I could pry design around the logo, but it may not be worth it if I'm just saving a few bucks. I'll wait and see; it turns out my client that wants his Blu-Ray hasn't bought a player yet, so I still have time. ;o)

I have the sony hc3 hd camera and Im a bit confused about blu-ray and avchd.
I don’t yet have a blu-ray player but I do have the new LG Blu-Ray burner.
I have made hd-dvd movies on regular 4.7 and double layer discs and the quality was amazing. I get 40 minutes on a DL.
I see that if I burn my movie as avchd I can get 60 minutes on a DL.
My questions are..
Will the avchd dvd look as good as the hd-dvd one?
Will the HD video look better when I write to a 25g blu-ray disc or just the same as burned as avchd?
What kind of files burn to a 25g blu-ray disk I only get a 2 hour movie on the disc.
hope this makes sense
thanks in advance

James, these are questions I was going to ask a swell, so I'm following this post closely.

Ross

Let's start by noting that the HC3 records video in the HDV format with a data rate of 25 Mbps, which works out to about 12GB per hour including audio. So with Blu-ray you can fit around two hours of footage at the full quality recorded by the camera, and if you're just copying raw footage you may be able to do so without time-consuming compression to the AVCHD format. AVCHD is useful for packing HD video onto a standard DVD-R disc, but then you have to worry about whether this will work on Blu-ray players. By the way, AVCHD was the typical encoding format for HD-DVDs, so the quality you were getting that way should be identical to using AVCHD for Blu-ray delivery.

Hope that helps put some perspective on all this.

What is the difference, other than size, for using either of these to burn a Blu Ray disc in Vegas?

I'm in the middle of making a Blu-ray disc, and chose MPEG-2 for these reasons:

* Making a 60i (and 50i) MPEG-2 file that uses lots of bits is easy - just use the preset.
* The MPEG-2 file uses most of the available bandwidth.
* The MPEG-2 file is widely compatible.

The Vegas presets with h.264, however, resulted in fewer bits per second. Maybe the encoding quality is higher, but the overall quality wasn't as high as it could have been, given the lower bit rate. Also, I wasn't as convinced that it would be widely compatible with various authoring tools. I didn't have the money to buy a higher quality encoder, and I didn't have the time to test for compatibility.

That said, I am looking forward to when the standard Vegas h.264 encoder can max the bitrate of a Blu-ray disc with 100% compatibility (no re-encoding) with other authoring tools. That would have been my preference.

The video I have is just over 2 hours and won't fit on a 25GB disc. I think I'm going to encode as MPG2 and just buy a couple of 50GB discs.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/03/06/sony.blu.ray.talks/

In traditional Apple form they made no comment but also didn't deny the talks.

I've read some promises of being able to burn Blu-ray discs and DVDs from the same authored project, but after going through the manual, reviewing these boards, and going through all the menus of both a DVD and Blu-ray project, I have yet to find a way to make this happen. Am I missing something? Or do I actually have to rebuild both versions from scratch separately?

I just realized that these promises may actually refer to burning a Blu-ray project onto both a BD-R and a DVD-R, where both would have a Blu-ray video. I was hoping this meant I could burn a standard DVD version of the same Blu-ray project without re-authoring the whole thing. All of my clients want a standard DVD of their HD projects to share with family & friends, virtually none of whom have HD players. Is that doable? Otherwise, the quickest way I can think to do it is to have both a DVD and Blu-ray project open, then copy and paste from one to another. Is that the best I can do for now?

Don't know how I missed it: File - Properties - Disc Format, easy enough! I had gotten to the same Project Properties window a different way, and there the disc switching option was grayed out.

I have a few identical clips shot with a Canon HV-20 at 1080 60i. These were capture with Cineform Prospect. I have combined these in Vegas 8 to a short test movie. A few crossfades, but no color correction or other changes. I have done the exact same thing in Premier Pro. The rendering settings in both Vegas 8 and Premier were as close to the same as they allow. I used mpeg-2, variable bit 25M-20M-4M 1080x60i upper field. When I take the resultant .m2v files into Movie Factory 6 plus and burn to an HDDVD on a DVD-R, the results are very different. The Premier file looks perfect. The Vegas file is over all much darker with lost shadow detail and blown out highlights.
Also, on the Vegas rendered file there is more artifacting. In one scene there is a mountain side on the left half of the frame. There is a fire on it with losts of smoke. The right half of the frame is mostly just smoke/white sky with an extreme amount of pixilation as the camera slowly pans. The Premiere clips look perfect. The version of Premier that I have is 1.5 - several years old. I have standardized on Vegas - as I prefer it. I know it is capable of rendering out files that are equal to Premiere.

My Question is: What are the best settings to use for outputing HDV footage to HD mpeg-2 for bluray/HDDVD? I have gone over my setting and I don't see anything a miss. I am using 8bit, I can't find where the setting is, but I know you can set Vegas 8 to encode at 32bit. Is that the problem? I attempted to add screen captures of my Vegas 8 settings, but It took a long time, then spit back "the server was reset."
I sure appreciate any recommendations. IT would be nice if there was a listing on the forum of the optimal settings for outputting to DVD, BluRay, etc.
Thanks - Paul

PS My BluRay player - Panasonic BD-30 does not accept bluray burned onto a dvd-r. I wish it would, but the Toshiba HDDVD has no problem with it, hence that is why I use Movie Factory 6, as it is cheaper to test with dvd-r then $15 bluray discs.

Apologies if this is the wrong category to place this. Anyone here know how Encore CS3's Blu-ray authoring/burning chops stack up to Sony's DVD Architect? I have seen horror stories about the former. And as I continually have problems even installing Encore CS3 on my XP box (long story-even Adobe gave up), let alone author with it, I am seriously considering the latter. Any thoughts?

Does anybody make printable Blu-ray BD-Rs? If so, please let me know the source.

If not, how do we release semi-pro (not mass produced, but not labeled with a Sharpie either) HD discs?

Thanks in advance!

http://www.supermediastore.com/blue-ray-blu-ray-dvd-media-recorder.html

Thanks Pete! The Verbatim inkjet discs should do the trick.

Verbatim (96661) DataLifePlus Blu-ray 25GB 2X White Inkjet Printable BD-R 25 Disc in Cake Box (http://www.supermediastore.com/verbatim-96661-25gb-2x-white-inkjet-printable-blu-ray-media.html)

Has anyone tried the new Delkin external blu-ray drive for mastering blu-ray DVDs.

Digital camera accessories and OEM flash manufacturer - Delkin Devices (http://www.delkin.com)

it is probably nothing more than an LG blu-ray drive in an external box.
my problem would be more with the USB connection (e-sata would be better), but it probably works fine.

Great article from DiscMakers - explaining the ins and outs of BluRay licensing. For those who don't get the DiscMakers bulletin

DVD vs. Blu-ray (http://www.discmakers.com/community/resources/Edge/2008/dvdvsbluray.asp)


It does a great job explaining where the money goes, as well as where the bottleneck is for BD development.

Frankly I'm sick of Blu-ray and AACS.

There really needs to be an Indie level content protection system that would allow say Divx HD discs to be made with appropriate protection.

It's foolish to think that you can design a foolproof system. I think the goal for Indies should be content protection that is affordable and thwarts all but the %20 of hackers that are unstoppable.

Sinking $5 thousand dollars into your first Blu-ray project even before you started pressing discs is just crazy.

I recently completed a project for IEC that includes a BD. (Yes, that's my name in the press release...)

IEC - News releases > nr3608 - IEC International Standard brings energy efficiency to LCD and plasma TVs (http://www.iec.ch/news_centre/release/nr2008/nr3708.htm)

Our volumes are low so we duplicate (burn the discs and engrave the labels), rather than replicate (press.) I think this is the right path for most indies.

A good strategy would be to get all of your ducks in a row, so you can pay the license fee and press discs quickly, just in case demand grows. That way you're not stuck with inventory, if sales bomb. If sales take off, the license fee will be a drop in the bucket, compared to the labor cost of burning tons of discs.

BTW, for low volumes, you don't really need copy protection. There's not enough demand for the big-time thieves to get involved, and not much chance that someone who wants your disc will come across somebody willing to make them a copy.

Sure, the situation isn't perfect, but it's workable.

Everyone here has been so helpful that I thought I'd share this.

As you may know, I had a feature length HD project that I wanted to deliver via Blu-ray, using the Vegas 32-bit option. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, Vegas would crash. The 8-bit renders work. It's only the 32-bit that crahses my system, but the 8-bit renders were too harsh and contrasty.

Out of deperation, I decided to export my timeline to AAF, then import it into Premiere for rendering/burning to Blu-ray.

Well, it worked. Premiere does an awesome 20-25MBPS Blu-ray (vs 15 MBPS for Vegas). However, there were some issues:

1. Transitions all become dissolves. No problem, I can pre-render that part of timeline to AVI before export and eliminate the transition coding. Or, I can add the transitions in Premiere, but I don't want to edit in Premiere.

2. Premiere lied to me. Or perhaps I misunderstood. I thought the render would take about three hours, but the whole process, including the burn was close to 13 hours and that was for just half of my project. I don't mind long renders as long as I can count on them to finish and Premiere did not let me down. Next time, I'll let Premiere work the third shift.

3. I think Vegas generated media also needs to be converted to AVI before the export. BTW, does Vegas create a file for each generated media event, or is it produced on-the-fly? I couldn't find the files.

All in all, this proved to be a good workflow that let me utilize the best of two popular NLEs and produce the high quality Blu-ray result I was looking for.

I'm confused why you're going to Premiere for the encode...Having tested both encoders...The new Adobe Media Encoder is *MUCH* better than it was, but IMO, Vegas encoder, properly set up, does a better job.
That said....
Generated media is generated on the fly, just as the name implies. You have to create a video file before exporting over AAF. Generated media is 4.4.4 media, and you'll likely want at least a 4:2:2 uncompressed to keep masks and so forth clean....

Thanks Douglas. Vegas was crashing when I rendered using 32-bit and 8-bit was coming out with too much contrast. I would have loved to stay in Vegas, but exorting to Adobe for render provided the only solution I could find.

However, if you have any sugestions that would allow me to render with 32-bit interpolation in Vegas, I'd be thrilled. BTW, I own your Vegas book and it's terrific--very well written and well organzied.

1. What’s the biggest differences?

2. If a documentary was done using either CS2 or CS3, wound it easily migrate to CS4 without any issues at all? Or would it be better to just upgrade Encore for authoring to Blu-Ray?

Does anyone from pal land have a render template for blu ray.
I need to get it sorted quick and haven't got time to play around and find settings.
Does the template differ according to the format which was recorded, ie 1440x1080/50i, 1920x1080/50i or 720/50p ?

Is one of these formats better than the other if i know i'm going to be producing a blu ray disc ?

What's the better output, mpeg or avc ?

Thanks.
Paul.

sorry Paul I dont, i use sonic dvdit pro hd and it doesnt like the blu ray files I import from vegas so i use sorenson VC1 24p files. they seem pretty good and are 100% blu ray compatable.(only 24p though as 25i is broken for PAL and 25p is non bluray legal), Ive told sorenson but they dont seem to be able to fix it)
I dont think avc is better than Mpeg but you will prob get more onto a disc due to the compression.
FYI mainconcept reference has templates that will work fine for AVC, VC1 and MPEG, Ive tried them out but cant justify the cost of the pro versions just yet.(non pro versions are too restrictive on bit rate for AVC and VC1)
sorry not much help but if your in a hurry Reference will work for you.

I don't have CS4, but my understanding is that CS4 allows subtitles and pop up menu options that CS3 does not.

That is the reason I am planning on upgrading.

I edit in Final Cut 6.0.5 and export full size QuickTime 1080p then into Compressor. Out of Compressor I use Mpeg 2 with the BluRay option setting the bit rate 40 max and 30 min and full 1080.

Then I import into Encore CS3 and have been testing settings. Since my footage is 30p (29.97) in FC I choose 29.97i (ugh) in Encore and have been able to burn a disk. It will not be until tomorrow that I can view on a BluRay player. But in Encore preview it is very poor quality. I have been through all the options I can think of with settings.

Question:
What settings are people using out of Encore to achieve high quality BluRay disk?

My burner is the MCE internal for Mac.

Hi folks,

I'm new to blu-ray rendering and just upgraded to Vegas 8.0. What Vegas 8.0 video quality rendering settings are recommended for use with DVD Architect 5.0 to burn onto Blu-ray? I realize that with a Blu-ray disc you probably don't need to compress and can set the quality setting to high, but I've read that the human eye can't perceive more than 95% quality anyway so would it be ok to set it at 95% quality to save on render time and hard drive space?

Also, I'm used to rendering files to DVD architect in .mpg 2 format but Vegas 8 seems to export the Blu-ray files in .m2v format - so I assume .m2v is the right file type for Blu-ray?

For rendering audio for blu-ray from Vegas should I still render as AC3 Dolby stereo?

Also, can you recommend a good Blu-ray disc supplier with decent prices? I've read there are different blu-ray disc types and wonder which one would be readable by most Blu-ray players?

Thanks much for your thoughts and advice.

Charmaine

I grudgingly embraced Vegas, not that I wanted it but because it was a lower price alternative, and somewhat essential to my XDCAM-EX1 workflow.

But I have to admit, it's grown on me. I'm impressed.

Other than that, Vegas/DVDA gives you pretty good tools for authoring Blu-ray. Rather than recommending what's right for you, I would encourage you to experiment with it. You'll discover a number of paths you can take. It's my observation that 8.0(c) renders acceptably fast, or even smart renders if you use the appropriate project settings. DVDA makes very attractive and functional menus as well, have good compatibility probably for foregoing the BD-java.

Thanks Tom.

I've been using DVDA 4.0 and am pretty happy with it and Vegas. I've found anything made by Sony is excellent. To me Sony products = peace of mind.

I have a question. I deliver 1080P30 Blu-ray discs by using 60i settings. I'm considering the hmc-150 and wanted to know how would you get 720P30 to a playable Blu-ray disc? The specs for blu-ray in 720P is only 24P and 60P. I've searched 4 different forums and no answer yet. How do you get 720P30 into a playable BD disc? Thanks

Monday

This year is my first season delivering weddings on blu-ray. I need to get a blu-ray player for quality checks and playback on TV. Torn between getting a stand alone blu-ray DVD player or a PS3. As a sheer percentage, does the PS3 account for the largest number of blu-ray players out there? In other words, it would be smart to get the most popular player out there for quality check..

Any pro/con of getting a PS3 over a stand-alone blu-ray player? One thing I gathered is that the PS3 is more future-proof, whereas the stand-alone will be exactly as you bought it with up upgrade path. Oh and the fact that it plays games is another plus.. ;)

FWIW - The Criterion Collection uses the PS3 as it's "reference deck" for it's Blu-Ray offerings.

..........................................

Thanks, I think you might have justified me purchasing a PS3!