Ignore Third Party CODECs?

plasmavideo wrote on 11/18/2005, 5:56 AM
Can someone explain exactly what this option means in practical terms? For instance, I use a lot of files captured with the Canopus CODEC via the Storm card. When editing in Vegas or rendering from Vegas to avi or DVDA mpg files should I leave this box checked or un-checked? I haven't found a clear explanation of this option yet.

Typically, I jump a lot back and forth between Vegas and Canopus EDIUS, using files generated by each other and wonder what difference this option would make to me checked or unchecked.

Thanks.

Tom

Comments

jetdv wrote on 11/18/2005, 9:28 AM
Straight from the help file:

When this checkbox is selected, the Vegas application will ignore DV codecs other than it's own proprietary codec.

Generally speaking, leave this checked so Vegas will use the Sony DV Codec as it is extremely good.
plasmavideo wrote on 11/18/2005, 12:26 PM
Right, but what happens to footage brought in with another CODEC. Is it converted to Sony CODEC when resaved as AVI, converted to Sony CODEC on the timeline or what?

For instance, if I bring in a file created originally with the Canopus CODEC and immediately render to an mpg stream for DVDA, is the file first converted to Sony CODEC, or does that only happen after effects are applied or the file resaved?

Believe me, there is a reason I'm asking this. It has to do with a small quirk that's been reported when rendering Canopus files to mpg when not using Procoder.

It's not a big deal, I'm just trying to figure out exactly what happens within Vegas when the box is checked or not.

Spot|DSE wrote on 11/18/2005, 12:51 PM
It's only converted to the Sony codec when recompression occurs. So if you import something in the Canopus codec, Vegas will leave it in it's Canopus codec, until you color correct, transition, composite, or other action that demands recompression. Then it's converted for those recompressed segments only. When you do a final render, it then will use the Sony codec for the final render.
I'm not sure how this would be relevant when rendering Canopus codec files to mpeg, I do this fairly often as a lot of our stock library is still in Canopus codec from my Rex days, and no issues at all in Vegas, when rendering to mpeg 2.
plasmavideo wrote on 11/18/2005, 1:46 PM
Thanks Spot. That's what I was guessing.

I haven't noticed any effect within Vegas and the MC encoder, but in several of Ulead's DVD packages, there has been a problem where the field order has been flipped when converting Canopus AVI files to mpg. I just wanted to make sure, as I'm doing a lot of bouncing back and forth. I'm also trying to resolve a strange little problem I've run into with the DVDs I'm burning, and just wondered if it might be related somehow. I enjoy using both Vegas and Edius for each of their unique strengths and like you, I also have a lot of Rex legacy footage that I still use from time to time. All the video I shot of my daughter's first years was archived to DV using the Rex, and that was my first "real" editing NLE system (after playing around with Rainbow Runner for a while).

In fact, my second computer still has a Rex in it for digitizing off of VHS from time to time.

Thanks again to you both.

Tom
vitalforce2 wrote on 11/18/2005, 1:52 PM
On a related (I think) question:

I have Quicktime Pro 7 and Vegas 5 & 6. If I render to Quicktime 6 within Vegas the picture is a noticeably lesser quality than if I open the DV file in Quicktime and "export" it using a Sorenson 3 codec. Is this because Vegas' Quicktime 6 codec is perhaps the Sorenson rather than the better Sorenson 3?

In either case, would unchecking "ignore third party codecs" make any difference in this?