There are preview quality settings - you need to pick the best setting that doesn't bog down your PC. But part of the way that PD8 gives good AVCHD performance is by providing reduced quality preview (imho it's adequate for the task but I can imagine some wanting it absolutely pristine).

The dissatisfaction with PD8 seems linked to people using high bit rates and/or Canon users.

if 17mbps (FXP mode) for 1920x1080 is considered a "high bitrate", then i guess you're right..........

By the way, PD8 (trial) detects the 17mbps material as 15.something. By looking at the max video bitrate limits (17mbps), this is well within the "range" that PD8 allegedly supports.

There is word already of a PD8 1930a update, which weighs around 700MB. Can anyone confirm its availability?

Or can Cyberlink at least provide the updated binaries as the trial version?

as an interesing edit: SVRT works for a m2ts material produced by PD8.
- imported 3 17mbps 1920x1080 clips
- inserted 2 transitions
- SVRT needed to re-encode 98% of the material (audio/video)
- removed the initial 3 clips from the timeline
- imported the PD8 output to the timeline
- splitted it into 3 parts and added 2 transitions
- SVRT works -> it re-encodes only the transition (audio/video), meaning 2% only. The rest of 98% is untouched.

This is how it should work from the beginning on the original clips!

bumping thread, can anyone comment on update 1930a changelog and availability?

Quote:

Quote: I don't have one of those nice 40+ inch LCD displays to test

Just upgraded to PD 8. Bought canon HF Legria S100 next day. This cam records to SD card only.
Transferred video to computer using canon software. Excellent quality when previewing file with same.

But OH! when dragging the file into PD and checking the preview the quality is appalling. Did not even try to produce(will the quality improve during production?) I am shooting at 24MBS 1920x1080.
PD 8 will not even recognize my cam so I have to use the Canon Software.

Do you guys have any advice or must I buy a different camera ?Or Software? I actually thought I could drag video direct from the sd card onto the computer using a card reader. Not so it appears.
Any help will be much appreciated

Couldn't find the original post from James on this but here's a few answers for him.

Using Canon software: Awkward, next to useless. Best off using a reader for copying MTS files to a folder where they can be first renamed then imported as media files.

Apalling preview quality: This is true of just about all NLE's. The resources are needed for the editing process and prevue quality is often held at a minimum, just enough to see what is going on. Producing results in much better looks.

Recognition of your cam: PD8 and most other software will not recognize flash memory cams anyway. That is for capture from tape. You CAN drag the video from the card with a reader to the computer, you are probably not "drilling down" into the right folder on the card. I don't have the file structure memorized but the MTS files are in a subfolder (STREAM I believe) a few levels down from the root directory of the card.

If you transferred the files to the computer already using the Canon software, search for MTS and you will be able to import those as media files into PD. I started editing on a project last night using both MTS files from an HF100 and MOV files from a T1i.

You don't need to go looking for another camera or different software. What you have will do if you will do.

This answered my question