Settings for HD camcorder? Video software?

[jnorman]

hi guys - i just bought a used canon vixia HF10 HD camcorder to make videos of performances, for audition purposes and for youtube uploads for clients to use. i will be recording the audio separately, and then syncing during post.

i could use a little help deciding on basic camera settings. i will stick to full HD mode (1920x1080p).

1. should frame rate be 60, 30, or 24 (cinematic)?
2. should i use any kind of enhancement, like "vivid" or individual settings for saturation, sharpness, etc, or leave it on default settings for image quality?
3. the HF10 shoots in AVCHD format. i have successfully imported and synced video from older SD camcorders, but dont know what format they used. what do i need to know about importing AVCHD movie files - is it the same as other formats?
4. i have used windows moviemaker and Ulead DVD factory in the past to sync audio and video. what software should i get to work with HD AVCHD movie files to easily sync them with separate audio recordings?
5. what else should i learn about, change settings for, think about, etc, to use this camera to best effect?

thanks.

[surflounge]

help is archieved here: Creative Planet's Digital Production BuZZ

[David Spearritt]

Originally Posted by jnorman

what software should i get to work with HD AVCHD movie files to easily sync them with separate audio recordings?

Edius Neo.

[Ozpeter]

AVCHD editing requires a lot of computer power. Many users find it best to transcode to another format before editing eg high bit rate mpeg2, or neoscene or cineform. Video editing software choice is extremely difficult as people will have quite different experiences with the same software, depending on their exact computer spec and on the exact camcorder sourcing the material. I would suggest you try to get demos of the various packages and thoroughly test end-to-end before purchase. And be ready to buy a new computer.

Sorry to be pessimistic!

Personally I've found that the fairly humble Pinnacle 14 to be less problematic than the competition, but YMMV. And maybe you've got a mac not a pc.

[Sevitzky]

Whoa broah! Congrads on the video upgrade.

Hope you got a quad-core 3ghz. And then you can use edius neo w/ booster.

Otherwise you have to transcode the AVCHD to an editable format (DVCPRO).

In which case, I hope you have a quad-core. You can probably get away w/ dual core, but be ready to transcode overnite for long clips.

[jnorman]

i need some more help, please. i just tried to import a video from the hf10 into my 32-bit vista PC. windows movie maker and Ulead dvd factory would not import the .mts video file becasue i do not have the right codec installed.

i tried installing a avchd codec but that did not fix it. so i copied the movie file from the camera and put it on my hard drive via explorer. then i tried converting it to an mp4 file. that sort of worked but the result looks pretty awful.

what should i be doing?

should i install the right codec so movie maker and dvd factory can import the mts files directly? what codec do i need, and where do i get it?

or should i get a better converter software, and convert the files to mp4 first and then start my editing? what converter software do you suggest (freeware, i hope...)

thanks muchly.

[Petrus]

Video compression comes in two flavours: frame based (like DV25 used in miniDV cameras) and frame referencing systems like these new cameras use. The later is more efficient but brings problems in editing.

The idea behind using intermediate codek for editing is to change the frame referencing codek into a frame based one. Frame based can edited easily as the compressed files can be cut and spliced between frames without uncopressing the file and without further quality loss. Each frame is a distinct block of the file. After editing the whole file is rendered back to whatever format is wanted.

It is difficult and slow to edit frame referencing coded video, as only every 12:th frame is preserved, and then for the next eleven only the changes are recorded. So it is not possible to edit the material without decompressing the material fully around the edit points and then recompressing the whole thing again in the right rythm, so to say.

If you chage the original camera data into another frame based codek you are just asking for trouble. Same thing as recompressing MP3 into WMA and expecting quality to improve.

[Ozpeter]

Mediashow Espresso works well here for converting to mpeg2, or you could try "Free AVCHD Converter" from koyotesoft.com - also current full versions of Nero can accomplish conversions, and can also do simple AVCHD editing without any conversion - depending on your camcorder.

[NorseHorse]

You don't import the .mts files directly. You import the folder called "AVCHD". Your software should take care of the rest. Whatever you do, DON'T separate the .mts files from the rest of the file/folder structure.

Cheers.

PS. I take it your software does support AVCHD?
PPS. I repeat: Keep all the files/folders together exactly as they are on the camera. Putting just an .mts file on your computer won't help.
PPPS. This goes for other hard-drive cameras too, not just the Vixias.

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Sevitzky

Whoa broah! Congrads on the video upgrade.

Hope you got a quad-core 3ghz. And then you can use edius neo w/ booster.

Otherwise you have to transcode the AVCHD to an editable format (DVCPRO).

In which case, I hope you have a quad-core. You can probably get away w/ dual core, but be ready to transcode overnite for long clips.

I'm actually getting work done on a Core 2 Duo laptop with Edius Neo Booster. I'm cutting 720P AVCHD, though, not 1080P.

Fran

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by NorseHorse

You don't import the .mts files directly. You import the folder called "AVCHD". Your software should take care of the rest. Whatever you do, DON'T separate the .mts files from the rest of the file/folder structure.

Cheers.

PS. I take it your software does support AVCHD?
PPS. I repeat: Keep all the files/folders together exactly as they are on the camera. Putting just an .mts file on your computer won't help.
PPPS. This goes for other hard-drive cameras too, not just the Vixias.

I've been pulling out MTS files and dropping them on ffmpeg for conversion (they choked PE7). Now that I'm using Edius Neo Booster I just put them on the timeline and cut.

Can you say a bit more about your workflow and why/how you use the whole file structure?

Fran

[NorseHorse]

Let's use the Vixia as our example.

Take a look in the hard-drive or SD card. Your top folder is called AVCHD. Within that folder are two other folders: AVCHDTN and BDMV. AVCHDTN contains thumbnails which are used when browsing the clips on your camera or computer. BDMV contains several more folders and files. STREAM contains the .mts files which are the encoded video files. CLIPINF contains files with basic data corresponding to each .mts file. PLAYLIST and index.bdm tell you how to uncompress it and sew it all together, by my best estimation. Consider the following...

When you convert your .mts files, I assume you are no longer working with AVCHD. You are losing quality right off the bat. Also, you are separating clips which should really be one. An hour long concert might occupy five .mts files, but it's just one clip. The rest of the file structure tells your software how to unpack it and put it all back together.

Importing AVCHD should be easy. Like this...

In Final Cut Pro, you go to "Log and Transfer", and select AVCHD (yes, the folder mentioned earlier). It pulls up a list of the clips (not the .mts files, which aren't necessarily clips) available in the folder. Select which clip(s) you want, click Import, and it will uncompress the clips and put them on your hard drive and in your project. I believe Adobe Premier is similar as well. I like it because it is less hassle then importing tapes.

Can you get by with just the .mts files? Yes - but you are [maybe] losing quality and [definitely] adding a step since you have to convert it. The rest of the folder structure is negligible in size, but it contains important information which helps the DVW (digital video workstations?) import the AVCHD with the click of a mouse.

[Fran Guidry]

Doesn't "Log and Transfer" in FCP also transcode to an editing codec?

Edius seems happy to have me drop the unconverted .mts on the timeline. As far as I know, that's all the bits that were in the original capture, right?

Fran

[NorseHorse]

Hmmm. Can't remember what it turns into, but it's really big. Perhaps your conversion program is doing the same thing?

I've known two videographers (one professional, one not) who also had problems importing isolated .mts files (with Adobe Premier and FCP). Reuniting them with the rest of the file structure fixed it, so now I keep everything together. Sounds like Edius might be handling it better, but if you are doing long shots, the clips are still broken up.

[jnorman]

i need a new computer...

[Sevitzky]

Hey bro, don't despair! There's always the DVD recorder method I mentioned earlier. (which is why I mentioned it)



If you drop bones for a new computer, don't forget to amortize the cost over, say 3 years, and pass on those costs directly to your clients. Computers are necessary, but they have a shelf life, and are USELESS after that! Good luck.

[NorseHorse]

Or just shoot SD until you get a new computer.

As they say, it's the quality of the shot, not the size of the frame, that counts...

[videoteque]

The free program that transcodes from any codec to any other codec is called: MPEG Streamclip. It's nice, mac&pc and free!