Is it me, my computer or Vegas 9 Platinum?

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/2/2010, 12:09 PM

I'm having a host of problems with Vegas 9, and it's made me completely give up on the software and I'm stuck with a $120 box and disk.

I can't import M2TS without crashing, I can upload Mpeg-4 in sound only but no video, I can't get the video to ever stop lagging or glitching when I import any other file, the preview window is always lagging or glitching, the finished product is worse then the raw file after I record it, I have sound lag on virtually every single video I make, and what I record from my Hauppauge doesn't come out nearly as smooth when I'm editing a 5 minute test clip in Vegas.

I also went through all the updates and downloaded all of them and installed them as well.

I have the required specs for the software and I have registered my software so I can't even sell it, hell I can't even give it away. So essentially I spent $120 for a box and a disk.

**I downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack (free download) and used all default settings. I downloaded this so maybe it would help allow me to view the video in Vegas 9, but still I get no video.

**I'm not sure what the bandwith or resolution is. I record everything from a Hauppauge HD PVR. Here is my settings for everything I see.

Input Resolution: 1280x720

Current Encoding Bit Rate: 8Mbps

Audio: Dolby Digital (AC3) 2 Channels

Device Settings (Properties):

Video Decoder: NTSC_M

Signal Detected: 1

Lines Detected: 720

VCR Input: Box checked
Output Enable: Box checked

***I'm not sure what Quick Time Player version I'm using, but I just downloaded the update for it through my iTunes update. So I know it's current. My M2TS files play a little choppy but when I convert them to Mpeg-4 they play smoothly. I'm also playing them in Quicktime not Windows.

***My OS is Windows XP 32bit.

***My version of of Vegas, is Vegas 9b.. Not sure if it's 32 bit or 64 bit.

***My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1501. I know, I know, it's a bit old, but it's practically stripped of all big programs. Only iTunes rivals the size of Vegas 9. So I know I have space. I also upgraded from 1GB to 2GB Ram.

Guys, in all seriousness I have become so frustrated with this whole thing I almost just feel like giving up. If there is any other answers on what I have please ask.

Took it back to where I bought it, Micro Center St.Louis, and they were even stumped to what the problem was.

So much for this being the best PC Editing software.

So, am I just screwed or is there actual hope for me yet?

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 5/2/2010, 4:54 PM

Well, you've made some assumptions that have possibly made your problems worse rather than better. I wish you had answered the questions in the other forum before proceeding on those assumptions. Specifically, Rob Franks asked you, "Did you by any chance install one of those free universal codec packs?" He asked that question knowing that if you did so, you run the risk of screwing up your system miserably. And I asked you, "What version of Quicktime player is installed on your machine?" because I know that QT 7.6.4 and later can cripple mp4 import with most versions of Vegas, including yours. So instead of answering the questions, you installed K-Lite (which is one of the worst), and updated to an incompatible version of Quicktime. Whew! Now we need to back up:

I suggest you do these steps in order:
1) Uninstall K-Lite codec pack.
2) Do a System Restore to a time before you installed K-Lite.
3) Reinstall Vegas.
(K-Lite is fraught with problems, and does more harm than good with many Vegas installations, by replacing Vegas and system codecs with incompatible versions. If you need a codec down the road, it is a simple matter to identify which one and get it from its source). If you want just a "bit" of guidance, you are welcome to consult my beginner's tutorial on exactly your same issues here:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=12&MessageID=660127

That will get you back one step towards recovery.

Next, uninstall your "current" Quicktime player along with iTunes 9, download and install Quicktime 7.6 or 7.6.2 to get you working with mpeg-4 files again. Any QT version later than 7.6.2 is broken, and Vegas (other than Vegas Professional 9) has not been yet updated to work correctly with 7.6.6 or later. Again, this is Quicktime for Windows' issue, not Sony's and is abundantly documented here and on the web.

Finally, files from Hauppage HD PVR are problematic in Vegas because the GOP structure is sometimes broken. Although you can usually play these files, opening them for editing is a somewhat different matter. This is not just Hauppage's problem. Many PVRs, including DVD-RAM recorders, get bad GOP information. One workaround I have found is the trial version of VideoRedo h.264 beta. Running the "Quickstream Fix" will re-order your GOP structure and allow you to open the files in Vegas. I ended up buying VRD and use it more than Vegas for simple edit/split/join functions for PVR stuff.

Sorry you were hit with multiple issues your first time out, but I've been using the pro version of this software for at least twelve years, and yet I learn something new about it every day.

Baby steps, not giant steps, is the way to get there.

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/2/2010, 9:32 PM

thank you "musicvid", I will go through the steps right now. I appreciate your patience, I am a huge novice when it comes to computers and I thought maybe this was easier than it was.

I will get back to you with results. I haven't completely given up I really really want this to work.

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/3/2010, 12:35 AM

My Quicktime version is 7.6.6

My iTunes version is 9.1.1.12

I downloaded Medialnfo and then downloaded codecs for

M2TS: Handbrake
Mp4: Quicktime (again because that's where Medialnfo sent me for that specific codec)

I'm still not having a audio problem when uploading Mp4, actually the audio is fine, I just don't get any video when I import Mp4. I downloaded Quicktime again like Medialnfo told me, but still no results. I'm not sure how to install an earlier version, but I will try again and uninstall Quicktime and re install it like you said.

I don't know how to do system restore up to a certain point, so I haven't done that...yet.

I also uninstalled Vegas 9 and then installed again. And right now I am converting a M2TS file into a .WMV file. Hopefully that will play in Vegas smoothly. Apparently .MOV files that I made from my sisters Mac Book play smoothly along without video lag.

One thing I also wanted to ask was what is up with the video lag when I am previewing the video file? When I play a .MOV file in Quicktime it doesn't have any video lag at all. It doesn't skip, jump or glitch, but when I play it or preview it on Vegas' preview window it does. That has to be something with my computer right? Are my system specs adequate for Vegas 9 Platinum?

My Account
System Information

System #1
Windows Version:XP
RAM:2 GB
Processor:AMD Turion(tm) 64 Mobile Technology MK-36
Video Card:ATI Radeon Xpress 1150
Sound Card:idk
Video Capture:Hauppauge HD PVR
CD Burner:
DVD Burner:Philps DVD+-RW SDVD8820

musicvid10 wrote on 5/3/2010, 11:08 AM

Download older quicktime and itunes versions (uninstall current versions first):
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#quicktime
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#itunes

How to do a system restore in Windows is found in your Windows help files or online in hundreds of places. Sorry, I don't have time to provide basic Windows tutelage in the Vegas forums.

You don't need handbrake, although it won't hurt to have it on your system. Once restored, Vegas has its own codecs. Stop downloading codecs and stuff.

You still haven't provided the source information for your mp4 and m2ts files. Run MediaInfo and post the information!

You should also upload a sample clip of the original video somewhere. That way others can compare and try to duplicate your problem, and maybe suggest a solution.

Your computer is probably not fast enough to preview AVCHD in Vegas without stutter. This is well-documented and you can research it further by using the convenient feature on these forums called "Search."

Hauppage produces TS and also M2TS files. You need to stream fix them or mux them to work consistently in Vegas. This is "not" a codec issue.

Once your computer and Vegas installation are restored to their original state, and Quicktime 7.6 / iTunes 8 are installed, follow the suggestions already made to deal with the specific issue of Hauppage PVR files.

Good luck.

Editguy43 wrote on 5/3/2010, 11:56 AM

make sure that you get QT 7.6 or 7.6.2 nothing newer here is the link for 7.6 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL762

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/3/2010, 3:04 PM

Thanks guys, will give it a go when I get home and I will post as much info as possible on my updates.

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/3/2010, 7:49 PM

Ok, I downloaded Quicktime 7.6 and Itunes 8. I still can't play video in Vegas 9 for Mpeg-4. The audio is there but still no video.

So this is just one of the files that I put into Medialnfo:
[Container and general information:
1 video stream: AVC
1 audio stream: AC-3

First Video Stream:
7 490Kbps, 1280*720(16:9), at 59:940 fps, AVC (Main@L4.0)(CABAC/ 4 Ref Frames)
First Audio Stream:
384Kbps, 48.0 KHz, 2 Channels, AC-3]

So that is a M2TS file that is one of 6 I have been trying to upload into Vegas.

My ArcSoft Converter can convert this file into a Windows Audio Video/Video file. But that file plays so slow and jittery that it's not even worth producing.

Also after downloading iTunes8 it won't let me open it, this is the error message: The file "iTunes Library.itl" can not be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/3/2010, 8:09 PM

Hey, if anyone has YiM (Yahoo Instant Messanger) I will gladly send you one of the M2TS files and see what you can do with it.

musicvid10 wrote on 5/3/2010, 8:17 PM

Upload an original clip somewhere (MediaFire?).

You are not getting it about MediaInfo. The output looks something like this:

General

Markk655 wrote on 5/4/2010, 7:04 PM

Do a search, but you can certainly go back to your old iTunes library as a backup copy was made when you updated iTunes to V9. The file is likely on your HDD somewhere. See if this helps - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/5/2010, 12:29 PM

Here is a small M2TS test file. I CAN NOT import this file into Vegas. It crashes as soon as I try to put it in the time line.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/edmwzzmdtnq/M2TS Test File Spec Ops.M2TS

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/5/2010, 2:46 PM

I'm sorry but this is absolutely unacceptable.

I sent a small M2TS file to a friend who has Vegas 8 and the file plays properly with no problem at all. So it's not the file. He said he didn't have to mess with any codecs or anything. He just imported it straight away into Vegas and it played perfectly.

I just completely reformatted my computer just to get this piece of crap to work and after all the installation process and everything it still does not work. It still crashes and it still freezes.

It's been 1 week today and I haven't even been able to mess around with this software. I might not be the most computer savvy person out there, but I know when something is broken and isn't working. This is an absolute disgrace they I would spend this much time on trying to do a simple task like import a single file.

musicvid10 wrote on 5/5/2010, 6:34 PM

I agree that something is broken, but it isn't your file or Vegas, in my estimation.
Your file opens and previews just fine in Vegas Pro 8.0c, which has essentially the same engine as VMS Platinum 9. I am unable to duplicate your problem. Quicktime Player 7.6 and iTunes 8 is installed on Vista 32.

Since you have said you own Platinum Movie Studio 9 (plain VMS 9 does not support HD), your next step should be to open a support ticket with Sony. Unless one of your peers here has a flash of brilliance, I don't know what further insight you can expect from these forums.

And, Good Luck!

UncutGaming-gSuS wrote on 5/5/2010, 7:10 PM

Thank you very much Musicvid, you have been one person this entire time who has helped. It would be easier if I new some of the things you guys were telling me, like codecs, files etc. but I don't. So I rely on friends, you guys and now Sony for help.

I appreciate everyone's help thus far and hopefully this can some how in the near future get resolved. But with my luck....LOL Who knows.

davmol wrote on 5/6/2010, 5:10 AM

Just for fun I thought I would download UncutGaming's sample file. I have to say I only need to select the file in the import media dialog and my Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum crashes. I use Windows 7 Home Premium 64.

GomerPyle wrote on 5/6/2010, 12:03 PM

"Any QT version later than 7.6.2 is broken, and Vegas (other than Vegas Professional 9) has not been yet updated to work correctly with 7.6.6 or later. Again, this is Quicktime for Windows' issue, not Sony's and is abundantly documented here and on the web."

And there lies a major problem with Sony, not Apple. People who buy VMS do not want to be bothered with this. Most likey they already have the latest version of QT/iTunes installed (pre-installed even) before purchasing Vegas. For Sony to not release any updates in 2 years is completely unacceptable.

musicvid10 wrote on 5/6/2010, 12:34 PM

I totally disagree.
Apple updates its product every 4 - 6 months. Every time they do, there is no "actual" improvement in the Windows player (it's consistently bad), but there is always another new "feature" that effectively breaks the lib implementation in Vegas and other Windows NLEs.

Since Apple does not give Sony the code, either before or after the fact, it is a constant game of catchup, and by the time Sony could unravel one release, another would already be "available." Sony simply cannot issue an update 2 - 3 times a year to keep up with Apple's shenanigans.

But since you raised the subject, I assume you have a solution in mind for all of us. What should Sony do? License the codecs from Apple? Develop their own and hunker down for the inevitable legal challenges? If you think either of the above, that is incredibly naive. Also keep in mind that Sony Vegas, as a commercial project, cannot use the QTA, which is open-source.

So its Sony's fault? Maybe they should just abandon QT/MOV support altogether (I'm sure that would make Apple happy); but if they do, don't squawk.

GomerPyle wrote on 5/8/2010, 6:59 PM

"Sony simply cannot issue an update 2 - 3 times a year to keep up with Apple's shenanigans"

Of course they can. Most other software vendors do this. The software that earns my pay is Autodesk Inventor. They release a new version every year, have 2-3 service packs within the year and multiple hotfixes as issues arise. Paying customers demand things to work, especially when it costs them money when things do not.

What should Sony do? Get off their buts and release hotfixes to problems more often than once in 2 years. 4-6 months (per your quoted Apple updates) is eons in the software industry. Again, people who buy prebuilt computers will most likely have a current version of many other software. What are they to do? Buy a machine from Sony designed and locked down just for Vegas? Forget it. That's not happening. As the old saying goes, adapt or die. I will definitely be looking elsewhere for my next video editor. BTW, nowhere in the system requirements is a specific version of any codec listed.

Any what about the OP's issue about AVCHD files? Didn't Sony develop that codec? Should they blame that one on someone else?

GomerPyle wrote on 5/8/2010, 7:04 PM

Oh, and I forgot this, right from the Vegas site

3.0 Known Issues

* Vegas Movie Studio 9 requires QuickTime 7.1.6 or later. As a general rule, you are encouraged to use the most current version of QuickTime.

So even Sony suggest getting the latest version of Quicktime.

Looks like their offices are just across town from me. I may just have to take a drive and talk to support in person to fix my issues.

Markk655 wrote on 5/8/2010, 7:34 PM

Downloaded the file. It crashes on my seystem which doesn't have any trouble with AVCHD files (Vista 32, VMSPP 9.0b) both in Win Explorer (click and drag) and explorer within vegas. Plays fine in Nero 8.

Media Info:
ID : 0
Complete name : C:\Users\Mark\Desktop\M2TS Test File Spec Ops.MTS
Format : MPEG-TS
File size : 46.8 MiB
Duration : 45s 273ms
Overall bit rate : 8 680 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 18.0 Mbps

Video ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Duration : 45s 378ms
Bit rate : 7 693 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.139
Stream size : 41.6 MiB (89%)
Color primaries : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4 709, SMPTE RP177

Audio ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Duration : 45s 344ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Video delay : -50ms
Stream size : 2.08 MiB (4%)