Cannon Vixia HF20 Blu-ray

I am unable to import the Canon HF20 video into "Sony Vegas 9" high-definition video editing software. I am not able to verify that the Sony software nor my computer sees the Canon camcorder. The Sony software is compatable with the AVCHD format, as well as other formats. I am using the internal 32GB of memory to record. How do I accomplish this?
I have successfully imported the video from the Canon camcorder into the Canon software, but cannot burn a blu-ray from it. This indicates my computer does see the camcorder.

Entropy wrote:
Sounds like some sort of issue with Vegas if the Canon software works.
I haven't tried Vegas myself, I decided that rather than go down the piracy route I'd use kdenlive on my Linux box instead this time around.
If you don't intend to edit the files, there's a way (that involves doing some file renaming) to burn the AVCHD files to a Blu-Ray and have it play. I don't remember the details, I think the info might be linked to from the AVCHD Wikipedia page?
Since you mentioned the piracy thing, I Googled a bit and it seems the cracked version of Vegas is not able to import AVCHD files.
It is a bit odd though that the OP states his computer doesn't recgnize the drive either but the Canon software does ...

Similar Messages

How to use the Cannon Vixia HF20 HD SD Media cam with OnLocation

Actually the convenient use of SD media for all shooting with the Cannon HF20 almost makes the need to use OnLocation a moot point. Nevertheless, since I do own the program, I would like to now if it can be done. The camera has Component ( red - green - blue ) Out, HDMI and USB. I've tried various combos but OnLocation still does not recognize the cam. Maybe this camera is not suitable for using withing OnLocation. Other than that, it is an outstanding HD camera shoooting at 1920x1280. Shooting at 24P and 1080I.

OK,
IS IT POSSIBLE for OnLocation to detect an RCA input?
I've got a Vixia HF S100, and it has the same outputs as listed in the earlier post.
I'm willing to purchase an RCA converter to take the signal off my camera and run it through OnLocation to use as a reference only.
I'll be capturing on the camera of course, but for some studio shooting, it is necessary to see your live image within OnLocation or other Adobe programs...
Thanks for any help!

Canon Vixia HF R52 camcorder/blu ray recorder/direct connection?

I just bought a Canon Vixia HF R52 camcorder and would like to connect it directly to a blu ray/DVD recorder to burn discs without using a computer. In the Manual, Canon says it is possible and even sent me an email stating "The camcorder is compatible with any blu ray disc recorder that supports AVCHD version 2.0" Unfortunately, Best Buy Geek Squad is clueless and Canon ABSOLUTELY REFUSES to recommend/suggest what brand/model recorder I need. (I had a Panasonic camcorder that finally died on me and Panasonic had its own DVD burner for it.) Any help out there? Anyone burning discs directly from your Canon camcorder? THANKS!

have amd phenom x955 quad core and 8gb ram
under change settings....
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In a message dated 9/2/2011 1:14:09 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
First, ensure that you have the latest version of Quicktime from Apple.com
on your system.
Then ensure that, when you started your project, you chose the settings
for a Full AVCHD 1920x1080 video project. You'll know if you've selected the
right settings for your project because, when you add the video to your
timeline, there will NOT be a red line above the clips until you add effects
or transitions to them.
Is that the case in your situation?
Did you use Premiere Elements' Video Importer to get the video from the
camcorder to your computer? You should. It's located under Get Media/From
Flip, AVCHD and Hard Disk Cameras.
If, with everything set up right, you're still having problems, it could
be that your computer isn't powerful enough to work with AVCHD. Most people
successfully editing AVCHD have quad-core or i7 processors.
How fast is your processor and how much RAM do you have? Have you cleared
and defragmented your hard drive recently?

HELP!! Video Editing Software, VHS to dvd, Canon Vixia HF20

I have several things I would like to accomplish and am not sure how to go about it! I have a laptop running Windows XP, a Canon Vixia HF20 Camcorder (I can get the videos onto computer), several 8mm video tapes and alot of VHS tapes. I would like to make dvd's of them all. I can't even get the video from my camcorder onto a dvd now! Please help me with what exactly what I need to do all of this. Thanks in advance!!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi hillracing80,
After doing some more research I found a product we sell called the Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Plus that should be able to recompress your HD video footage to MPEG-2 so you can burn your HD footage onto a DVD in order to be able to play your videos on a DVD player. This product should also allow you to connect a VHS player and your 8mm Sony Handycam to your computer and then convert your analog video footage to a digital format that can then be burn onto a DVD. This product has DV, S-video, and composite inputs and then outputs to your computer via a USB port. This means that any analog device that outputs using one of these types of connections (i.e. record player, cassette player) can be connected to your computer in order to upload and convert its signal to a digital copy in order to be edited and copied to a DVD, Blu-ray disc, or CD.
This product comes with Pinnacle Studio Plus software which allows the user to edit and burn your video and audio projects. This software sells for $79.99 by itself and this product retails for $99.99. This should work perfectly for your needs.
I hope this helps,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate
Allan|Senior Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
Private Message

Clip Wrap Settings FC7 - Cannon VIXIA HF M50

Hi Gang
Trying to figure out settings using a Cannon VIXIA HF M50 and Clip Wrap 2.6.9
Have read Divergent site, but still a little confused as to what settings to use in FC7?
Any ideas?
Thank you

Hi Shane
Thanx for the reply.
When your refer to 'ProRes', how bout 'Pro Res HQ' for Broadcasting? And other settings typically used for:
Burning Blu Ray Disc?
Burning Standard HD Disc?
Vimeo?
http://www.locationstudio.net/ProRes.jpg < Take a peek
Thank you ...
Mike

Creating HD 1920x1080i/p on iMac, DVD or Blu-ray Disc???

Looking for some basic answers which I can't find from the camera manufacturers, Apple, and the net in general. After reading literally thousands of posts on the many discussion forums for months, I just purchased a Canon VIXIA HF S200, which is a Flash Memory SD/SDHC consumer camcorder. (Thankfully my new iMac has an SD slot).
Just FYI, I've used Apple since @1995, mainly a Power PC and then a 2006 2 GB Intel Core Duo iMac. With that I've made many home videos. Generally, the movies (e.g., iMovie 6 -> iDVD) were put together with many different formats, vids from the net, vids from family members' cameras and mine, camcorders, still cameras with movie capability, etc. One movie might utilize material I've gathered for years in the form of jpg, png, pict., tiff, avi, mpg, mov, wmv, mp3, wav, aiff… you get the idea. I've always paid the extra $ for QT Pro, etc., in order to edit the various formats or convert them. iMovie6 handled basically whatever I threw at it, and gave me in return quality movies, or as good as the source material anyway, that I could burn in iDVD so family could have copies. I probably took iMovie as far as it could go, editing to the nth degree music-to-pic or vid timings, voice overs, etc. If I needed engineered title pages/pictures that iMovie couldn't make, etc., I'd make them in .ppt and save as jpegs or pull stuff off the net for the movie. My point is I've always found a way to solve any problems with research and trial and error. So now that I'm retired, I want nothing less than quality video content. (Meaning High Definition!)
I am now the proud owner of a 27" iMac 2.93 i7, and it is gorgeous. Had I known that Apple would be stealing all my fun by destroying Quicktime (yes, I kept QT 7.6.6), totally screwing up iMovie, and who knows what I'll find with iDVD and FCE when I buy it, I might have steered clear of the iMac that I thought was going to give me real High Definition capabilities. If you read through these forums carefully, you'll see that there are hundreds of definitions people use for the term "HD". Apple has basically been saying it's as simple as connecting a camcorder through firewire (of course, if you HAD a firewire camcorder, you would now be using adapters for 400/800 anyway). If you get a firewire HD camcorder, you are probably buying a soon to be bye-bye format in tape, or some kind of digital disc. Even the hard drive types are not promising. That leaves flash memory (light, small, quite sturdy)… but these don't have firewire, at least none that I can find for my needs.
So now I have a $900 camcorder (which is probably going back) that shoots in AVCHD, which is coded by way of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. Of course, Apple wants no part of Blu-ray, for which AVCHD was made. It can author directly to Blu-ray, as well as something called AVCHD Discs, but I can't use Canon's software because I don't want Windows. Canon also natively records in 24 Mbps @ 1920x1080, at different frame rates. All this pretty much ensures that you will need to drop everything down to nearly standard definition while trying to navigate through iMovie, a QT app in need of energy, iDVD, FCE (whose specs don't even line up eye-to-eye with Apple's own iMovie)…
OK, I think you can see my frustration, and I do apologize for showing it so openly (kind of, anyway)… but I see this same pain in so many posts… is there ANYONE that can tell us what kind of HD camera we can use to make hard copies (DVD, Blu-ray, etc.) of home movies. I want to be able to save these family movies for 20 years or more, hopefully… though all the software, camera and Apple people seem to think everything is for streaming on YouTube or posting to FB… the IRONY is that while I am trying to make movies we can keep, everyone's trying to sell us ways to put our movies on the net, where we couldn't get rid of them even if we wanted to… so WE don't get to keep a copy, but the world will always have it once it's posted…
If there is anyone out there that really knows if we can produce DVD's or other discs that family can play in their homes, please help us out with something truly specific. Yes, I would certainly buy a Blu-ray burner if it would work on my "world class" iMac with HD, but no one even seems to know. I am not the only one begging to know what camera will work, or what software will do the trick, etc. I don't mean to imply that anyone's giving bad advice on purpose, but when a poster answers with "you can try converting to this, then ripping it from that, then just reformat to those with some whatever from whomever"… well, we could post back and forth forever without hearing each other… Apple used to stand for simplicity as well as reliability; but now, for example, absolutely no one knows why my extra RAM doesn't work correctly, or even if it should (trying Googling RAM slots for new iMacs, you will not believe the half truths, the bass-ackward answers and other nonsense in the forums).
Many of us seem willing to pay big bucks (like for my i7 iMac) for nice stuff, so if you are listening, Apple, can you at least tell us how to get something done? Your suggested list of camcorder compatibility is a joke, as it tells nearly nothing, except that we'll be buying camcorders with features you will not support… my camcorder works great until you realize that the best recording mode they have I can't export to iMovie… guess I should just use the "standard definiton", huh, after shelling out a grand for the camera with flash GB's and batteries… (I can send it all back, so no need to send me a check, Apple/Canon… heck, I could even send back the iMac, if it wasn't so GORGEOUS).
Last week, I added RAM to my i7, and at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3918, it states:
"i5 and i7 Quad Core iMac computers come with both top memory slots populated. These computers will not start up if only a single DIMM is installed in any bottom slot; these computers should operate normally with a single DIMM installed in any top slot. Core Duo iMac computers should operate normally with a single DIMM installed in any slot, top or bottom. ("Top" and "bottom" slots refer to the orientation of the slots in the pictures below. "Top" refers to the slots closest to the display; "bottom" refers to the slots closest to the stand)."
Well, first, what if I had DIMMs in both "bottom" slots, but none in the top slots, would it work? NO ANSWER, right? And you got the "top and bottom" slots mixed up… please, you are upside down on even the most basic thing… typos are one thing, but… *do you see what I mean?*
Well, since the camera people don't know what their camera does, and I don't know what the iMac, FCE and FCP can do, again I ask you good people out there who are trying hard to make all this stuff work: just what camera or software will work with this top of the line computer to make simple HD movies? I will be forever indebted to anyone who can help in any way…
27" iMac Intel Core i7/2.93GHz/8GB RAM/1TB HD/ATI Radeon HD 5750/Model iMac11,3/OS X v10.6.6

Karsten, Ian & stuckfootage, thanks for responding.
You replied to so many items I wouldn't know where to start. Some of the replies, regarding USB connections, vids on the net, for example, I still must respectfully disagree with you.
You did, however, address many of my rants very well, and I thank you. I was going off the deep end and I don't know why I would expect answers to such a rambling post, most of which wasn't even a question. But you all did a good job of calming me down, so expect my future posts to be more to the point, at least. In a professional and confident manner, you told me what I needed to hear to get real help. I'll see my shrink tomorrow, then maybe you could help with these few things first:
*3. stuckfootage, you said, "I think your frustration is a result of the sales and support people you encounter." Absolutely right. I am usually very independent and never consider asking salespeople for advice, except maybe "where's the restroom?". I worked in that world, so I know better. Still, the advertising and imagery gets to ya, doesn't it?*
*I suppose buying the new 27" i7 2.93 iMac, then memory, plus camcorder, SD cards and batteries, just got me kinda thinking I was all set. So I think I'll just take a step back, take a breath, and get it figured out. I know Apple must have some real geniuses to produce what they do, but ultimately, it's people like all of you on the boards that take it to the next level of understanding, long after Apple has boxed it, shipped it, and charged our credit cards.*
*There was no need for obscenities, though... in saying some HD cameras support Firewire, then using the Panasonic HVX200 ($5000) as an example, now THAT"S OBSCENE... $5000??? LOL (I mean, yeah, I did just buy a super Mac and all, but that just means I'm broke, not rich...)*
*BTW, the article you pointed me to, http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2424451&tstart=0 by Jeremy Hansen was simply outstanding! Informative, accurate, concise, right on point. Thanx...*
Message was edited by: fromthegetgo

Best approach to convert HD camcorder footage to blue-ray (and archive)

I have a Canon Vixia HV30 camcorder that I have used to take HD footage. I would like to archive the tapes' raw footage (for backup purposes) and also burn a blue-ray for each tape. Prior to the Canon (and switching to Macs) I had been using Studio on a Windows system to do the same for footage from a standard def Sony camcorder. Despite reading through the material on this forum and elsewhere I am confused about a couple of items and am hoping someone can help me understand how to archive and burn the camroder footage to BD easily.
Coming from the Windows environment, I was used to Studio taking raw footage and converting the entire tape to one .avi file that I could then edit in a baisc manner (trim, add menus, add transitions, add chapters, etc. but not adding other audio, etc.) and burn...all in Studio. The Windows desktop I had been using for standard def is not powerful enough for HD (it's from 2004) so I have to explore other options.
I have a MacBook Pro with a 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo process and 4 GB memory and am using Mac OS X 10.6.8. I also have iMovie 08 (7.1.4 [585]) and Toast Titanium Pro with the HD/BD plug in (11.0.04). Toast will not recognize the Canon camcorder connected using the Firewire 400 connection (but will recognize the Sony). So I have used iMovie to download the camcorder footage to my MBP in HD (full quality).
Here are my questions:
1. when downloading, it appears that iMovie does not retain the raw/same format as used by the Canon but converts it to something called Apple Intermediate Codecc. Does this converstion affect the quality of the footage? I do not want to use the convered material as archival material if it's already been converted once.
2. If the answer to # 1 is yes, iMovie converts the raw footage, is there another program that I can use in a Mac-environment that will simply download the footage in it's original format?
3. iMovie also splits up the footage into clips vs. showing one file and I cannot combine the clips into one clip (to be analogous to the workflow I have been used to in Studio). Is there a way to do so? Short of backing up my entire laptop (which I do), how can I extract the original footage from iMovie and copy it for archiving on a NAS drive?
4. Where is the best "place"/approach to perform basic editing (adding menu, adding chapters for different sections of the disc, etc.) on the footage?
5. If the answer to #4 is iMovie, would I then simply burn the iMovie project in Toast to Blue-ray?
I had thought achieving my goals would have been easy in a Mac environment (like it is for everything else) but am surprised to find it so difficult compared to how easy it was in Studio. (Am I really better off getting a lower-end Windows 7 desktop and upgrading Studio and keep that just for converting our HD camcorder tapes to blue-ray? I would rather not do so of course.)
Thanks in advance for your help.

Calbe and AppleMan1958
Thanks for the replies. Based on your replies, I think I can stay in the Mac-environment.
1 and 2. I cannot archive as AppleMan1958 suggested to keep the original without conversion because the footage is HDV 1080i. I understand however that iMovie will import and convert using a lossles codec. (The camera is tape-based and doesn't show up in Finder.)
3. Having archived copy (if there is software that will let me do so for HDV) will negate the need to find the iMovie "version" but if necessary can do so directly.
4. One follow-up questions...if I use iMovies, do I simply use the project or the actual movie for purposes of burning to disc?
5. I agree Calbe...it's different so I'm thinking it's difficult. I am sure I'll get the hang of it once I better understand how the flow works from camera to disc!
AppleMan1958, is there another consumer level app that you can recommend that I can use for archiving HDV?
Thanks for the quick replies.
Hollistonma

AVCHD edit in PE10 share to DVD or Blue Ray

I am currently editing a project in AVCHD and plan on making DVD and BR discs. Not all the people who want this footage have blue ray players or HD TVs.   The footage is of sporting events with lots of action and camera movement.    What I have found in doing many trial samples is the DVD quality is poor that PE10 produces when using AVCHD files.   I have done some limited editing with DV from an old camcorder in PE10 and it looks much better than the AVCHD rendered to a DVD disc. Since the AVCHD files are much higher quality I was very disappointed that I can't get the same quality as an old camcorder that was mini DV. After reading various forums and Steve Grisetti's book I have a work around but it seem crazy to go through all these steps.   Does this make sense?
Camera Cannon HFM 41 settings used are AVCHD 1440 x 1080 60i, I have set the PE10 project settings at HD 1080i 30 (60). After editing about 15 minutes of video, still pictures(which have been resized), with transitions, titles, etc. PE10 seems to be doing the editing fine.
When taking through the Share process to DVD the quality is poor.
Steve has a work around in his book where I take the project to a computer file and save it. The setting is under the MPEG option and is : MPEG2 1440 X 1080i30.   This file looks good on the computer screen.
From here I take the file through "ANY Video Converter" to an AVI file.   I take this file and put it into a new PE10 project with DV settings of 720 x 480.   When I render this to a DVD the quality is OK, almost as good as other projects I have done starting with standard definition cameras.    Still a little disappointed that even the stills are quite as good.
This seems like a lot of work but I have tried dozens of different ways and the quality comes out very poor.   I have considered taking the files from the camera and converting to AVI before editing but then I can' t make a BR disc.
Is there a better way to take AVCHD to DVD and BR from one project?
There seems to be lots of opinions on which converters are the best, not sure if I selected the best one.

You should be shooting at 1920x10801 for Blue Ray otherwise you will get an unexpected loss of quality in trying to make your final BD.
1440 doesn't correspond to any horizontal TV size (usually 680,720,1366 or 1920)
The loss occurs because you cant fit in an exact pixel so a sharp video transition gets averaged around a few pixels immediatley halving the apparent resolution.
To see this at it's worst, set your computer adapter card to half the pixel resolution of your computer monitor and try to read fine text compared to when it is exactly the same.
This matching is why true full HD 1920 x 1080 observed on a true 1920x1080 big screen is so dramatically better than all others. (Few TV transmissions are true Full HD)
There is always a loss of some quality converting resolutions that are not an exact multiple of the final result.
You should also be cropping and converting all stills to 16x9 1900x1080 pixels (in Photoshop) before adding to the timeline
Because HD is so much better, HD camera dont need so much "high frequency" boost or sharpening as standard cameras did,
They are relatively soft at the point where the pixels cease in DVDs (about 640)
The HD sharpening (or crispening) is done at a much higher pixe setting setting in HD and this is completely wiped out when you convert to DVD.
The way to compensate is to sharpen the video to be downconverted at the 640 pixel part of the spectrum before converting which is what most standard def broadcast cameras always did to make them apparently sharp at that lower resolution (it was all done with mirrors!)
Obviously you only sharpen the file to be made to a DVD, not to the one for BD although you can often make up for a fuzzy original even in a BD!
See the difference only 10% makes?

Workflow for AVCHD -- Blu-Ray

I have a Canon Vixia HFS100 that I've been using for personal video. The camera can shoot 1080/60i or 1080/30p. I've been shooting 30p. I'm looking for comments on my current work flow, which is:
1. Shoot video in 30p.
2. Log and transfer into FCP from AVCHD folder using ProRes 422.
3. Place in sequence set to 1920x1080, aspect ratio HDTV1080i, square pixel, no field dominance, 29.97 timing.
4. Edit then send to Compressor
5. Compressor settings are H.264 for Blu-Ray, stream usage Blu-Ray, frame rate 29.97, average rate about 17 MBps, 25 MBps max, frame controls off
6. Burn in Toast or Encore
The result looks very good, but I wonder if it could be better or if I'm forgetting something.
Also, the result is almost "too good", meaning there is almost too much detail on the screen for the eye to get, so sometimes the image is wearying to watch, unlike a Blu-Ray film which is detailed yet smooth. Is there a way to "smooth out" the video? Reduce frame rate to 24 or some such?

Rob Reuland wrote:
the result is almost "too good", meaning there is almost too much detail on the screen for the eye to get...
LOL. Isn't that the point of HD; Quality? If I wanted less detail I'd probably shoot at a lower definition or add a slight blur to the footage on your timeline...
If I wanted less quality, I'd just tie a cam to my head and shoot in SD.

Workflow HV30 30p to Blu Ray

I am having the hardest time trying to figure out how to import / edit / burn (not even sure if that is the right terms) my family's home videos. I am a beginner with all of this, but competent if someone can just point me the right way...
I have a big backlog of HDV home videos all shot in 30p mode on my Canon Vixia HV30.
I want to do 3 things, in order of priority:
1) Transfer the raw footage from the HDV in the camera to a hard drive(or other media) in max quality for storage and easy retrieval in the future if and when the tape based camera dies.
2) Burn the footage to a Blu Ray disc for playing in a BR player connected to my TV. (no conversion needed?)
3) Edit the footage in the highest possible quality and burn to BR.
4) convert and then burn the footage to a DVD disc for playing in a DVD player connected to my TV. (lower priority)
I have an HV30, all 30p footage, a powerful new pc, a blu ray writer with discs, Premiere Elements 12.
None of the default project setting seem to match the progressive 30p format that I filmed in. Is PE12 capable of doing what I want it to?
Thanks for the help!

idrive67elky
1. You will need a firewire connection for your HDV data capture firewire into Premiere Elements 12 capture window.
(The project preset will be NTSC HDV HDV 1080p30).
http://help.adobe.com/fr_FR/premiereelements/using/WS5CDA0F91-60F1-4b79-ABF6-E9E75F498DB2. html#WS2AF26FB5-4C63-4c46-9DB3-7249558F6528
2. If "1" does not work for you, then you do a HDV data capture firewire into HDVSplit and then import the .m2t split clips into a Premiere Elements project with its Add Media/Files and Folders/Project Assets. In "1" you are putting MPEG2.mpg on the Timeline. In "2", you are putting MPEG2.m2t on the Timeline.
http://strony.aster.pl/paviko/hdvsplit.htm
3. Publish+Share/Disc/Blu-ray with preset = H.264 1920 x 1080i NTSC Dolby.
or
4. Publish+Share/Disc/DVD disc preset = NTSC_Widescreen_Dolby DVD.
5. For export to folder saved to computer hard drive compare
Publish+Share/Computer/MPEG with preset = MPEG2 - 1920 x 1080i30 (MPEG2.m2t)
with
Publish+Share/Computer/AVCHD with preset = M2T - H.264 1920 x 1080i30 (H.264.m2t)
I am purposely not selecting the 1440 x 1080 choices since a 16:9 flag comes with them to stretch the 1440 x 1080 to 1920 x 1080 for display after encoding.
Please review and see if any of the above works for you.
Thank you.
ATR

Best format to export to Encore for a Blu-Ray disc ?

To All
My question is I shoot with a Canon Vixia HFR21. I am putting together a family vacation we all just had at Disney World. My computer is capable of handling everything very well.I had it built 2 years ago by ADK.I need to know once I have everything set on timeline and all is ready to export, what exact setting in Media Encoder would be best considering I will be bringing it then into Encore to burn on Blu ray disc.
I have Adobe cs6 Premiere and Encore.
Also after I make the Blu ray I will put exact same time line on regular dvd..from what I read for that I think I should export to mpeg-2 ..I'm not sure .
Also for both blue ray and dvd, which is better ipcm or dolby digital audio ?
Thanks a lot,
Ray Perry

Hi Ray,
From Premiere, export via AME and choose the "H.264 Blu-ray" format, and then for preset, get what best matches your footage, for instance maybe 1080i 29.97
You will need to choose a bitrate in line with the length of the program so that you don't exceed the disc capacity. Just search the web for "bitrate calculator" and plug in your details. No need to be in the 30-40 range, something like 25 using H.264 will look fantastic. I believe at "20" you can fit well over 2 hours on a Blu-ray disc. Dolby audio is the default.
For DVD, again Export via AME but choose "MPEG-2 DVD" and proper preset like "NTSC Widescreen", and set bit rate. Don't exceed 7 or 8 on that, and you can use 560/minutes=rate as a rule of thumb and round down slightly. For instance 560/120=4.66 so I encode at 4.5, again using default Dolby Audio.
I'm not keen on sharing the same Encore project for the Blu-ray and DVD, but that's up to you. Note that you can add DVD chapter marks in your Premiere timeline and when you export, those go with. In Encore, use "Import As > Timeline" and grab the audio and video clip at the same time and the chapter marks come along for the ride!
Thanks
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

Blu-Ray Fit Contents to available space

I made my first blu-ray disc in PreEl, and I tried to add as many raw video clips exported from my Canon Vixia HF200 as would fit on the disc. On the Share->Blu-Ray settings, it said the space required was 22.89 GB, and I then checked the "Fit Contents to available space" box, which changed the Space Required to 23.30 GB. The disc came out ok, but I discovered there was about 7GB left unused, and it is visually obvious the burner didn't use the last 1/2 inch or so of space on the bottom of the disc.
Is there a better way to try to utilize all the available disc space? In this case, my goal is to archive as many original video files as possible onto a disc. However, I have tried to group them together and add menu markers to them, so I don't end up with 200+ chapters on the disc.
I plan to actually edit and create videos more in the future, but for now I'm thinking in terms of getting many hours ofHD video off my hard drive and making multiple backup copies to blu-ray discs.

Neale,
Unless things have changed, and this could be by version, or a difference between BD and DVD-Video, PrE uses a 2-Pass VBR Transcoding scheme. What this means is that PrE measures what it thinks the size will be, then runs the first pass. This pass basically samples the motion in the Timeline, and stores data to be used in the next pass. Then, on the second pass, that info is used to assign a higher Bit-Rate to areas of high motion, and lower Bit-Rate to areas of less motion. It is not until PrE is completely done with the second pass, that it knows for sure, how large the file will be, as the Bit-Rates will be altered, as needed throughout the process.
The multi-pass Transcoding is how Hollywood crams so much high-quality material onto a DVD, or BD. There Transcoding software will do maybe 9-Passes, or even more, and then the operator can tweak things as required. This results in a variable Bit-Rate that is the ultimate for every segment of the Timeline - not 1 MB/s more than is needed, and very high motion at the best possible Bit-Rate to keep that smooth. Never too much, and never too little. Sort of a Goldie Locks situation, and run by highly-trained professionals, who do nothing else all day long, using software that costs more than a Mercedes E-Class.
As for the BD-Data, one is not Transcoding to produce that. If there is any Transcoding, it would first be done by the user, and then the resultant files would just be Copied over to the BD-Data disc. As you say, one would calculate the number of files, times their size, and subtract that from the capacity, adding more, or subtracting some, to fill the BD-Data.
Hunt

Which Blu Ray to buy?

I just bought a Canon VIXIA HF M31, picture quialty out of iMovie to iDVD is pretty good. However I would like to burn my movies to Blu Ray. Question is which one to buy?
Thanks

Any of them. I have an LG internal burner, and put it into a cheap SATA enclosure.
But, you are aware that iDVD only makes DVDs? Here is my post on this, especially question 6:
Frequently asked questions for playing back high definition video on a TV:
Q1. What are high definition and standard definition?
A. HD and SD are video resolutions defined by the dimensions of the frame size. Standard definition is 720x480 or 720x576 depending on the geographic location. High definition is anything greater than this. The two most common HD resolutions are 1280x720 and 1920x1080. Since digital video uses precise measurements of frame size, all digital video is either SD or HD.
Q2. Can I make a DVD that is high definition?
A. No, DVDs are standard definition by design. They must be composed of mpeg2 video with a resolution of 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL). DVD players will only play actual DVDs.
Q3. Is there any way to make a DVD look as good as my HD video looks?
A. No. You can make it look very good by encoding it with the highest quality, but it will always be standard definition. This will probably look noticeably worse than your source footage if it is high definition.
Q4. Isn't HD-DVD a high definition DVD?
A. No, it is a specific term referring to a format backed by Toshiba. It lost a format war to Blu-ray. To burn and play an HD-DVD, you need a special burner and special player. Although it is a dead format, some find it useful and inexpensive to buy an HD-DVD burner and HD-DVD player.
Q5. Can I make a Blu-ray DVD?
A. No, there is no such thing; Blu-ray discs are not DVDs. They will not play in a DVD player even though the discs look physically the same.
Q6. Can I make Blu-ray discs (BD) on the Mac so that I can see my video in high definition?
A. Yes. You need a Blu-ray burner and Blu-ray discs. You also need to encode and author the discs.
The current software options are as follows:
1. Use Final Cut Studio to encode and author a BD, using a BD burner.
Pros: Excellent quality, nice looking menus, subtitles can show the chapter name.
Cons: Only a few menu choices.
2. Use Toast v. 9 or 10 with the Blu-ray plug-in to encode and author a BD, using a BD burner.
Pros: Inexpensive and fairly quick.
Cons: Limited choices of very "stylized" menus, chapters cannot be named, encoding quality may not be as good.
3. Use Adobe Encore to encode and author a BD, using a BD burner.
Pros: A great deal of control over the whole process, allowing complete design of the disc.
Cons: Expensive, complicated, and prone to bugs.
Q7. Does iDVD make Blu-ray discs?
A. No, it makes DVDs which are playable in a DVD player.
Q8. Does DVD Studio Pro make Blu-ray discs?
A. No, it makes DVDs which are playable in a DVD player.
Q9. Can I do anything to put HD video on a DVD, with a standard DVD burner?
A. Yes, you can make what is called an AVCHD disc. This puts approximately 45 minutes of HD video on a physical DVD. The result is not an actual DVD, and it will not play back in DVD players. It is essentially a Blu-ray structure on a physical DVD-R. It will play back in most Blu-ray players. Final Cut Studio and Toast (v. 9 or 10 with the Blu-ray plug-in) have the ability to make these.
Q10. Are there other ways to play high-definition video in HD?
A. Yes, if you play back from a device rather than a disc of some type. AppleTV and the Playstation 3 can play high definition video to a TV. There are numerous other media playback devices that are essentially hard drives with a specialized enclosure. Also, you can attach most digital TVs to any modern laptop or desktop computer, although interlaced video may not always display properly and might show combing artifacts.

How to Produce the highest quality picture onto DVD or Blu-Ray

I have recently started looking at new video cameras and software. I will soon purchase FCS. One thing that I cant get a clear answer on is how to produce a high quality DVD / Blu-Ray Disc.
I stumbled upon a cinematographer by the name of Ray Roman. He is producing the kind of wedding videos that I want to produce in the near future. I see that he answered one of his followers by saying he shot the wedding with Cannon 7D DSLR cameras.
Here is a link to the video I am speaking about.
Ps. You need to scroll down a little to see the video.
http://rayromanblog.com/2009/10/stephanie-tims-wedding-in-big-canoe-georgia/
Can anyone tell me if they believe that was shot with a DSLR type camera, and if so what steps do you believe were took to create such a high quality final product.
1. What type of software is needed to produce this?
2. Does it have to be a Blu-Ray disc to hold that clarity?
3. Does FCS support Blu-Ray?
4. If FCS does not support Blu-Ray can I Export the project to Roxio 10 Pro to make the Blu-Ray disc?
If I am totally off in left field Please Please Please let me know your opinion as to the best methods you have found to end up with a high quality product like that.
What I really need to know is
1. What camera will capture the correct info to start with
2. What software will edit it and encode it without losing all that high quality data
3. What way to burn the project to disc to again retain all the clarity, brightness, sharpness etc...
Thanks for you help Ron...

I'm at work so I can't see the video, but I can answer some workflow questions for you. If you see lots of shallow depth of field shots it was probably shot on an HDSLR. That's about the only thing they have going for them video wise.
1) Without watching it I'm willing to guess it could all be done in Final Cut Studio or seeing CS4 in your signature, Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium/Master Collection (Premiere/After Effects).
2) DVDs only show SD video. You can do anamorphic video to get widescreen video on a DVD, but anything 720p and up will require more than a DVD disc. You can also letterbox your video to get faux widescreen on a DVD.
3) FCS doesn't really support blu-ray. Apple in general does not support blu-ray. You can export to a codec that is blu-ray friendly but there is no blu-ray authoring software, nor can any Mac be purchased with a blu-ray drive to my knowledge.
4) There are lots and lots of ways to export from Final Cut Studio. I'm sure you can find several wrapper and codec combinations that Roxio will accept. The level of compatibility is a different issue..do you need subtitles, chapter markers, etc. If you need more than a video clip you'll probably hit some hurdles.
1) I'd avoid an HDSLR to get started out. They are a pain in terms of workflow. You have to transcode (convert) all the video from the nasty H.264/PhotoJPEG codecs they record in (H.264 for the Canon cameras, PhotoJPEG for the Nikons) if you want them to be friendly in Apple's Final Cut or Adobe's Premiere.
It is important to understand video comes in a few types of formats, acquisition formats, editing formats, and delivery formats. A .mov file is a wrapper can be contain perhaps hundreds of different codecs (only one at a time), AIC, ProRes422, ProRes4444, Animation, the list goes on and on, it is the codec used that is important. H.264 is a compressed, lossy video codec developed for delivery and now used for acquisition in consumer devices. Editing software wants something simpler to edit with, like Apple ProRes422 or AIC for Final Cut. Transcode it and you won't have to render out every frame (let the computer build a preview video in an editing codec so it can play it back smoothly), then re-render when you do so little as add a cross dissolve.
That also doesn't even begin to look into the audio issue. Using an HDSLR for video capture basically says you need a separate device (and likely another operator) for audio acquisition. These will have to be synced up in post.
I'd say do yourself a favour and get a video camera if you want to shoot video. When you've got a feel for the workflow and a better understanding of what you're up against an HDSLR can liven up your shooting with some shallow depth of field effects.
2) Final Cut Studio and Creative Suite 4 will both work with 7D video, but the 7D doesn't shoot "high quality data." The video it shoots is H.264, or compressed. Think of it as though every frame has gone through Photoshop and been saved as a JPG with the quality setting at 3 or so. It looks pretty good if you blow the background out of focus, but it has inherent issues that make it not the best for every situation.
3) The best way to retain image quality is good workflow from beginning to end.

Blu-ray DVD no longer recognized by HP MediaSmart or Windows Media Player

I have the HP Pavilion Elite HPE 250-f desktop computer. This computer includes a CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive. I bought this computer in 2010, and all these years I have successfully played CDs and DVDs on the computer. Until now, I have not attempted to play a Blu-ray DVD.
A few days ago, I rented the "Divergent" Blu-ray DVD from my public library. The "Divergent" regular DVD was included in the package.
I put the Blu-ray into the CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive. The HP MediaSmart software recognized the Blu-ray, but the software got into an endless "update" loop and did not play the Blu-ray. Microsoft's Windows Media Player also recognized the Blu-ray, but did not play the Blu-ray.
One solution I heard about was to plug an HDMI patch cord into the back of my computer box, with the other end of the HDMI patch cord not plugged into anything. Supposedly, the HP MediaSmart software would play a Blu-ray if the software sensed an HDMI cord. Unfortunately, that did not work.
I then downloaded the Media Player Codec Pack, http://download.cnet.com/Media-Player-Codec-Pack/3000-13632_4-10749065.html Supposedly, this Codec Pack would allow the Windows Media Player to play the Blu-ray. The Codec Pack included the Classic Media Player.
I tried to play the Blu-ray on the current Windows Media Player and the Classic version, with the new codecs installed. But nothing worked. I then used System Restore to get rid of the Media Player Codec Pack. I found out that, in addition to the codecs, I was supposed to use the Slysoft AnyDVD HD software. However, I did not make any more attempts to use the codecs, and I did not download the Slysoft software.
Now, here's where things get weird. Now, the HP MediaSmart software and the current Windows Media Player do not even *recognize* the Blu-ray DVD. They play the regular "Divergent" DVD very well. But they do not even *see* the Blu-ray DVD.
I uninstalled the BDDVDRW CH20L driver, version 6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255). I restarted the computer, and a new driver was installed. The new driver's version is 6.1.7601.17514. But the Blu-ray DVD is *still* not being recognized.
Now, I'm hearing that a Blu-ray lens cleaner may be required.
So, what's going on here? Did the codecs in the Codec Pack damage the Blu-ray lens? Please advise.
Thank you for any help you can give me.

Hi, BH. Thanks for your response.
sp60287.exe seems to be for Windows 8. I have Windows 7.
But even if I got a PowerDVD version for Windows 7, I still have the issue of the Blu-ray disc not even being detected. The Blu-ray disc is in the drive, but the software (HP MediaSmart, Windows Media Player) says that there is no disc in the drive. This "no detection" issue began after I installed the codecs in the Codec Pack and tried to make Windows Media Player work with the codecs. Is there an issue with the Blu-ray lens? Or is there an issue with the Blu-ray disc itself?
I notice that the regular "Divergent" DVD has no fingerprints on it, even after I touch it. But the Blu-ray DVD has lots of fingerprints. Does the Blu-ray have some kind of weird surface? Is there some problem with the Blu-ray's surface that is causing the Blu-ray to not even be detected?
Thanks.

Cannon Vixia HF20 Blu-ray

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