G-spot is a great utility, thanks. It says I have both the audio and the video codecs needed. I am trying to locate Super, but am unsure where to look. Any further info?

I think I found it at
http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html
thanks for the help! I am gonna give it a try.

Super seems to be very useful, if you know what settings to use. What is a "good format" to convert an mpeg2 to in order to edit the video in VMS9? I keep getting weird results with Super. I get files as big as 4GB (twice the source file size), files with audio only... etc, etc, etc. Bottom line, I don't know what I am doing, and will admit it. I understand some of the settings can be determined by the source video, but can someone give me some general tips for output video settings from Super for use in VMS9?

Super is great (!) but it is of course a long process converting your files to dv avi or whatever else before you can start editting.

Before you do anything listed below, do this:
If I were you, I 'd put a little more time and effort in trying to get Vegas to work with the original mpeg2 files. Panasonic, after all, is a A-brand, so you can expect it to work properly without freeware like SUPER.
In Vegas, go to File<properties and look for the line that says 'template'. To the right of it is a yellow icon that looks like a 'folder'. Use this to 'match media settings' (Locate a panasonic video file) and hit OK.
If you're lucky, this will solve your issues.
If not, well to start with, make sure you install the software that comes with your camera. Often, it will install the essential codecs in Windows also, and Vegas will pick them up and use them. Use Panasonic's software to transfer the files from the hdd to the pc. Do not use Window's explorer. Often software like this will modify the file during the transfer slightly.
Another path could be to install the K-lite codec pack (google for it). This installs the most commonly used codecs. Just go for the standard installation and see what happens.

Edit: when you install software or codecs, always do a full reboot of your computer.

I have VMS 8 Plat and I have used it for editing video shot with the canon fs100, which also makes mpeg2 files, without any problem. So if canon can, so can panasonic!

I have been using explorer to download my videos from my SDRH40. The supplied program from Panasonic, VideoCam Suite, has been nothing but trouble from the get go. It is constantly crashing and usually will not stay running long enough for me to view whats on the camera, let alone download the vids. Any ideas on a program that is comparable and will download the vids from my camera without altering them? This sounds like the best option, along with chaging the Vegas settings and adding the codec pack. I would prefer to use the vid files as is. The quality drop when reencoding the files is a big turn off.