Muxing (Joining) AVCHD in X6?

[sealilly]

Hello again everyone, I have read a few forums regarding "muxing" (joining) multiple AVCHD files to one large file using the VideoStudio pro family of programs, I currently have X6. Are they referring to rendering files or am I missing something simple? I tried a few programs including tsmuxer, but all programs had issues, mostly concerning audio out of sync.

With my preferred workflow, I would like to join an hours worth of clips together for editing all at once, as I do after ingesting an hour of tape.

[canuck]

In video editing and processing systems, "muxing" (multiplexing) refers to the process of interleaving separate audio and video clips into one coherent MPEG transport stream. It does not mean joining several videos clips together to create a new video file.

If you want to "join" several clips together then simply add them in sequence to the timeline. There is no muxing involved and no "muxing" program required.

[Ken Berry]

In addition to canuck's comments, the only muxing that VS does is in the burning module when burning either a DVD or Blu-Ray or AVCHD disc.

A lot of us join a number of AVCHD (or other HD) clips together and render them to a new single AVCHD file (usually with the same properties). Personally, I have never had any problems, including out of sync video and audio, when I do this. But if you do by chance get some out of sync, one thing you can try is to disable SmartRender during the rendering process.

[sealilly]

Thanks Guys, yes I am quite new to the AVCHD format, this past weekend I used my FX1000 and shot with tape while my wife used the CX130 which recorded to card. I was excited to save time by simply transferring the files off the card, but that folder wound up with 67 clips in total.

I simply wish to (if convenient, loss-less and fairly quick) make one large file for editing.

My experiment today was to add all these 67 clips to an empty timeline, "create file" to same format and it started moving along at a decent speed, however it stalled the first time at 25% and second time at 23% and I had to abort and close both times. After my 2 failed experiments, I actually wondered if I should be rendering as mpeg since these are how my tapes are ingested.

[Ken Berry]

First off, since AVCHD is indeed a form of mpeg-4 rendered using the h.264 codec, any rendering you do to it cannot be lossless as mpeg generally is a lossy format. That's point 1. Point 2 is that there is no need to create a new single file for editing. You can just insert all the 67 small files in the timeline and edit from there, moving them around, applying filters, transitions and anything else you want to do. You initially save it as a project (File > Save). The resulting file is a .vsp (Video Studio Project) but it contains no video -- it's just a small text file telling the program where the video is stored and what editing has been done to it. Keeping saving it regularly to ensure all your edits are saved. And when you close VS, you will again be asked to save the project file.

Then when satisfied with all your edits, that is when you can render to a new file. If you are wanting to create a new AVCHD from the project, then select Share > Create Video File > AVCHD and choose from one of the preset templates. If none of those are what you are after, then choose Custom, then select MPEG Transport Stream (.m2t) as the format, NOT plain old mpeg. Click Options and then set the Properties you want.

[sealilly]

Thanks Ken, what do you think of this;

With my 1 single 60 minute file, I open multi-trim clipping, and begin editing. Typically after a wedding, I would end up with 3-4 60 minute files. I edit one at a time which allows me to take breaks in between and even save/close the program if needed.

If I load 67 clips to the timeline, I believe I would need to open multi-trim clipping 67 times? I am thinking I may even get lost where I have left off?

I understand there are always a few ways to do things and everyone has their own personal preferences as to how they like to attack their editing. What I am hoping to find is the best way to create one file out of my 67 files and continue editing the way that I am used to. This particular project had me ingest a pair of 60 minute files with attributes below and this is my typical way of ingesting then editing, however a second camera that captured these 67 AVCHD files was used.

As always, thanks for all help and suggestions

[Ken Berry]

I suspect the problem here is going to be the fact that I have never used your workflow -- I simple don't use multi-trim, not once, ever! So then it becomes "he says... he/she says..."

The properties folders you posted are useful, but only for your own normal video -- and though those images are not from Video Studio, they do at least indicate -- at least to me -- that your own camcorder is a HDV one, filming to mini DV tape. That's fine since that is also my main camcorder (a Canon HV20). And I understand why you might use multi-trim with such video since it downloads from the tape in real time i.e. a 60 minute tape takes 60 minutes to download, and you end up with one big file which you then have to chop up and edit.

I for my part with HDV footage -- as I have already said -- never use multi-trim. In fact I don't even use Video Studio to download/capture my HDV footage. That is because I use a small freeware capture program called HDVSplit which as its name suggests, splits the incoming video by scene. In other words, even with my HDV footage I *always* end up with many small clips in any project -- and usually many more than 67!! But I do as I already suggested above and simply put them all in the timeline and edit them in one single project. And when editing is finished, I then produce my one, final, edited video of the project.

Thus to me, your situation with your AVCHD footage is identical to my usual workflow. No need for any multi-trim -- and certainly not with each individual one of those 67 clips, each one of which would only last from a few seconds to a few minutes long. I can only repeat that having all those clips in a single project gives you exactly the same opportunity to edit as that which you apparently already use with your HDV footage though without the multi-trimming since that is in effect what you already have with all those smaller clips. Moreover, if the AVCHD footage uses Upper Field First, instead of being 50 or 60 fps fully progressive (i.e. with no mention of Upper Field First when you right click on one of the clips in the VS timeline or library window and select Properties), it will marry pretty seamlessly with your HDV footage, which already uses Upper Field First. Apart from the frame size (which is anamorphic) and the constant bitrate of 25 Mbps, it is in no way incompatible with making a final, single video in HDV, AVCHD or Blu-Ray mpeg-2 format -- or for that matter downgrading it all to standard def mpeg-2 for a standard def DVD.