WMV seems to want Computer but with video card and their drivers today I'd render to both just to be sure..

Bob.

Handbrake does just fine with 48k. If you are doing sample rate conversion (48k to 44.1k) make sure you set the conversion quality in Vegas's audio properties to "best". Vegas defaults to "good" so it needs to be set on every project. I still use wmv sometimes because I find that slower Windows PCs often choke and lose sync on Handbrake generated mp4's. Wmv's play back consistently on all Windows PCs. Handbrake .mp4s play back on any recent PC, Macs, iPhones and Androids so that is my main format.

I have the same problem with Vegas wmv renders that I do with Vegas mp4 renders: that is that they don't look good at low bitrates. I get around this by rendering to the Avid mov format, then using this master to render my mp4's in Handbrake, and my wmv's in Microsoft Expression. I use the free version of Expression that has a ten minute length limit since most of my projects are much shorter than that. Expression wmv renders with Microsoft's equivelent of constant quality look very good, though I do end up using slightly less compression than I would in Handbrake in order to get the same quality. They are very much better than Vegas wmv renders at low bitrates.

Thanks for the responses.

I'm thinking that since I'll be feeding the projector from my laptop via a VGA connector it should probably be computer levels.

What I would strongly recommend is that you do a test run with your laptop and a projector (ideally the one you will be using).

Also, be aware that projectors usually look a little washed out compared to TVs and HDTVs, so cRGB is often a better match.

For the movie theater ads I have been doing I have been using cRGB levels from start to finish and they look much better than sRGB levels would.

Another thing that might look good is cRGB blacks of zero up to sRGB white values of 235. That hybrid scheme is often better than either pure cRGB or sRGB levels.

Make two short test videos, one with 'studio' and the other with 'computer' levels and see which one looks correct with your projector and let that one be your choice.

Every system has its way of handling things so there is no one size fits all.

Now that I think of it, I recently ran into an instance where a cRGB render looked terrible on a projector. Too dark except for the highlights which were washed out. Are you running the projector? Usually a projector will have several playback modes which you can match to your source material. In the case I just mentioned, my friend was speaking at a TEDx talk and the projector was set for sRGB levels because his was just one of several presentations. If I was going into something where I didn't know, I would use sRGB levels. They would be the same as DVDs and thus the safest option.

YUV makes sense for a projector... but RGB? are there any?

If I was going into something where I didn't know, I would use sRGB levels. They would be the same as DVDs and thus the safest option.

If you render to WMV from vegas, the WMV encoder expects computer RGB levels. This will yield standard levels and is the MOST likely to work. It's highly unlikely that their setup is doing non-standard, unless you are some kind of masochist that likes trying to make two wrongs equal a right.

Render to proper levels for a particular standard. If you are encoding MPEG-2 in a 8-bit Vegas project, then the encoder will expect studio RGB levels. In a 32-bit project with "full range", the encoder will expect computer RGB levels. If you feed the right levels into the encoder then you will have *standard* levels. You want standard levels.

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You should really make a feature request for Vegas to handle all this stuff for you. There is a lot of misinformation on this forum.

I'm thinking that since I'll be feeding the projector from my laptop via a VGA connector it should probably be computer levels.
This can lead you astray. (I could tell you a situation where this will fail if you really want to know.) It is NOT the proper way of looking at things.

Ok, well since I won't be at the event where this video will play I rendered it as .wmv at Studio Levels (16-235). I played it back on my own laptop which has a calibrated screen it looked right. It appears that the windows media player makes the proper adjustments since it's probably used to playing back video from cameras that record at 16-235.

Thanks for the help everyone. Marc

wmv with sRGB levels is the absolutely safest option for your situation. The wmv will playback smoothly even on a netbook at 720p or less without glitching like it might with mp4, and the levels should be in line with the calibration of the projector. Good choice.

I played it back on my own laptop which has a calibrated screen it looked right.
You should check that. Your *computer* screen probably does not need calibration (in the context of judging proper levels), unless it is a CRT. So if you are "calibrating" it, you may be doing something wrong.

2- What you see in Vegas is likely wrong. It is not what your video should look like. (Yes, Vegas is silly like this.)
This may be why many folks on this forum are misinformed. They are used to looking at incorrect levels with washed out shadows.

wmv with sRGB levels is the absolutely safest option for your situation.
Outputting non-standard levels is almost always the wrong option. At best, you are making two wrongs equal a right. Otherwise you are almost guaranteed to have incorrect levels.