommended by either those or by software.

Of course, I shall be delighted to share this for anyone who is interested, simply let me know.

Once again, Ken, I bow to your superior knowledge.

I've probably taken a HUGE leap from the 12 version, (or X2), so I have no doubt there shall be even MORE horrors awaiting me.

'Till then, godbless, Take care.

[lata]

Hi

Yes please Spudgun, any details that creates good quality video is welcome.
I have used a variety of formats for Youtube but always seem to return to Mpeg4 types.
One of my criteria when testing different formats is the speed of render.
It does seem that the quicker the conversion the better the quality, for similar video tests that is.

The option to Upload to Web YouTube HD produces reasonable quality. just cancel the upload window after conversion.