One of the renderers I use quite a bit is XDCAM-EX. Up through VP14, if I rendered a video using this codec, it would render the full 0-255 range, as verified by dropping it in the timeline and examining the Waveform scope.
But starting with VP15, if I do this, it drops in as 16-235 instead of the full 0-255 range. How can I restore the prior behavior?
I can't repro here with VP15 build 261. XDCAM EX rendering (both MXF and MP4) passes video levels 1:1, R'G'B' levels of 0-255 are rendered 0-255.
Are you sure you didn't apply an fx anywhere accidentally.
Oops, I just see something strange going on there, actually. Further investigating …
When you rendered to EX, did you use a 32 bit floating point project?
Because this is the only way I can repro. When using and rendering from an 8 bit project, XDCAM EX rendering always works fine and passes video levels 1:1.
But when rendering from a 32 bit floating point project, XDCAM EX (MP4) suddenly is doing a full swing to studio swing conversion. And this only happens to XDCAM EX wrapped in MP4 while XDCAM EX wrapped in MXF works as expected.
Yes, it's a 32-bit project, but I changed it to 8-bit and tried again and got the same behavior.
Did you only try to import clips formerly rendered into the 8 bit project now or did you actually do a first render from the 8 bit project?
Clips I rendered from previous versions worked fine. It's only clips rendered in the new version that have the problem. And yes, that was a render from the 8-bit project.
Please follow these instructions with some examples.
Here's the info for a file that isn't working:
Format : MPEG-4
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42)
File size : 151 MiB
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 21.2 Mb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Tagged date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Video
ID : 1
Format : MPEG Video
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@High
Format settings : CustomMatrix / BVOP
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Custom
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=15
Codec ID : mp4v-61
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 19.6 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate : 35.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Standard : Component
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.316
Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:00
Time code source : Group of pictures header
GOP, Open/Closed : Open
GOP, Open/Closed of first frame : Closed
Stream size : 140 MiB (93%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Tagged date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Audio
ID : 2
Format : PCM
Format settings : Big / Signed
Format settings, Endianness : Big
Format settings, Sign : Signed
Codec ID : twos
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 11.0 MiB (7%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Tagged date : UTC 2017-12-04 16:19:06
Here's the info for a file rendered with VP14 that's working fine:
Format : MPEG-4
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42)
File size : 188 MiB
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 26.2 Mb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2017-11-20 22:20:16
Tagged date : UTC 2017-11-20 22:20:16
Video
ID : 1
Format : MPEG Video
Commercial name : XDCAM EX 35
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@High
Format settings : CustomMatrix / BVOP
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Custom
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=15
Codec ID : mp4v-61
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 26.2 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate : 35.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Standard : Component
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.422
Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:00
Time code source : Group of pictures header
GOP, Open/Closed : Open
GOP, Open/Closed of first frame : Closed
Stream size : 188 MiB (100%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2017-11-20 22:20:16
Tagged date : UTC 2017-11-20 22:20:16
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
The file properties are fine and they are identical to same render from previous versions of Vegas Pro, I checked this yesterday.
But I can't repro this issue if I render from VP15 build 261 within an 8 bit project. Here it only happens when rendered from floating point.
Did you use a clean 8 bit project with nothing else done/adjusted or did you use any kind of FX, tools (like SeMW Extensions), adjustments?
I get this result too. Reduced contrast when XDCAM-EX is rendered from a 32-bit floating point project (both "video levels" and "full range"). No problem in VP13 or 14. I added it to the "known issues" post, but didn't report it.
I will report.
I'm getting inconsistent results now. Some renders with 8-bit projects are fine, some aren't. 32-bit always renders incorrectly.
One thought: are you guys rendering with the GPU? I was, then I turned it off today for other reasons, and that seems to be what did it.
I'll re-check later.
One thought: are you guys rendering with the GPU? I was, then I turned it off today for other reasons, and that seems to be what did it.
For me it happens whether GPU acceleration is on or off (AMD HD 6970).
I now tested various source files with and without various FX (Vegas Pro, Ignite, Tiffen), all done within an 8 bit project. But I cannot repro the issue even with GPU acceleration turned off. Here it only happens in floating point projects, no matter if GPU is turned on or off.
Any chance to share a small project including a short piece of source media where the level issue also happens within an 8 bit project?
I can't get it to happen now with an 8-bit project. I updated my GPU driver yesterday, maybe it was something with that.
It still happens on 32-bit projects.
O. k. I'll then send a bug report.
BTW – is there a certain reason you use a floating point project over 8 bit? Is your source footage higher than 8 bit?
This is fixed in VEGAS Pro 15 Update 5 (build 361).