View edited HV20 videos on HDTV

[David Zeno]

Another simple say to do this, is to just export your video out to 720p or 1080p in your editor of choice, ( save to .wmv format ) and then view the footage using Media center from your media center computer hooked to your hdmi port on the TV. ( dvi out from video card to hdmi in on the TV ) The video is breath taking, that's all I can say, and it's just the easiest way to do it. ( I for one don't like running my HV20 for anything but recording, and exporting the tape afterwards. I don't want to put any more mileage on it, than needed )

Dave.

[Lunchbox]

That's method no. 2 stated in the first post.

[somekevinguy]

My DirecTV HD DVR can connect to media servers and I am using TVersity on my computer and I can view all the videos from my computer on my TV in HD with that.

[Mattsushiba]

Transcoding to WMV is pretty much the worst thing you can do ... to any footage. WMV is a terrible compressor.

I'm getting confused...

The quote from this post above is followed by a post that says the .WMV output is breathtaking? I am right now doing some tests and i'm getting best results from .m2t files played back on the PS3. I'm using platinum 8 so I don't have as many options as pro user I don't think.

Anybody care to help me out. I'd like best results played back on the PS3. Even if I have to put it back on tape.

[Lunchbox]

Windows Media Encoder is free to download from microsoft.com.

Like you say, the best to find out how is to experience it yourself. Go try encode something to wmv. It's not the best best delivery format to go but it's quite popular as a web streaming media.

[David Zeno]

I don't save HD movies out normally to .wmv format, ( I use .mp4 ) however, for Windows Media Center ( MCE) it likes the .wmv file format, and uses it nicely, without any problems.

I encode using the wmv format ( very high bitrate ) ( which I don't recall at the moment ) and yes, the video within MCE playing on the LCD TV is indeed breathtaking.

I use MCE, but there are many other software packages out there that do the same thing, like Myth TV and also Beyond TV 4 Snapstream, and of course SAGE TV, and many others. I grew up using MCE so have stuck with it, because it has the total package to record and view TV shows, and integrates seemlessly with my satelite box ( computer changes my satellite box channels effortlessly and tapes shows when I'm not there )

The only thing you need is a good connection, DVI to HDMI and then the proper res on your TV.

For more info on MCE you can go here, http://thegreenbutton.com/default.aspx , it's the GodFather of all websites / forums for MCE
based HTPCs.

Dave.

[Mattsushiba]

Ok guys, I think i'm almost there. I edited some new 24p footage after pulldown removal and used Eugenia's project properties in Vegas plat. I then rendered to .wmv with the "maintain original size" selected but it now has black bars on the sides? Anybody? I'll try something else I guess.

[Mattsushiba]

It must be the PS3 and 1.33 pixel ratio that makes the 1440x1080 widescreen. But I read somewhere that the PS3 only recognizes the square pixel ratio? So I have resorted to 1280x720 .wmv files and it looks pretty decent. Not as good as straight from the HV20 over component - but still decent. I would render to 1920x1080 but Platinum won't allow.

[Lunchbox]

1440x1080x1.33 is the HDV standard.

[mouztrpd]

I've been daisy-chaining my Hv20 to my MacBook through a Seagate 400 FW. It occasionally loses the connection but for the main part it has been working very well. Imovie 08 is able to handle the HDV footage quite well but I'm having a heck of a time finding a workflow to send the edited footage back to tape. I'm exporting as a QuickTime Movie, 1440x1080 AIC, then using Imovie HD '06 to send back to tape. This seems to work okay but I'm not sure if there isn't a better way to avoid the generational lose I'm seeing?

[Mattsushiba]

1440x1080x1.33 is the HDV standard.

I realize that, but rendered as such it plays 4:3(with black bars on sides) through the PS3?

[Noel]

Can somebody please rate the best to least? Thanx in advance!

[w.pasman]

Best for no edits: the file as it is recorded by your camera ("native"), e.g. m2t if you have HV20 or Uncompressed (but you will need a supercomputer to both store and play back uncompressed in realtime).
edited lightly: Use a native editor and stream back to camera in native format or uncompressed

Thereafter (heavy edited) it gets fuzzy. Uncompressed is best but not manageable at this moment. I think next best is lightly compressed (eg Apple ProRes HQ). Problem is that you still need hefty computer to play back ProRes HQ realtime and that files are huge. Next best maybe Apple ProRes. Still large files and hard to play back. Native format will probably look OK. H264 is pretty low on my line as I have not got a player handling it correctly with interlacing.

[nolonemo]

Best for edits (requires Vegas 8, I think it will work with Vegas Studio Platinum); do simple edits (straight cuts or short fades), no color grading or FX; smart render back to mt2 and copy to hard drive. If your computer and graphics card has enough power to play HD, and you have DVI out on your graphics card, you can play on HDTV with the VLC media player.

[CycleWriter]

Best for edits (requires Vegas 8, I think it will work with Vegas Studio Platinum); do simple edits (straight cuts or short fades), no color grading or FX; smart render back to mt2 and copy to hard drive. If your computer and graphics card has enough power to play HD, and you have DVI out on your graphics card, you can play on HDTV with the VLC media player.

I'm confused about something. How are you getting mt2 format HDV out of the HV20? Is this something only a high-end editor can do? I use PowerDirector primarily and VideoStudio and Premiere Elements for specialized jobs. All transfer HDV from the HV20 in MPEG2 format. Please enlighten me.

[Lunchbox]

m2t is just another form of MPEG. It's the same thing. If you use HDVSplit (google it) to capture your video from HV20, you will get a .m2t file.

[CycleWriter]

m2t is just another form of MPEG. It's the same thing. If you use HDVSplit (google it) to capture your video from HV20, you will get a .m2t file.

OK, then the next obvious question is, is there any advantage to doing it that way compared to how I've been doing it? Any difference between my MPEG2 files and the .m2t files created by HDVSplit? Is m2t any easier to work with in an editor. Is it even widely supported by most editors?

If you don't answer my questions I will pester you on that other forum, as well.

[Lunchbox]

ARE YOU THREATENING ME?

Again, all those are MPEG-2 files. They are the native format stored in tape. For some reason, different capture program will get them out in different file extension. But they are basically the same thing.

I can't say for all the editors. You should try to load the m2t or mpeg or m2v or whatever you have to see if your NLE likes it. I use Premiere Pro. It works well with either .mpeg o .m2t.

[CycleWriter]

Wow, that was a fast response time. I guess I won't have to stalk you after all.

Thanks for the info. Despite doing this for some time I'm new to HDV and just learning all the acronyms alone makes one's head spin. It's great that there's forums like this and guys like you that offer so much for so little. I might have to take a ride to Pasadena soon just to thank you personally (and pick your brain further).

Edit: I just noticed your new tagline under your member name. Maybe I will have to stalk you after all.

[Lunchbox]

It's great that there's forums like this and guys like you that offer so much for so little.

It's "...so much for nothing."

I only have the power to change my title

Have you joined the SoCal social group?

http://www.hv20.com/group.php

We are trying to figure out when and where to meet up.

[photobug59]

Here's a low cost solution and I just tested it today.
I bought a brand new Toshiba HD-A30 for $55.00 plus shipping from Ubid.com (look for the lot auctions). It comes with 2 free HD DVD movies inside the box. It does a great job of upconverting standard DVDs.

This is what I did:

Step 1 - Captured video from the HV20 with Vegas Video 8 Pro

Step 2- Edited the video and added titles and effects

Step 3- Rendered the video as a WMV HD output

Step 4- Used Ulead DVD Movie Factory 6 Plus to author the HD DVD and burn it onto
a DVD-R (you will get about 22 minutes of HD video on a single layer DVD-R)

Step 5- Played back DVD on the HD-A30 connected via HDMI to a Sharp AQUOS 1080P
LCD HDTV.

The video is outstanding and far better than any broadcast quality HDTV from Cable or Directv (I have both). However, WMV HD format has its limitations.

I am now testing this workflow with AVI output from Vegas Video 8 pro.

[alexville]

(4) Burn the m2t video to DVD disc and view using the XBox game console or PlayStation 3.

Can thr ps3 actually open .m2t files?

[Lunchbox]

I don't have PS3 so I am not sure. It was suggested by someone else. Can someone confirm? If not, I can edit the post. Thanks

[ramey70]

In the past couple of days I started using the 3x DVD route with Nero 8 Ultra and the HD-DVD plugin from their site. I edit in Vegas 8 Pro and then render to a m2t HDV file. Nero then takes it and basically does the rest. It also has some really nice authoring tools to create the 3x DVD which is basically a "mini HD-DVD". I bought a $50 HD-DVD for my 360 and it's working very well so far. Nero also has options to encode in MPEG4 or MPEG2. Several members of my family and coworkers have HD-DVD players so it's nice to be able to distribute videos to them in HD and with function menus. The discs even show up in vista as HD-DVDs. It can't tell the difference.

[mhh]

I have rendered to mt2 in Sony Vegas 8 then burned the mt2 file to a dvd. It plays fine as a data disc on a PS3.