How to use Cineform with Vegas... and why?

will-3 wrote on 12/3/2010, 2:41 PM
I've just ordered the latest Vegas Pro upgrade and am about to order Cineform Neoscene.

But first I want to make sure I understand why Vegas owners are using Cineform...

1 - As I understand it Cineform is a proprietary codec.

2 - And Vegas owners use it to convert HD video (avchd, h.264, mpeg-4 or whatever) to the proprietary Cineform format.

2a - Now you have the original video files and the Cineform version of those files (2X the disk space now used) right?

3 - Then use the Cineform formatted video file(s) on the Vegas time line (instead of the original video files) and complete your project.

4 - And the results (and advantage) is that Vegas will 'preview' multi-track projects more easily... less starting, stopping, and stuttering.

5 - After the Vegas/Cineform project is complete you then have Vegas render it out to any of the standard formats... AVI, WMV, FLV, MOV, mpeg, H.264, AVCHD, etc...

6 - And I need Cineform Neoscean to do this... right?

Thanks for any help in assuring I understand this properly before I order.

Comments

kkolbo wrote on 12/3/2010, 3:23 PM

In short yes except, [b]
2a - Now you have the original video files and the Cineform version of those files (2X the disk space now used) right?[b]

You have used much more than 2X if you are using one of their highest quality settings.

You have also transferred the material to a format that is a higher color sampling, survives re rendering several times with excellent quality, and transports to a Mac platform.

Is it the answer to all things, no. Is it a useful tool, you bet.
rstrong wrote on 12/3/2010, 4:03 PM
If preview quality is all you care about, Sony Vegas Pro 10.0a appears to preview it beautifully all on it's own, unlike the last version of Vegas Pro.

R. Strong

Custom remote refrigerated water cooled system for CPU & GPU. Intel i7- 6950X, 10 Core (4.3 Turbo) 64gb DDR4, Win7 64 Bit, SP1. Nvidia RTX 2080, Studio driver 431.36, Cameras: Sony HVR-Z5U, HVR-V1U, HVR-A1U, HDR-HC3. Canon 5K MK2, SX50HS. GoPro Hero2. Nikon CoolPix P510. YouTube: rstrongvideo

ushere wrote on 12/3/2010, 4:59 PM
unless you're doing exceptionally heavy compositing, cc'ing or the like i see no need at all for using an intermediary when using m2t on a decent pc.

with avchd i transcode to mxf IF required, otherwise it plays quite happily on the 10a t/l in most circumstances.
GregFlowers wrote on 12/3/2010, 7:35 PM
Another benefit of NeoScene is when capturing HDV from tape, it allows you to convert the original .m2t files on the fly to the Cineform codec in real time. So if you plan to convert to an intermediate codec, it bypasses the need to place your footage on the Vegas timeline and render it out from there. Its a real time saver. Its not the necessity it used to be with .m2t files, but I still use it a lot if I'm going to be doing multiple renders and moving to and from outside programs.