"Gotta love standards"

No kidding!! AAF could be a god-send. I want to do my rough cut on Avid and finish in Vegas. Being able to open my project with no redigitizing would be superb. The documentation on Vegas AAF support is pretty scant, so I'm not even sure if they're claiming I can open a "linked to" Avid AAF with success. I'd assume that's the case--or why even bother?

Hopefully someone from Sony will have an answer soon!

Sony?

Definitely wanting AVID <--> VEGAS.

If Sony Vegas is truly a contender in the Big Leagues... they have to be friends, communicate, and play well together. This NLE communication opens up a whole new world for me!

Sony... do tha damn thang!

I agree completely. This is a deal breaker for me. I was suckered in to V4 (uncompressed!!) by not doing my homework (oh, no serial TC? So how do I batch dig Beta SP?)

V5 I bought in the vain hopes Decklink would be added in a point release. Now why would that give that away for "free?"

A year later and it still isn't frame accurate? And no word on exactly WHAT to expect out of AAF "support"?

I think my money's headed toward the adobe camp...

I WANT Vegas to be able to offer the things I'm used to at my day job: EDLs, OMFs, AAFs and Digibeta / BetaSX TIMECODE (without an SD connect--I've got a freak'n serial port on my computer--that should be good enough! Avid can do it!)

*sigh*

No one seems to be commenting on the Decklink / AAF issues, so I'm bumping this in the hopes it's seen by Sony staff...

SONY is using version 1.0.2.0 of the AAF Advanced Authoring Format API (AAFCOAPI.dll)

a new major version was just released 1.1.0 april 14, 2005

A few bugs are listed in version 1.0.2.0 also in the bug tracker ...

perhaps - those that can try it -- use the new build....

backup you old dll(s) and download the new version and put it in same locations in your install ...

consider this a test only and not production value ..

new build of AAF is here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=24405&package_id=35142

I might have time to try this tonight--thanks for a ray of hope!

Thanks so much B_JM! That got it to work!! Just don't update the Avid's version or you won't be able to export AAFs!!

I'm glad to read you made progress, however I'm confused as to what "Just don't update the Avid's version" means -- you mean the .dll installed on the Avid machine?

edit: Just tried a simple, one track, three clip, multi-cut, fades and cross-fade AAF export using the newer .dll -- sent it off to someone I know who's got access to an Avid machine for testing.

Meanwhile, re-imported it into Vegas and it's completely intact! :D

Thanks,

- jim

I don't think we should have to have to jump through these hoops to utilize AAF. It should work, period! This and a couple of other things could turn me into a Premier user. I don't want to start a religious war, I just want Vegas to work as advertised.

Oh, I agree--it's ridiculous we have to manually hunt for and install new .dll's on our own to make the program work as advertised. I'll have to investigate further tonight, but I could swear the AAF import shifted a track of audio by a sizeable margin. Needs further investigation.

And yes--I have both avid and vegas on the same box and they BOTH have their own .dll regarding AAFs. Don't update the Avid one--it breaks the export function.

I wouldn't call replacing 1 DLL jumping through hoops ...

Maybe not for you and I. Not every computer user is as savvy...nor should they be expected to be.

I also wouldn't call digging through sourceforge standard fare for the average user.

I wouldn't call replacing 1 DLL jumping through hoops ...

Yeah -- especially since "we" didn't do any hunting -- B_JM scored the link and gave us the heads-up.

I'm pretty sure the proper .dll will make it into 6.0b...

edit: if rooting through a page at Sourceforge is a problem, how can you expect to edit a complex project that uses AAF?

Maybe we have different definitions of "jumping through hoops". Replacing a .dll isn't difficult--but *I* didn't find the solution. Nor would I have. If it weren't for B_JM it still wouldn't work.

I was referring to the *process* of having to hunt down (which thankfully *I* didn't have to) the solution(s) to problems that shouldn't exist. That's all.

Also, there is nothing saying an AAF has to contain complex projects. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the format?

OK, that was snarky, but come on. I work with an editor 30 years my senior and he's amazing. Just made the transition to non-linear and is doing very well all things considered. He also knows next to zero about computers. You don't have to be a keyboard jockey to be a good editor.

With all due respect for B_JM, we shouldn't have to do this for a version 6 product that retails for ~$700. (That we upgrade for $200 is beside the point.) Products should work as advertised. One of the major bullet points regarding the release of V6 was AAF support. They didn't mention the oh-by-the-way. I know it's an old joke but... SONY = Soon Only Not Yet.

This is the first release with AAF. Although it has been tested extensively, AAF is a deep format and some problems are bound to surface, such as this one. We will look into it, and most likely get it fixed up for a forthcoming update. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
///d@

if its any consolation - it doesn't also work well in most other apps completely either ..

"I want to do my rough cut on Avid and finish in Vegas." -norgeworks

That's the first time I've ever heard that!

James Green

Also, there is nothing saying an AAF has to contain complex projects. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the format?

My point was more that editing anything, then exporting the AAF, then importing it on another machine, into presumably an equally if not more complex editing app, keeping the media in order across a portable drive(s), and/or setting up/maintaining/using a SAN -- all of this is much more complex than clicking the provided link, downloading and installing one DLL.

Instead of just graciously accepting the fix, you're more content to complain that Sony hasn't provided you with a magically, 100% bug-free application. Your frame-accurate Decklink gripes have some merit, but this -- give it a rest already.

- jim

if its any consolation - it doesn't also work well in most other apps completely either ..

It'd be nice to see how it compares -- a simple chart showing which features the AAF standard supports, with columns for Avid, Vegas , PPro and FCP showing how each support or don't a given function. Not saying this has to happen now :D But, given some time for the Vegas feature set to mature, it'd be nice.

"Instead of just graciously accepting the fix, you're more content to complain that Sony hasn't provided you with a magically, 100% bug-free application. Your frame-accurate Decklink gripes have some merit, but this -- give it a rest already."

I believe I've been more than gracious in accepting the fix provided by B_JM. Hell, I even started a thread devoted to those ends! How many more would you like?

My concerns with AAF really seem to have gotten under your skin and I'm not sure why. No one else, including Sony, is jumping up and down telling me to "give it a rest".

I've never been terribly fond of people putting words in my mouth. Where exactly did I lament not getting a "magically, 100% bug-free application"? That's a wonderful straw man you've constructed--knock him down Jeff! Knock him down again! ;)

I'm *guessing* your point is: it works now.
I *know* my point is: Sony sold it without proper / enough testing.

The first point does not negate the second.

If you're going to reduce things to their simplist form I guess I will too: clicking "export AAF" and then "import AAF" is just as easy as "clicking the provided link, downloading and installing one DLL". And that's the way it should have worked at launch. If Ford sold you a car without a working starter and your neighbour fixed it for free--Ford still sold you a car without a working starter, regardless of whether it runs now or not. How big an issue is it? Certainly not as big as this thread has made it out to be, that's for sure.

I think I'll wait until the bugs are at a managable level to upgrade, so I guess I will be "giving it a rest".

I'm not sure I can have a rational discussion with you, though your posts in other threads seem far more informative / rational. You're reacting like a mac zealot who just heard someone question FCP.

my 2 cents

"a simple chart showing which features the AAF standard supports, with columns for Avid, Vegas , PPro and FCP showing how each support or don't a given function."

This would be a great idea.