Interesting... Serif Movie Plus 5 ALSO licenses the MainConcept codec. Has lots of control with the MPEG 2 output and costs less. If you own other Serif apps, it's even cheaper. In fact, Serif MvP5 looks and works exactly like Vegas and appears that Sony licensed code from Serif and then added a few stuff like plugins (and took some features away in Studio version). Even at the reduced price Serif MvP5 has unlimited video/audio tracks.

I just did some comparative MPEG 2 outputs (HDV to standard def) and Vegas Studio was the worse of the bunch. Seems to default to 6Mbps VBR.

I also discovered that DVDA 4.5 in Studio doesn't support importing AC3 audio either or at least, I get no sound when I do that. Again, other less expensive authoring apps do so licensing can't be the excuse.

I bought Vegas Studio 8 Platinum only for DVDA and looks like I will have to work within it's limits.

I don't believe the restrictions in the studio version have anything to do with licensing. My guess is that they are there in order to make the $585 pro version feel like it's worth more than the $99 studio version.

If you render your output to DV .avi in Vegas and then use this file in DVDA then you'll have more control over the encoding parameters. You can also let DVDA "optimize" and automatically pick the highest acceptable bitrate that allows your video to fit on the disc. This will also let you encode the audio in AC3.

Thanks for the suggestion, but sounds like a good way to lose quality too especially if the original is already in a compressed format. I purchased the Sony HDR-HC7 as a Christmas gift to myself. I REALLY hate the Sony Motion Picture browser that came with it. I tried several other apps for capturing HDV including freeware, but really liked the trial version of Vegas Studio 8 for capturing. I've also been thinking about switching or looking for another DVD authoring app so trying out DVDA was also part of that trial.

Funny how everything seemed to go so well in the trial. I suppose I must have over looked a few things. :) Now that I purchased it, I'm finding the limitations that I will have to work around.

My recent problem with Studio is converting HDV to NTSC widescreen standard MPEG to burn a DVD for those without NDTV. Vegas Studio 8 simply will not do it. Not matter what I do, it will letter box it or the final output has no sound.

What I meant in the other post, I had a perfectly fine DVD compliant MPEG 2 with AC3 audio that I brought into DVDA. NO SOUND which I found strange since DVDA will output AC3 stereo.

On my pc DVDA does import AC3 sound, so you must haven made a mistake here. Be aware that some of the Mainconcept templates are without sound. You must render the sound separately, and then bring the two together in DVDA.

I was using another editor and I can ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE you that the file was DVD compliant MPEG 2 with AC3 stereo audio. DVDA wouldn't preview it nor would it bring the file in with any audio. However I can bring in MPEG 2 files with DVDA that have MPEG audio or PCM audio.

There is no mistake! I've been doing this for years.

I have yet to output a single 16:9 MPEG 2 file with multiplexed audio in Vegas Studio 8. There appears to be no way at all.

Yes there is!
In three steps:
1) In Vegas render the video with the MainConcept codec, select the template pal or ntsc 'widescreen video-stream'. (the result is a mp2 video file without sound)
2) In Vegas render the audio with the Dolby Digital AC-3 codec (the result is a sound file)
3) In DVDA bring the mp2 video-only file and the ac3 file together

You are ASSUMING that I want files to be used in DVDA!!! I WANT A SINGLE MPEG 2 file that has multiplexed audio!!!! I can't be any more clearer than that. Everytime I select the Mainconcept codec / NTSC DVD, it will always letterbox 16:9. If I check 'stretch - do not letterbox', the image is squished (16:9 flag seems to be missing).

I have a multimedia network device connected to a HDTV LCD TV. I play my video through the network. All I need is a simple MPEG 2 file WITH AUDIO. Not separate files and NOT letterboxed.

I am quickly finding Vegas Studio and DVDA waaaaaaaay too much work for something that should be really simple. It appears that Sony could care less about compatibility with other software or devices other than their own.

Sorry, duplicate posts deleted. Forum server really slow.

There is a known issue (bug) in the latest versions of DVDA/DVDAS/VP8/VMS8/SF9 etc when importing MPEG files with LPCM or AC3 audio (MPEG layer 2 audio is OK) i.e. the audio disappears.

The workaround is to change the file extension to .vob instead of .mpg

Sony are aware of the problem, and will fix it eventually.

See [url=www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=558576]

Tony

Thank you.... interesting bug, but I can live with that. Changing the extension is easy enough.

Any chance you have a work around for my widescreen MPEG 2 issue? TIA

If you are happy with MPEG audio, render as 'NTSC DVD' (which should generate a muxed MPEG 'program stream' file) with the 'do not letterbox' option ticked. Then use 'DVD Patcher' [url=http://www.videohelp.com/tools/DVDPatcher] to patch the file to 16:9 (it modifies the MPEG headers 'in-situ' so no extra disc space is needed).

If you need AC3 audio, then you'll have to mux the MPEG video and AC3 audio together outside of VMS - no personal experience of using it, but 'mplex' can do this - see [url=http://forum.videohelp.com/topic339284.html] for a info on a windows version.

Alternatively use DVDAS to make a DVD to a folder on the hard disk, then concatenate the .vob files in the 'VIDEO_TS' folder into one file using the DOS box 'copy' command e.g. "copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB+VTS_01_2.VOB+VTS_01_3.VOB Merged.VOB."

Tony

Sounds like a lot of trouble get what should be a standard MPEG 2 file. Think I'll stick with the editor I have and just use DVDA to author the discs.

Are you saying that Vegas Studio doesn't support AC3 output to 'NTSC DVD' MPEG files at all? Geez... just about every cheap video editor will do that now and even a few freebies that come with camcorders like Cyberlink's Power Director Express.

When I plunked down the money for the full Vegas Studio 8 Platinum edition, I thought I was getting a more advanced editor. Definitely not worth the full MSRP! Glad I got it on sale and with a rebate.

> Are you saying that Vegas Studio doesn't support AC3 output to 'NTSC DVD' MPEG files at all?

Correct, it doesn't - the pro version doesn't either.

I suspect part of the reason is history, and part is that it's less work for DVD authoring tools to have the source 'assets' as separate video and audio files - if the file is muxed, it has to be de-muxed and re-muxed with extra DVD-specific navigation packets inserted (and broken up into sub-1GB VOB files) for the DVD.

Tony