Reduced Luminance Range in mpegs from VV 4.0b

Wolfgang S. wrote on 4/20/2003, 3:09 PM

Dear all,

after installing the latest update from VV4.0 to VV4.0b I have seen, that the new version of the internal mainconcept encoder reduces the luminace range of the mepgs, to something between 16 to 230.

Definitively, that has not been the case with the version 4.0! I do not care anything about the fact that this is studio RGB range - since I wish to work in the full range. One strong argment for Vegas 4 is the SoFo Codec - what does not reduce the luminance range at all, and is one of the best DV-codecs at all. However, that advantage is gone with that new und unnecessary limitation!

I would really like to know if and when a new update will be released, that will correct that fundamental error.

Kind regards,
Wolfgang

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 4/20/2003, 6:21 PM

Are you sure you didn't apply one of the broadcast clamping filters or adjust levels yourself? I just dropped a recent file rendered in version 4b with the MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder then looked at the histogram. It has a range from 4 to 250 (due to my adjusting) previously.

Wolfgang S. wrote on 4/21/2003, 12:57 AM

I did not any adjustments - the rendering was done with a small testclip without any changes only, simply to test the system. The original clip had the full range, too.

taliesin wrote on 4/21/2003, 3:48 AM

I can state this. I made several encoding version using MC MPEG-2 of Vegas 4.
Anytime it limites the luminance range (if it was 0-255) to almost exactly 16-235.
Same happens when doing MPEG-2 encoding in VegasVideo 3. I never noticed it did not happen in version 4.0.

Marco

SonyEPM wrote on 4/21/2003, 12:37 PM

We have a 4.0c update coming shortly that will rectify this-

Wolfgang S. wrote on 4/21/2003, 1:48 PM

Thank you for the confirmation that 4.0c will bring a solution! That are great news, and I will forward that to our German/Austrian/Switzerland group testing different encoders at the moment, in comination with the new frame server.

Great!!

BillyBoy wrote on 4/21/2003, 2:34 PM

Dennis... I don't understand. I almost always adjust levels and check results with the histogram. I can bring back rendered files, drop them on the timeline and the histogram shows the adjusments I've made... no clipping. So are you saying that the histogram itself is showing incorrect information, or the file has been altered, both these things or something else?

JumboTech wrote on 4/21/2003, 6:17 PM

SonicEPM

Will the update mean that the right most pluge bar in smpte bars rendered to DVD will be at 11.5 IRE? The last time I checked I think they were at about 14 IRE???

Thanks very much as usual...

Al

SonyEPM wrote on 4/22/2003, 8:39 AM

Input/output accuracy will be restored to what it was in Vegas 4.0.0...except we'll be using the new/improved MPEG components (which first shipped with 4.0b). A minor fix engineeringwise, testing this week.

JumboTech wrote on 4/22/2003, 12:19 PM

Thanks.

It would be great if that pluge bar was right at 11.5 IRE. I tested the Vegas DVD smpte bars at work the other day and they were better looking than some I found on an official DVD test disc except for that third pluge bar.

Al