Tutorial: Exporting to PS3, Xbox360, AppleTV

Eugenia wrote on 8/11/2007, 2:53 PM
I wrote a detailed tutorial on how to export your DV/HDV/AVCHD footage on a media TV appliance:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/08/11/from-dvhdvavchd-to-ps3xbox360appletv/
I am using Vegas Movie Studio 8 Platinum as the main tool (you only need the basic version of VMS if your files are plain DV). Hopefully (and this is just a honest wish), in the next major version of VMS, full 1920x1080 resolution and flexible h.264 exporting will be supported as these once-high-end features are becoming consumer commodities real fast, but until then, my tutorial might be useful to some. Please note that the PS3 can read .m2t files so you can avoid the whole huffyuv/ffmpeg ordeal, but the Xbox360 and AppleTV can't (plus, m2t files are much larger in size).

Comments

Eugenia wrote on 9/12/2007, 1:20 AM
I have expanded the above tutorial, and I used it as a basis for my new tutorial: from Vegas, exporting to Flash Video for your own web site:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/09/12/from-dvhdvavchd-to-flash-video/
4eyes wrote on 9/12/2007, 5:47 AM
Eugenia,
I've been using ffmpeg under windows & linux to convert the m2t files directly.
ffmpeg reads them directly without using the Huffy codec.

ffmpeg -i Beach_ocean.m2t -t 20 -f mp4 -vcodec h264 -b 8000kbs -level 41 dodobird.mp4
(20 second test file)
ffmpeg -i Beach_ocean.m2t -f mp4 -vcodec h264 -b 8000kbs -level 41 dodobird.mp4
(Complete Video)

Omit the ( -t 20 ), just there to create a 20 second test file.
The -level 41 is mandatory for the PS3 or it will display "Corrupted Data"
You can also add -deinterlace to the command line.
Don't know, seems alot easier.
Eugenia wrote on 9/12/2007, 11:59 AM
4eyes, what you are doing is not the right thing, because you are adding 1 generation of encoding (provided that you actually do edit your scenes). M2T is a lossy format, so when you export back to m2t and then you encode it via FFMPEG, you are losing a whole generation of quality. This is why you must use a lossless codec to export and then tell FFMPEG to use that to generate an mpeg4/h264 file. Problem is, FFMPEG does not support Vegas' Cineform, and so you have to use the only lossless codec it does support out of Vegas, and that's Huffyuv.

Additionally, checking your command line below, you don't set the resolution to be 1920x1080, but you leave it at 1440x1080. It would be beneficial for the quality to actually resize the clip to its real broadcast resolution so the PS3 or the TV doesn't have to do so.
4eyes wrote on 9/12/2007, 5:48 PM
4eyes, what you are doing is not the right thing, because you are adding 1 generation of encoding (provided that you actually do edit your scenes). M2T is a lossy format, so when you export back to m2t and then you encode it via FFMPEG, you are losing a whole generation of quality Yes, I agree, technically speaking. I believe the term "Losing a whole generation of quality" tends to throw up alarm bells when it's really very little loss as far as I can see. Speaking of seeing, "4eyes" should give you a hint. If I took my glasses off you could render your video a 1000 times and I'll be "yea, looks great man"......

The first time I captured & exported from VMS I expected seeing a loss in quality having previously edited mpegs in other editiors. The videos still look really excellent. So it's in the software, some programs are good & some aren't. That's why I like the Vegas line of software along with great stability. Even though the program renders the video it still looks excellent. I don't see very much loss at all after rendering to a new file.
I always render to a new .m2t file unless I want to perform heavy editing, Then save the project back to tape. Most projects suffer from at least one generation of re-encoding. So everyone of my hd videos are re-rendered by VMS7/8 to m2t or cineformhd. It never bothered me how long the renders took on a P4-3.2Ghz because the end result has always been excellent. HDV can take a few renders compared to standard def by what I've read.

I know your right but consider the loss very small and acceptable.
That ffmpeg command line produces the same framesize as the source.
You would like Vegas 8 Pro, I downloaded & installed the trial. I captured, added music and all, then exported mp4's H264 at your choice of bit-rate, fielded upper_field_first, aac audio (selectable). They play nice on the PS3. Also other choices & methods to work with the H264 video. That's what your speaking about, so the Mpeg-4/H264 codec was coming from the original source being exported directly from the timeline.
Eugenia wrote on 9/12/2007, 6:02 PM
I do agree that for non-pro users, or for users who don't care about the best possible quality, it is a solution to render on lossy formats before they finally export to h.264.

However, consider this: You are exporting to .m2t which takes literally hours. Exporting to a lossless format takes about 1/5 of the time (because less compression is going on). So basically, if you don't have plans to record back to tape, exporting to a lossless format and then to h.264 is the best possible deal.

The best solution would be for VMS to add their Sony AVC custom support that they have for Vegas Pro 8. So this way you go directly to h.264. Unfortunately, this is not the case though. IMO, VMS 9 should get released with full "Custom" AVC export support and ability to actually save in 1920x1080. Times running fast, user needs too. Until then, I think FFMPEG is the way to go, and for users who want the best quality, via a lossless codec.