sorry. It's 1920x1080, 29 fps, total bit rate 66355. audio 48k stereo 1536 kb. More info? I'm using livestream to capture video through black magic cards and it only injests as avi uncompressed. A 40 minute file is 40 gig.

Trying to save assets to amazon cloud but file limitation of 20 gig, so thinking about converting to mxf before editing. Thanks so much for your help!

If file sized based on the uncompressed bit rate is the issue, you'll be forced to render to a lower bit rate. Have you considered using Sony MXF HD422 1920x1080-24p Template customized to 29.97? I edits well in Vegas and maintains your audio. See link:

It would help if you used this FAQ to post the properties of your captured media. I'm uncertain about the units for "total bit rate 66355".

HDCAM SR Lite 422 1080-24p customized to 29.97p will produce a file at 227 Mbps.

I guess I was hoping to not have to render it (fearing some loss in quality) but could just repack it (or whatever the proper term is) like adobe does it Encoder. When rendering it on the timeline, it looks like I have a preset that appears ideal (as denoted by the star) that I usually use.

does that make sense? Is the way you demonstrated better?

Heading out to Holy Thursday Mass, so will check any response later.
Thanks so much for your time.

Is your source interlaced or progressive?

I know video guys have cameras laying around but Windows allows you to strike the Print-Screen key and paste into Paint to create snapshots. Then, there is also the Snipping Tool.

interlaced

MKV is a wrapper. Reading your thread title, it is possible to wrap AVI in MKV without rendering using MakeMKV beta. Both Adobe and Vegas, as well as Handbrake will encode, which you sound like you would like to avoid.

Thanks for the snipping tool suggestion. I've been through so many computers that I don't always find the new way to do what my old machines could do. And regarding the MKV, it may be that I am dreaming of some device that will compress and rewrap without rendering. Does the MKV wrapper compress, or just rewrap? I don't need to rewrap (I can read the avi just fine) but I was hoping to achieve a similar compression that keeps most of the quality, but cuts down size about 3X, as mp4 and mts (and mxf; all h264?) seems to do. My goal is to keep the files under 20gig, so I can upload all the assets when finished to amazon cloud for archival. I may end of working with the avi, then, when archiving, convert each avi to a zip, and if I ever need to retrieve, I can extract and the avi will work again in the timeline. Thanks again. As you can tell, I have an awful lot to learn, even thought I've been doing this for about 10 years.

There is no way that you can make a video file (or audio for that matter) smaller without compressing it. And, unfortunately, that means rendering it and throwing away some of the content to make it into a smaller file. Re-wrapping will make no difference to the file size. It might slightly increase it due to extra metadata etc. being added. You 'can't get a quart into a pint pot' without a lot of spillage.

Wrappers don't compress. Another word for wrapper is "container."

Compression is achieved by rendering, not by wrapping.

Compression loses data. You can't unbake a cake.

For vocabulary definitions, try this: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/speaking-good-video-a-beginner-s-guide--104463/

Great article. Thanks for sharing. Learned a lot. btw, I used winzip to zip an uncompressed avi file, and got a pathetic 1 to 3% compression, probably because zip files are supposed to redeliver the precise file back to you on unpacking, so that will not work for my purposes. My last question, then, is there a way to split an avi file without rerendering? I know how to do it in the timeline, and my guess is that it will re-render quickly, but I'm hoping there is some way to split and divide into two files rather simply and instantaneously. (split, then rename name1 and name 2)?

You have uncompressed AVI, so yes, you can split and join without concerns. Search the forum for ffmpeg instructions or use a freeware muxer such as AVIDemux.

Or, just use Vegas to smart render your edits. Read up.

Thanks so much!