[Oatsy]

Hi All,

Sorry if you guys have gone through all this before but i've been crawling through the forums and it's doing my nut

I'm looking to buy a new HD Camcorder, i think I'm gonna go for the Sony Handycam HDR-SR8E, I've heard it's the nuts.

Only problem is I've heard editing the HD content and playing it back can be a bit tricky.

If I get Pinnacle Studio 11 and a Blu-Ray drive for my PC, would i be able to edit the video and burn an HD MPEG4 file to a Blu-Ray disc to play in my PS3? Would that work?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[senu]

Originally Posted by Oatsy

Hi All,

Sorry if you guys have gone through all this before but i've been crawling through the forums and it's doing my nut

I'm looking to buy a new HD Camcorder, i think I'm gonna go for the Sony Handycam HDR-SR8E, I've heard it's the nuts.

Only problem is I've heard editing the HD content and playing it back can be a bit tricky.

AVCHD more than HDV. the trickiness is rather more dependent on Hardware being up to scratch. Bear in mind that all the AVCHD capable software are in thier first incarnations and this may show.

If I get Pinnacle Studio 11 and a Blu-Ray drive for my PC, would i be able to edit the video and burn an HD MPEG4 file to a Blu-Ray disc to play in my PS3? Would that work?

It should. however for the PS3 you can simply burn edited Hi def files to a DVD disc.. The PS3 will play them, not as a Bluray disc but it is capable of playing back Hi-Def files ( or indeed many SD files ) as it is a media streamer as well
AVCHD may not always be saved as AVCHD but it may not matter for PS3 playback
and there is always
THIS

Out of interest.. Which other camcorders and software had you considered?

[Oatsy]

Hi Senu,

thanks for the reply.

So if I burn a HD video file to a normal data DVD disc I can play that back on the PS3, but how big will the file be? A normal DVD disc can't hold that much information.

I have read good revies about the Sony, and I already use Pinnacle 10, so uprading to 11 seemed the easy option for me. Which camera/software would you recommend?

[redsox_mark]

So if I burn a HD video file to a normal data DVD disc I can play that back on the PS3, but how big will the file be? A normal DVD disc can't hold that much information.

I assume you are burning AVCHD to disc. It will depend on the bitrate/quality setting used. At the highest quality setting on the SR8 (15 Mbps), a normal 4.7 GB DVD will hold around 40 mins of video.

[Oatsy]

So you can edit the video and save it as an AVCHD file, burn about 40mins to a normal DVD disc then play on my PS3. What if i get a dual layer DVD, then that would hold more. Do special drive to burn dual layer DVD discs?

Also, if i can save the edited video as an AVCHD file, can't i just put it back on to the memory of the camera, then connect to my tv via HDMI? Would that work.

[redsox_mark]

So you can edit the video and save it as an AVCHD file, burn about 40mins to a normal DVD disc then play on my PS3. What if i get a dual layer DVD, then that would hold more. Do special drive to burn dual layer DVD discs?

Ulead Studio can do this it has been reported. Sony Vegas can too, but it is not straightforward.

I've not heard anyone being succesful in getting edited video played back by the camcorder.

[Oatsy]

what about saving the edited file on to something like this

http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/5100sh.aspx

[redsox_mark]

Yes, it says it suports AVCHD.

[senu]

Do have a look at that link in my post. The free converter makes files PS3 friendly
But certainly the TIVX youve linked to seems to be another nice way of viewing them
Mark is right.
Playing AVCHD files off the camcorder means you havent altered them.
It would seem that there are differences in the AVCHD you output after editing ( which is infact not a common feature: Even in Vegas (8) Pro it is far from straightfoward) which will not allow the camcorder recognise them for playback.
Im not even convinced that you can playback unaltered AVCHD files recorded on a Canon or Panasonic camcorder on a Sony model

[Oatsy]

Thanks guys for all your help, it's so confusing.

What other video formats are high def? MPEG4? Can most bits of software output in lots of different file types?

[redsox_mark]

For camcorder formats, the main HD ones are AVCHD (which is a form of MPEG4), and HDV (which uses MPEG2).
The Sanyo Xitachi range uses a different form of MPEG4 (not AVCHD).

For output formats, there are others like .wmv.

Most software will support a number of formats.

[senu]

Originally Posted by Oatsy

Thanks guys for all your help, it's so confusing.

What other video formats are high def? MPEG4? Can most bits of software output in lots of different file types?

As Mark has said H.264 ( Mpeg4) AVCHD and Mpeg2 ( 1080i):HDV are the main ones
WMV-HD, Divx_HD Quicktime HD are variants and exist in 720p and 1080i versions.
Sanyo also does a 720p Mpeg4 which is not AVCHD, MAny of these variants are internet friendly versions
The way to make it less confusing is to realise that most can be played by most software and when in doubt , ask as the solution is usually simple. Apart from WMV, The PS3 can certainly play most of them.
XBOX360 cannot play AVCHD but both itself and the PS3 have the potential through firmware upgrades to become more universally compatible.
Software on the PC generally are, and where there is a problem it is usually a matter of getting and installing the right codec

Try and read past all the jargon ( some of which may be info overload TBH) It is a little less complicated than it seems

[sajeev]

I recorded in HDV format using Sony HVR A1E, then transfered the content to computer using premier pro 1.51 and used the transfer to dvd option and completed the process using the 4:3 high quality setting to encode. When i played the dvd on my standalone dvd player there was a top and bottom black border. Is there anyway to remove this during editing? Please help? was not sure how to start a new thread.

thanks

[senu]

AFAIK the A1 ( like its baby brother the HC1) records HDV as 16: 9. you inadvertently turned it into a 4:3 during the encode process .
To avoid seeing it again you are best of encoding to DVD as 16:9 or widescreen.
As such you unwittingly "created" the black bars by choosing the 4:3 option
Certainly you can use the DVD player ( if it allows you) or TV display in Pan and scan mode which will display without the bars but best to encode it correctly in the first instance

[laser]

Originally Posted by senu

As Mark has said H.264 ( Mpeg4) AVCHD and Mpeg2 ( 1080i):HDV are the main ones
WMV-HD, Divx_HD Quicktime HD are variants and exist in 720p and 1080i versions.
Sanyo also does a 720p Mpeg4 which is not AVCHD, MAny of these variants are internet friendly versions
The way to make it less confusing is to realise that most can be played by most software and when in doubt , ask as the solution is usually simple. Apart from WMV, The PS3 can certainly play most of them.
XBOX360 cannot play AVCHD but both itself and the PS3 have the potential through firmware upgrades to become more universally compatible.
Software on the PC generally are, and where there is a problem it is usually a matter of getting and installing the right codec

Try and read past all the jargon ( some of which may be info overload TBH) It is a little less complicated than it seems

PS3 can play HD WMV files with firmware version 2.10 now.

[senu]

Originally Posted by laser

PS3 can play HD WMV files with firmware version 2.10 now.

Thanks it seems Sony is taking no prisoners ...

And how are you these days.. I cant imagine the cold is great weather for Shooting trains!
I was at the Broadcast and Video Forums 2008 ( Recently concluded at Earls Court). Avid is returning Liquid to Pinnacle ( They are not comfortable with a capable but lower cost software. Avid loves the mega bucks for the promise of a PRo Solution.) it would seem .And on the hardware. There really isnt anything spectacular for the non-consumer grade. the Sony A1 i still curent with the Z1 and V1 and the "semi pro" FX7
It was enlightening but be rest assured that the HC1 and Liquid are far from being old hat as anything new is costlier but not that better without being several multiples in cost
And the issues of Domestic BD media and recording drives were barely mentioned at the CES ( recently concluded in Las Vegas) and The Show at Eartls Court..
Apparently there is the IBS in Amsterdam but I guess it may just be more of the same with the HD AVCDH camcorders getting prominence without much thought about what happens to the footage after the shooting