Have you considered that the problem might not be in the authoring tool, the specification for how the stream must be would almost certainly preclude smart rendering just as the requirements for writing to tape does.

Most hardware playable mpeg-2 media requires a fixed length GOP. You cannot edit mpeg-2 and alway get a GOP of the required fixed size. Somethings such as Womble do exactly that and it mostly works. I'd take always over mostly anyday.

Bob.

Smartrendering has nothing to do with DVDA compatibility. Smartrendering merely means that the output file is the same format as the input file because no rendering was involved. If the output file isn't accepted by DVDA then that means that the input file wasn't acceptable.

Consider some extremely obvious cases ... smartrender some mpeg material that ends up being 5.8GB and you tell DVDA to create a single-layer DVD. Would you complain that the smartrendering process was responsible for DVDA needing to recompress? Smartrender some mpeg material that is 484x384 at 18fps. DVDA can't make a DVD from that without recompressing.

It's not the smartrendering that is your problem. It's the MPEG you started out with.

"It's not the smartrendering that is your problem. It's the MPEG you started out with. "

While this is more than likely true, it does not delete from the fact that DVDa is much more picky at what it wants to call a legitimate file and avoid recompressing. I use another program that simply avoids recompressing so long as the project settings are the same as the project itself. Some may call this program a bit dumber because it simply does what you want it to (or tries anyway) and doesn't think about it, but the control is more or less in your hands (albeit you have to be a bit smarter at what you bring into it).

DVDa won't for example allow me to do a Blu Ray disk at 28m cbr without recompressing. It may not be the standard at 28m cbr but it works for me...that's what I want, and it won't let me do it. Other programs give me the flexibility of deciding what I want.

I have no problems with DVDa wanting to function on a higher level.... but hey.... it would be nice to have some kind of over-ride button so you can tell DVDa to do what YOU want instead of it telling you how it's going to be.

What does "smartrendered" mean?

<<Basically where an existing mpg2, is rerendered or recreated/restitched into a new MPG2, lets say for correction purposes, or retrimmed.
I did an SDE that went for 12mins, i had to then provide this to the client on disc, however to save the process of rendering out to AVI then MPG2, I thought id smartrender and only process the corrected bits, which were AVI.
i wanted to tweak some white balance in one particular shot, but the rest of it was fine.

So this rerender using smartrender worked.
Then when i input to DVDA, it DIDNT work... I guess it was the broken or insconsistant GOP stream... who knows...

"What exactly is being forced to be recompressed? Do you get a DVDA alert that tells you?"

Yes.. DVDa would accept the file for auhtoring, however it required to rerender the MPG2. It did not say why or how, it only said it didnt conform.
In turn, i had to go back, change the entire clip and replace all clips with thier original AVIs, THEN render as one MPG2 that way....
I coudlnt take a shortcut using my preexisting MPG2... this would have saved me 30mins rendering time...

What is the "waste" of time?
((The fact that it would have been easier for me to correct only what was needed, and render only what was needed.
As it stands the original project took about 24mins to render on a quad core... this with MB2 and alot of colouring....
Smartrendering shouldnt have taken more than 4 mins... and it didnt take longer than that....
In turn, what i needed to then do to retina image quality was reopen teh original edit, then rerender the entire thing straight to MPG2.
I could have render it out to AVI but then thats another pass and i prefer to do as least pass of renderes as possible.. ))


"What" and and from "where" are you rendering?

What and where are MPGs straigth from V8 timeline. ALL sources are from Vegas, using Mainconcept encoder with CBR of 7200kbps

Hope this info helps...

Most hardware playable mpeg-2 media requires a fixed length GOP. You cannot edit mpeg-2 and alway get a GOP of the required fixed size. Somethings such as Womble do exactly that and it mostly works. I'd take always over mostly anyday."

See this is where gop tags would come in handy.. right click properties, have a "split only on GOP header" this way any split made, is specifically one at the begining of a GOP sequence, in turn, there are no inconsistancies throughout the entire stream as a whole.
Yes its manual, but im id rather have the option as opposed to having something puke on me later..

DJP thanks for the clearer picture.

Why not NOW relate your complete, detailed story to SONY and ask for a comment along the lines of a way to speed up your workflow?

Grazie