The template i am using is hdv 1080-50i i have tryed saving the file as .m2t this works best but also i have saved as sony avc.i am using windows media player and i notice when i use the sony avc i get a dolby digital logo appear in the bottom left hand area of the media player, and this seems to stutter.Do you know why I get this logo only in sony avc?
I am using avchd files from my camera.
Many thanks

Lee:

I'm not a Guru, but if your camera is AVCHD, then you don't want to use the HDV template. AVCHD and HDV are two different file structures that produce what we call "Hi-Def" video. It's sort of like a Chevy 454 and a Ford 460, if you are a car person. Both are big V-8's, but one won't just bolt up to the other's transmission, etc.

Here are some links to Wikipedia if you want to study up on AVCHD and HDV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDV

Okay back to your question. This is rather long so please print it and give these steps a try.

On your menu, choose "Project" and then "Properties." Go to the "Video" tab. On the first line it should say "Template." This is the template that controls your project, not your render. Write down the name of the template.

Look over to the far right on this tab and you should see a small icon of a yellow file. This is a very important icon. It is the "Match Media Settings" icon. Hover your mouse over this icon and you should see this caption appear.

Click on the "Match Media Settings" icon. Now go and find a video clip on your computer that is the same as the ones in your project. It doesn't have to be a clip that is actually in your project, but it should be the same kind of clip. Click on the clip.

Now have a look back at the template. Did it change from what you wrote down just a moment ago? If it changed, scratch out the old name and write down the new name on your scratchpad. We will refer to this when we look at the render settings in just a moment.

Take a look at the rest of the "Video" tab. This is an easy way to confirm what your media is and the default properties. Note the width and height of your video. We'll need that when we render.

Okay now let's look at rendering.

Your camera saves on a memory stick, right? And you are in a PAL region? If yes, please try a render using these settings:

"Save as type" Sony AVC (*.mp4, *.m2ts, *.avc)
"Template" AVCHD 1440x1080 PAL or AVCHD 1920x1080 PAL, depending on the width and height in your Project/Properties/Video tab. I like to check the box "Stretch video to fill output frame (do not letterbox)" but that's up to you. Then choose "Save" to render.

You may have to render the audio separately as an *.AC3 file. I am not familiar with the AVCHD template, so I don't know for sure. I render my audio separately with my HDV template but the audio gets joined up when I burn the disk. Just worry about your playback for now and we'll worry about audio later.

Please download VLC Player as this may give you a better playback than Windows Media Player. I am not sure why you get the Dolby logo on playback. Do you get the logo when you burn a disk or just playing the file? VLC Player displays the file name when you first launch a file, but this is a display only and it's not in the file. I'm not sure if that is what you are seeing with the Dolby logo.

So give this this stuff a try and let us know if it helped.

Kim

Hi Kim,
First many thanks for your help and response.
I am using the template avchd 1920 x 1080, i have used this with 5.1 surround sound and with out.The picture is fantastic but it plays a little bit jerky in windows media player, but i believe i see a much better picture than when i use the main concept mpeg 2 format, but it may be me trying to get perfection.I used to use pinnacle studio with a old dv camera and that was so easy to use. I love the editing features in sony vegas but the reason i up grade to avchd was because of picture quality and that is what i want to produce.I will try the media player later on and let you know if thats better. I am also going to look at a blu ray player and see by using the usb port on it if the media player installed in that will work, im going to look at sony blu ray player so that should support sony avc.
I want my movies saved in a file format and not on discs as i find it easier.
Thanks once again.

Your system specs?
AVCHD playback is CPU intensive.
Close any other apps that are utilizing CPU cycles.
Full AVCHD playback can be tricky. Rendering to 1280x720 will smooth it out.