It would be to play back on the PC but ALSO to burn with other DVD creation software. I don't see why I have to clog my PC up with lots of different versions of the same footage. From reading all the posts on this forum, it is clear that this is a common query/complaint. How difficult would it be for the people behind Vegas to add just one more template? With only a few weeks experience of the software even I can work out that "Platinum" means "cheap & cheerful". If you want even a little bit of control of how you create an mpeg, pay up for the Pro version.

.....Also, why give people the ability to create an audio/video MPEG at all if it is only in 4:3 format? How many people still use that format? I can create a widescreen AVI so why not a widescreen MPEG?

Hi MikePH,
Yes, it's really cack, isn't it? I'm in PAL land too but although it's not often I want to render to 16:9 MPEG, if I do, I use the Default Template for MPEG-2 and use a program called DVDPatcher to turn it from a 4:3 into a 16:9. It's a faff, but it's quicker and cheaper than going Vegas Pro.
Get DVDPatcher from here: http://www.videohelp.com/download/DVDPatcher_v106.zip
HTH,
Andy

I think that some "expert" on this forum said that there were "a number of MPEG options" from which to choose. I may be now here but I've quickly realised that that is rubbish.

MikePH, you're coming over a bit 'down' on this otherwise superb product. You did try before you bought didn't you?
BTW, DVDPatcher is free and very fast - it doesn't re-encode the file, just patch the key frames. I recommend it.

Yes, I tried before I bought and I thought the editing functions were excellent; I just thought that my trial version had limited production capabilities. I was encouraged to buy the full version because the comments by "experts" on this forum that there were "a number of MPEG options".

"I was encouraged to buy the full version because the comments by "experts" on this forum that there were "a number of MPEG options"."

Mike,
Please have a look at This Thread and tell us what problems you are having with rendering compliant PAL DVD Widescreeen MPEG-2 in Vegas Platinum 9.0b.

I was so incredulous after reading your posts that I downloaded the Platinum 9.0b trial version, rendered out a set of compliant PAL DVD Widescreen files using the DVD Architect templates, and then even asked for confirmation in this forum that the DVD Architect PAL Widescreen template (at 6Mbs) exists in that version (since I also have Vegas Pro installed).

Although I am considered a "non-expert" in these forums, I would still consider 23 separate templates (including four just for PAL DVDs) as "a number of MPEG options" in Platinum 9.0b, with the note that you are the only person on these forums to use that exact quote, now twice.

In short, if you are unable to render DVD PAL Widescreen, then my guess is you are either missing a step or really own a different version of the software . . .

What Mike is trying to accomplish is a widescreen PAL file with audio included. Vegas Studio's only PAL widescreen templates are for DVD Architect video-only streams and since there's no way to tweak the templates there's no way to add the audio to a widescreen template, nor any way to change a combined audio/video template to be widescreen.

If your intended output is for DVD then that's all fine. Mike wants a file he can play from his hard drive.

I suppose one possibility is to use the video-only MPEG file and render the audio to .ac3 or .wav, which Mike is planning to do for DVD production anyway, then use any of a number of free utilities to mux these together into a single file.

For that matter, if Mike planning on making a DVD anyway, he could finish the prepare step in DVDA which will combine the .mpg and .ac3 files into a .vob file, then use this .vob file for playback on the laptop. Most modern media players will play a .vob file just fine. Some may want it to have a .mpg extension but that's an easy change to make.

Mike wants one of those mpeg-2 video with mpeg-audio files for playback on his computer? If that's the case (and I certainly missed it), then my question is why?
Such a template (without custom settings) for PAL doesn't exist in Vegas Pro either, and I've never once heard anyone complain about it.

Last thought Mike, if you really want to avoid duplication of files, why not just play the prepared DVD folder back on your computer using Windows Media Player, VLC, or any number of other players? You can play and burn from it, so why have a separate file at all?

Musicvid, you were so "incredulous" that you couldn't even read properly my original post or the subsequent comments, yet you went to the trouble of downloading the Platinum trial?
In my short time on this forum I've noted a number of people who have wondered where the audio has gone in their rendered files. If you need to hear other complaints about it just see the comments from Andy C above (or didn't you get round to reading that bit either?). If separately rendering the audio and video is such a good idea why is Vegas the only program to do so?
In response to your last thought, I would prefer keeping the mpeg rather than a prepared DVD folder on my PC because I want to use it in other DVD compilations and with other DVD authoring software. Instead of asking me why perhaps you could help by joining me in asking the guys at Vegas why not?

MikePH, let's not get too heated about this. After all, we are trying to help you.
As for me, it's only a minor irritation in what is a superb bit of software. The only reason I render to MPEG2 with audio is to be able to stream it to a media player in another room. It's the only supported format at the moment. So, I use the MPEG2 default template (includes video and audio) and DVDPatch it to 16:9.
Job done.

Andy, I started this by asking for confirmation of a suspicion I already had. Only you were constructive, Other people came over all defensive and precious. I'm not sure why I have to justify wanting what other programs do as a matter of course. Movie Studio is advertised as a stand-alone product but clearly it almost forces people to use DVD Architect to complete a project.
Your suggection of DVDPatcher is gratefully received (I also want to stream MPEG2s to another room). I've tried it and it works (I just had to remember to stretch the video to fill the frame). I didn't really want to re-render an MPEG to get the right size. Thanks once again.

Mike,
I agree with you that when you are used to doing things one way, it can be an annoyance to learn a different workflow, or to adjust to a newer concept.

Without going into a lot of detail, I consider Sony's approach to DVD creation superior to the one you describe. For one thing, you can swap out an audio track (if you don't like it) or create multiple versions of the same DVD without having to re-render the whole video, which can take hours each time you do it. That's a real time-saver! (The pro version allows for multiple audio tracks as well). As you get deeper into the capabilities of DVD Architect, these are features I'm sure you will come to appreciate, along with the added quality of AC3 audio over mpeg. Hope that answers your last question.

I do want to thank you for "prompting" me to download the trial version of Platinum 9.0b. Playing around with it I've found most of the professional features I've used in Vegas Pro during the last decade. Probably 90% of my work "could" have been created in Platinum, and I'm amazed that such a piece of software can be offered for $99. Probably the license fees saved by eliminating the custom MainConcept settings is a big part of that reason.

That all being said, the workarounds Chienworks offered you in his two posts are all quite valid and free. Your peers in these forums are here to help, so venting on us, although understandable, is counterproductive. Here are just a few specific suggestions to augment your arsenal:

-- Super by eRightsoft -- The new version has mux, demux, joiner (haven't tried them yet)
-- Restream -- the old favorite for all things mpeg
-- VideoReDo -- I gladly purchased it after the generous trial period
-- Womble -- sometimes shows up for free on GAOTD
-- Handbrake -- same quality, half the space (AVC), keeps DVD chapters
-- Make MKV -- preserves exact file format and DVD chapters, you can extract them back to a DVD later
-- DVDShrink -- can turn a DVD into a single file, among many other things.

Those are just a few. Also, I'm sure you know that DVDA prepares and saves an exact copy of your DVD on your hard drive and burns from that. So keeping an mpeg+audio copy is duplication unless you delete one or the other.

Although I don't feel a sense of outrage, I support your crusade to have a new template in the next version of Platinum. That's something to take up with Sony in the form of a feature request (actually two). Good Luck!

Thank you for your thoughts. I can't disagree with you that the Vegas workflow is the better way to create DVDs but that is not the primary purpose of the Studio part of the suite (or is it?).
I did know that DVD Architect placed an iso on the hard drive (and doesn't give you any option not to). With the video stream, audio stream, DVD folders in a temp file and an iso that's an awful lot of hard disk acreage just to make one disc. If you're planning on big production runs I can see the point but this is a consumer product. A DVD project pointing to one MPEG may take longer to re-create and burn but is surely a more efficient use of space.