AVCHD H.264-Intermittent Jitter On Disc Burn

[hab]

Used the Trial Version to burn AVCHD to disc & all worked well except that I get jitter/stop starts intermittently (every 4-5 minutes) for a second or two.
Tried the slowest burn rate on last attempt with no improvement.
Can VideoStudio Pro X7 handle AVCHD H.267?

[Ken Berry]

Yes, VS can handle AVCHD, and your computer appears powerful enough to do it smoothly.

However, we need to know a couple of things. First, what type of disc were you trying to burn -- a Blu-Ray or a hybrid AVCHD disc using a standard definition DVD? Or were you downconverting during the burn to burn a standard DVD?

Second, we need to know the exact properties of your AVCHD. So please right click on one of the clips in the VS timeline and copy ALL its Properties here or take a screen grab of the Properties box and Upload it here. If you were trying to burn either a Blu-Ray or hybrid disc, and it was 1920 x 1080, then those Properties need to show it as NOT having a frame rate of 50P (PAL) or 60 P (NTSC). Under the international Blu-Ray standard, only 1280 x 720 sized AVCHD can have 50/60P and still be burned to a Blu-Ray disc. And since a hybrid disc in effect is burning a Blu-Ray folder onto a standard DVD, the same rule applies.

If you were, in fact, using 1920 x 1080 50/60P AVCHD, then it would converted to interlaced video in the burn process and this could account for some of the problems you have experienced.

[hab]

Thanks much for the quick response.
I am burning to a standard (Verbatim AZO DVD-R 4.7GB 16x) DVD but using AVCHD.

Properties;
- File Format: NTSC HDMV
- Video type: H.264 Video, Upper Field First
- Total frames: 600
- Attributes: 24 bits, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
- Frame rate: 29.97
- Data rate: Variable bit rate (Max. 22699kbps)

[lata]

Hi

First converting from AVCHD to standard DVD Mpeg 2 will reduce the quality of your movie.

You have two options to burn the disc---
1 /
With your project open in the timeline –Share- Create Disc – DVD
The process will render the project using the properties showing in “project settings” – “cogwheel icon lower left”, showing as Convert Title immediately after pressing the Burn button. The Mpeg2 file is saved to a temporary folder and used to burn the disc.
As you seem to be having problems with quality you should create this file yourself.

2 / With the project open in the timeline, Share – Computer “top option” (create a video that you can play….)
Choose the Mpeg2 option.
These are typical properties of the Profile

MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Upper Field First
(DVD-NTSC), 16:9
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 8000 kbps) (assuming movie is 70 minutes max)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

Set a File location giving it a suitable name.

“Start”

Play the new video file to check the quality, does it show the same problems or has it got over the jitters.

The Mpeg2 movie file can be burned to disc without any additional rendering as in 1 above. No Convert Title.
How
Start a new project, nothing in the timeline
Share – Disc – DVD , this opens the burner module (nothing in the timeline)
Top left icon - Add Media files – Add Video browse for your Mpeg2 file created above.
Create your menu structure.
On the last page do not Create a Disc but choose to “Create Disc Image” . This will create an ISO file.
This can be played using VCL Media Player to view its quality, if that is ok........

Use Tools – Burn From Disc Image –will burn the ISO to disc

[hab]

Once again, thanks.

Before I start this process, a couple of questions;
1) First of all, I am not converting from AVCHD to standard DVD Mpeg 2 as far as I know. I am writing AVCHD (MPEG-4?) to a standard DVD disc. I am trying to keep as much quality as possible & thought that writing AVCHD H.264 to a regular DVD disc would retain 1920 x 1080i quality. I am not changing to SD in any step & the picture quality on the final disc, when played through a Blu-ray player on a HDTV is HD quality. I was told that AVCHD H.264 was MPEG-4.
2) Would writing to Blu-ray disc solve the problem? I am reluctant to do this until I have all the bugs worked out because of the price of the Blu-ray discs

[lata]

Hi

Apologies for the confusion, however the process is similar.

Convert/render your project to AVCHD
Share – AVC-H.264 - the data rate will control the size of the file, as a guide using 18000kbps you will get about 30 minutes per disc. You may have to test this out?

How long is your project.?

You can now play that video file (MTS) to check quality.
Adding the file to a USB memory stick will allow to play on your TV/DVD player.
If it is not recognised rename the file to use the extension MPG instead of MTS

If the quality is ok burn that file to Disc.
New project—nothing in the timeline
Share Create Disc AVCHD – adding your file from the first window
Burning to disc should proceed without “convert title” as you are already using a compliant video file.

You need a Bluray player to play these Hybrid Discs.

Burning a Bluray or Avchd

You can choose to create a “Bluray folder” or “Avchd Folder” – this will create a copy of the disc content to your hard drive.
You do need a Bluray media player to play these on your pc.
For BD burn the Folders using a software program called Img Burn seemed to be the best option. Although I have only use twice.

For what its worth I am just a little in front of you with regards to the HD Bluray learning curve. I have just purchased my first Bluray discs and burnt my first discs without problems, like you to begin with I burned HD to standard DVD (hybrid disc) a little limited in the video duration.

[hab]

Using a DVD because it is only a 23 minute video & will fit there.

Followed your instructions, made the file & burned to disc but really no better.
Still had 15 or so very brief stutters. When I play the file directly on my computer via MediaPlayer there are no problems so it seems to be happening during the burn process.

Any other suggestions?

[Ken Berry]

I am wondering what might happen if you first render the project to a new AVCHD, and then burn that to disc. Your original video has a max. bitrate of 22.6 Mbps. The maximum bitrate VS can use is 18 Mbps (and arguably up to 20 Mbps). So I imagine the burn process is also involving a conversion of your original video to meet the lower bitrate, and this could be causing the blips. Separating the conversion and the burn could conceivably smooth things out. And if you follow lata's suggestion of burning an AVCHD "folder" instead of an actual disc, you could test whether the "burn" works without creating another drinks coaster if it doesn't -- that is, if you have a Blu-Ray software player which could play the folder...

[hab]

Not sure if you posted after my last reply?

The bitrate for mine shows 24Mbps.
As I said above, I did a save to folder as lata kindly suggested & that plays fine on Media Player on my computer.
However, even when I burn that file to disc the problems remains.

I then burned that file using Imgburn but my Blu-ray player just spits that disc out.
Is there some way to get that file to burn using Imgburn that will actually play on my Blu-ray player?

You state that..."The maximum bitrate VS can use is 18 Mbps (and arguably up to 20 Mbps)" but I see mine showing 24 so maybe that is the problem?

[canuck]

Does the DVD or BluRay play on your computer?

[Ken Berry]

but I see mine showing 24

Where do you see that?

[hab]

Does the DVD or BluRay play on your computer?

Yes.
Only see the glitches when I play on my HDTV via my Blu-ray player.

[hab]

but I see mine showing 24

Where do you see that?

My Canon camera shoots in 24 Mbps.
When I click on properties for clips they all show approx 23.5 Mbps.

I have read on many forums over the last hour or so that when burning AVCHD to DVD, DVD's cannot handle a bitrate of 24 Mbps.
Is that true? When I render to a file, does that keep the 24 Mbps bitrate?

If so, & the bitrate is actually the problem, would burning to Blu-ray work?

[Ken Berry]

As I said above, for an AVCHD disc, Video Studio uses a maximum bitrate of 18 Mbps (though it might be pushed to go up to 20 Mbps)... But no higher. Thus your original 24 Mbps video has to be down-converted to 18 Mbps. This can be done either as an initial step in the editing phase (Share > Create then choose AVC/H.264. If you look at the default property box below that, it will probably already be set to 18 Mbps with the other properties much the same as the original apart from that. If so just go ahead, give the new video a name, and click 'Start'. (If for some reason 18 Mbps is not set in those default properties, then click on the downward pointing arrow at the right end of the Profile box and choose the appropriate template.)

That will produce a new video, which will still be very high quality. I suspect you will not be able to see it as being lesser quality than the original on your HDTV.

Then use that new clip to burn the disc.

[hab]

As I said above, for an AVCHD disc, Video Studio uses a maximum bitrate of 18 Mbps (though it might be pushed to go up to 20 Mbps)... But no higher. Thus your original 24 Mbps video has to be down-converted to 18 Mbps. This can be done either as an initial step in the editing phase (Share > Create then choose AVC/H.264. If you look at the default property box below that, it will probably already be set to 18 Mbps with the other properties much the same as the original apart from that. If so just go ahead, give the new video a name, and click 'Start'. (If for some reason 18 Mbps is not set in those default properties, then click on the downward pointing arrow at the right end of the Profile box and choose the appropriate template.)

That will produce a new video, which will still be very high quality. I suspect you will not be able to see it as being lesser quality than the original on your HDTV.

Then use that new clip to burn the disc.

You are right. The default is 18 max. for direct to disc and share to file, although it does allow me to increase it to 24.
Could the down-conversion possibly be the cause of the problem?

I guess burning to Blu-ray disc would be no advantage then?