m2v Files

China wrote on 12/7/2011, 5:55 AM

...this is most likely operator error...

I can't seem to get V11 to import m2v files, or even acknowledge any existence of m2v files in the explorer tab or by going to import, under the "file" drop-down menu. Can someone please point me in the right direction... it's sure to be something I haven't ticked or something silly like that.

I tried importing an m2v generated from someone else running PPro and V11 couldn't see it. I didn't worry about it too much... thought it might be some codec nonsense, so I used other files to finish the project. However, I just generated my own m2v and V11 isn't seeing it to re-import it.

I don't use m2v's very often, but it would be great to know what is the matter in preparation for something critical.

Cheers, China.

Comments

malowz wrote on 12/7/2011, 6:23 AM
m2v files (mpeg2 elementary stream) are not supported in vegas.

BUT, if you mux to .mpg (program stream) it open fine.

there are free tools to do that.
China wrote on 12/7/2011, 7:08 AM
Thank you :-)
kkryger wrote on 3/13/2012, 7:19 AM
Which tools can I use to mux m2v files to mpeg2 elementary streams (in lossless quality) ?
My sound files are in the aes-format.

I have been searching the internet with no result.

Laurence wrote on 3/13/2012, 9:18 AM
MPEG VCR from womble.com will do this.
Arthur.S wrote on 3/13/2012, 3:42 PM
Yep, one of life's little mystery's. You can create an m2v or a DD file with Vegas, but it doesn't recognise them. I guess this far down the line Sony will never sort that out???????
Steve Mann wrote on 3/13/2012, 4:55 PM
"You can create an m2v or a DD file with Vegas, but it doesn't recognise them"

Probably because m2v files are highly compressed display codecs and a lousy source for editing.
winrockpost wrote on 3/13/2012, 5:14 PM
Vegas will take plenty of stuff that would not be a nice edit source
Randy Brown wrote on 6/22/2012, 10:36 PM
Yep, one of life's little mystery's. You can create an m2v or a DD file with Vegas, but it doesn't recognise them. I guess this far down the line Sony will never sort that out???????
M

Probably because m2v files are highly compressed display codecs and a lousy source for editing.

Really Steve, that sounds like a valid, logical reason to you?
Why then would Sony have it in one of their templates?
It doesn't make sense to me at all...and how compressed can it be if it looks great on BD-R?
So if one wants to have a decent archive do we need to save the whole bundled project file or print to tape still?
Steve Mann wrote on 6/23/2012, 10:01 AM
When you EDIT a compressed file, the program has to first decompress the file to get the frames between the i-frames. Compression is lossy, so every decompression compromises the quality. The CODEC has to guess what the missing data is, which is why quality CODECs are important. when you select the CODEC parameters, you can have quality or speed - never both.

The CODECS used by Hollywood are great codecs, and horribly expensive. It can take a week of encoding to make the perfect DVD master tape.

When you are viewing compressed video, especially on hardware-based viewers (AKA TV monitor), your eye won't see minor compression artifacts. But when it's laid out on the timeline the compression artifacts stand out.

Then you edit and compress it again (in the "Render As" menu). Compression being lossy - you lose more video detail.

Archive the compressed output and try editing it again later and you add two more compression losses into the chain. Do this two or three generations and I promise it will look like crap.

Print to tape is also compressed somewhat. I archive all of my original camera files on hard disks. You can have small file size or quality, but never both.
malowz wrote on 6/23/2012, 10:31 AM
i believe the problem with m2v is that elementary streams does not have a "index" to able to work asynchronously with the file.

so its very hard to edit a video that does not tell you much. all programs that i know, that accepts elementary stream, had to do a "scan" on the file, to analyze all of it, before able to work with it.

muxing to mpeg fixes that, and allow to open the file easily.

the same apply to a raw h.264 file i believe. need to be in mp4 or "transport stream" to be able to open it.

so, it not like a "bug", but a "missing feature" that is required to open it.
Rob Franks wrote on 6/23/2012, 11:39 AM
"the same apply to a raw h.264 file i believe. need to be in mp4 or "transport stream" to be able to open it. "
=============================================================

That would be incorrect. Vegas takes raw h.264 just fine. The non recognition of M2V is a total mystery and always has been.
malowz wrote on 6/23/2012, 12:10 PM
you are right Rob Franks.

tested again my files, and they didn't open because of the file extension. renamed and now they open ;)
NickHope wrote on 6/23/2012, 2:40 PM
I do my mpeg muxing/demuxing with the MPEG Tools included in TMPGEnc products such as Xpress. I think they are included in the free version. If not, they certainly would work during the trial period.
riredale wrote on 6/25/2012, 3:26 PM
Steve, just a couple of quibbles.

Regarding codecs, for years I used CinemaCraft (an expensive Mpeg2 encoder), and it clearly made a difference, but by about 2006 or so I found that the MainConcept encoder could come pretty close in terms of quality. The big advantage CinemaCraft still offered, however, was the ability to fine-tune the compression level for particular passages, which I utilized several times. My best efforts produced a single-layer DVD in 2004 that ran at about 4.5-4.75Mb/sec average with excellent quality.

The big reasons Hollywood DVDs look so nice at low bitrates have more to do with (1) a low framerate and (2) a noise-free original.

As for multigeneration losses, I recall that the Cineform folks had a cool demo a few years back. The Mpeg2 quality really suffered after about 5 round-trips, I think (could have been 10). I read somewhere that the second generation isn't hurt very much because the slicing and dicing is done in the same way as before.