HDR-SR8 ACVHDcamera

soulcool wrote on 8/29/2007, 8:53 PM

Hello Everyone. I'm new to this forum and hope I can get some help. I just bought the new sony hdr sr8 camera. I can't seem to find software that support the acvhd format. Sony claims the new studio vegas platinum will. I downloaded the trial addition and went throught the steps to capture video. It doesn't reconize the camera. To make a long problem short can or has anyone with this type of camera (harddisk) had any problems that they resolved?

I appreciate any help.

Comments

4eyes wrote on 8/29/2007, 9:14 PM

As far as I know (and according to the instructions), you use the software that's provided with the camera to either extract the videos to your harddisk which then may result in xxx.m2t file(s).
Or, you may be able to directly insert your videos right into the timeline.
If you look at the disk structure on your cam go under the BDMV ----> STREAMS folder.
You should see a listing of files:
00000.m2ts (Video File 1)
00001.m2ts (Video File 2)
00002.m2ts (Video File 3)
00003.m2ts (last one very small not needed, this is the menu file (there may be more then one).

You may be able to insert these files directly, If not then use the software from sony to converted/extract them (I don't mean to dvd format, they stay in the HD format).

I can copy the files from my mini-dvd STREAMS folder to the harddisk and then insert directly into the project (then drag into the timeline). These are recorded on a mini-dvd in the HD AVCHD format. Yours should be the same but the files may have a xxxx.MTS extension.
To be able to work with them I convert them to HD-Mpeg2 by going to
File | Render As -- Select Mpeg2, HDV 1080i template (60i/50i NTSC/PAL wherever you are)
Use these hd-mpeg2 files for editing because editing directly in the h264 format may not work to well. (You can always create proxy files).

Before you insert your files make sure to setup your "Project Properties" to HDV 1080i.
File | Project Properties.

Hope it works, VMS8_Plat only supports the sony avchd cams as far as I know, and is the only program that actually converts the h264 to another format properly so they look like the original source videos.

soulcool wrote on 8/29/2007, 9:48 PM

Thanks 4eyes
I will give this a try and get back to you.One other question? When i connect my camera of course this is not a 1394 fire camera it's just usb. it stays on the connecting screen......and says do not unplug or disconnect power. It seems it doesn't connect. The computer reconizes it but the software doesn't. Any other thoughts will be helpful. i will come back tomorrrow and check the post. thanks again.

4eyes wrote on 8/30/2007, 11:06 AM

The computer reconizes it but the software doesn't. Any other thoughts will be helpful.Windows should assign a drive letter to your camcorder.
You don't access your camcorder from within VMS although you probably can via VMS explorer window and navigate to the drive letter of the camcorder that windows has assigned to it.

Also, in your camcorders setup menu I'm pretty sure you have to put the cam into "Computer Mode" or similar wording for the computer to recognize the cam & assign a drive letter to it.