Can't render higher than 720x480 in 6.0b

MrEdit wrote on 12/16/2008, 8:42 AM
No matter what format I choose. When I choose 1280x720p, for example, I get something about template not being compatible with current project settings. 720x480 is as high as I can go in every format. Even if I do custom resolution in .mov and try 1280x720 i get the same message. Source file is a .TS converted to h264 mp4

Is 6.0b not able to render in 1280x720? And if not, why is the resolution available as an option?

To make things worse, I upgraded to 8 Pro, and that won't open h264 files. The same ones that open perfectly in 6.0b and are editable are rejected by 8 Pro. so I have one version of vegas that can open the files but can't render in the resolution i want, and another version that can render in the resolution but can't open the files. This is absurd. Submitted sample files to Sony and they just said it's going to "take [them] a while" to figure it out. Fantastic...

Comments

Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/16/2008, 10:28 AM
About version 6b: as far as I remember, it really depends on what version you have. Perhaps only Version 6 Platinum does HD, but I'm not even sure it did.

About version 8 Pro: it should work, but you should post in the Pro forum, not here.
MrEdit wrote on 12/16/2008, 11:03 AM
Ivan - thanks. it's funny you mention that actually because first i upgraded to 9.0b Platinum. Same problem. I take one of the mp4s and drag them into 6.0b - works fine. Same file into 9.0b - "none of the files could be opened."

What could possibly be the reason for this? I noticed that when I uninstall Quicktime Pro, I can't open mp4s in 6.0b either. Reinstall, and then I can do it again. But it has never worked in 9.0b (or 8 Pro)

It's really frustrating because I've now purchased 2 products costing me a ton of money, neither of which has a functionality that 6.0b has. How is this possible?
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/16/2008, 12:14 PM
When I was working with vms6, I noticed that it needed Quicktime player to be installed because it used some shared libraries. Now I use VMS 8 Plat and I know for sure that it does not need Quicktime anymore, because I had it run on my new pc that came without Quicktime.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/16/2008, 12:22 PM
Why don't you opt for wmv instead of H264? It works just fine for YouTube in HD.
MrEdit wrote on 12/16/2008, 2:38 PM
Ivan - Well the source files are 1280x720 Transport Stream (.TS) files converted into h264 mp4. That's my only option as an output at 1280x720 (using ArcSoft Media Converter). So, ultimately, I have to work with h264 mp4s. It has never been an issue with Vegas 6 as I noted, but has ALWAYS been an issue with 9.0b PE and 8 Pro. They refuse to open those files, even as 6.0b opens them just fine.

But you got me thinking - maybe I can find something that can convert .TS into 1280x720 of a format that my VMS 9 PE/8 Pro will open like mpg or wmv. I have a feeling that search is not going to be fruitful but I guess it's worth a try because right now I'm just waiting for sony support to get back to me.
Eugenia wrote on 12/16/2008, 3:02 PM
Load the SUPER freeware utility, and export these ts files in Huffyuv AVI lossless codec. Install that codec for Windows too, and Vegas will be able to open them without losing any quality. Filesizes will be huge, but that's normal for a lossless codec.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/16/2008, 9:34 PM
What camera is this, producing TS files. Doesn't it come with its own software? I had similar problems with a canon fs100. When I installed the software that came with the camcorder (rather than copying the events from the flashcard directly), the problems were solved.
MrEdit wrote on 12/16/2008, 10:21 PM
Ivan - thanks for your response. It's not a camera. It's a Hauppage HD-PVR. It comes with ArcSoft media converter and it looks like the mp4 uses a custom (arcsoft) h264 codec. Still confused why Vegas 6 opens it and 9 PE and 8 pro don't but...

Eugenia - Thanks for the tip. SUPER is awesome. and using the Huffy loss-less is exactly what i wanted, minus the crazy file sizes haha. And I can open these in Vegas 8 Pro!!!! This is perfect!! Great workaround until (and if) Sony can ever give me an answer about opening those arcsoft mp4s in 8 pro.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/17/2008, 2:25 AM
A recorder huh ... I think you have all these problems because most people (I'm not saying you do it...) use them for illegal acitivities anyhow, and sony won't be supporting that ever... Try ripping and re-editing a commercial dvd with Vegas. It will never work.
MrEdit wrote on 12/17/2008, 10:07 AM
Ivan - So do you think that this is actually an accidental exploit in Vegas 6? That the later versions of the programs are patched not to accept this specific file? The recording is done over component video so it's not as if there any kind of HDCP issues or anything. And the converter is ArcSoft, which is not even the manufacturer of the PVR.

I mean there's only one problem: Vegas 6.0b being able to open an h264 encoded mp4 that 8 pro and 9.0 PE will not.

I use the PVR to archive my team's college football games in HD and I keep them on external hard drives and discs strictly for personal use. I'm not exactly sure that recording them is illegal, but to be quite frank I don't care, as this content is not available to purchase (if it was, I would).
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 12/17/2008, 10:31 AM
Mp4 is a 'delivery' codec, not an intermediate codec. In other words, it is meant to be played and watched, not to be edited. I fully understand your point to archive these recordings for personal use.
Beneath the surface, major corporation are gearing up to tackle piracy. It is a battle fought at many different fronts, this being one, I guess.
I recently bought a new Dell XPS system. I was very happy with it, but then I discovered that it is no longer possible to 'record what you hear'. So it is no longer possible to record streaming audio with the built in audio recorder. I still can record line-in and microphone audio, but not what I hear through the speakers. This feature was present in Windows XP, but not under Vista. So this is a deliberate 'dumbing down' of the system, and I think that Sony Vegas has done just that. Vegas 6 would easily use codecs installed on your pc, but Vegas 8 and VMS9 don't. Instead, the programme comes with it's own codecs, and has a much stricter codec implementation than the older versions. Ask Sony Support about this, and they 'll start mumbling vaguely, but they'll never be kind enough to sort this out....
MrEdit wrote on 12/17/2008, 11:42 AM
You know what it's funny you mention the record "what u hear" because I ran into the same problem after I upgraded to Vista. I had so many real, technical problems with it though that I ended up reverting to XP.

And what you're saying about using codecs on pc vs codecs within the program makes perfect sense. Because I've noted several times that after uninstalling quicktime pro, Vegas 6 loses functionality to open those mp4s. When re-installed, the function is back.

So I guess you've solved the problem, something that I will probably be waiting for many weeks for Sony to tell me. Thanks!