AVC and 32 bit Pixel Format

srode wrote on 12/22/2008, 6:44 AM
Trying to render a video from my Sony SR11 to Sony AVC - either Bluray format or AVCHD so I can have the full 1920 x 1080 resolution - any of the options I choose crash when I set the pixel format to 32 bit (8.0c) . Renders fine with 8 bit format but I understand the 32 bit pixel will have better picture quality - is there something I should be doing that I'm missing? I want to burn this to a bluray disc as part of a menu driven disc. I don't have any problems using the 32 bit with Mpeg-2 creating a blueray file - just with AVC. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Comments

Marc S wrote on 12/22/2008, 1:02 PM
32 bit does not work for many users. I've given up on it for now. All but the smallest projects crash when I try and use it.
A. Grandt wrote on 12/23/2008, 12:13 AM
Thanks, I have 32-bit as default, and have all but lost all my hair in the process. I'll try the 8-bit option. I'd love to see a 10-bit integer option in the future, 8-bit is too little for HD, and 32-bit floating point seems to be a bit overkill for home movies.

However, I have noticed a drastic improvement in stability when rendering HD content on Vegas Pro 8, by using CineForm Neo HD to preprocess the AVCHD files. (Try the free trial to see if it works for you first, it is quite expensive). The cost seems to be slower encoding, though CF should have made it a little faster.

Now, if anyone can please inform me how to bludgeon CF into NOT downsampling the AC-3 track on AVCHD files to stereo, I'd be happy. :)
FrigidNDEditing wrote on 12/23/2008, 1:52 AM
Hi A. Grandt - I'm pretty sure that AVCHD UpShift's new version splits the 5.1 audio properly if you render .wav separately.

(no way to just do that I don't think so you'd need to run files that were just the lowest CBR rate available at the same time, then delete the video files and just use the audio files).

Dave
blink3times wrote on 12/23/2008, 4:05 AM
"Now, if anyone can please inform me how to bludgeon CF into NOT downsampling the AC-3 track on AVCHD files to stereo, I'd be happy. :)"

I don't know anything about upshift but you could use as normal with CF, put your work on the time line, then delete the audio track. Go back to your original clips, and demeux the AC3 with TSmuxer (free download) and then import the AC3 through this method:

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=527775
A. Grandt wrote on 12/23/2008, 4:08 AM
Hi Dave.

Thanks. The solution to just split the m2ts (or .mts) file is pretty straight forward in for instance tsMuxeR from Smartlabs (freeware).

Removing all but the ac3 track, and storing it in a .ts container, you can easily import the ac3 into Vegas.

Unfortunately that means that audio and video gets seperated, and that really don't work well with the trimmer.

Grandt

Edit: Thanks to blink3times for the link
srode wrote on 12/24/2008, 6:27 AM
Well I got an AVC file to render in 8.1 at 1920 x 1080 using 32 bit pixel format - no audio - used the Bluray 1440 x 1080 template and selected custom resolution. This had the protitler used as well as cross fades. The file played fine in DVDA 5.0 preview but when tried to create an ISO image after completing the render it errored out early in the 'preparing' portion of the work leaving an error that said 'video buffer underflow'. I'll have to post in the DVDA section to see if someone has ideas there on how to get this to render as a AVC disc. Comparing the HDV vs AVC videos paused on the same frames - the AVC shows less compression artifacts - generally smoother however perhaps a bit of a loss of detail - probably not noticable in play mode just in still.