If you don't want to upgrade AE you have to render out a new AVI from Vegas.
1. Choose to render an AVI.
2. Select your preferred template.
3. Click the custom button in the render dialog.
4. Under the video tab you'll find a checkbox that says "Create an OpenDML (AVI version 2.0) compatible file. Uncheck it.
5. Render

If it still does not work
1. Go to Options/Preferences
2. Under the General tab you'll find a checkbox that says "Strictly conform to AVI2 specification.
3. Uncheck it. (It's unchecked by default.)

Best/Tommy

I do have an older version of AE but it's 4.1.1 and does handle type 2 AVI files. The files I capture with Premiere are AVI2 OpenDML. I've captured durations in excess of an hour with Premiere so that indicates that I am using type 2 files as well. They definitely work in AE 4.1.1 but I'd prefer to be using Vegas for capture.
Has anything changed with 4.0e that could be causing this?
I need to get to the bottom of it as I need to use AE for some thins that Vegas won't/can't do or doesn't do as well as AE.
Anyone else have any thoughts?

Sony Vegas' aspect ratio is in fact precise and the others have got it wrong. Some serious time was spent determining the right figures for use in Vegas from the EBU/SMPTE/ITU specs.

That doesn't help you though.
If you are generating media with AE, you might want to use uncompressed BGR32 for your AVI codec.

To get your Vegas footage into AE you may need the strict compliance off as suggested earlier.

Can't help but suggest you try debugmode.com (Mr Satish's) frameserver. You can then give yourself random access to the Vegas timeline from another app. It might suit you anyway, just a thought.

The final word on my After Effects problem from Sony after sending them examples of video captured with Premiere and Vegas is copied below.

I'm not sure what "wrong" is in this case but incompatible is a bloody big mistake in my book. Perhaps Sony needs to have a look at their PAL support and get it right.
This is not a situation that leaves me feeling happy about Vegas.


Customer Service Response (Matt) - 04/16/2004 11:29 AM
Thanks for the reply and sample media.

After further review of the media by our Development team, we see that After Effects is using a different pixel aspect ratio than Vegas (neither program is *wrong* in that case - just different calculating is being done). Where the program is coming up is when After Effects is converting our aspect ratio to their aspect ration on the fly - thus causing pixelization. At this time, there are no current plans on adjusting our PAL output. Future versions of Vegas may include advanced options for rendering to PAL, but there is no information available at this time if it would be in the next 5.0 release.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Did you try going to Adobe's site and check their forums/faq's? AE 4 is old (in software terms) but someone there might have a solution (other then buy premiere, which they most likely will say).

Also, did you try manualy changing the aspect ratio in vegas? Vegas won't let you if you use it's native NTSC DV or PAL settings, but if you download a 3rd party non std DV codec (like Matrox DVCPro which is DV but a higher quality used on Panasonic DVCPro VCR's) then you can change the aspect ratio to whatever you want (and the fps, frames size, etc). I just did it. :)

Als, you can't blaim Sony for not supporting something that was 1) out way before they owned Vegas and 2) something Adobe had wrong because people who use later versions of AE & Vegas don't have this problem, so it's something on Adobe's end (I think Vegas was still audio only when AE 4 was out, wan't it?).

Happy Friar
As I don't own a later version of After Effects I can't comment on whether this problem is cured in versions after AE 4.1.1
Sony's reply didn't indicate that the problem had been solved and so I assumed that it hadn't.
I don't know if it is a NTSC problem but the reply Soiny sent seemed to indicate it was a PAL pixel ratio incompatibility between AE and Vegas (and yes Vegas was only audio back when AE4 was released I still hava copy of it)
If I can solve the problem by upgrading to a later version of AE then I'll do that.
Can anyone using a current version of After Effects with Vegas captured AVIs in PAL please let me know if this problem exists for them?
NTSC users need not reply ;-}

Happy Friar
I'm trying to deal with original DV AVI's captured with Vegas and use AE4 to add effects that Vegas doesn't do. I can and have tried rerendering to a different pixel aspect ratios in Vegas but the result is still incompatible. As I do own Premiere I can capture with that program and directly import the AVIs into AE4 without any problems.
What I was trying to do is eliminate the need to capture some material in Vegas and other material in Premiere just so I can use AE when I need to. It just doesn't make sense. The AVIs should be compatible in both programs. All the AVIs I capture inPremiere are comptible in Veags and AE. Unfortunatley this isn't the case with Vegas and I feel it should be. I'd much prefer to eliminate the need to use Premiere for capturing altogether.
Again if anyone using a current version of After Effects and Vegas in PAL format can confirm that the Vegas AVIs work I'd be glad to hear of it.

I've asked this question in our german Vegas-forum now, I know there are some people working with AfterEffects. I'll let you know what they say.

Most of the dv editing apps do NOT handle the pixel aspect ratio correctly, nor does AfterEffects or Premiere. Vegas uses a pixel aspect ratio which is absolutely correct. So if this is the issue between AE and Vegas I think it would be Adobe's turn to fix it. I hope Vegas keeps on working correctly.

Marco

newhope I use "AE" The Current Version. And Use footage captured By Vegas. I have never had a Problem INcluding Many Overnighters (Renders) With Magic Bullet.

What version of premiere do you have? If you have Pro (not sure about 6 or 6.5) I belive you oculd load your Vegas AVI into it, then re-render it out (with the pal settings of course). If it's like Vegas, it should take almost no time to render it and then it sould work for you. Just an FYI, with Vegas, if you render from one DV format to another (eigther NTSC to Pal, vise versa, change framerae, etc). it goes pretty fast. At least from what've experienced.

I've got feedback from 3 AfterEffects users now. One of them uses AE 5.5 the other ones use AE 6.0 Pro. They all render PAL dv avi out of Vegas 4 without changing any preferences. Using those PAL dv avi files in AfterEffects work without any problems for them.

Maybe Adobe already fixed something in these versions.

Marco