Canon HF100 SRVT and bad output in Power Director 7

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Solved by

Oct 30, 2008 09:13

I have been trying to get my output from a Canon HF100 to match the original input using the SRVT guidelines. It seems when a clip is being produced, it is only using SRVT if absolutely no edits are made. The final output in an untouched clip looks like the original .mts file. However, as soon as any edit is introduced, SRVT seems to fail and the output from that point on is bad, with motion artifacts galore and a very slow production time.

I first passed a 48 second .mts clip through unedited and the rendering took about 10 seconds using SRVT. Output matched the original.

I then tried the same clip with a 5 second title added to the beginning. The rendering took about 1 minute 30 seconds. The output was quite bad, with a lot of artifacts.

I then tried a single trim on the original .mts file. Again, rendering was slowed from this simple trim, and output was full of artifacts.

Finally, I put the original .mts clip on the timeline twice in a row, with a simple fade transition between the two clips. Rendering was speedy up to the transition point, then it slowed for the remainder of the production. Accordingly, the output was fine up to the transition, but after the clip was degraded with artifacts.

I'm wondering if Power Director V 7 can correctly output AVCHD from my Canon HF100. I'd seen the above problems using the trial version, but I thought purchasing and using the latest update might solve the issues. Apparently not in my case.

I've read another post regarding the HF100 and interlacing issues. I'm not sure if my situation is the same. I love this program, but the bad output cripples everything.

Any help is appreciated.

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Oct 30, 2008 10:51

Hi Brandon,

If I give you an ftp location can you upload some test footage for me please?

10 seconds, 30 seconds and 1 minute clips if possible.

PM me your email address as well please.

If I repeat your problem with the 10 second clip, I will get you to complete a report form and make all information available to CyberLink.

Are you using the latest build of PD7 - have you applied the 2206 patch?

Dafydd
[Moderator]

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Oct 30. 2008 10:53

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Oct 30, 2008 16:28

I am using the latest patch. I've been trying to ftp the project but each time it stops after about 30 minutes of uploading. The folder is just over 200MB. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it to you or not.

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Oct 30, 2008 16:51

Upload the files separately.

Dafydd

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Oct 30. 2008 16:51

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Oct 30, 2008 22:30

Ok I was able to upload everything under the folder "brandon project" on the ftp site. I believe I included all of the info and files you'll need.

With this particular project, it seems the program is rendering whenever any edit is made, including a simple trim operation. This is evidenced in the increased render time compared with producing a totally unedited clip (render times are included in the report document I uploaded). The odd thing is that SRVT shows no rendering is needed, with the obvious exception of when the "testing" title is added.

The problem is that SRVT is failing and unnecessary rendering is occurring. On top of that, the rendered video shows a lot of artifacts, making the output quite inferior to the input. The artifacts are most noticeable in the leaves and the shaded portion of grass when looking out the window.

Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thanks again.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Oct 30. 2008 22:38

pjc

Senior Member Location: Aus Joined: Sep 12, 2008 03:48 Messages: 262 Offline

Oct 31, 2008 05:56

Hi Brandon,

The AVCHD rendering in PD is very unsatisfactory. Plenty of examples by myself and other AVCHD users. I'm pretty sure Dafydd has brought it to Cyberlink's attention.
A workaround which gives "almost as good as original" rendering is to use HD mpeg2 at around 20Mbps or BD output. The only catch is that you need a media player or BD player to watch the product. (or PC of course).

Another tip if you want to down convert to Standard Def is to use the create disk module, write to HDD folder, and then retrieve the VOB files from there. This is much better rendering then creating a file. (I have no idea why this would be so as one would assume it uses the same engine but is significantly better).

Hope this helps until a tweak is found.

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Oct 31, 2008 11:38

Thanks for the suggestion pjc.

I'm just not sure that PD7 can justify its cost to me without the inclusion of proper AVCHD editing and rendering. I'd be more apt to use the bundled software that came with the HF100.

Although I love PD7's interface, editing abilities, and speed, the quality of the final footage is more important to me than being able to edit and produce a fancier project.

I really hope they can fix the AVCHD editing issues.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at Oct 31. 2008 11:39

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Nov 01, 2008 09:07

Dafydd, any thoughts on the uploaded project?

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Nov 03, 2008 04:49

I have been waiting for your email, as per my instructions, send it asap please - it helps me to get this moving.

Dafydd

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Nov 03. 2008 04:51

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Nov 09, 2008 09:30

Any info on the problems?

What are the odds that Cyberlink will patch PD7 to increase compatibility and function of editing AVCHD for the problems in this thread?

Like I mentioned, I like the program, but the output is most important. I am still within my 30 day period to request a refund, and I'm on the fence about it.

BW

Newbie Joined: Nov 24, 2008 09:39 Messages: 5 Offline

Nov 24, 2008 11:31

I'm new to PD7 and the AVCHD format (but have a few years of Pinnacle software editing with miniDV). Currently, I'm working with the 30-day trial version of PD7 and like the layout and functionality. However, the rendering time is l...o...n...g.

This thread caught my attention because I too have an HF100 and I'm wondering about rendering time with the AVCHD (MTS) clips. The render times stated here are so fast (and I have a relatively quick Intel DualCore system) but I'm seeing rendering times of 40 minutes for a 6 minute AVCHD clip (1920x1080). Am I doing something wrong? I'd like to do some white balance correction and simply render it to a regular DVD in high def that's playable on a Blu Ray player.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Nov 24, 2008 12:15

The rendering times I listed were using an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz in which all cores run at max when rendering.

Times can be VERY quick when SRVT is working on unedited portions of a clip. However, SRVT doesn't work well with AVCHD currently, which is the major problem discussed in this thread.

pjc

Senior Member Location: Aus Joined: Sep 12, 2008 03:48 Messages: 262 Offline

Nov 24, 2008 13:43

Quote: I'd like to do some white balance correction and simply render it to a regular DVD in high def that's playable on a Blu Ray player.

If you are applying a filter over the video then the rendering time is much longer.

BW

Newbie Joined: Nov 24, 2008 09:39 Messages: 5 Offline

Nov 24, 2008 21:40

Well I discovered the rendering time is GREATLY affected by whatever edits I do; I hadn't given that much weight but alas it is true. Without edits I can render an MPG2 wonderfully, except now I'm finding that it os dropping audio from playing on anything but the VLC player. MS Media player, DivX players, etc. do not play the audio. The audio is there if I play the rendered MPG2 in VLC or in PD7, but why is that?

Juan

Newbie Location: Canada Joined: Dec 01, 2008 23:35 Messages: 33 Offline

Dec 03, 2008 00:46

Hi brandon,

Did you receive an answer about this issue?

What happenned with the project that you uploaded?

I'm in the same boat than you. I like the program, but the AVCHD rendering quality is poor (artifacts, etc) and SVRT is not working properly. I may request a refund.

Thanks

James W

Senior Contributor Location: Lakeland, FL USA Joined: Aug 18, 2008 10:36 Messages: 911 Offline

Dec 03, 2008 10:58

I also just purchased a Cannon HD camera and fully expect to experience the same issues. It's supposed to arrive later this week. My feelings are that Cyberlink will at some point have to fix these issues if they want to continue to sell Power Director as a leading home editor. Otherwise a competitor will develop something better and cyberlink will lost customers. I feel the same way about the GPU rendering situation. I would expect that more functions will be available down the road. For now its just wait and see.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 03. 2008 10:59

Q9300 2.5 GHz
4 GB Ram
Nvidia 9800 GT

brandon

Newbie Joined: Oct 30, 2008 07:59 Messages: 8 Offline

Dec 03, 2008 16:25

The only answer I got was that the PD7 team received my report and are aware of the issue. I decided I would stick with PD7 and just hope that the AVCHD rendering gets fixed in the future. Hopefully this decision pays off.

In the meantime I will output to BD format or HD MPEG as suggested to me earlier.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 03. 2008 16:26