Rendering long movies

mcg13 wrote on 5/24/2001, 1:11 PM

Up to now, I've always rendered movies in Vegas that are an average of 5 minutes in length or less. No problems. Last night, I tried rendering a movie that's about 25 minutes in length and, to my surprise, it didn't render the project as a single file. It rendered it as 12 individual files (ie, moviename_01, moviename_02, moviename_03, etc).

Just wondering... what's up with that? Is that normal and, if so, how am I supposed to print to tape when one project is spread out over 12 different AVIs?

Thanks in advance.
-mcg

Comments

SonyEPM wrote on 5/24/2001, 2:14 PM
My guess is that you rendered an uncompressed avi and that you are using Win98SE or ME and Fat32-formatted drives. The rendered project is segmented into sections just below the 4Gb file system limit and the above scenario would cause about the # of segments you mentioned.

If you are running Windows 2000, you could use and NTFS-formatted drive and eliminate the Windows imposed file size limit altogether- your render would be one continuous file.

Also, if you are rendering as uncompressed, you will have huge file sizes no matter what. If you are outputting to DV, use the stock avi DV templates- the data rate is much smaller and the file will match the DV file spec (mandatory for DV recording). DV is about 18 minutes for 4Gb.

If you aren't outputting to DV and are using an MJPEG card of some type, you can tweak the render settings so your program "fits" inside the 4Gb limit. At this time there is no sequential print-to-tape function in our VideoCapture tool, but you can tweak the record settings and, provided your camera is frame accurate, string files together on tape one at a time (it depends quite a bit on the recording device accuracy).
Caruso wrote on 5/25/2001, 3:43 AM
As Sonic points out, avi's produced using the DV codec will consume the FAT32 filesize limit in approximately 18 minutes, so your 25 minute project is not going to fit, even after compressing and rendering with the DV codec.

If you are printing to DV tape or producing MPEG's, there are currently programs which will accept avi's rendered with VV's stock codec which can import the VV rendered multiple files and print them to tape.

I use Pinnacle's StudioDV for this purpose. SonicFoundry does not recommend mixing these two programs on the same system because the Pinnacle codecs can cause problems with VegasVideo, so, you might want to partition and run two systems (you could have two installations of Winx or a dual boot with Winx and Win2000 (which is what I did). Of course, once you have Win2000 on your machine, it's a simple matter to format a dedicated capture drive using the NTFS (as in Win NT File System) to eliminate filesize limitations altogether.

For me, NTFS is a great time saver for capturing tape. I can start the capture of a two hour tape and walk away using NTSF. Using FAT32, I have to revisit the machine as a two hour tape will involve six separate capture files.

Further, once you have NTSF ability, you can render a Vegas project, once complete, which, in a way, archives that project for you. No more accidental edits or deletions (I've done that on more than one occasion . . . finished a project, and clumsily hit the wrong set of keystrokes and deleted it just prior to saving, then overwriting my backup with the blank version as well, dumb, I know, but always a dangerous possibility) as all your titles, FX, stretched sound events, synch, all of it will reside safely within the confines of that single avi file.

I still like the Pinnacle product as a print to tape tool, and have managed to get both products to coexist in harmony on my system.

I am extremely happy with my video editing setup right now, and, of course, delighted with Vegas Video which is the cornerstone of my setup.

Hope this helps.

Caruso
suni wrote on 5/29/2001, 4:51 AM
Can you describe to me how did you manage to render into segmented AVIs? Did you use some special (hidden)settings? Which version of Vegas Video do you use? I have never been able to force Vegas Video to render a long project into segmented AVIs. Hence I have been rendering the projects partially, which is really not very comfortable.

Thank you in advance.
Caruso wrote on 5/29/2001, 5:45 AM
VegasVideo will not render segmented avi's automatically. You would have to restart the capture progress after each 4gig segment.

That method is fine if you think you will need to incorporate most of the captured footage into your final production.

If not, then, I do recommend the Pinnacle StudioDV program, which has a feature called smart capture. That feature allows you to capture all of your tape (or tapes) in a special Low-Resolution format from which you can do a rough edit to eliminate segments you know you will not use in the final production.

Then, you recapture at full resolution and use the resultant avi(s) in VegasVideo.

Works well for me, and saves a lot of time and disc space.

I am not aware of any provision in the VegasVideo program that allows you to do this, nor am I aware of any provision in VV that allows you to trim out footage that is not to be used so as to regain the disc space the unwanted footage is claiming.

Good luck.

Hope this helps.

Caruso
suni wrote on 5/29/2001, 9:06 AM
Caruso thank you for your answer but (perhaps I understood your answer well) I had in mind final rendering of Vegas Video project to a video file not inital capturing from tape. I already find out that it is impossible to automatically render project to a segmented (or partial if you like) AVIs. But mcq13 wrote that he has rendered to 12 individual files. I really do not understand how he achieved this. Yet I am rendering like this: select first 8 min., render it, select next 8 min., and so on. Stupid work...
SonyEPM wrote on 5/29/2001, 9:54 AM
The forthcoming release of Vegas 2.0f will support segmented avi renders, with segment increments triggered by the system file size limit.

This is a fairly minor update, but it also includes more fixes for Waves plug-ins. project compatibility enhancements, improved alpha handling for psd and png still formats, plus an MPEG purchase option for Vegas audio users.
suni wrote on 5/29/2001, 11:13 AM
Great news! Thanks.
Caruso wrote on 5/31/2001, 5:21 AM
Duh, Suni, looks like my mind jumped the track. The news from Sonic about version (f) is very good. I wonder what the anticipated release date is?

The description you give of your current process is about the only way to output long projects. What SDV currently makes available sounds similar to the feature to be incorporated into SF's version f.

SDV allows you to place pre-rendered avi's onto a timline (project can be any length . . . up to, I think, four hours). To output to tape, you 'render the project' but, not really to a new avi file, hence, the 4gig limit is not imposed. You can also add fades, titles, whatever to make the transition between avi's as you like it. If you add no FX, SDV will output the avi's on the timeline seamlessly to tape.

Works well. I look forward to SF's solution, however. Would love to work in one program only.

Caruso