[Munkee6002]

Hi all,

I have a quick question that I'm hoping someone on this extremely helpfull forum will be able to help me with.

I have recently purchased a Sony HDR-SR1 and am extremely pleased with it. I realise that currently there are issues with editing the AVCHD format, but my querie is regarding standard definition editing.

What video editing software are you SR1 owners using to edit your standard definition footage?

As the SR1 records SD footage in Mpeg2 format, I have the problem that my copy of 'Adobe Premiere 6.5' does not edit Mpeg files (only AVIs or MOVs). So, to use 'Premiere' I would need to convert the Mpeg 2 files to AVI's, losing quality along the way. Does anyone know of any decent (cheap or free) software that is good at converting Mpeg2s to DV AVIs?

My last option, if I cannot use 'Adobe Premiere 6.5' is to purchase anothe video editing software. I noticed that PC World are selling 'Ulead Videostudio 10 Plus' for £20, but checking the Ulead website, the SR1 is not a 'compatible' camcorder for this software.

If anyone can give me some good advice on how I can go ahead and edit the standard definition (Mpeg2) footage on my SR1, it would be very much appreciated. I have a little babby on the way and it would be great to be able to create a professional looking DVD (with Menus, effects, Etc) to look back on in years to come!

Many thanks,
Munkee

[senu]

The SD Mpeg2 from the SR1 is compatible with Ulead VS 10 plus.. At £19.99 it is a no branier as it has "smart rendering"
I would buy it before it goes back up to £59 ( unless ver 11 is on its way).
Incompatibility referred to more than likely refers to AVCHD , as UVS10+ is able to edit HDV

Whilst there are dedicated Mpeg editors, I dont know of any free ones. If there are any you'll probably pay in the lack of any very tangible features , limited or poor GUI and some difficulty in use

Smart rendering is a feature of editing software which limits the rendering and re encoding of mpeg to a minimum to preserve PQ.... (if it is well implemented by the software)

Premiere Pro , Pro 1.5 and all the flavours of Premiere Elements ( up to ver 3) do edit mpeg
Sony Vegas 7 and Avid Liquid & are quite competent at this too ( the software packages mentioned there are of different levels)

At the Sub £100 range, most current NLE software are also able to edit mpegs, some better than others ( regardless of whether they create AVIs in the background or not)

The need to Edit HDV footage ( as well as footage from SD HD and DVD camcorders) has promoted the need for enhanced mpeg editing abilities in currently available software

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum + DVD is not a "dedicated" mpeg editor but is cleverly written enough to do the editing with minimal IQ deterioration
(IMHO)


HTH

[Munkee6002]

Originally Posted by senu

The SD Mpeg2 from the SR1 is compatible with Ulead VS 10 plus.. At £19.99 it is a no branier as it has "smart rendering"
I would buy it before it goes back up to £59 ( unless ver 11 is on its way).
Incompatibility referred to more than likely refers to AVCHD , as UVS10+ is able to edit HDV

Whilst there are dedicated Mpeg editors, I dont know of any free ones. If there are any you'll probably pay in the lack of any very tangible features , limited or poor GUI and some difficulty in use

Smart rendering is a feature of editing software which limits the rendering and re encoding of mpeg to a minimum to preserve PQ.... (if it is well implemented by the software)

Premiere Pro , Pro 1.5 and all the flavours of Premiere Elements ( up to ver 3) do edit mpeg
Sony Vegas 7 and Avid Liquid & are quite competent at this too ( the software packages mentioned there are of different levels)

At the Sub £100 range, most current NLE software are also able to edit mpegs, some better than others ( regardless of whether they create AVIs in the background or not)

The need to Edit HDV footage ( as well as footage from SD HD and DVD camcorders) has promoted the need for enhanced mpeg editing abilities in currently available software

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum + DVD is not a "dedicated" mpeg editor but is cleverly written enough to do the editing with minimal IQ deterioration
(IMHO)


HTH

Many thanks for you extensive reply Senu, much appreciated.

I guess, I'll go ahead and purchase Ulead VS 10 Plus then. At £19.99 it's a steal. Unless of course, you can suggest any better alternatives, though at £19.99.....I doubt it. Have you used this software before? How do you rate it in terms of usability and useful features?

It's a shame that I cannot use my 'Adobe Premiere 6.5' as, even though it is quite an old piece of software, it seems very feature packed and powerful. Oh well...

Once again, many thanks for your prompt and thorough reply,
Munkee

[redsox_mark]

At that price it's a bargain and hard to beat...

An alternative...
If you bought Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Vegas-M.../dp/B000FTRZNG

You could then upgrade to Version 8 which supports AVCHD when it comes out in July. (There will be a cost to upgrade, but they often have reduced upgrade prices when it is first launced. The current full price to upgrade from an older version to the newest is $50 US dollars (about £25, thanks to the strong pound)).

[senu]

I have used VS 10+,It is one one of my PCs .althoug i havent used it since Feb.
It is quite feature loaded

Coming from Adobe Premiere where you are used to a timeline and that cetain "logical" way of editing.. It might be somthing of a bit of culture shock
It tries to be helpful , hides user manual controls away and seems ( IMO) unsure if whether it is targeting newbees or advanced users

I (personally) don't like its interface much but comparing it to ver 8 and 9, 10 is much better
It has its devotees so I imagine it must be me..
But I also use Adobe Premiere Elements , Sony Vegas and Avid Liquid .. all of whose GUI is different and to some... simply bewildering, but what I find about them is the logical nature of GUI once the basics have been learnt

Having had a rant , I have to say it is very feature rich and simple to use and unlike some software , relatively stable and not requiring a Dual core PC with 2Gb RAM .. and at £19 almost 1/3 price. Even if you don't like it it wont be a great loss

The alternatives are any of the current Software including Premiere Elements 3 ( near enough Premiere) and the Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum +DVD .. ( In short most of what is out there should be fine)
These last 2 have trial downloads if you wish to try before you buy

PS: Mark and I were posting simultaneously: second time today
But.. The Vegas suggestion makes perfect sense because it does give you an upgrade path to AVCHD later

[Munkee6002]

Thanks guys, it really is much appreciated.

I'll see how I get on with Ulead VS 10 Plus and if, for any reason, it doesn't agree with me, I'll go down the route of Vegas.

Once again, much appreciated.

Munkee