HD video using MXF files with Vegas 6

Ethan Winer wrote on 9/1/2008, 10:49 AM
Folks,

A friend of mine has a Sony XDCam that saves HD video as MXF files which I'd like to use. I'm still using Vegas 6 because it does all I need and works perfectly. According to the Vegas 6 Help:

"The full version of Vegas software includes a full-resolution MXF reader for Sony XDCAM that allows you to use full-resolution MXF files on the timeline. You can use MXF files just like any other supported media type. We recommend the following workflow for efficient editing."

But it does not work. When I drag an MXF file from the Explorer window onto the time line I get only an audio track but no video. I'm not totally opposed to upgrading to Vegas 8, but since my friend's MXF files don't work with Vegas 6 as claimed, how do I know they'll work with Vegas 8?

Thanks for any advice. Especially advice for how to use MXF files with Vegas 6. :->)

--Ethan

Comments

erikd wrote on 9/1/2008, 11:47 AM
Hi, I own at Sony XDCAM HD 335L and I can say that I have had no problems with my MXF files in Vegas 8. As far as I know, Vegas is the only software out there that can handle the proxy/conform/full res workflow that XDCAM MXF files offer. It actually works.

Erik
Laurence wrote on 9/1/2008, 12:15 PM
Vegas 6 won't do MFX. To use this and several other new formats, you need to upgrade.
ScorpioProd wrote on 9/1/2008, 10:14 PM
Gotta second the great results. My XDCAM HD F335 works great with Vegas Pro 8.0b. I really don't think any other NLE works better with XDCAM HD MXF natively than Vegas Pro 8.0b does.
Ethan Winer wrote on 9/2/2008, 10:26 AM
> Vegas 6 won't do MFX. To use this and several other new formats, you need to upgrade. <

Darn, and the manual says it CAN use MFX files. Oh well, it's only money. I was hoping I just needed to install a driver or some such.

--Ethan
farss wrote on 9/2/2008, 1:23 PM
The MXF files that it can handle might be the SD ones only.
Have you also installed DVDA? Without that you might be missing the mpeg-2 codec that'd be needed to decode the HD mpeg-2 contained in the MXF wrapper.

Bob.
Ethan Winer wrote on 9/3/2008, 12:28 PM
> The MXF files that it can handle might be the SD ones only.

Well, the Vegas 6 Help quoted above mentions XDCAM, which is what my friend has. Unless there's an SD version of XDCAM?

> Have you also installed DVDA? Without that you might be missing the mpeg-2 codec that'd be needed to decode the HD mpeg-2 contained in the MXF wrapper.

Yes, I have DVDA 3 on the same computer. Maybe I should run the installer again? I don't recall a check-off option for HD, but if there was an option I likely did not select it.

I'll check that with fingers crossed. :->)

Thanks.

--Ethan
Ethan Winer wrote on 9/3/2008, 12:49 PM
More: I tried installing Vegas again from the 6.0d update file, but there were no install options. Reading the Help again, it says "full-resolution MFX files" so I have to assume that means HD. I did notice in Option ... Preferences a choice to use Microsoft DV codecs. But checking that, and also enabling Media Manager which I never use, still gives no joy.

Has anyone here used HD MXF files with Vegas 6 successfully?

--Ethan
MarkWWW wrote on 9/4/2008, 6:20 AM
I don't know much about XDCAM, so I can't really help with your problem. But I do know that the original XDCAMs were SD, followed a bit later by XDCAM HD, and followed a bit later still by XDCAM EX. I'm pretty sure that the EX is only supported in V8P, and it may be (though I don't know) that V6 only supported the original SD version.

Mark
Marco. wrote on 9/4/2008, 2:25 PM
"Full resolution" meant PAL and NTSC SD resolution in days when V6 came out and especially when talking about MXF and XDCAM "full resolution files" are the "normal" PAL or NTSC files instead of the "low resolution" proxy files.

There is definetely no MXF HD support within V6 (and it wasn't advertised there either) - SD based MXF only. MXF HD (XDCAM HD) support came with V7.

Marco
Laurence wrote on 9/4/2008, 2:50 PM
Be aware that even with Vegas 8, although you can work with full resolution 1920x1080 mfx, you can't render to it. The codec we have access to tops out at 1440x1080. It's a shame because 1440x1080 mfx will actually smart-render.

Also be aware that the main difference (as far as I can see) between mfx and m2t is that the mfx clips have uncompressed audio. Thus you don't keep adding generations of audio compression every time you smart-render as you do with m2t clips.
Ethan Winer wrote on 9/5/2008, 8:00 AM
Thanks Marco for the definitive explanation. Guess it's time to upgrade...

--Ethan