I knew someone would get me on the semantics...
I work in DV and should know better.

Thanks Chien, greatly appreciated. 50 generations huh? do you know where i can get some documentation regarding these tests?

and for my sake, some clarification on this statement, "Files created with SonicFoundry's DV codec can be read on computers with only a different DV codec installed."

So essentially any machine? or a machine with a different vegas codec? or (i think i answered my own quesiton here) a machine with any DV codec? Could this in a sense utilize another machines realtime hardware?

Thanks again,
DJ dee

Once Vegas finishes with a project and you have a Vegas made .AVI file, ANY software or hardware product designed to work with the latest version of .AVI files should be able to use that .AVI.

The file is universal, in a sense.

FWIW:

A codec is a compression/decompression algo or scheme, often but not always engineered to behave within set specifications for whatever type of file it works with. An MP3 file can be created by a huge number of programs, and will play on most any system with MP3 decoding software installed.

With video things can get a bit more hairy. Generally all motion jpeg (mjpeg) avi files can be played with any brand of mjpeg decoder installed, but one does have to be installed. DiVX, Xvid, Winmedia, Real, & Quicktime all are owned formats, so not really an issue - a real media file will play back with the real one media player for example. Mpeg 4 can be problematic: not every mpg4 file will play back with every mpg4 decoder. Mpeg 1 &/or 2 files will usually play back using any mpeg1/mpeg2 decoder.

DV I think falls in between. While there are different encoders to get to the same file format spec, not every DV file will play with every decoder - Sonic Foundry seems the exception - but as all these examples, the hardware playing back the video has to have the software to decode DV.

"...some clarification on this statement, "Files created with SonicFoundry's DV codec can be read on computers with only a different DV codec installed.""

To my knowledge the list of native formats that most every PC or MAC can play back without installing much of anything is rather limited - so yes the playback machine would need the decompression part of the DV codec installed, which really isn't a big deal.

"Could this in a sense utilize another machines realtime hardware?"

Actually most of the encoding/decoding of video on a PC is done now days in software, unless you start getting into higher end equipment. Cameras and convertor boxes normally use hardware (chips) to do the compression/decompression. I imagine it is possible to have a DV encoded video file that would be incompatible with one of these devices so that they wouldn't be able to decompress it to analog for TV viewing etc...

Hope that answered at least one ? there somewhere.
mike