I recently purchased Vegas Pro 8.0 specifically for AVCHD editing and have been experimenting with it to see if it will actually do what I want. My list of requirements was as follows;

1.) It must be able to fully edit AVCHD, including the sound track and be able to retain the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound as well as the 16:9 aspect ratio.

2.) It must not only "read" AVCHD, but "write" AVCHD as well.

3.) It must be able to write the edited AVCHD in a manner that will allow it to be exported back into my Sony camcorder so I can share my edited high definition movies with friends and family that don't have a Blu-ray Player or PS3.

4.) I must able to burn the edited AVCHD to standard DVD's that will play in a Blue-ray player or PS3 so that my edited project remains High Definition.

5.) I must be able to create a thumbnail menu with chapters for my edited project.

Vegas Pro 8.0 meets 3 of the 5 requirements. 1-3 to be specific. And it is the only program to the best of my knowledge that will write the edited AVCHD in a format that will allow it to be exported back into a Sony AVCHD camcorder. Best of all, it works very well with my Centrino Duo T5500 (1.66GHz.) laptop with 2 gigs of ram.

In order to burn the AVCHD project to DVD's though (#4), I must use the Picture Motion Browser software that came with my Sony camcorder to do it. Because Vegas Pro 8 is incapable of burning AVCHD to DVD's. It can only burn AVCHD to Blu-ray discs, and I don't have a Blu-ray burner. Also, there is no way to create a thumbnail menu with Vegas Pro 8 that is compatible with AVCHD because Vegas depends on it's companion program, DVD Architect Pro 4.5 that is included with Pro 8 to create thumbnail menu's and such. And Architect is incompatible with anything HD, including AVCHD. So you have to use another program that is compatible with AVCHD to make the thumbnail menu. For me, that program is Nero 8 UE. But it has to be upgraded to the latest update. Because at first, it wouldn't open the file that I edited in Vegas. It would just crash every time I tried to open it. But after updating to the latest version it opens them perfectly and allows further editing like adding chapters and making really nice custom thumbnail menu's for your project.

This has been the most complete solution I have found to date for editing AVCHD. And it is also the least processor intensive, meaning it will work with the least system requirements.

So with Vegas Pro 8, you can edit AVCHD in the same way you can edit any other format in Vegas Pro. It reads and writes AVCHD (Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 8 only reads AVCHD and doesn't write it). You can export the edited video back into a Sony AVCHD camcorder (a editing program first!). And the image quality is exactly the same as the original, including the 5.1 surround sound and 16:9 aspect ratio. You can even edit each individual channel of the 5.1 sound (except the LFE for some reason).

With Picture Motion Browser (comes with Sony camcorder) you can burn AVCHD DVD's of your edited projects. And also export your edited project back into the camcorder.

With Nero 8 UE (latest update) you can open your edited file and add chapters and create a custom thumbnail menu. You can then burn a AVCHD DVD directly from Nero.

With these three programs I can at last do everything I wanted to do with my AVCHD files.

Vegas Pro 8 is very expensive. But thanks to a tip from Rich (Poncho) I was able purchase it from B&H for $180.00. You must first buy Vegas 6 for $80.00, then upgrade to Vegas Pro 8 for $100.00. You then end up with the complete Pro 8 program, including DVD Architect Pro 4.5 and the Dolby Digital AC-3 Encoder as well. Just as if you spent the $500-600.00 for the full version in the first place. Here are the links:

Vegas 6 link;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...eo_Editing.html

Pro 8 Upgrade link;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._Vegas_Pro.html

Nero 8 UE can be had for $80-100.00 depending on where you buy it.

I don't how compatible Vegas is with other non Sony generated AVCHD. I have only tested it with my Sony camcorder.

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

Here are the settings I used in Vegas Pro 8 for my AVCHD files. If you have a Sony AVCHD Handycam I strongly suggest you have the Sony software that came with the camcorder installed. It is Picture Motion Browser (PMB) and while many have said bad things about it, it is a necessary evil. Without it you can't burn AVCHD DVD's. Because neither Vegas Pro 8 nor DVD Architect Pro 4.5 can do it.

Here are my settings.

Open Vegas Pro 8. From the file menu click new. In the New Project box on the Video tab, at the far right end of the "Template" line, click "Match Media Settings". Locate the folder that contains the .m2ts files that you want to edit. Click on a file, any file will do, you're just going to extract the file information from it. Then click "Open". The Video tab should now contain all the correct information from your file. Next click on the "Audio" tab. Change the "Master Bus Mode:" from "Stereo" to "5.1 Surround". Then click OK on the New Properties box. Next, drag the files you want to edit onto the timeline. If they are already there, that's fine too. Edit the files as you wish. When you're done editing you will need to render your project in AVCHD. To do this, click on the File menu and click "Render As...". In the Render As box, next to "Save as type:" select "Sony AVC (*.mp4;*.m2ts;*.avc). Then next to "Template:" select "AVCHD NTSC 5.1 surround". Then pick a File Name for your Render As project and a Folder to save it in (top of the Render As box). Click Save. Your project will start rendering. This will take some time, so be prepared to walk away from your computer for a while. When it's done rendering the next step will be to register the folder you saved it in with PMB (Picture Motion Browser). To do this open PMB, click the File menu and select "Register Viewed Folders...". Once the folder is registered you can then select the file in PMB and create a AVCHD DVD from the "Manipulate" menu using "AVCHD Creation" or you can Export to the Handycam also from the Manipulate menu as well.

This should work with any Sony AVCHD Handycam. These DVD's will play flawlessly and without gaps in any AVCHD capable Blu-ray Player or PS3 in the same exact HD quality as if it was straight from the cam. Only it will now be edited to your liking.

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

Helo Ernie,

Hope you can understand me, my English is very poor.
Last week I have bought the new HDR-SR11 camcoder. It is a very nice camcoder.
I have a problem in using Vegas 8 pro. I follow the steps in your message, but I think something I am doing wrong.
Some of the m2ts files that I selected ,can upload ok in the time line, but others no ; the program start to think and in a minutes I get an error message : “ The program is not responding” , and crash.
Could be that vegas 8 can handle big files ? . Do you have some experience in this problem ?.

Wanting for your response, and many thanks

Gerardo
Computer Notebook HP Pavilion , Dual Core processor 1,83 Mgz and 2 gb memory

Gerardo,

I have never had this problem, but I'm wondering if you have the latest updates. The very first thing I did before even using Vegas Pro 8 was to check for updates and update to the latest version. I am currently using version 8.0b build 217 and have had no problems. If you aren't using this version that could be the problem, especially for AVCHD issues. To check for updates, open Vegas Pro and click on "Help", scroll down to "Sony on the Web" and click on "Latest Updates". There is also an update for DVD Architect Pro 4.5 as well that updates it to version 4.5b.

Hope this solves your problem.

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

Bingo Ernie !!!!

I update to version 8.0b build 217, and now I can upload the m2ts files without trouble.
Well, here is my first footage, from the door of my home. I live 30Km North from Buenos Aires City , near the river side . My city is Victoria

File: Untitled.m2t
DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/99641287/Untitled.m2t

Many thanks again , Sincerely yours,

Gerardo

Gerardo,

I'm glad to hear that's what it was. I was pretty sure that was it because I seem to recall that problem was amomg some of the fixes the update addressed.

Thanks for sharing the video. I downloaded the file and watched it using PMB. It was interesting to see how the new SR11 performed compared to my SR1. On the computer they look the same to me, which is to say excellent because I really like the way my SR1 performs. I am thinking of burning it to DVD and playing it on my Blu-ray player on the HDTV to see how it shines. After all, how it looks on the computer is not the determining factor of how well a HD camcorder performs. There is a world of difference in how the video's look from my SR1 when played on the HDTV through the BD player than when I play them on the computer. You can tell a "difference" between camcorders on the computer, but they don't "shine" until they are displayed using the proper HD equipment.

Glad to hear your problem was solved.

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

Hi Ernie

You're the BEST!!!!

Wayne

Thanks Wayne!

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

wow, excellent post.. thanks for sharing this workflow!

question about Nero 8 UE... you said you use it to create menus and you burn an AVCHD DVD directly from Nero. Can that be imported back into the camera with the menus?

You're welcome! And unfortunately no, only the Vegas Pro 8 edited file can be exported into the camcorder. Once it goes through Nero the camcorder can't play it. The camcorder won't play any file edited in Nero. The original Vegas Pro file is unchanged though. So you can keep it on a hard drive to load back into the camcorder or do further editing at any time. The Nero disc you burn with the menu will play on any AVCHD compatible Blu-ray Player or PS3. It will also play on the computer in Nero's Showtime program with the menu. It will play in Sony's AVCHD Player too, but the menu won't show up.

The only files that can be exported back into a Sony AVCHD camcorder are AVCHD files that are unedited, or have been edited in Picture Motion Browser or Vegas Pro. To the best of my knowledge, AVCHD files that have been edited in any other program will not play in Sony AVCHD camcorders. I don't know how the other brands fare at this.

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

AVCHD files produced by Nero 8 can't be played back on my Panasonic SD5 - only the HD Writer software that comes with the camcorder can do this. I believe that the HD Writer software produces the index, playlist and thumbnail files required by the camcorder, whereas Nero only produces the actual video file. If someone finds a way to make HD Writer to "see" Nero 8 files, I would be glad to hear it!

Thanks for sharing. So what program can you use that will allow you to edit your files and then export them back to the camcorder. Does HD Writer offer a complete enough editing feature set?

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Ernie
Sony HDR-SR1 AVCHD HDD User

I haven't investigated further but don't know of any software (other than HD Writer) that will export back the complete file structure to the camcorder so that the camcorder can play back edited footage. HD Writer offers the basic editing of clips + menu. I use Nero or Pinnacle and will invest in Bluray burner and player once the prices become more mainstream consumer.

At last I can see my son's wedding edited HD movie on my new HD TV! Final solutions were a Panasonic HDC-SD5 camcorder, Quad Core PC with 4 GB Ram and 2 x 500Gb Discs, Nero 8 with HD/BluRay plug in, Panasonic TX-32LXD70 TV, and a Toshiba EP-30 HD-DVD player. At £60, the EP-30 was the cheapest component!

Hopefully in time, Bluray burners and players will come down to a more reasonable price level - till then, I'll have to make movies in both standard DVD and HD-DVD quality. I'll get around 25 minutes HD-DVD on a standard DVD but hopefully double that with a Dual Layer DVD.

A question about resolutions...

When you select the AVCHD Ntsc template, it forces the resolution to 1440x1080. Is there no way to retain the entire 1920x1080 resolution? I can change it to simply AVC and set a custom resolution, but then I have to output as an mp4 with aac audio.

Is this just a current limitation of Vegas Pro?