Editing mpeg2 camera files?

Kurt8 wrote on 8/1/2006, 1:03 AM
Hello,

I'm still using Vegas 4 and am quite happy with it. I'm now thinking about picking up the JVC GZ-MC500 for some experimental video work. I know very little about the mpeg2 format and I realize that there are better formats out there. Still, I need the quickness of the drag and drop file importing for these projects.

Can I import the files from this camera directly into Vegas 4? If not, could I import them directly into the newest vesion of Vegas 6? How about converting the files to AVI first? Would that work and how much quality loss should I expect? Just looking for the best way to get these files into Vegas for editing.

thanks.

Kurt

Comments

farss wrote on 8/1/2006, 4:28 AM
Editing mpeg-2 is not an easy road to go down, I think there's better mpeg-2 editors than Vegas around.
If you were to convert to an intermediate format first then you've kind of blown the saving in capture time. I didn't find any info on what form of mpeg-2 the camera records so I cannot really say how easily or if it's possible to edit it at all in Vegas.
Regardless though almost inevitably you'll end up rendering the video to some other format, again be careful that what you save on capturing is eaten up down the track.
I suspect you'd buy a camera that performs better for the money if you stuck with MiniDV. Also a 4GB flash card is hardly cheap and outlandishly expensive compared to a MiniDV tape. Depending on your application that may not be an issue however if you're working close to a computer then something like any DV camcorder straight into Vegas via VidCap or DV Rack could be an ideal solution.
Hopefully someone here might have first hand experience with this camera that can chime in with any specifics.

Bob.
Chienworks wrote on 8/1/2006, 5:46 AM
"Quickness of drag & drop MPEG2 files" is an oxymoron. You'll spend WAY more time working with and editing these files than you would capturing AVI from miniDV.

Heck, just dragging and dropping one of these files to Vegas' timeline takes so long you'll think your computer died.
johnmeyer wrote on 8/1/2006, 7:58 AM
If you want to edit MPEG-2, get something besides Vegas. Vegas 6.0d can import those files, but it recompresses and doesn't handles them with any kind of speed.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/1/2006, 9:20 AM
> I'm now thinking about picking up the JVC GZ-MC500 for some experimental video work.

You didn’t say what kind of “experimental work” you are doing but if you wan to edit the footage, I would stay away from an SD quality MPEG camera in the first place. Go read the reviews. Why would you want to buy a camera with less features, less control, and less quality than other 3 CCD camcorders in this price range that use miniDV tape? Is it the hard drive that you want?

Something else to think about is the fact that it uses a hard drive (microdrive). What will you use to archive your footage? With tape, you always have “the tape”. With reusable media you need some other way to store the footage for years because you are going to erase the microdrive and reuse it. This is an addition “hidden” cost to these camcorders.

According to JVC this cameras highest setting is DVD MPEG2 8.5Mbps fixed bitrate. Since most DVD’s that we make are 6Mbps variable, you might not loose too much quality with just one re-encode but it probably won’t be as high quality as you would get from a miniDV camera. If that’s OK with what you are doing then go for it. Otherwise, if you are planning to edit your footage and need high quality final output, I would get one of the Panasonic 3CCD’s in that price range or look at the Sony HC3 which is only $300 more but you get HDV!

Personally I would get the Sony HC3. Once you see HDV you will never use SD again. Now that I have a Sony Z1U, I want my family videos to be HDV as well (but that is a big camera to take to Disney) ;-). When I need to replace my small Panasonic 3CCD “family cam”, I will get the Sony HC3. It just doesn’t make sense to me to buy SD in that price range.

~jr
Kurt8 wrote on 8/1/2006, 3:16 PM
Thank you all for this valuable input. I had the feeling that editing the files would be a problem and I already knew that the JVC would not stack up against DV cams. You all confirmed that for me.

I originally got into the JVC because it reminded me of the way I work with my audio recorder - M-Audio Multitrack 24/96 - I simply love the speed and ease of pulling out the CF card and dragging and dropping the files into the editor. I don't really have to make any compromises with quality though with the 24/96 so the JVC mpeg2 files are really a whole different ballgame.

Anyway, I'll go the miniDV route after all and certainly check into the Sony HC3.

Thanks again.

Kurt