GoPro files are high profile AVC and if you render AVC then keep the bitrate and profiles the same as the GoPro source file.

Protune is not "RAW", it is AVC like the regular output only flatter contrast, saturation and sharpening.

You can actually go with a lower bitrate than the camera output since all camera output is not as compressed as normal computer encoders. The cameras do not have the CPU power, or the time to do sophisticated compression analysis. Cameras must encode in real time.

How much lower? Indeterminate as it depends on what was being shot. Use your eyes. You might be surprised.

The free GoPro Studio Cineform is designed to do exactly what you need.
Footage can be regular GoPro or Protune.
Generally handles great on the Vegas timeline.

Thanks all

So using mediainfo if I see this for the clip

General
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : JVT
Codec ID : avc1
File size : 127 MiB
Duration : 23s 168ms
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 45.9 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2013-07-16 16:46:17
Tagged date : UTC 2013-07-16 16:46:17
AMBA :

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.2
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=8
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 23s 156ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 45.0 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.362
Stream size : 125 MiB (99%)
Title : GoPro AVC
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2013-07-16 16:46:17
Tagged date : UTC 2013-07-16 16:46:17
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Here I see two bit rates one listed under general as 45.9 M bps and one in video as 45 Mbps, why is their a difference here and what does this mean? In my render settings I assume I should use 45 and variable?

So should I use MPEG or Sony AVC? And which template under that e.g. under Sony AVC we see AVCHD and also Blu Ray?

"Then use handbrake or ripbot264 with frameserver."

I'm not familiar with this however I did want to find a solution using Vegas output options. It provides so many formats I was hoping one of them would work fine.

"The free GoPro Studio Cineform is designed to do exactly what you need.
Footage can be regular GoPro or Protune.
Generally handles great on the Vegas timeline."

What do you mean GoPro Studio Cineform is designed to do this? I want to render using Vegas and not Cineform though i.e. all my trims are in Vegas. I thought Cineform was only useful when you want to process raw Protune files. I deliberately avoid pro tune so I didn't have to do any post processing on the generated files

Also wouldn't it be nice if Vegas has a feature which could capture everything in the file e.g the bit rate and simply set in a custom template like we see in "match project settings".

Matt,
Cineform is a visually perfect wavelet codec for importation into Vegas as a lossless Intermediate.
Step 1: Shoot your video
Step 2: Convert to Cineform
Step 3: Open Cineform in Vegas
Step 4: Edit, then render to your chosen format

The purpose is that high-bitrate interframe, long-GOP footage (from the GoPro3) is not an editing format, and thus tends to handle horribly on the editing timeline. Cineform handles much better; it was designed to do so.

If you don't want to edit, just open the camera footage in Handbrake and encode for playback on your PS3 or ?

The TOTAL bitrate is the video + audio.
The VIDEO bitrate is just the video.

Retaining quality is not the same as matching bitrate. If you want video that is playable, it will be at a bitrate lower than 45 Mbps.

thanks muscvid

However editing the go pro 3 files works fine on the timeline so don't think I need to convert any more before importing into Vegas.

My question is just which render settings are ideal to output and play on the PS3 whilst retaining the 50 / 60fps for smoothness but also ensuring its not choppy. I would have format someone would have a standard template of settings for this.

Does anyone play back these files on the PS3 / PS4? If so what settings do you use?

Lots have given advice on maximising the quality using either cineform or handbrake.

If you want an easy to use "all in Vegas" approach, I shall detail what I do which I feel gives excellent results for editing, rendering and playback on my PS3, 1080 50p smooth as silk. Streaming may make it choppy so I make sure the footage is on the PS3 HDD - for this, I just burn the file to a BR-rw and copy to the PS3 HDD. I know 50p isn't a playable blu ray format but it burns and copies fine. I have to do this as PS3 media server is playing up for me.

Import and edit the go pro files ensuring your project properties are set accordingly (1080 50p/60p). Then render using a Sony AVC template and customise this to reflect the 1080 50p (or 60p if that is what you are using), set the bit rate to the max (24, 999,999 or something), select mp4 file format and render out.

Now when you play this back on your PS3 it will appear a bit choppy. Forgive me as I don't have access to my PS3 now so you'll have to follow my instructions with a little artistic license! ..... When you play back, bring up the settings screen... press triangle I think. In here I think it is some sort of either noise reduction or motion setting - anyway, one of these options is mosquito....... basically set it to none. This then stops the choppy playback and it is smooth 50/60p.

If my limited recollection of this is hard to follow after you have had a look yourself, let me know and I'll have a look myself when I get a chance tomorrow.

Hope this helps