Hi Shawn,

Yes...isn't the AVC - MPEG4 on the Produce a file page what you are lookig for? It is beside the iPod (Portable) option:

"This profile encodes MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video format in a Standard Definition profile that is compatible with AVCHD. MPEG-4 AVC has better compression compared to MPEG-2. This allow users to record video at the similar quality of MPEG-2 but in less space."

In the quality box in says it is 720 x 480

FYI...I am using the Ultra version.
Thanks

Dave

The AVC MPEG4 option creates an .m2ts file which isn't the same thing. Also, I want a file that's 1280x720 not 720x480.

Open PD7
Video in timeline
Produce
Create a File
Select AVC.Mpeg4
select New (icon: film strip with + sign)
Name the Custom Profile
Video tab
Resolution - drop down menu
1280x720(720p)
Change any other parameters/variable you want to.
Click OK
Creates an m2ts file

Dafydd

I've done that but unfortunately it produces an m2ts file which isn't useable by Apple TV. Apple TV/iTunes support mp4 and m4v files which have H.264 streams in them like the m2ts file does, but they can't deal with the m2ts container.

Hi Shawn,

I realise what you were getting to.... just needed to elaborate on the m2ts creation.

I've sent you a PM suggestion.

Dafydd

Any way to make the resulting file an MP4 instead of an M2TS file?

I can easily change the other settings, just can't get it to create an actual MP4.

I have played around a bit and have discovered an indirect (work around) way to get a decent MP4. I have posted in another thread on this site.

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/3601.page

I still don't understand why there is no flexibility to choose whatever resolution you want when creating an MP4, and why can't one choose the AVC .MPEG4 to take advantage of the better compression, but have the resulting file an MP4.


On another note....What exactly does one do with an M2TS file anyway (aside from burning directly to disc)?

Daniel,

I read your postings [http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/3601.page] and was delighted to see you'd been looking for a solution.

I have a small mp4 720p cam which I have for a special project, I want to be able to output to the same format/quality.

I have referred your postings (on the 24th I think) and concerns to CyberLink as they mimic my own.

Sorry for not posting an answer sooner - just a tad busy at the moment.

Dafydd

Has anyone heard of this possibly becoming a reality in the near future?

Daniel,

No news on this with PD7.

If you have a few minutes spare and want to see a tutorial.
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/5455.page
Only solution I have for you at this time, I haven't had time to look at other products.

I have along with vn800rider - Adrian been looking at returning mp4's to the video camera and using it to play the finished video on TV. Unfortunately the video cameras use their own mp4 codec reader and it can distinguish it from one we encode. So far we've not been able to resolve this. The aim of course was to have a portable HD device (the camera) player.

Bif and vn800rider localised a player for HD wmv files you might like to read up on.
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/4718.page

Dafydd
[Moderator]

Hi Guys,

I know its going to a 2 stage process but try using handbrake http://handbrake.fr/
It may help.


I've just produced a small test from an .mp4 to a 1440 .m2ts in PD then converted to a 1280 m4v file in handbrake. Seems OK and plays in QT but I don't have an apple TV so....

I can't say I've really tested it fully but maybe it might give you a result?

Cheers
Adrian Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

Hi Dafydd,

Thanks for the reply.

I have watched the Tutorial and have just downloaded Super.

I will soon install and test.

The method I have been using was to produce in MPEG-2 format (1440 X 1080), then use Videora to convert to MP4.

I assume from the tutorial that it is better to produce to WMA before the conversion to MP4?

Obviously; the best case scenario for me would be to be able to produce directly to MP4 from PD, but if I can streamline or improve the quality of my current process, it will definitely help.

I will run a few comparisons today. I am looking forward to the results.

Thanks again for the advice.

Peace,

Dan

BTW: Just wondering if producing HQ MP4's is something that is at least on the radar of the folks at Cyberlink.

Hi Adrian,

Thank you also for your reply.

I'm just a bit confused on the recommendation of using Handbrake. Is this better for producing MP4's (or M4V's) than Dafydd's recommendation of using Super?

I guess I should have fully defined my need:

I am editing raw .MTS files from my Sony HDR-SR12.

My company builds packaging machinery and I am piloting a project for producing instructional videos that show how to operate and maintain the equipment.

My need is sort of 2 fold:

One form of delivery will be an iPod Touch that the operators or maintenance technicians will actually wear while working at the machine. They will be able to call up various videos showing them step-by-step instruction while they are actually standing right in front of the area to be adjusted.

Obviously, the only video format the iPod will accept is MP4 (as far as I know), so this is a must.

Not wanting to be tied to just the iPod for delivery, we also want to be able to play these same videos in a PowerPoint presentation (shown on the big screen), a PC monitor, or even on a TV from a DVD.

I really wanted to find a "happy medium" for the file format, so we did not have to manage 2 (or more) different formats for each video.

After some initial testing, it seemed that an MP4 in 640 X 480 would work on the iPod (although a bit limiting on how many we could store on it), but also looked "acceptable" on a 1280 x 1024 monitor playing in Quicktime.

The added benefit of using the MP4 format was making use of the various tag fields to define and classify each video. This makes it much easier to find the desired video when searching using iTunes.

I guess if there is always going to be a multi-step process, I will always have 2 different formats of the same video anyway. This being the case, having a nice HQ version that will dazzle our customers may be an added bonus .

I have to admit, I am relatively new to much of this, so I am always learning (and open to suggestions ).

Dan

Hi Daniel

Actually I tend to use Super© quite a lot for file conversions but came across handbrake recently. It has a more user friendly GUI that might be easier to get to grips with for many folk. I was interested in the Apple presets on it for Shawn's original post but as I don't play much with Apple stuff I can't really test it.

Cheers
Adrian Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

Hi Dafydd,

I had a chance to try out Super, but I was unable to successfully produce an MP4 using the settings outlined in your tutorial.

It seems to be something with the H.264/AVC output codec. When I use it, I end up with an error at the end of the conversion process.

When I use the MPEG-4 codec, the conversion process completes successfully (although I was not at all happy with the quality).

Anyway; I don't want to get too far off topic in this thread, but did not feel justified in starting a new thread for another software company.

I did try accessing the forums their website, but it seems to be stuck on loading the database.

Any suggestions?

I just got a video produced through PowerDirector 7 to play on my Apple TV. I produced the video through the AVC option which gave me a .m2ts file. I then took that file and ran it through Handbrake using the Apple TV presets. After about a half hour of encoding, I had a .m4v file that iTunes accepted without a question. From there, all I had to do was go to my Apple TV and watch it.

Hope this resolves this issue for some!